Checking in. Making baby steps. I’m thinking of updating this thread at least monthly with my progress, or lack thereof:

1) I ended up recycling one very small 3”x5” homemade notepad I made from scratch paper, so I’m down to 52 notebooks, sketchbooks, & tablets to be used up now.

I’ve been thinking of ideas for the rest, including copying my favorite coloring book pages onto them with some carbon paper I bought years ago at a thrift shop & never used.

2) I’m starting my tax goal by trying to get 2022’s taxes out of the way via freetaxusa.com. It was free for federal; state was $14.99. I’ve never used them before.

Last year I used TurboTax & it was perfectly fine (if I remember correctly). Federal was free & I think state was $50, I don’t remember. This was after trying trying & failing to do it for free from the sites either irs.gov or my state’s website suggested.

Well, I’m having a problem already. My federal return is getting rejected for an “Identity Protection Personal Identification Number” (IP PIN). I don’t know it. So I’m trying to get it from irs.gov & it’s a real pain in the buttocks.

I would be tempted to go back to TurboTax, but freetaxusa.com already charged me. Of course. My taxes are very straightforward though, so there’s that. I will try again tomorrow to get the IP PIN from irs.gov.

In looking through my accumulated tax documents, it could be I didn’t file 2018, 2019, or 2020? It’s okay I think, since I had no income, but I don’t think I got my stimulus checks either?

I have w2s & tax returns dating back to 2002. I think I can shred most of them. I had thought you were supposed to hold onto them for 7 years, but I’m getting conflicting information from the internet. Imagine that.

3) Looking at my library system’s website, I found 2 books about death planning & put them in my to be read pile. I already have a binder & (maybe) plastic sheet protectors I can use for this.