Crunched Time (Part Two)

So, the receipts were finally entered, columns tallied, and reports printed.

I survived the prep work of yet another tax season. 

I do dread the process, but I always end up in the spot when I see there's more to the Cash Flow report than credits and creditors.  The "Crunch time" that is tax preparation produces a two-page end product that condenses the life of this BigFamily into a small snapshot... Time, crunched. 

Funny thing:  that little report gives me a bigger perspective.

Right off that Income/Expense report, I get to appreciate that a new camera is a wonderful business expense at any price.  Not one "thing" gives me more joy than that single piece of equipment;  perhaps surprisingly, it gives me much more joy than even a washing machine, dish washer, or very large vehicle... combined.  And now that the tax work has been submitted, I have learned I absolutely must budget more funds for scrapbooking and photo finishing.  Afterall, I don't want my babies to end up as jpegs.

The new Nikon is small change compared to the one glaring humongous umbrella expense entitled "Medical".  This includes insurance premiums, doctor visits, and buckets of antibiotics.  But there's no subcategory in that report that documents the awe of watching your daughter, while her arm is in the unnatural shape of the letter "S",  pray her way calmly through the pain until an ambulance could get her to an emergency room.  Or the joy of scheduling a "Well Child" visit for a three year old when you realize your child is perfectly healthy.  I'll pay double for that.

We also spend a small fortune on gasoline...waaaaaaaay more money than we do even our mortgage. (Okay, it's true we have a pretty cheap mortgage, however gas got outrageously expensive!).   But you know what?  I won't apologize for this carbon footprint.  That expense represents time spent with grandparents, or watching my kids play in ball games, visits with friends, and day trip experiences for my children.  Last Fall when my nephew called at 5 pm to invite me to share his birthday cake 90 miles away, we jumped in the car and went.  (And I've got GREAT pictures from that gathering too!)

I will add that the 2009 Gasoline expense was actually less than in previous years, which I attribute to our dumping 19 sets of seatbelts for a sardine can with five. The fuel efficient Ford Focus racks up 34 mpg, but I still call it The GoCart.  I tolerate it only because it gets me to my destination. 

We seemed to have cut back on recreational expenses in 2009.  But one of them, a family swimming pool pass, is worth any amount of money spent.  In the scorching heat of summer, we put off running our air conditioners for as long as possible, and the local pool is one reason I can get away with it.  While it's true that having a family pass means kids need fewer baths at home during the summer, the financial savings is zilch when factoring in the garden hose that gets left running under the trampoline overnight. 

It's a wash... but it's also perspective.

Somewhat misleading, it also looks like we spent more money on clothing last year, especially around Eastertime.  However, the Quickbooks "Income/Expense Comparison" report does not have room for a parenthetical "Sears Gift Cards from Grammy, Thank God" notation.  But it should, as well as all the other instances of kindness generously shared with us.  And there's no spot on the report for "Priceless", which is the value of friends who share the bounty of their gardens, their outgrown clothing, or giant sized jars of peanut butter from Sams Club.

There are economic lessons to be learned, but we're hanging in there.  Oh, we're still going to work hard to reduce our debt, increase our savings, and stay healthy and cast-free.  But some expenses just can't be avoided,
like replacement windows....
or the stories that go with them.