Taxes are Hard

For the first time in my life, I've had to prepare taxes.  As a kid I always knew that adults hated taxes for some reason, and I grew up with a reflex to the word.  Just hearing "taxes" put a negative connotation into my mind that could go as far as to evoke a frown.

Now that I'm actually doing my own for the first time, things are different.  There isn't any reason to hate them because of money.  It's pretty much like doing a little paper work and them mailing me a check for a grand and a half.

Taxes are hard, though.  Perhaps they aren't in and of themselves difficult, but as I try to prepare them I always find something that comes up to stop me before being able to.  Currently, this is due to not knowing how much financial aid I received for my last semester of college during Spring 2008.  It was under a thousand bucks, but I have no idea how much.  They also want me to tell them how much of it was used directly for schooling related expenses.  I don't know the answer to either thing.  It's not like I kept a log of receipts for everything I required and marked if each item was a requirement of everyone in the class or just useful for school.  They want to tax you on as much as possible.

Oh well.  I'll have to try and work it out as best I can.  Later today I will again be calling the college to see if they have a record of how much was distributed to me.  I have no way of knowing.

Taxes suck.