Five years ago, I returned to working for my previous employer after a 2-1/2 hiatus. It’s also been called my sabbatical. When I did return, it was on a freelance basis, with a contract that was to last for four months. The studio I was working at during that time had slowed down considerably and they issued me a leave of absence for those four months. But about three months into this leave they called and said they had slowed down even more and couldn’t guarantee that my job would be available when I returned. 

Since I kinda wanted to leave the studio I was at and start again with the studio where I am now, I put all my eggs in one basket and went on a very orchestrated plan to settle in. I brought in things to hang on the walls of my office; I bought plants. I figured if I could get so entrenched within the culture they would not be able to afford having me leave when my contract was up. The four months came and went, and nobody said a word about termination so I kept showing up and they kept paying me. A month later, I was offered a salaried position and I accepted. My plan had been executed perfectly.

I had worked for about five months being paid as a freelancer. Which means you’re getting huge-ass paychecks, but taxes haven’t been taken out yet. While I did go on a couple of splurges (NYC trip, Ben Sherman sale) I had about $4K to pay my taxes with once The Day came. Of course, I owed about $7K. My accountant did all the paperwork to set me up with a payment plan with the I.R.S., paying $70 a month.

So every month I’ve been writing a check to the I.R.S. in Philly. They would send me month (or quarterly) statements and I sloooooowly saw this balance diminish. Before I moved last fall I remember the balance being a little over $1K and I was ecstatic that it was about to dip into the triple digits. The applying of my yearly tax refunds had helped to lower this balance: I would not get a check, they would simply deduct my return from my balance. This sukt totally but The Man isn’t going to give out money knowing you still owe him.

Yesterday I received my notice saying that my refund had once yet again been used to pay down my balance and that said balance was a mere two hundred and change. Sweet! It would have been nice to have that $600 refund check but seeing the light at the end of the tunnel was reward enough. So today I mailed off my $70 check knowing that I’d only have two more to send.

Then today I received a refund check for “economic stimulus” which was $374. This is the difference of what the check would have been ($600) minus my balance. So I’m paid off! Plus now The Man owes me $70 for the check I just sent in.

How do you think I should spend the extra $70 I am now going to have each month?