Monday, May 4, 2009

When State Gets Jealous Of Federal...

They raise my taxes!
My federal withholding decreased when the new stimulus went in to effect in March. That added $20 on to my paycheck every two weeks. Today I got an email from human resources saying that we all have to re-do our state withholding forms because the rate went up! It went up by 3% for me which worked out to approximately $4 per paycheck more for the state of Arizona. My stimulus money is not quite as stimulating anymore.

Sure I still have $16 to go wild with every 2 weeks...oh wait, I was going to save that money for my mortgage at the end of the year. I'm not sure I will have any money left at the end of the year. I just spent close to my entire months food budget, $93 out of $100, on fruit and cheese...and a few other things like rice and beans. I bet I could make it to June on only $7 if I really tried. I think I'll do that. Too bad my tiny garden isn't further along. That would help a lot.

9 comments:

Over the Cubicle Wall said...

I guess something had to give after finishing last month on toasted hot dog buns. Cheese and fruit is a good choice.

Tennessee doesn't have a state income tax, they just clobber us with sales tax. Luckily, I don't buy much so it probably works out in my favor.

Daizy said...

And I still have more buns! Once again I lost control in the fruit and vegetable section. At least the oranges and apples should last until the end of the month.

Ooo...no state tax. I've heard of those mythical places. I think I remember you saying your property tax is high?

Anonymous said...

$93 on fruit and cheese!!! Thats a lot I think, what did you get for that kind of money. Do you coupon at all. Even though fresh fruit coupons are rare, the money you save on the staple items allows more cash to be spent on the fruit/veggie items. I was skeptical at first but it is amazing how I have reduced out food budget.

moocifer said...

If you toast your buns they can make a nice egg sandwich or perhaps a chicken and lemono-parsley aioli sandwich....

mmmm!

Over the Cubicle Wall said...

The property tax is high for the area (relative to surrounding counties), but not too high overall I guess. If I just moved out of the city limits, it would drop in half, but I would lose some nice services. If I moved out of the city and the county to a few other counties, I could probably reduce it by 75%, but wouldn't have much of anything in the way of services I have now.

Daizy said...

Anonymous, I did get more than fruit and cheese but at $7 that cheese was the most expensive thing and I did buy a lot of fruit. I might scan my receipt later and actually list what I bought if I remember. I use coupons rarely but usually just look for sales and try to avoid the store altogether.

Daizy said...

bugbear, we had tuna on hamburger buns a lot when I was a kid. I loved mini hamburger bun pizzas. Those bun critics just don't know what they are missing!

Daizy said...

Over the Cubicle, what kind of services are you talking about? Water, trash and natural gas? When you are living in your camper van I'm sure you can find creative alternatives.

Over the Cubicle Wall said...

In the city

Fire department and ambulance service, trash pickup, street lights, yard waste pickup that doesn't have to be bagged, just put by the curb (includes leaves!).

All of that costs extra in the county if even available. The local utility also charges a higher rate for water and sewer if you live outside the city limits.

Also, the city provides not only a fire department, but fire hydrants for them to use (lowers home insurance rates too). In the county, it is up to the developers if they want to provide them. Even then, the fire departments outside the city are generally volunteer and not as well equipped or trained.

But yes, a camper van bypasses nearly all of those issues.