Trips, Taxes, and Taps

Today's post is coming to you from a motel room in Memphis, Tennessee. Hubby is in training this week for a new sales position. It's another commission only job, but that's okay. Right now we can't worry about benefits; we just need income. Hopefully he will be successful enough to purchase insurance for us. He will be selling pools and spas, and he thinks that this is going to be a chance for him to make good money. I hope so. It should be pretty easy to sell pools as hot as it is already. LOL. And if he's really good, maybe I can get one of those spas at cost. Wouldn't that be fun!

CWGIII and I are hanging out in the room and at the pool. I brought my laptop and have been able to do my transcription today, which is a great plus to having a "virtual" job. I really love the flexibility this is affording me. If I had a traditional 9-5, we couldn't do this. Plus I got to do some fact checking for the early chapters of the book that were set in Memphis. So, it's a working trip all around.

Here's my question, and I hope we have some writers out there that can answer this. When tracking your expenses for tax purposes and deductions, what can you deduct? My husband says to save all receipts related to my writing and transcription -- especially the transcription since it is a home-based business. But isn't the writing as well? Do I have two separate businesses going? Is there any need to track writing expenses until I actually start getting money from it? He says that the we approach the writing like the transcription. I'm contracting for myself on the writing part, and therefore it's my business as well. So, if that's the case, can the mileage for these research trips be deducted? And if I don't make any money writing, am I operating at a loss as far as the IRS is concerned? The transcription business is much more cut and dried. I believe I can deduct my postage, supplies, equipment, and even a portion of the electric bill since I use my home as my office. Anyone have any experience with this?

Next question: Where is the most affordable place to purchase a quality desktop pc? I have worn the letters off of this laptop, and it's only three years old. I need enough memory to do the high speed file transfers for the transcription and the digital audio files. Other than that, we don't use our computers for gaming. ( At least we haven't yet. I do have an up and coming computer user.) I'm also deathly afraid of this used hard drive going out on me with all these important files on it. I back up to disk quite frequently. But if it crashes, I have no back up computer. And right now, my computer is my income. I laugh and tell my hubby not to touch it! But of course, he doesn't listen. You should see him trying to hunt and peck for the letters without the actual letters being there for him to see. It is so funny. Evidently the letters I use the most are s, i, e, n, m, and c. I'll file that information away for use if I ever get on Wheel of Fortune. (LOL)

Hope you all are enjoying your Memorial Day. I'd like to send out a heartfelt "Thank You" to all of you who serve in our military at home and abroad. I could not do what you do, and I so appreciate your sacrifice to ensure our country's safety. It takes a special person to enlist and serve. Veterans, you are #1 on my list. We owe a great debt of gratitude to you. You have brought us through some harrowing times. May God's blessings be upon you. Let's not forget to pray for our servicemen and their families. When they grieve, it affects us all. When they rejoice, we all rejoice. Let's pray for an end to our tour in Iraq. I'm ready to hear taps played over this war. Our children need their mommys and daddys at home. Can you say, "AMEN!"