Hello! I hope everyone has had a great week/weekend. Early cherry blossoms are coming into full bloom and I had hoped to go view them yesterday, but it rained all....day...long! Ume (plum) blossoms are also coming into season. I'm hoping the weather is nice next weekend so we can go view them. Japan is quite hilly and the ume grove is up a ginormous hill making for a fun, exhausting hike! One of my friends referred to it as equivalent to walking up 50 flights of stairs. That's a pretty accurate description! LOL!


Ume blossoms from last year

My big money achievement for the week - my taxes are done! We are still required to file US taxes (my husband gets paid in US dollars here so we don't have nearly the tax complications that many ex-pats do). I have been using the same tax guy for several years and he kindly continues to do our taxes even though we have moved. But I digress...

This year is the smallest refund we've ever gotten. I was worried because I earned a commission check last year and failed to make any tax payments on it during the year and wasn't sure what to expect. But we came out okay and with a small refund. Even smaller once you subtract what I have to pay my tax guy. All I can think is my mother used to tell me that you don't want a huge refund at tax time because it means you have been giving Uncle Sam an interest free loan all year. I suppose she was right, but still - I can't help but feel a tiny twinge of disappointment that it isn't a big refund. I'll just have to plan carefully this year for all expenses and not rely on a big tax "windfall" next year.

How are you doing with your taxes? Not exactly the most exciting financial item for the week, but you gotta do what you gotta do.

I'm such a slacker! The quick update - I didn't get laid off (yet), I did pay off our remaining student loans, and we are anticipating a possible military deployment for my spouse this fall.

My mother was a military wife and when I told her about my husband going, the first thing she asked was, what are you going to do about your job? I don't get it. I'm going to go to work as usual and do it. I guess times have changed

Since we are anticipating this change in finances (it's not a done deal, but better safe than sorry), we have created a pretty good sized list including a bunch of home stuff that needed to be done. Turns out this home stuff adds up quick!! Going to try to capitalize on a work benefit for legal services and get the will updated.

Open to suggestions on other ways to prepare!

All in all, things could be much worse, so I am happy for what I've got!