While I was at Ikea I decided to get rods and mounts for my bedroom window as well. Because my room faces the sun all day, it gets hot as hell in the summer. I've been needing curtains for years. So as I put them in my shopping basket along with the mounts for my dance studio, I thought to myself: I'll just put these on the company debit card and write it off my taxes.
Ouch! I caught myself immediately and changed my mind. It is my intention to stay honest down to the last penny. Even if some one pays me cash, I'm claiming everything my business makes on my taxes. And I will not write off anything personal on my business taxes. Unless you're desperate for money because you can't buy food or you're about to be homeless, I think that trying to hold on to your income with such a tight fist that you omit reporting some of it, just creates a consciousness of lack and neediness. Where as a consciousness of abundance and prosperity attracts more money into your life. I've seen this spiritual principal proven over and over again. I'm not advocating blowing your money, not at all. But cheating some one out of money, even if it is the government, only proves to yourself that you're financially needy (or greedy) and don't believe you'll always have enough. Not only do I want to maintain an attitude and consciousness of abundance by staying honest on my taxes, but I'm even thinking about tithing 10% of everything my business makes.
That being said, I still tried to rationalize how the curtains for my room were a business necessity. I mean I still work on my computer for my business, including tracking my lesson plans and finances. And that computer is in my room, thus making it an office for the business. Of course this STILL doesn't make it legal for me to write off curtains for my room as a business expense. So rather than fight it out in my head, I put them back and didn't buy them for my room. It's an ongoing battle, being honest and trying to live with integrity. If I write a lot about it, it's to help keep me on the right path.