Buy Beef Jerky and save your receipt

I save every receipt from every purchase I make. It is a habit I am sure I will keep for the rest of my working life (I hope I can let it go when it comes time for me to retire. I began freelancing a couple years and I learned the hard way that Uncle Sam wants more than his share of my paychecks and that son of gun wants it all in one lump sum (actually he would prefer quarterly installments but let’s be real that just isn’t happening). That first 1099 form caused me such panic that my palms begin to sweat even now as I recall that painful day. I do not consider myself socialist, but I must have register as one because apparently that is the tax bracket in which I have been placed.

Gas receipts, parking receipts, business luncheons, travel and lodging expenses are all obvious write offs that I can use to offset some my socialist income (just kidding). But after meeting with my Certified Public Accountant, I now believe it necessary to retain proof for every dollar I spend, no matter how small and no matter how irrelevant to my occupation (Sometimes I even rummage through the trash hoping to find a receipt I might be able to pass off as my own [not really because that would be fraud but I thought that the image of me digging in the garbage might invoke a certain sympathy from my fellow freelancers] if they paid with cash). When I Buy Beef Jerky I always keep the receipt and when I do I try to make sure I am on a job and it is my lunch break, otherwise I am just asking for an audit. Can you imagine going down for a errant bag of tasty dried meat snacks? That is not the legacy I tend to leave behind. There are much better deals (and variety) online, but I doubt that an invoice from JedsJerky.com will pass the smell test come April, but who knows. The holidays are coming and I suppose I could send all my clients bags of Beef Jerky to show my appreciation for all the business they’ve given me throughout the year.