I really , at my age do not have issues with this time of year but I know that many of you do have issues with this time of year. Does spring break affect your modeling? IE kids , vacations , grand kids and such? The tax season put a damper in model railroad funding? I am just wondering about you comments and thoughts as Robin and I see a lull each year at this time in sales as do most of the distributors. Thanks for all the inputs on this. Mike
At my age and lack of income, the financial meaning of tax time is having to pay the tax preparer to figure out my return. I haven't paid any taxes for 2 -3 years, and got no refund. Time wise, it is having to FIND things. It is like Jesus' parable of the lost sheep, except at tax time, it is the parable of the lost SLIP. I have 99 slips that I need to figure the taxes, but I put them all aside to search and search diligently for the one lost slip that means everything to make my return complete. (What's worse is I have to stop sorting through my train stuff for my latest project to find the tax stuff, and the train stuff gets covered up deeper.)
Well with the onset of some decent weather that my old affected body can begin to function in, other things begin to take place of the modeling. Just been outside looking at the garden plot. And maybe the ground is just about dry enough and not slippery that I can make it down to the lakeside for some fishing and not fall. With the stroke and arthritis both affecting my stability it is more difficult to get out in the colder months. As I am primarily, until lately, a late Fall and Winter modeler there is a lot that I have happening in the good weather seasons. I have never had Spring break affect anything except to annoy me that some of the brats are loose and unsupervised for awhile both the older and the younger ones. As far as taxes go I had a very decent refund enough to have purchased a small fleet of locos had I wanted any and taxes have never been much of a concern due to good planning.
Hi Mike, Top o' the mornin to ya! As with others - Spring Break - Grand Kids ! Love them mucho, however. Carl Let's watch trains !
When I was actively selling on that auction site, I'd see a brief post-Christmas surge, then a downturn until about the time school is out. As for money, it does affect me, as every year the income level is virtually the same, yet we get less and less back. So, less to pay bills, thus less discretionary funds, if anything remains at all. It is a depressing time of year, so I try even harder to focus on the hobby to take my mind off it. Lately I am busily planning a new T-Trak module. And daydreaming about that recently announced SW1.
My sons are in Little League so this time of year is generally busy. I end up buying trains when there are good deals to be had and when I need to finish projects for train shows. We have one coming up in June (N Scale Enthusiast Convention in Sacramento) so I will need to get stuff to improve my FreeMo-N modules.
My son's spring break is this week and we're heading out for some camping. My little foray into Z has been put on the back burner for sure. Going to do some thinning of my N stuff and then get back to work on the N layout, but likely no breakneck progress anytime soon. I've been fighting a tinge of burnout (hence the Z) and some other life events of late have prompted me to really "slow the roll", even moreso than normal. Seems like work gets exponentially more demanding with every turn of the calendar month so that hasn't helped. I probably just need to let the burnout run its course over the summer and get back to things in the fall.
No, but nice weather does, as soon as weather permits I will be golfing and the model railroad will be collecting dust.
Those things don't effect me either. We currently have nice weather for golf in the day and the layout in the evening.
We got a tax refund this year, and I purpose to finish my tax return by Feb. 15 every year, so it is a good time of year for us. As far as spring break, the grandkids live a long way away so many of their activities do not affect us much. Their mom and dad keep them so busy, it seems, that there is barely a spare moment. With the spring comes outdoor activities, but also the longer days and increased energy levels. I hope to continue with my model work with only a slight slowdown.
Taxes and spring break don't affect me, but this season has been real bad for allergies (which keep me out of the shed); and just the end of last week, we discovered we have a water leak under the slab foundation (OUCH). $$$$s flowing away :crying:
This is the first year where my employer didn't take out taxes for me (since I'm subcontracted). Did a half decent job keeping the books tidy and was only ~$75 off my estimate for the Fed's cut according to my preparer. So while I won't be getting a refund, I won't be losing too much of my slush fund either. Soon I'll be back out in the woods working. Only this year when I come home exhausted, I'll have a clean enough train room to work in for an hour or two before bed. Unless I get the RC bug again, but i still have room and a workbench for either pursuit now! Sent from the magical mystery box
Spring break means nothing to me, as my son graduated a few years ago. We do, however, take a vacation in mid May to avoid the busy summer vacation season, so that puts a lid on the hobby budget for a couple of months. This year I'm writing a $6 check to Uncle Sam, so that doesn't affect me either. Seeing how much the IRS is keeping, on the other hand...
Tax season, let's not go there. We just filed today....AARGH! Spring break...our 56 and 53 year old sons told us what went on, FINALLY. Thankfully we didn't know at the time. LOL Our Grandchildren, 30, 28, and 27, are past that...and we don't want to know because they all are gainfully employed professionals who appear to be stable, we think...? Our GREAT(!) grand children, 5 and 3, still have a few years to go. So hopefully we won't know what happens...PHEW!
Running a small business, you get wacked twice on Apr. 15. Federal Income Tax and 1 Qtr. estimated tax. You bet it puts the brakes on hobbies. It's exceptionally difficult due to the bad weather we had a couple weeks ago. Any snow puts the south on hold! I'm working on the layout finishing up and working on improvements that have already been bought and have been laying around for a few months.
Tax season doesn't bug me in the least. This is the first week I've had off so far this year (I'm just now taking off weekends I earned in December of last year). The train budget is healthy, but I don't have anything I need to buy right now. I have more parts sitting around than I have time to put them all together. Plus, with my girls off from school, we are doing family things, which is always good.
Both events definitely cause me to pull back on spending from the start of March thru May. spring break brings a family trip; tax season brings a hefty bill from Uncle Sam thru my accountant. I put a halt to discretionary train purchases for 60 days and then get back to buying train things the rest of the year. I would complain about the tax bill as that cuts into my train purchases, but my wife and I have been fortunate to keep increasing our income substantially every year. The cut Uncle Sam takes is brutal but I don't see a way to reduce it. I wish I could write off my model train purchases! cheers john
Taxes don't bother me whether there is a refund or not. Spring break is here and I am in an empty quiet house while the family is off to play. That is the penalty to be paid as the CEO of a company. But it does allow me some quiet tinkering time and I have been able to install and program a couple dozen decoders into locomotives......
