So....tax returns
 

I just got my W2 the other day. A quick phonecall to the parental unit that does taxes blindfolded (aka mom) said a phrase of words of a decent numerical value, and that was only for federal. Sooooo....looking for opinions while I also think for myself:

In no particular order of preference:
1) Grab 5 BFG ATs 33x10.5x15
2) JBA headers & flow 40 SI/DO + install
3) Regear to 4.56 and hope one of my snakes sells so I can get 33s
4) Use ALL my return as a huge truck payment
5) Grab a set of KC titanium slimlites for my grille guard (guard's off at moment and isn't going back on until I lift)
6) open suggestions....better bumpers, save the money towards the RCD kit, anything else anyone can think of performance wise
7) pocket the money for a rainy day and let it grow
8)EATC mod (I forgot to add this in my ORR post)

Just a little note: If/when I go RCD I'm leaning towards wanting to do it after the truck is paid off. I'm trying to potentially do that by end of this year by selling some of the reptiles I have. AND I'm trying to do it before I eat my 36/36 warranty. The other thing I have to worry about, and it's the main reason why I'm trying to pay the truck off, is that I graduate college in May. 6 months afterwards I have to start paying student loans back.

4 or 7

truck payment... im trying to convince the wife that i should use mine toward a down payment

1 and or bamma chip

i love tax returns...its so nice..like a huge bonus your like BAM...i got money haha

Gotta love parental unit's like that, don't 'cha?! My mum's a CPA, so I always have her check over my taxes. I do my own by hand and have her look them over. I'm usually unsure about one or two numbers (tax codes is, in my experince, open to some... interpretation!). What I love is she can sit there and explain exactly how little a significant error in those numbers contributes to my bottom line.

At any rate, the tires sound nice.

But don'tcha need some photo gear for that Nikon of yers? :smirk:
Mmm, getting 0% return on your money (actually more like a 3-4% loss, on account of inflation) is wonderful!

Truck payment! If mine's not paid off by the time mine comes back, that's what it'll go to. If it is.... Truckputer!!!

EDIT: Just saw the EATC mod on there... that'll only cost you ~$200, so you could easily work that one in :wink:

I do need an off-camera flash unit, but the one I want is $600....SB-800

The more and more I think about it the more I'm siding with 4 or 7. It sure would be nice to get goodies though, but if I don't have a truck payment then I can swing some of the former truck payment money into truck fund and the rest to student loans. Hmmmm

4 nothing like having the truck paid off.

Pay the truck off or put it away as a nice chunk to pay off the student loan......but you could always buy yourself something too.

buy parts for my 5.0L lol...

BTW Chris i am selling a brand new set of chrome 130W slims in the classified section for cheaper then normal... just FYI...

Yes all of the above... Personally I would go w/ 4 and 7 50/50 split. the rainy day account has paid off for me so I am for that.

What's your rate on the auto-loan? If it's high, I'd go w/ a big payment on it too.

Oh, and post some of those Nikon photos, will yah?

Thanks guys! I was thinking right all along. I really want to get my truck going nice, but it's WAY more practical to either put a decent chunk down on the loan for it or set aside for a rainy day.

The rate is 5.4% I believe...the loan was for $9K. I owe $7267.80, my monthly is $173.22, 60 mo loan. With the amount I should get from my tax return I could get below owing $5K. If the truck keeps acting up though I might have to do drastic measures and think about something else 4x4....an older 150, or maybe an older ranger. I love this 04 though, we'll see. She's going in for her 24,000 mile service this Monday and I'll be having the clutch system looked at all over again. The ultimatum, fix it and fix it right or Ford foots the bill for a private mechanic....Or I'll just go to another dealership.

and you mean photos like this.....

http://home.comcast.net/~chondrokeep...k1-21-06-2.jpg

I'd toss some (maybe not all!) of the return at that loan then. Getting ahead is always nice. I'm considering diverting some of my house fund to the truck. You're at 5.4%.. that's hard to beat w/ savings or anything like that. So investment wise it's prolly the best for your future.. although not fer yer fun.

I got a buddy here at work that doubles every one of his payments. I think he's done w/ his 5 year loan already less than 3 years in. He says it WAS his rainy day fund. If the poop hit the oscilating blades he'd have been able to coast, not paying the loan for a while 'cause he was already paid up through whenever. Kinda sweet. .. Me, I blew all my money on camera crap! :smirk: Well, that and I didn't buy a $30k import like he did! :fing26:
I feel yah bro, I feel yah. GF's been on my case lately about getting out of my Ranger as well. She's convinced it's a POS and unreliable. It certianly hasn't lived up to what I expected out of a $20k, brand new truck. But it is so much frickin' fun to drive. .. I may get my hand tipped though. I'm looking to move this summer. I'd also like to switch to a new (and higher paying) job. Either move means no more ~2 mile commute. I can't afford to feed truckzilla for 40+ miles each way every day w/ prices where they are. I saw an ad for a Subie the other day. He said he averages 30 MPG.. can you only imagine?!

At any rate, I feel yah 'hoss..
From the sounds of the problems you've had w/ them, this might be a good move. Did I ever tell you about how my old dealer screwed up my truck doing my clutch work? Took me 10k miles to find their screwup too. I've since switched stealerships. The new guys say the old guys have a real bad rep, despite what you hear. So far these new guys have been A+.

Gotta get mine in soon. I'm at 33k and climbing fast. Pretty soon they're gonna start charging me! :eek:
Them's the ones.. Show me some crazy ass desert stuff. I'm reading this book on Landscape Photography by John Shaw now. Crazy crazy south-western landscape shots. .. Just no snakes, mmkay?!

Put it in the bank and let it build. Build on it and you will soon have all those