Ah tax season! Or better yet the end of submitting for it! Amidst the snow and cold, there was scrambling for pounds of paperwork to submit for a chance at getting repaid by the government. What's not to love about "free" money? So its not really free, but it is money...
So between my 4 W2s (one company bought by another, switched jobs and a maintained 2nd job) and the 2 certificates of rent paid (same deal with a company bought another) I will be receiving a nice little chunk of green.
The bad part? Figuring out how to spend or save it...
Idea #1 - Tamron 70-200 f2.8 VC USM lens. This lens is a beast! Half the cost of the Nikon equivalent but nearly as fast and as sharp. Nearly as in milliseconds. Internal focusing, big glass and its an f2.8 throughout! Also its a full frame lens, so on a crop body it ends up being 105-300 f2.8!!! No the lens doesn't actually change in focal length, the sensor in the body makes the difference. But I digress. This lens would be AMAZING to add to my collection esp for snagging pictures of running and playing dogs! The bad thing? Even though it is half the cost of the Nikon equivalent, it is still $1,500! Ouch!
Idea #2 - Nikon D7000/D7100 body. I've been toying with the thought of having a camera body that will handle low light a bit better. The D7000 is a slight step below the D300s, but has higher mp as well as an expanded iso capability. Less autofocus points, doesn't have the duel card slots, not quite as rugged as the D300s, but being generationally newer it has perks. Also because I can't afford the D800...
Idea #3 - Adding to the lens collection. Nikon makes an amazing 85mm f1.8 that is fast, sharp and fairly budget friendly in the realm of lenses ($460 on bhphotovideo.com). Tamron has a 28-75mm f2.8 lens that is quick and lightweight, won't break the bank ($500 new), has a 6 year warranty and also is a full frame lens so it ends up being 43-103mm. Weird length but great for a less than telephoto midrange lens. I've also toyed with getting a macro lens in the realm of 90mm or 105mm. So many options that would be great additions to my collection! And why not get a couple of lenses vs one? Decisions...
Idea #4 - Bills. This is my least fun and least favorite option, but those bills do like money too...
Idea #5 - Sit on it. Also known as saving. Not as fun especially with so many things to spend it on...
Idea #6 - Trip time! This snow and cold has finally gotten to the point of solid annoyance. I hear that basically anywhere south of here is warmish to toasty these days. Not sure how my car would handle the road trip (its solid, but has some "quirks"). Nothing like a road trip with a broken down car, 4 dogs and the bf. The next thought would be where to go. I'm super partial to Colorado, though not sure how the mountains and altitude would do with my car. Plus its a 14ish hour drive... This option is open for serious debate and planning.
Idea #7 - Invest in a new to me car! My current car as noted in #6 has "quirks". Basically my car is in process of dying without a solid reason as to why it is. The car people can't figure it out and it could die today or 10 years down the road. It also isn't the prettiest (yay busted bummer and peeling paint) nor does it have great ground clearance. Nothing like driving on a poorly maintained road with hood high weeds and just mowing them down so that they tickle the underside of the car. Granted the sound is fairly musical and slightly amusing, but low ground clearance just isn't going to cut it. Ideally a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited (the 4 door kind, as I do have dogs) or some other smaller SUV type vehicle. My parents have been eyeballing and been thinking a Saturn Vue. Awesome car, but not quite the off road contender. Plus its more of a CUV which looks basically like the offspring of a van and car with a hint of SUV somewhere in the generations of its bloodline.
Idea #8 - Marketing and samples! This would be an awesome thing for the reason of people being visual and tactile beings. Marketing would be postcards, shirts, flyers, other "promotional" items with my information on it. Samples would include canvas prints (the bigger the better!), Gallery Block prints and any other products I would want to feature for purchase.
Idea # 9 - 27" iMac "desktop" computer. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my 17" Macbook Pro. Bugger is tough and goes everywhere and 17" is a good sized display for viewing images and showing them off. But 27"... drool! This idea was created by visited Best Buy for a memory card. Peeked at the iMac with the 27" screen (which I then managed to freeze...) and was instantly in love! It also would be a bit cheaper than my Macbook ($1799 vs $2000+). The only bad thing? I'd have to keep my desk clean...
Idea # 10 - Attend photography workshops and or conferences. Why not be able to learn as much as I can and get better at what I do? Plus most of the workshops are on location in a different (warmer) state so it would work with #6. And what better thing than to network with fellow photographers and/or pet photographers? Minus that my creative brain and lectures don't get along the greatest.
Now if I could only get/do everything on this list....
Do you have any plans for your tax return money?
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