Taxes Made Easy, Taxes Done Right

I tried Turbo Tax for the first time this year and was very impressed. Now that neither state nor federal taxes can be sent in on paper (for free) and I desperately need the refund check, I decided to give it a try. It was very quick and easy, but cost almost 50 bucks. Bleh.

I also discovered that all of the interest I pay on my student loans is refundable. Does that make any sense? I mean, I'm certainly not complaining, but what is the point of one part of the government charging me interest, and another part of it giving the interest back? I suppose they do come out ahead, receiving interest on the money from my interest while it is in their possession... but still.

My total refund came to about a thousand bucks this year (yea!). Maybe I really can afford a new (used) car after all... Right now I'm looking at a Grand Am or a Grand Prix.

I find myself in the middle of a rushing cascade effect. My car breaks down, but I can't afford/don't want to put thousands of dollars into fixing it, so I'm going to get a new one. The new one will have a monthly payment and higher insurance costs (my last car was paid off with PLPD). I can barely afford to live as it is... So I clearly need to get a new job that pays better. BUT, there's NO WAY I'll be able to pay for all the initial costs of moving, and I will need to move to get a better job. Ugh. Life was so much simpler a week ago.