I just accidentally started looking at flatware on Etsy and eBay, and that may actually be my solution.

I am with Jesse. I am not self employed, and the money I am getting back is because I elect to have extra withdrawn so I get a windfall- I am having the government hold on to my money so I can't spend it.

Synesthesia and taste: [link]

Same with me, Sophia. People tell me that it's just giving the government an interest-free loan, but the interest I'd earn on it these days is so small that if I forgot to put it aside a single pay period (and knowing myself I'd forget a lot more than one) I'd have less saved up at the end of the year. With it set up as witholding I can't forget to put the money aside and spend it on a new frying pan or DVD purchase..

And while it's never happened to me, having income shifted from a W2 to a 1099 seems really unfair.

It happens. It was a client that had set me up though an employment agency for a few gigs, and then the next year they changed the way they were doing things and I just directly invoiced them for the work. It ended up being about $10,000 that moved over to 1099 that year. The amount of income I make on W2 is pretty small. At this point it is really only a small amount from some schools where I teach a class or two. The upside is that I end up claiming a lot more mileage on my cars since anything that is done on a 1099 I can claim, where W2 is seen as commute and can't be claimed.

What Matt said. I looked at the interest I earned for a tax refund I'd put into a savings account for a year. $17. I don't mind paying the government less than 5 basis points to hold onto my savings for me.

It happens.

Owing a lot of tax just makes me feel really irresponsible - like I was living it up and not burying my acorns for the winter months. But obviously that's not true. And I know it's not but it is enlightening (and sad) to see how responsible people can get so screwed by the tax laws.

The year I was a consultant for six months and didn't pay any estimated taxes (or put aside the money, even), I definitely felt like a jerk. But I would be much more conservative if I were doing it permanently -- at least, I would hope I would be.

But until this year, I have definitely been pretty financially irresponsible with pretty much every decision I've ever made, so.

Timelies all!

~ma to all who need it.

Oy, this is upsetting. Michelle Shocked was playing at Yoshi's in SF last night, and she went on a homophobic rant in the second set. Much of the crowd walked out.