Money and Taxes

I like saving money. I like spending it too. Two days ago my accountant called to discuss my taxes.

Yes, I have an accountant. I write about personal/household finance but when it comes to my taxes, I’d rather pay an expert and his services are a business expense. After he told me how much I owe – HST (Harmonized Sales Tax), CPP (Canadian Pension Plan) and of course, income taxes based on how much I made, he mentioned that many of his clients can’t tell him where their money went.

That’s understandable if not concerning. We’re rather shit at saving money, we don’t contribute enough to RRSPs and we’re at record household debt levels.

I admit I save because I’m terrified of being an old lady who has outlived her savings. CPP and OAS (Old Age Security) can only go so far. So I save and put all my receipts in a $3.00 binder (business expense!) I got from the dollar store.

It turns out that I’ve been very good at finding and getting deals for my business. I knew that but it’s always nice to hear someone else say it. He still won’t let me write off my eyebrow threading though.