Inconvenient Annoyances

I'm just hoping they never ask me for anything in particular. I just did my first US tax from the UK for 2015 and it all worked simply enough through TurboTax......I had to mail it in, but I can live with that. But.....if there is a problem......I'll start crying. Now sooner or later I will need to figure out the UK tax for the first time. I think I might owe some money for mutual funds that I sold since we moved here.

I do mine online through H&R Block...it makes me want to cry on the regular because it's not straightforward. Some questions/answers just don't apply but you HAVE to fill it in!

I haven't tried HR Block....I've been using TurboTax for a good while now....it ended up being fairly simple....easier than I expected. I am retired.....so no earned income. But we sold a house (basically broke even on that), sold off a bunch of mutual funds (long term gains...so no US tax). But getting a message from the IRS saying I messed up somewhere would be a pain which I did not want to experience. After I retired, I had a few problems through the retirement office that were a pain to solve....and that's when we were living in the US. I kind of figure dealing with the US govt retirement office has to be about as bad as dealing with the IRS. 

I've gotta start doing it online.  Ridiculous but DH does not believe in using the internet for this kind of stuff.  The problem this time is I simply transposed two digits in the standard deduction and they think I should have enclosed form A.  Doing it online probably would have caught the error.

I've gotta start doing it online.  Ridiculous but DH does not believe in using the internet for this kind of stuff.  The problem this time is I simply transposed two digits in the standard deduction and they think I should have enclosed form A.  Doing it online probably would have caught the error.

It does tell you if something isn't adding up right and whether or not you're missing any forms. That is the positive thing that I can say about filling out the form online (that and I don't have to pay for postage - which you have to go with the more expensive option to ensure safe delivery of all your personal details!). You can save at certain points as well so it's not a problem if you can't do it all in one night or something. The issue is more that doing it yourself online can lead to some confusion around what you should put (but you'd probably have that anyways filling out a paper form except the online form will tell you what you HAVE to fill in so you aren't just filling out everything when you don't need to but also aren't missing important questions - if that makes sense?). It's crappy regardless of the approach I think, but I do find online to give a little bit more guidance.

My husband broke my grandma's glass rose (she passed away two years ago so means a lot to me). And instead of telling me, he put it back together on the shelf like a puzzle. I found it today when dusting.

Just annoyed he didn't tell me when he broke it, apparently he knocked it down when ironing. He tried to hide it like a ten year old trying not to get in trouble with his mother! Says he is going to fix it. Don't know how. I know it was an accident, just wish he told me!

This thin glass rose somehow survived the trip with me from Florida to the UK but didn't survive him ironing :-P

My husband broke my grandma's glass rose (she passed away two years ago so means a lot to me).

These things become all the more precious when you're away from your origins.   

My husband broke my grandma's glass rose (she passed away two years ago so means a lot to me). And instead of telling me, he put it back together on the shelf like a puzzle. I found it today when dusting.

Just annoyed he didn't tell me when he broke it, apparently he knocked it down when ironing. He tried to hide it like a ten year old trying not to get in trouble with his mother! Says he is going to fix it. Don't know how. I know it was an accident, just wish he told me!

This thin glass rose somehow survived the trip with me from Florida to the UK but didn't survive him ironing :-P

Oh no. So sorry BriKH. 

My husband broke my grandma's glass rose (she passed away two years ago so means a lot to me). And instead of telling me, he put it back together on the shelf like a puzzle. I found it today when dusting.

Just annoyed he didn't tell me when he broke it, apparently he knocked it down when ironing. He tried to hide it like a ten year old trying not to get in trouble with his mother! Says he is going to fix it. Don't know how. I know it was an accident, just wish he told me!

This thin glass rose somehow survived the trip with me from Florida to the UK but didn't survive him ironing :-P

Sorry it got broken. my grandmother just passed away and I had a melt down at the airport when they wanted to check my carry on with precious momentos from her. Those little items mean so much after our loved ones pass.

Thanks guys...just needed the rant! When he got home he came with his tail between his legs apologising immediately :-P I know it was an accident but I'm mad that this happened like a week ago and he never told me. He said he didn't know it was my grandma's either. Ugh.

Sorry it got broken. my grandmother just passed away and I had a melt down at the airport when they wanted to check my carry on with precious momentos from her. Those little items mean so much after our loved ones pass.

Sorry to hear that :-( it is still so hard for me for some reason. I confess I did tear up a bit when j made the discovery! I only have a couple things of hers, the Rose being one of them and some quite old Mickey Mouse salt and pepper shakers (which are safe in the kitchen where he hardly goes!)!!

This has been annoying me for some time and its certainly inconvenient.
When I returned to the UK 3 years ago, my house and cat were left in the care of DS (single, mid-30s).  I pay the major bills and he checks on the mail if there's anything important for me.  Shortly after I left he told us he'd run into a friend from high school who was having a hard time: very messy divorce with three young kids and his brother wanting him to move out of his house (both parents dead)  So DS offered to put him up while he got sorted out.  We thought this was a good thing:  company for DS, they could split expenses and someone to mind the house and cat when DS is away.  So this guy (we'll call him K) moved in with a large hairy German Shepherd and enough household and sports equipment to set up a separate establishment.  K is not paying any rent as such -- just meant to share costs of food and the media contract.  The garage is now full of his stuff, including a broken down motorcycle, kids' toys, two or three adult bicycles etc.  He had to install all those childproof locks on the cupboards for when he has the kids.  The dog has had accidents on the hard wood floors and my mother's rugs.  They have put up two baby gates to keep the dog from eating the cat's food.  There is dog fur everywhere.  When put out in the yard it barks and has escaped several times and I know it's not registered.  K will only rarely do the trash run to the dump (which everybody hates I admit) because he has three child seats in his car.  He's broken a TV of DS's trying to 'fix' it and has also ripped out the shower stall from the bathroom in our basement!  (There was a crack in the pan so I told DS it was better not
to use it until we can replace it -- now I'll have to replace the whole thing)  There is no counter space in the kitchen because he has so many boxes of exotic tea and I trip over cartons of food, kids stuff, pots and pans all over -- not to mention the golf clubs, ice skates, roller blades, golf shoes, rock climbing gear...
It used to be somewhat amusing but now I get emailed spews from K all about how DS overspends (true) and eats the wrong food (true)  It has been suggested that he clean up or clear out.
End of rant.

This has been annoying me for some time and its certainly inconvenient.
When I returned to the UK 3 years ago, my house and cat were left in the care of DS (single, mid-30s).  I pay the major bills and he checks on the mail if there's anything important for me.  Shortly after I left he told us he'd run into a friend from high school who was having a hard time: very messy divorce with three young kids and his brother wanting him to move out of his house (both parents dead)  So DS offered to put him up while he got sorted out.  We thought this was a good thing:  company for DS, they could split expenses and someone to mind the house and cat when DS is away.  So this guy (we'll call him K) moved in with a large hairy German Shepherd and enough household and sports equipment to set up a separate establishment.  K is not paying any rent as such -- just meant to share costs of food and the media contract.  The garage is now full of his stuff, including a broken down motorcycle, kids' toys, two or three adult bicycles etc.  He had to install all those childproof locks on the cupboards for when he has the kids.  The dog has had accidents on the hard wood floors and my mother's rugs.  They have put up two baby gates to keep the dog from eating the cat's food.  There is dog fur everywhere.  When put out in the yard it barks and has escaped several times and I know it's not registered.  K will only rarely do the trash run to the dump (which everybody hates I admit) because he has three child seats in his car.  He's broken a TV of DS's trying to 'fix' it and has also ripped out the shower stall from the bathroom in our basement!  (There was a crack in the pan so I told DS it was better not
to use it until we can replace it -- now I'll have to replace the whole thing)  There is no counter space in the kitchen because he has so many boxes of exotic tea and I trip over cartons of food, kids stuff, pots and pans all over -- not to mention the golf clubs, ice skates, roller blades, golf shoes, rock climbing gear...
It used to be somewhat amusing but now I get emailed spews from K all about how DS overspends (true) and eats the wrong food (true)  It has been suggested that he clean up or clear out.
End of rant.

Oh boy! Well, I can see why his wife may have divorced him. 

While I would go completely bonkers if this were happening to my house, I can't help but feel a teeny bit sorry for him for some reason...   you know, the messy, bumbling, man-child type!

Maybe if you decided to charge him rent, he would prefer to find somewhere else to live? 

Oh boy! Well, I can see why his wife may have divorced him. 

Indeed!  We did feel sorry for him at first.  But there's more going on -- he got jail time for something to do with the divorce/wife (I don't want to know) so he lost his fairly well paid job and is now doing seasonal work when he can get it.  His brother's left the country and won't have anything to do with him.  We've found out he's on meds for bi-polar condition ...  We were hoping that as his conviction will soon be expunged he'd manage to get into nursing school as he hopes.  And need to move somewhere else (but with that dog!)  Yeah, DS is going bonkers.

It sounds like you guys have been really nice to that K when he was having a hard time.  You all should be proud of this. It also sounds like it's time for things to change and you should not feel awkward about it.

I'd make up some polite fiction reason he needs to go and stick with it until he actually moves out.  Maybe you could claim that you need a paying tenet or need to rent the room on air BnB.

I'd make up some polite fiction reason he needs to go and stick with it until he actually moves out.  Maybe you could claim that you need a paying tenet or need to rent the room on air BnB.

Wish we knew some nice, tidy person with no animals looking for a room!

DS has read the riot act to K and I've followed up with an email saying I really need to get the house de-cluttered.  I've hinted last time I was there that the house will have to be sold in the near future.  DS has pointed out that every time he tidies up some of his junk, K just fills the vacuum!

Another inconvenience here for me...

I swear without Google maps I'd be lost in Britain! What is it with Britain and hidden or nonexistent street signs? :-P