I wanted so badly for the app icon to be a potted plant.

So the last time I used TurboTax, it was all bubbly, asking questions and providing reassurances that we were "almost done". That's not realistic. Realism is going to the post office to look bewilderingly through the boxes of paper tax forms littered around the mailbox area wondering which ones apply to you, bringing home a handful of weird-smelling newsprint instruction booklets, and sifting through that shoebox of receipts you've been hoarding while you nurse a handle of whiskey and curse the tax reform act of 1986. Professional tax prep software somewhat recreates that vibe. Turbotax is a marshmallow fluff game guide complete with cheat codes.

I am an accountant. This comment is for discussion only and not to be used as tax advice. Consult your tax advisor for your specific situation.

Ebay reports income if you sell over $20,000 [edit: earned in 1 calendar year], and then once you're on their 1099 list, you don't come off it even if you sell less. The actual IRS 1099 reporting threshold is just $600 per year. Ebay is appealing to the IRS to try to limit their reporting burden. They will eventually have to report all sellers that exceed $600, but they keep getting that pushed back.

FB also issues 1099s now for sellers. I am not sure what their made up threshold is, but Marketplace has asked me for my tax info. I just took my things down and told it that I hadn't sold them through Marketplace. And I just noticed what linearchaos suggested... list the item as 'ask for price'. That may cut down on potential customers though. I know I scroll past items that want me to ask for price.

Do not worry if you sell enough to be issued a 1099. As mentioned before, you can subtract the cost you paid for the items, all ebay and paypal fees, and even shipping costs if you don't charge separately for it, likely resulting in an overall loss. So no tax likely. Tax is only calculated on net income. If you start flipping obscure items of value from thrift stores, then you might get into taxable net income territory.

Finally, to your question on does it count against your unemployment benefits. Likely. However, Ebay/FB don't report their 1099 vendors until mid- to late- January 2025 for annual 2024 payments. The reporting deadline is Jan 31. So you don't have to worry about it until then, and again only if you exceed their made up thresholds for sales.

And here I sit with a laser pointer in my lap. Crazy cat lady by day, cyberpunk by night.

When it was first released, The Sixth Sense ending blew everyones' minds.

Usual Suspects and Se7en as well.

Anything is edible. Once.

I made a Bespin Leia outfit to wear to the opening night of Phantom Menace. On the way to the theater, I got pulled over. The cop was very weirded out by me. I did not get lucky with just a warning.

Bertolli chicken parm and some garlic Texas toast is almost downright fancy, but it's 100% dump, heat, eat.

I have had the train thing happen to me. There were no warning lights where the road crossed over. Fortunately it was a coal train going very slowly. Scared the living daylights out of me. It's been 30 years since that happened and I'm still neurotic about railroad crossings with poor visibility.

Squirrels can clean out a feeder pretty quickly. Not as fast as deer can, but much faster than the birds.

So it's a pain in the ass to go fill it back up, and it costs money. A person gets a bird feeder because they want to watch birds. There are cheaper ways to feed squirrels, if you like squirrels.

Both squirrels and birds can build nests in your home. Squirrels can chew their way into your attic, then you risk them chewing through wires. Birds nest in your dryer vent or bathroom vent. A nest in the dryer vent is a fire hazard. And they can introduce bird mites into your home. It's like having a bed bug infestation except you can't see them, their bites are hella itchy, and at least they can be dealt with by multiple rounds of thorough vacuuming. Ask me how I know.

I used to love to keep a bird feeder and watch the bird party on a snowy day. But I wasn't out to feed the deer, and the mite problem erased any lingering feelings about feeding birds.

My MIL used to work for a dentist. One year he encouraged? required? the employees to hand out toothbrushes on Halloween. My hubby begged his mom not to do it, to just fib and tell her boss she had. But... she went through with it. They got egged that night & their pumpkin was smashed. She fucked around and found out.

Hellboy animated a corpse to get info out of it. I don't think he subscribes to modern jurisprudence though. I don't recall him being concerned in the least with handing the corpse a subpoena first.