Taxes for Food Bloggers: Business or Hobby?

Please note:  the 2017 Tax Cuts & Jobs Act changed the treatment of hobby expenses.

Eater, writer, bean counter.  So say my business cards, yet I’ve never touched the topics of accounting or taxes on this here blog.  I mean, taxes…  Blegh.  Am I right?  But after attending the International Food Bloggers Conference in Seattle last week, I got to thinking.  Did these foodies know food blogger conference expenses are tax deductible?

Business or Hobby?

You dedicate all of your free time to your blog.  It’s like, a second job or something.  Right?  That’s how most serious food bloggers feel about their blogs, but the IRS may see it differently, and that could majorly impact the Federal tax due on your blog earnings.  Whomp. Whomp.

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10 Tips for Tax Season

Those of you who are NOT tax accountants probably think of taxes on one of two days during the year:

a.) the day you get your w-2

b.) April 15th (AKA the day your tax return is due)

Ohhhhh how blissful that must be!  Tax accountants, on the other hand, live and breathe taxes.  We are number crunching, tax law massaging, carbo loading monsters this time of year.  Understandably, this season puts crazy stress on us and leads to periods of extreme unhappiness followed by periods of extreme slap-happiness in rapid succession.

Up and down, up and down.

Smile –> Sad smile  –> Surprised smile  –> Angry smile –> Rolling on the floor laughing  ->  Crying face  ->  Vampire bat

This is tax season #6 for moi and E.V.E.R.Y year I see myself and my coworkers fall into this instability.

Not this year, Uncle Sam.  Not this year. 

10 Tips for tax season.

  1. Find time for fun.
  2. Eat healthfully…  Especially when it’s 10 pm, you’re still at the office, and that Krispy Kreme donut has been calllllllllllllling your name all.friggin.day.
  3. Breathe.
  4. Exercise woman!  All that stuff about exercise and endorphins is true and don’t you forget it!
  5. Back.away.from.your.desk.  BACK AWAY.
  6. Smile.  Even it it hurts.  (AKA fake it til you make it, baby)
  7. DO NOT project your stress on to your lovely coworkers.  They’ve got enough poo on their shoulders without you flinging more at them.
  8. Go pee (you know you’ve been holding it for the last 2, possibly 3, hours)
  9. Dance.  Bust out at least one dance move, at a minimum, each day.  Work it…. workkkkkkk it.
  10. It’s just taxes.

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Getcho run on!

What is it about running first thing in the morning that makes me feel like I can tackle anything the day brings me?  This morning I completed Day #3, Week #2 of my interval training plan.  Woo hoo!  That means Friday I’ll be up to 2 minutes walking, 4 minutes running… and still no knee pain in sight 🙂

  

Breakfast #1

In honor of the fabulous PB2 GIVEAWAY, I decided to make a grilled fruit and nut butter wrap using Chocolate PB2

I took 2 tbsp of powdered chocolate PB2:

Then added 1 tbsp water:

Then smeared it on a  Mama Lupe’s low carb tortilla and topped with 1/4 cup each of strawberries and blueberries

I wrapped everything up, and put it on the george foreman for 5 minutes.  Then wrapped in foil and stuck in my purse:

And enjoyed at my desk at work:

Mmmmmmm…. love love love the grilled fruit and nut butter wraps!!!

Stats on the wrap:  145 calories, 21g carbs, 4g fat, 9g protein, 7g fiber

 

Make sure you post a comment on the PB2 giveaway by midnight Sunday July 4th!

 

Breakfast #2

Bowl of overnight oats consisting of:

  • 1/2 cup quick oats
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond breeze almond milk
  • 1 packet Truvia (stevia)
  • Cinnamon
  • Fresh Strawberries & Blueberries (added this morning)

I <3 overnight oats.

 Stats on the oats:  203 calories, 39g carbs, 5g fat, 6g protein, 7g fiber

 

Lunch

Last night when I was packing my lunch I was really craving a sandwich.  (The carb tooth strikes again!) 

Sunday night I grilled up a big batch of chicken breasts seasoned with McCormick’s Montreal Chicken Seasoning.  So I packed one of the breasts (about a 2.5 ouncer), 1 cup spinach, tomato, onion, a Pepperidge Farm 7 grain deli flat, and 1 tbsp Trader Joe’s Spicy hummus.

Can you say YUM?  Yum. 😀

Stats on the sammy:  230 calories, 29g carbs, 5g fat, 22g protein, 9g fiber

 

Women Power

Tonight I’m headed up to Cleveland for the Athena Women’s award dinner.  This opportunity came up through my involvement with the Knowledgeable Network of Women through the Greater Akron Chamber of Commerce.

And I’m taking my camera.  First time for me to let my inner food blogger out at a business function… should be interesting 🙂

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