Well, I'm really glad that I had my minibreakdown on here and got soothing words of wisdom from some of you!
I thought about it some more and decided, what the heck, I'm going to have the 40th birthday party I want. I probably won't make this big a deal out of my birthdays for another 10 years, so why not? I emailed a cute restaurant/sake brewery and reserved a space, then got in touch with a karaoke DJ to see if he can work that night. Looks good so far! I couldn't decide what budget to set so I looked at NT's 40th bday costs and saw that we spent just over $1000. So that's my limit too.
The space is free to reserve, so I'm going to preorder a certain amount food and drinks for guests, and then they can order more when stuff runs out or they want something different and put it on their own tabs. I like that I can set my spending up but still give people choices.
I'm also glad that I'd already committed to that idea when I got home last night, because I got AS's 1099, the last thing I really needed to get started on taxes, and I got a bit of a nasty shock. I'd neglected to remember that since she got a raise, her EIC, retirement credit, and a bunch of other credits designed to help lower-income families would have decreased dramatically. She still gets a small federal refund (I went ahead and e-filed that portion) but owes a bit on state.
Knowing that I'd been counting on AS getting a refund to cover my and NT's taxes, my heart was in my mouth as I hastily calculated ours. I got a few different numbers on the fly, but today work was slow and so I took more time to go over them. Last night my calculations got as high as owing $2400 total, but now it looks like the net we'll owe will be about $1150. After the shock of what I thought it would be, that's a relief!
I did contemplate canceling my bday party, but I still think the overall principle stands that I shouldn't deny something that's so meaningful to me. My goals are ambitious enough that even if I don't hit them, I'll still make a lot of positive progress this year.
At this point it looks like there's a bit of a shortfall, but I already found out that I'll most likely get a small cost-of-living raise in April, and NT is fairly confident that his job is going to follow through on their promise of a raise. Add in the CC bonuses and other extra income we expect, and it looks like we could still actually achieve our goals.
Anyway, last night was kind of blown because I was frantically flipping through forms and such. NT was doing homework and AS had brought work home. Tonight we've resolved to leave all our work aside for a little while, and just relax and have nice family time together. The taxes can wait; especially now that I know we owe, I see no reason to rush.
Swings and roundabouts
January 24th, 2014 at 10:39 pm
January 25th, 2014 at 12:01 am 1390608067
I STILL REMEMBER my mom's, aunt's and uncle's 40th birthday parties.
We all have big goals, but you can't skimp on the things that matter. What kind of life is that, looking back???
(You know this isn't a license to go buck wild, of course)
January 25th, 2014 at 12:30 am 1390609843
January 25th, 2014 at 12:56 am 1390611413
Hey, I believe I will be in Minneapolis Thanksgiving Weekend for the Mid-America Irish Dance Championships. I'd be interested in any ideas you could share about fun places to visit (off the wall, not Mall of America).
So glad that you are celebrating you!
Breathing is definitely good.
January 25th, 2014 at 02:34 am 1390617249
January 25th, 2014 at 03:58 am 1390622335
just a thought, apparently it's one of the only ones in the U.S.! I've been there before and the sake is delightful. Some is unfiltered, so it's got a cloudy appearance, but seems to only enhance the flavor.
Laura, will try to think of some good ones. What are you interested in: art? history? dining? nature? You can visit the Spoon Bridge & Cherry sculpture and you'll be right across the road from my condo.
Buendia, my husband is British too! You and me and My English Castle share some similar quirks as a result. He typically says "Swings and roundabouts in this game, darling" or something like that.
January 25th, 2014 at 04:26 am 1390623998
January 25th, 2014 at 04:10 pm 1390666240
Checked out the sculpture - right up our alley (we are lovers of things like the mammoth Marilyn Monroe, the eyeball, and (I hate to admit) Foamhenge somewhere during our travels to Virginia.
We like art and history and dining, got a lot of nature here at home. Also shopping - so we'll be skipping the Mall. When we were in England once we "vacationed in Bourton-on-the-Water" where the locals go (had friends from the UK) and we like to see how the "natives" do it. So anything you can suggest would be greatly appreciated
January 28th, 2014 at 03:30 am 1390879835
Art/history:
Russian Art Museum (great mix of art AND history)
Mill City Museum (about the flour industry; located in a historic building partially destroyed by an explosion)
Minneapolis Institute of Art (big, something for everyone, great temporary and permanent exhibits)
Foshay Tower (the highest bldg in Minneapolis for many years, now dwarfed of course; it's been beautifully restored by W Hotels and there's a museum and Observation deck)
Dining:
Pizza Luce (any location)
Galactic Pizza
Kinh Do (Vietnamese/pan-Asian)
Glam Doll Donuts (unusual gourmet flavors)
Copper Pot (Indian food; great lunch buffet)
Red Sea (African food)
Rinata (beautiful Italian restaurant, pricy but delicious)
Taste of Thailand
Bryant-Lake Bowl (eclectic; great brunch; bowling)
Irish themed: I'm sure you know this, but St. Paul has deep ties with Ireland. I hardly ever go to St. Paul (though I've been on pub crawls on St. Patrick's day), but I bet they have a ton of Irish heritage places to see. In Minneapolis, all I know is The Local (bar and restaurant).
If you do get over to St. Paul, one thing I love to do is drive down Summit Avenue and gawk at the gigantic old mansions.
And, actually, by the time you get here, St. Paul will hopefully be a lot more accessible from Minneapolis: A new lightrail line is slated to start running this June!