it's tax time—more belt tightening

I'm an independent IT contractor, and I bill my current client through my incorporated business.

It gives me certain tax advantages. But that comes with a lot of tax reporting overhead, and today's the day I started to catch up on ten months of employment via that company. Needless to say, it took most of the day.

And unfortunately, I've learned that I'm not quite as good with my money as I'd hoped. The figures are small, but I've squandered some cash on electronics bits and pieces that I eventually wasn't using—such as the new power adapter for the laptop that shortly died; or the VOIP device that I couldn't get working properly.

But more than that, it's the tendency for us to eat out two or sometimes three times on a weekend that's to blame. And as part of our austerity program, the restaurant meals have already stopped.