Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with expense

How to get more money from Uncle Sam

bach — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 21:37:00 -0800

What expense (tax related) iPhone apps are there out there? I have scoured the App Store looking for an expense tracker to record tax-deductible items starting in the new year. Some apps seem like they'd work great, but I'm not wanting to spend several bucks three or four times trying them out. (Those with free or lite versions are already on the phone)

What does the hive mind recommend. I'm not looking to organize by "trip", but more by category...meals, mileage, fuel, etc...

Thanks and I'll take my answer off the air.

Another typically American AskMeFi question

Anonymous — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 18:34:13 -0800

In the Boston area, what should one expect to pay to have two wisdom teeth removed? There shouldn't be any complications. I just need the two back ones removed because I can see that they've turned black and I was so ashamed I finally went to the dentist yesterday. He gave me a referral to an oral surgeon, but I didn't have time to call for an appointment yet, much less ask for quotes. I should prefer to pay for a good one, rather than shop around too much, but I'd like to know what's reasonable. I don't have dental insurance, but I have some money, and I've been putting this off long enough.

Upcoming one-time/long term expense calculator?

furtive — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 11:36:47 -0800

How to calculate how much to set aside each paycheck for multiple upcoming one-time/long term expenses? I keep a list of upcoming one-time expenses and their dates, for example:

car insurance, $500, Sept 09
winter tires, $600, Nov 09
dentist, $300, Dec 09

I'd like to have a simple calculator that tells me how much I should be putting aside each paycheck (I get paid twice a month) so that as each date comes up I can just take that money out knowing that I'll still eventually have enough for the next payment. Bonus points if it can tell me how my deposits will vary as I work my way down the list. Extra bonus points it it can be done in Excel.

So, in the above example:
-my total expenses is $1400
-my dentist bill is split over 12 payments of $25
-my tires are split over 10 payments of $60
-my insurance is split over 6 payments of $84
-until the end of Sept I'd set aside $169 a paycheck
-then until the end of Nov I'd set aside $85 a paycheck
-then until the end of Dec I'd set aside $25 a paycheck, with the numbers changing as I add additional long term expenses.

1-800 help a wimp

mightshould — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 06:34:33 -0800

OK, this is embarrassing. I allowed an acquaintance to use some equipment and it’s now broken. I found out that he’s not planning on repairing it because he just purchased his own as a replacement. How do I deal with this appropriately? Background: My hubby became critically ill and did not survive. This guy volunteers to help with things in my hubby’s shop and deal w/ selling off unneeded equipment so I could pay bills. I needed the help since we weren’t prepared for the bad outcome.

I volunteered that the guy may as well use the remaining equipment since he was looking after the place. OK, he wasn’t so good at looking after things and didn’t do required maintenance. Now, an expensive repair is needed. I just found out that he’s gone out and purchased his own piece (not as a replacement for mine) since the repair was going to be so expensive. I am shocked. I would expect that he would repair/replace the broken equipment, but there was no real agreement to that. I’m left with a non-functioning piece of scrap unless it’s repaired.

I need brainstorming help.

Options:
I’m a wimp, so feel that I am probably going to just have to find a way to save enough money to have it repaired on my own. This will take about a year for me. I’m still paying off medical and business bills. This seems easiest since it’s non-confrontational.

Kick the guy out. That seems unfair, for some indefinable reason. I cannot do it – it seems mean. Several other folks have been subtly pointing out to me that he’s taking advantage of on other occasions. (I know this before they make the point, but am somehow thinking that I’m paying him back for all of his help, so I just ignore it.)

Ask him to repair the equipment. He’ll be shocked that I’d say such a thing since he’s done so much to help me out. I know, it’s emotional blackmail, but how do I expect this repayment when this is someone who actually did step up and give me much needed help when I really was at a loss. There was no real formal agreement of any kind.

Other options? (I feel continually inept and sick w/ myself for allowing this to have happened and having such difficulty in dealing with it. It points out that I am still unable to face all the baggage related to losing everything.)

Can we expense our daycare costs?

Anonymous — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 18:44:36 -0800

Our daycare costs for this year will be over $10,000 for one child, and I'm wondering if my wife's company can pay for the some of the costs as a business expense. I've done some looking around and can't find anything definitive. I did see one source that indicated that after the $5000 tax deduction for child/dependent care costs, her business could pay for daycare but it would be a taxable benefit to us - basically extra income. (which is fine)

My wife's two business partners have agreed in principle that they would support this (with some cap in yearly spending), but is it legit (as in, with the IRS)? And is it legit for it to be a benefit for the partners (who are indispensable) but not regular employees?

I'm not sure how the law might vary state to state. If it matters, we're in Colorado.

... Insert witty remark here...

bitteroldman — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 16:51:54 -0800

CanadianTaxesFilter: Can I legally claim some of my debt as an "investment expense" if I give up my second job to focus on my business? I currently work 2 jobs - one full-time as well as a part-time job to help bring down my debt. Whenever I have free time, I am trying to work on a business that I would like to develop, but there is not much time left at the end of the week.

So I would like to quit the part-time job and spend more time working on the business.

If I would have made about $10-$20K annually with the part time job, could I legally claim $10-$20 K of the debt (and associated interest) as an investment expense?

My rationale is that had I not decided to invest in the business, I would have time for my part-time job and thus would be $10K-$20K richer by the end of the year.

I guess I could always "borrow" $10-$20 K and then pay down $10-$20 K of my debt, so that on paper, I have this amount specifically tagged as a "business investment expense", but I would rather avoid all the paperwork associated with it and besides, I think I have maxed out all my cards!

Thanks!

How to track joint finances?

gottabefunky — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 21:11:45 -0800

How can I and the soon-to-be-Mrs. start tracking our joint finances simultaneously on separate computers? She uses a laptop, I have a desktop and a laptop. I know we can just use Quicken on the desktop, but that would take some serious habit-reshaping, and we have enough of that coming up as it is.

Is there any sort of distributed-Quicken thing out there where we can track our finances separately, but end up with one file at the end of the year (which we can both modify along the way)? Maybe online? Network our computers?

Should network administrators have their mobile phone and home internet expenses reimbursed?

Xazeru — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 11:53:59 -0800

Is it reasonable for a network administrator to require reimbursement for his personal mobile phone and home internet connection? The network admin at my workplace says that it's a standard practice for a cell phone and home internet connection to be provided to someone in his job. He says that he needs them in case an emergency arises.

There may be an inequity here, since other people at the same office perform work from home using their cell phones and internet connections without reimbursement. Is this an appropriate thing to require of an employer?

Should we fly or drive from Indiana to Florida?

web-goddess — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 19:38:36 -0800

Overseas visitors planning to travel from Chicago to Orlando in the US. Which will be less hassle/expense, driving or flying? (Are one-way car rentals *really* that expensive?!) Okay, I'm an American but I've been living overseas for the past seven years (since pre-9/11). I've been home to Indiana a few times since then, and it just seems like the airports are more and more of a trial each visit. My Aussie husband and I are planning our next visit home to Indiana in April. I'd also like to visit my grandparents in Florida as well. Our original plan was to drive a rental car from Indiana, and then fly out of Orlando. We kinda like the idea of a road trip, especially as my husband's never seen that part of the country before. I've been pricing one-way car rentals though and it's just ridiculously expensive (around $100/day). So I've got some questions:

- Is there any way to get a cheaper one-way car rental? I have some sort of vague idea from the Internets that there are websites and message boards in the US where you can potentially find someone who needs a car transported cross-country. Or am I barking up the wrong tree here?

- I've found some great (non one-way) car rental deals with "unlimited mileage." How likely is it that they'd let us drive to Florida and back? If they forbid it, how much trouble would you get in if you did it anyway?

Basically, I guess I'm just torn because friends in the US have said that they prefer to avoid airports and flying whenever they can these days. Given unlimited time (but not unlimited money), what would you do?

Tracking donations due via PocketPC

niles — Fri, 10 Nov 2006 12:50:59 -0800

I need to keep track/remind myself of a weekly contribution. Is there a (PocketPC?) program that will help me? I am donating a certain amount of money weekly for the rest of the year to a organization as part of a fundraiser. Because they are keeping track and announcing money raised throughout the year, I don't really want to donate all the money right now, or at the end of the year. I do not, however, need to donate weekly - monthly or so is great. My problem is that I tend to forget when I last donated, and then I have no idea how much I'm turning in. I would like a (free) program to help keep track of this.

---------------

My ideal solution:
Integrates with the calendar on my PocketPC. If I don't mark a donation paid for a certain week, it rolls over to next week, adding all unpaid dates. When I check my appointments for the day, I would see something like "Donation: X amount due".

OK Solutions:
A regular PocketPC program, a desktop based program, email based reminder service, or online program - in that order of preference.

---------------

Technically, I am donating the same amount per week. But they sometimes have months where people are encouraged to give more. Bonus points if I can "add" money to a week or month

Oh, this is a small organization, so ideas like automatic bank account withdrawals won't help. This is straight up cash.

Need $3000 liquid cash

|n$eCur3 — Fri, 27 Oct 2006 12:00:24 -0800

I just landed a well paying job in Seattle after having a soul sucking job, where I did not save a penny for about a year. While the new salary will be great, I am essentially broke, and I need a $3000 loan to relocate and get started (which has been determined to be my responsibility to cover by negociation). None of my relatives or friends have this kind of cash, nor do I have a credit card. So how would I go about getting $3000? Can I just take my job offer into a bank and use that as leverage for a loan? Mefites, help me back out of this corner and find the cash to live my dream.

Relocation Allowances - Taxable?

Fat Guy — Sat, 05 Feb 2005 17:57:35 -0800

TaxFilter: A co-worker and I both recently relocated and received a relocation allowance. Anything above the cost of the move (excess reimbursement) we were allowed to keep. I know that the excess is taxable income. My co-worker feels that the relocation allowance is like our Meals and Incidental Expenses per diem, we didn't spend all of the allowance, so we get to keep the balance treating it as non-taxable income.

How can I simply explain the difference between a per diem and an excess reimbusrment to him? I've showed him relevant IRS documentation such as Publications 17 and 521 to no avail.