I finished our taxes last week, even though I'm waiting to file them for another week or so. Turns out we're horrible at having the proper amount of taxes withheld. Once again, we are getting a refund that people-who-are-good-with-money would say is just too big. I get it. But for this year, it's still coming and there's no stopping it.
Although we didn't get the kitchen counters done yet, we've been saving for home improvement projects and therefore could do that without tapping the refund. And we've just started saving for our 10th anniversary trip (an Icelandic cruise maybe?!). Yes, that's four years away, but I feel like given our upcoming events (ahem, pregnancy, birth of a child, and recovery from birthing) it'll be some time before I'd like to take a big trip sans children anyway.
So this is one suggestion from Chuck: add this year's refund to the money we've already saved towards another car. Then add the money we'd get for trade-in for one of our cars and we'd be close to paying cash for car AND a pop-up camper. (Or wait a year and guarantee the cash upfront.) Having grown up with a pop-up camper, I love the idea. With a pop-up camper, camping is fast and easy because everything is ready to go. And weather problems? What weather problems? Camping in a hard shell during rain is nothing compared to camping in a tent during rain, especially with kids. Of course we'd need the new car to help towing the camper, so that's why the car.
It's just...I like tents! I like setting them up, sleeping in them (most of the time), cooking outside on a stove...you know, car camping! Of course some day, I hope to be able to backpack with my kids and husband, but I realize that's years and years from now. So here's the question for those of you like-minded individuals: Could you give up the fun of tent camping for the ease of a pop-up camper?
P.S. It took only 10 months for me to find an occasion to make that ice cream pie. It was sour, but since I like that, it was totally yummy.
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mmmm, given that I haven't gotten over my fear of camping with a baby, I am wrong person to ask! Andrew has done all of the camping with the boys the last couple of years :( I love tent camping too, but with young kids, the pop up might be nicer. Either way, you've got me excited to go camping!
ReplyDeletei don't think ben would let me get a camper. silly guy. but i think with little kids it's great. you don't always have to use it, of course. sometimes you can do tent camping, and other times use the pop-up. and you can still cook outside with a pop-up, too. just use the pop-up for sleeping only. tho that might be hard with the ease of cooking inside it. . .
ReplyDeleteI don't know. Do you really camp that often? It seems like a lot of money if you only go once or twice a year, but of course if you've got money to throw around... :) why not?
ReplyDeleteI think we would camp much more often if we had one. I think we don't go as often because it can be quite a bit of work. With the pop-up, we could keep camp stuff in it and have little planning to do in order to go.
ReplyDeleteI grew up camping in a pop-up -- best memories ever! Strangely my mom's memories are very different from mine :)
ReplyDeleteSorry having trouble posting. Just wanted to add that if you ever want to play with your withholding numbers, Craig is amazing at figuring out just what withholding number will result in either a refund or payment as close to zero as humanly possible.
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