There would be more exclamation points, but we didn't actually take it home - it'll be delivered on Sunday. I'm excited though! For most of my life I slept on someone else's cast off mattress. The first time I got a new mattress - and a higher quality one - was in 2005 shortly after I got my job. A year and a half later I was living with Paul and that was the end of sleeping in my new mattress and back to sleeping on a cast off that Paul had been burrowing a channel in for a few years himself. So yay!!!! Next is to just buy a new "bed" to put the mattress on, but I'm not in a very big hurry about that one.

As an update to this post, we got our check! I didn't even notice it because I forgot I had them deposit our refunds (and ergo our stimulus package) into our savings which I hardly ever pay attention to - so I had to log into our account. But it's there! This weekend we're supposed to go see Paul's parents - so mattress shopping will have to wait until next weekend. I still haven't decided what I want to do with some of the other money, but it's looking like fixing up my appearance because I really feel ugly lately. Some new clothes, new hair cut and some self-esteem boosters will do me some good :) My sister recently had her hair cut short and dyed a dark brown - I'm jealous. She looks so put-together and sleek now!

...But, Jane just got her Stimulus Package check from the government this week. According to the list I posted here a few months again - she wasn't supposed to get hers until the end of August! I really hope we get ours soon, Paul & I have decided to buy a new mattress with our check - as the one we're sleeping on was his from when he still lived with his family.

That's only going to be half of our check though, and I don't know what we'll do with the other. I'm tempted to revamp my wardrobe as I feel frumpy and completely unattractive lately - what I wouldn't give for a tailor! I know Paul wants to buy a Wii - since we don't have enough money (not even with out entire check) to get him a new computer like he wanted.

If we were responsible, we'd put it towards our credit card debt. However, our debt is not out of control anymore and the check is meant to be spent - not saved. They keep talking on the news about how this whole scheme will only work if people spend it and not just save it or pay bills. Its so difficult though to think of spending money on potentially frivolous things when you have bills to pay and a family to take care of.

What are all of you guys doing with your checks?

Below is a schedule for the issuance of the Tax Relief Checks this summer.

Week    Last 2 digits of your SSN    Receive your check by week of
1           00 - 09                              July 23
2           10 - 19                              July 30
3           20 - 29                              August 6
4           30 - 39                              August 13
5           40 - 49                              August 20
6           50 - 59                              August 27
7           60 - 69                              Sept. 3
8           70 - 79                              Sept. 10
9           80 - 89                              Sept. 17
10         90 - 99                               Sept. 24

For married taxpayers who filed a joint return, the first Social Security Number on the return determines the mailing date.

Here's the breakdown according to MSNBC:
If you made less than $75,000 in 2007, you get $600.
A couple earning less than $150,000 gets $1,200 back, plus an additional $300 per child.
If you made at least $3,000 but paid no taxes, you still get $300.

I posted about having finished our taxes, but what I didn't post was my surprise at not getting any kind of refund from the State. According to our W2s, we paid a lot into State and I don't think we're at an income level yet where we wouldn't get any of that back. But I was prepared to accept it because its my first time filling jointly married, guess California doesn't like married people :P However, when I printed out the forms from TurboTax and gave them a look over I realized that none of the dollar amounts were filled it. It said we made/paid nothing and that's why we get nothing. I felt fishy about the forms to begin with because I skipped around using the program but I assumed that all of the information continued to carry over.

So, to confirm what TurboTax was telling me, I jumped online and downloaded the PDF form that automatically calculates the dollar amounts for my State return. After I put in all of our information it said we got a refund of over $250! But, I was hesitant to believe that as well because TurboTax was supposed to be this great, accurate tool and I entered in all the numbers and information myself with the form from the tax board. To double check, again, I reentered in all of our information in TurboTax, this time not jumping around, and at the end of the State return it also said that we got over $250.

I'm glad I double checked. I'd just like to say though that TurboTax shouldn't have the tabs at the top if using them will result in an incorrect return. Or, only show the tabs after you've completed the entire process for reviewing purposes. Or, just give some kind of pop-up message that says, "Hey! You haven't finished the process yet and this will result in errors, do you want to continue?" A heads up would have been nice.

Paul & I did our taxes last night. I did them three times, once filing together, once filing separate for each of us. Together we get twice as much as I get separately. If we file separate than Paul owes almost $200. So of course we're going to file together. They anticipate getting us our refund by March 7th so we'll have it in time for Scotland which is perfect - hell, we may not even have to save anymore after making our final payment on the 26th.

Well, may not have to doesn't mean we wont :)

Now where's our stimulus package?!

You know what I just realized? My tax return is going to give me more than enough was needed to fix my Jetta so I could get her smogged.

Was I wrong in trading her in? Did I act too fast and too irrationally?

Oh now I'm confused...

1. Apply it to one of our credit cards.
2. Apply it to my car - to aid in paying it off sooner and saving some money from interest.
3. Use it to pay our wedding photographer (its been two months and no word from her - but we haven't had the money so I guess it's been for the best)
4. Use it to pay some money back to my parents.
5. Use it to pay off the fees due on Paul's car (he never paid them when he bought it from a private party two years ago - so technically its not properly registered)
6. Use it to pay for car insurance.
7. Use it to purchase a few months of the Nutrisystem plan (responsible for my great success two years ago). You might read in the Wikipedia article,
   clipped from en.wikipedia.org

   The average customer stays on the program 10 weeks and loses 20 pounds. Many regain the weight lost, and many come back for more delivered diet meals. 

   But the truth is that I wouldn't have put back on the weight except I started dating Paul and I didn't want to be on a "diet" while I was with him. But now Paul & I are married and he's just going to have to understand that this is what I have to do.

Anyhow, yesterday I went home and cleaned the kitchen really good. Tonight I'm going to go home and clean up the guest room - which is where we threw everything that was in my Jetta before we traded her in. A lot of it can go back into my Mazda3 - but not all. I think that's really going to give me a sense of control. Paul promised me that Saturday we'd go food shopping.

Edit 03/02/2007 @ 2:10 PM
Called the dealership again when they never called back, and it ends up they were able to pull some strings and get me in tomorrow. So I guess I'm getting out no matter what!