Don't Mess With Taxes

If you think doing your taxes is easier than figuring out how to eat healthy foods, then you are not alone.

The 2012 Food & Health Survey by the International Food Information Council Foundation, 52 percent said it's easier to fill out their own 1040 forms than it is to figure out what they should and shouldn't eat to be healthier.

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The survey findings were not a big surprise to me, a tax geek who's had food issues my whole life.

The fact that healthy dieting is harder than taxes is particularly pertinent as we head into the summer season.

Many of us will spend the few months eating things cooked on the grill. Grilled chicken and fish are good for you, but if you're like me, burgers are best when cooked outside. We red meat fans probably should think about adding some grilled veggies to the mix.

That way we won't feel so guilty about treating ourselves to a decadent dessert to celebrate finishing our taxes.

The food choices vs. taxes debate was one of the topics covered last week at my other tax blog. Actually, it was this week, since this post is going up Friday afternoon.

I also looked at the importance of meeting tax-related deadlines, especially when it comes to appealing your home's appraisal value. Miss that hearing appeal cutoff date and you could end up owing a bigger property tax bill than you should.

The regular roundup from my Bankrate Taxes Blog usually goes up here on the ol' blog on Saturday evenings.

But this being the beginning of the long Memorial Day weekend, I thought I'd mention it now so that we all can take time off to welcome the unofficial start of summer 2012.

If you're traveling, be safe. And have fun!

You also might find these items of interest:

• Summer time is tax pro time
• Grocery prices, inflation and food taxes