washer notes

I've read before that front-loading washing machines have had a lot of problems with mold and funky smells. Because of that, I've always sponged out the rubber seal on mine to dry it, and I always keep the door open when it's not in use. I haven't personally experienced any problem with mold or smells. But maybe my model has a better design than others in that regard at least. It's a Whirlpool model, but was actually made in Italy; apparently rebranded from EuroTech. Other people have reported the same kind of issues as I've had with mine, which is why I don't think it's worth trying to get it fixed. Although now that I've read some of those threads again, maybe Qiao and I should take it apart to see if there are any loose connections. I'd love it if we could fix it ourselves without spending hundreds of dollars. We actually did that with the matching dryer a few months ago - it wasn't turning on at all, so we bought a replacement On/Off switch, and that fixed it.

After getting some feedback from relatives who've personally had the funky smell problem with their units, I looked up more info about that. This page says: Companies have made design improvements to their machines, and experts said the new front-loaders have virtually eliminated mold with special vents in the back, hold-open doors to get air inside, and self-cleaning cycles.

I hope that is true. But regarding the self-cleaning cycles, I wonder how much that negates the efficiency of the machine. How much water and energy is wasted having to do extra cycles to keep the machine clean and mold-free, compared to the amount that is saved to begin with by the high-efficiency design? I think Qiao and I only do about 1 to 2 loads a week, on average.

I also wonder what is meant by "hold-open" doors. On mine, the door stays open by itself unless I push it closed. I can leave it wide open when I want to. I wonder if these other models don't allow that; if their doors have to be propped open to prevent them from closing on their down, and if this "hold-open" feature only keeps them cracked open a small amount.

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The Frigidaire page for one of their models states: Advance Rinse Technology - Final rinse uses fresh water to ensure whiter whites and reduce allergens.
WTF? What else would they rinse with, other than fresh water? The old dirty water? The old soapy water? How could you get the dirt and soap out except by rinsing with fresh water? That's common sense, not "advanced technology". I suppose this means they don't use fresh water for any of the other cycles, except when the water is first added.

check marks

Whenever a paper form instructs me to "check" a certain box, in the past I have always felt that I had to put a *check mark* in the box (this symbol: ✓), even though I feel that an "X" symbol would be more clear and legible.

But that seems silly - an X should be just as good, right? So I looked up the definition of the word "check":

(definition #7) verb (used with object) - to mark (something) so as to indicate examination, correctness, preference, etc. (often followed by off)

Nowhere in that definition does it state that the mark has to be a check mark.

(definition #29) noun - Also called check mark. a mark, often indicated by (✓), as on a list, to indicate that something has been considered, acted upon, or approved.

This one says "often indicated by (✓)". Ergo, *not exclusively* indicated by that symbol. So an "X" could even be considered a check mark!

Phew. Now I can X in boxes without feeling guilty.

Come to think of it, part of why I dislike having to use actual checkmark symbols in boxes, is that I've been trained by the "fill in the circle" kind of forms that you aren't supposed to mark anywhere outside of the circle/box. In order to write a checkmark in a box without having the tail go outside the box, it either has to be a very small checkmark, or more of a V shape than a real checkmark, neither of which are aesthetically pleasing to me.

tax notes

Do not go to irs.com looking for forms and publications; that is a private website, not affiliated with the IRS. The real IRS website is irs.gov.

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If you have an HSA (Health Savings Account), you have to submit an additional form (8889) with your federal taxes. When your HSA contributions are taken automatically from your paycheck, that is called a "Cafeteria Plan", and those amounts should be included along with the employer contributions on line 9, *not* on line 2, of form 8889.

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Long Term Care (LTC) insurance premiums may be considered a qualified medical expense that can be reimbursed from an HSA (some restrictions apply).

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The federal "free file fillable forms" website automatically rounds amounts that you enter (at least, it did last year). Therefore, if you plan to submit your taxes via that method, and if you fill out drafts of your forms first, it is best to round the amounts to begin with.

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South Carolina lets you contribute a part of your tax refund to several specific organizations via what they call "Contributions for Check-offs" (form I-330). I was never certain, but always assumed, that these organizations were all themselves tax-deductible. In other words, that you could deduct these contributions on your federal tax form the next year.

Their website simply says that the donations *may* be tax deductible:

Donations made to elligible [sic] charities may be tax deductible. Deductions are taken in the year in which the donation was made. Individuals making donations through CheckOff, filing in 2012 for 2011, would include the donation on their 2012 federal tax return.

Today, I tried to verify it by using the search tool on the IRS website. I only found some of the organizations, so it seems that the rest might not be officially tax-deductible after all. These were my findings:

Endangered Wildlife Fund (www.dnr.sc.gov) - not found
Childrens Trust Fund (www.scchildren.org) - EIN:57-0785431
Eldercare Trust Fund (aging.sc.gov) - not found
SC Veteran's Trust Fund - EIN:57-1031920
Donate Life South Carolina (www.donatelifesc.com) - EIN:57-1052258
SC First Steps to School Readiness Fund - EIN:57-1087576
War Between the States Heritage Trust Fund - not found
SC Litter Control Enforcement Program (PalmettoPride) - EIN:58-2466709
SC Law Enforcement Assistance Program (scleap.org) - not exactly found, but seems to be affiliated with this organization: EIN:57-1063879 (Law Enforcement Chaplaincy for South Carolina)
K-12 Public Education Fund (S.C. Department of Education) - not found
SC State Parks Fund (www.southcarolinaparks.com) - not found
SC Military Family Relief Fund - not found
SC Conservation Bank Trust Fund (sccbank.sc.gov) - not found
SC Financial Literacy Trust Fund - not found
SC State Forests Fund (S.C. Forestry Commission) - not found
SC Department of Natural Resources Fund (www.dnr.sc.gov) - not found

(update - this one was added for tax year 2016)
SC Assocation of Habitat Affiliates (www.schabitats.org) - seems to be an affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International, which has EIN 91-1914868.
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Free File Fillable Forms

When entering form 1040, the "Done With This Form" button will always remain disabled. It is only used for the other forms that you Add.

W2, W2G and 1099-R forms can be added on the "Step 2" page.

"All other Form 1099’s, including SSA 1099, 1099 INT, 1099 MISC etc. are not available as individual forms in Free File Fillable Forms because you do not have to e-file these statements to IRS."