So, not to long ago, Bunny and I got our whackload of documents together, trekked out on the TTC and headed to the accountant. It's that time of year again.
Honestly, taxes and tax refunds almost seemed like a joke to me this year. I had the easiest taxes ever, with only one possible deduction. But it's a bit of a crazy tax year for Bunny. In general, it's been a crazy year for Bunny, actually. What with the quitting-his-job, going back to school, starting up on the freelance work, buying computers for the freelance and school, a half year of RRSP contributions, buying tools for the new career, setting up a "home office" upstairs .... and that's JUST work and school related.
So yeah, he's had a big year in a way that makes the taxes complicated. What with overpayments, the easy deductions/tax credits, and figuring out what ELSE we can deduct since he works from home. One of the many reasons that we choose to pay an accountant to do this for us.
Now, taxes are done, and that's a Very Good Thing. In and of itself, but also for other reasons. Big reasons.
We're-getting-married type of reasons.
I haven't talked too much about the wedding, lately. All along, we've been planning on having an affordable wedding, for us. Nothing excessively spendy, and we've essentially eliminated about a million things that we don't care about. Cake? Nope. Colours? Nope. Decor? I love the designer whose restaurant we're getting married in, so why would I change anything? Favours? Only if I feel like baking in the weeks leading up to the wedding, or decide to knit a million scarves.
Even so, lately our financial dynamic has made it really hard to think too much about the wedding. Yes, there are savings. Yes, there is freelancing money and EI deposits. Yes, I can budget like nobody's business. Yes, we can cut back on photography and open bars and this that and the other. Yes, I can wear a second-hand dress proudly. No, we don't need all the bells and whistles.
I'd be lying, though, if I said it's not scary trying to plan a wedding when you have an unemployed bride and the groom is in school and isn't expecting to be making the big bucks directly out of school. I see the dwindling balance of my bank account every month, followed by a cold knot of dread in the pit of my stomach. We say, "Oh, we should put down that deposit" and then don't act. Not because we don't want to, but because we're scared that the money won't be there. Or that we'll have spent a couple grand on a wedding that we're scared we might need for rent, or groceries in a few months.
A lot of things changed the other day, after taxes. Getting married is our big investment of the next year, and we do want a wedding to celebrate that fact. Going in, we knew that we would be getting some kind of refund, we just weren't entirely sure to what extent. We knew that there would be numbers that made us happy, and that it would make it easier for me to say No and for Bunny to not stress about What Happens After School.
If we wanted to put the whole of our tax refund towards the wedding, it would be practically paid for. As it is, we are not. We may choose to roll some back into RRSPs, Bunny's wardrobe is in a sorry state that we need to address, we have planned for an expensive dinner in a month and probably another one in June. There are some courses we are both interested in taking, individually and separately.
But! Our tax refund money will essentially pay for half of the wedding. Half. That means that I only need to come up with half as much money as I thought I would, that Bunny has fewer financial worries while he starts his new career. That means that when my brain starts to think of one or two little splurges I don't have to panic and say NO! NO! NO! without thinking them through.
I means we can talk about doing a DIY photobooth if we want, or consider a guestbook. We can buy Bunny a whole suit, if we decide he needs one. We can add those touches that we don't need but would certainly love.
Bunny can even have his flowers, damnit.
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