Declare the pennies on your eyes

Achoo! I'm allergic to TAX SEASON. I've been fortunate in years past to either 1) not make nearly enough money to file (oh wait this happened only once... my unemployed college year) or 2) have my accountant (b.k.a. "Mom") file for me. (Shut up, I'm not spoiled - she's just damn good at taxes and she offered, ok?) If I ever filed myself, it was the EZ form and I blocked it out, so I have no real idea how to do my own taxes. This year I attended a free tax "seminar" (a-hem, at my mom's house) to help me wade through all the part-year resident, foreign-earned income, fed, state, county, and city forms. BAAAAH! Guess how long it took to finish-- neigh finish MOST-- of my forms? Go on, guess! FIVE FREAKIN' HOURS. But we took a 20-minute pizza break. Oh but that didn't include the time spent driving to the post office to mail them.

So what did I learn from the experience of filing my 2005 taxes?
1) Save all my medical and dental receipts. Tylenol cold. Nasal spray. Everything.
2) Try to earn most of my income (but not too much) in a foreign country where the tax rate is lower.
3) "Tax-deductible"-something doesn't necessarily mean I am going to save a single penny from it.
4) Even the IRS makes typos.
5) I want an accountant. Add to Bourgeois Fantasy list.