Money, money, money

Dollars, cents, stocks, ETF's, bonds, mutual funds, retirement, IRA's, debts, bills, savings, budgets, and taxes. All have been on our minds lately. I reorganized our budget. Ryan (and I) want to buy five years of "service" to count for his retirement. I want to spend less money on gas, but still be able to go to playgroup and Bakersfield to visit the family. I opened a Roth IRA for myself to invest in. We are seriously looking at getting a different vehicle for me. Ryan's buyback is a bit expensive (really expensive) and I had no idea where to get the money from. Getting a more fuel efficient car would help. I can cut back on groceries a bit by being a better meal planner and looking for deals/using coupons. Try being more frugal (like I used to be...) But we were still coming up short. There are a few luxuries that we won't part with right now. Pride. Fun. Whatever. But then it hit in a light bulb over the head kind of moment. TAXES. We get a killer return every year. But you know what? That means the government is keeping a good hunk of Ryan's paycheck, INTEREST free. Like forced savings. But we'd rather put that money into Ryan's retirement. Now, I have to figure out how to get the most money without owing more than say, 100 bucks to the feds. I have no clue. Actually, I have a small clue. I used the IRS withholding calculator. Wish me luck. (And you have a clue, please share. I won't pay you with money, because I'm practicing being frugal now, but it will make your heart feel super-happy.)