It's the most wonderful time of the year

Sure Christmas is great for spending time with family, celebrating the birth of tiny baby Jesus, gifts, and awesome food.

But, I think my favorite time of year is tax season. We get a small portion of the money we gave Uncle Sam back in a lump sum. I'm not great with saving (but thanks to my budget I'm doing much better!) so this check is AWESOME! This year I have some big plans for my tax check.



Avery and I are going back to Hawaii. This isn't a pleasure trip, although I'm positive we will clock some hours on the beach. We are going to visit my sister, brother-in-law, and brand new niece. This might be the last time I visit them while they still live in Hawaii so I will be sure to soak it in!



I'm adding this guy to my camera bag. I love my lightscoop and it has really helped me with photos but I want to make an upgrade in the hopes that one day I can really take this hobby a bit more seriously.(I also have my eye on an 85mm lens, but my budget doesn't allow for all the things I want!)



I'm having new carpet installed in my living room and hall. Yep, I tore up the old carpet late last spring and I STILL haven't redone the hardwood. But, you know what? I think I prefer the carpet anyway. My house seems to have been colder this winter, it's difficult to keep clean, and Avery falls down all.the.time. when she has socks on. It's almost comical. She gets so frustrated when she tears out of her room and through the hall into the living room and wipes out on her butt.



I'm looking at new laptops. Only, I have no clue what I'm looking for. I do think I'm going to stick with a PC. I know I need a card reader, a webcam, and I mostly edit photos and surf the interwebz with my computer. In all honesty, my computer is still perfectly functional (at almost 4 years old) so I might just put that money in a savings account.

Whatever is left (if anything) will be going in a savings account in case of emergency.

What do you have planned with your taxes?