For the past three years, I have done Grandma’s taxes myself. I have always advocated for saving money and doing it yourself, but when I became a caregiver, I learned that there comes a time in all of our lives where we just have to outsource.
This year, tax season was one of those times.
It wasn’t even that Grandma’s taxes that worried me. You see, my grandma had an accountant named Fontella who did her taxes for the longest. But it just so happened that around the time my grandma began needing my help, Fontella decided to close up shop and retire as the tax lady.
Ever since I had a job, I always filed my taxes online. Much to Grandma’s chagrin, I decided to take on the job of filing her taxes. Using Fontella’s neatly organized folder from the previous year as a guide, I waded through all of Grandma’s files and papers and knocked it out in just a couple hours. Both of us were pleasantly surprised. So I just kept doing them for her.
This year, things changed. Last year, I started my own business. Couple that with caregiving, and there was little time to really focus on what I needed to learn to do my taxes by myself. So I bit the bullet and made an appointment with good ole H&R Block.
I decided it was okay to outsource, because after all, in the wise words of my friend, Amy Goyer:
“I can do ANYTHING, but I can’t do EVERYTHING!”
Amy Goyer, Family Caregiving Expert
My tax lady’s name was Eileen. She was a hoot! She made this process as painless as possible and we had such a good time joking and friendly bobbing in her cubicle, I know the other people were getting jealous 😂😂😂
We pretty much whizzed through Grandma’s taxes, and I was happy to see that my previous filings were on point with what she came up with.
Even though I walked in there feeling really organized with my slick revenue & expenses spreadsheet, I quickly discovered I didn’t have it together like I thought I did. I learned a lot about what I need to start doing as a small business owner to make sure I’m more prepared for next year. She even drew out a new spreadsheet template when I told her my life motto was, “When in doubt, make a spreadsheet.”
Just like everyone else, I hate spending money on things I could’ve done myself. My experience at H&R Block was great, so I don’t regret forking over the cash to have someone else take care of it for me this time around.
Do you outsource you and your caree’s taxes, or do you do it yourself? Did you make the switch like I did? Leave a comment below! 👇👇👇 I’d love to hear your experience!
