Deductions

I'm heading into the home stretch now, less than a month left to slog through Turbo Tax (probably THE most user friendly program I've met even though it seems to end up wanting a slice of my soul) and sort out all that info they want -- the expenses from the cost of goods and profit margins and leftover inventory and what really were legitimate deductions to sort out 2008.

I think for those of us in the dog training and ancillary world of groomers and handlers and Delta Society Evaluators and Pet Therapy Volunteers and veterinarians and vet techs and boutique owners -- heck, anyone with a dog in their hearts and lives -- I have deduced that the WK9 itemized form makes perfect sense. Now if I can just get the folks at Turbo Tax to slip it into the menu of options and have the IRS approve! Maybe once Barack Obama settles in on the dog of the dreams for his girls (remember Barack, it's for the girls!), he can push through some legislation to make it so.

So while my own bottom line is as financially shaky as many out there, I can look back at the year of experiences as another notch in the belt that I don't have to act out the safety plan (yet!) of going out into the world and getting a "real" job. This is as real as I want it to be! And getting up each day with joy to greet the world of animals is as good as it gets! So forget the W2, bring on Schedule C!