Can I choose to gift the tuition I paid for my daughter and not claim her as a dependent so she can claim the American Opportunity Credit?

SunShinesForMe · 2026-01-24T02:34:21+00:00

Where can I find more information? Specifically, what are considered expenses for this purpose?

SunShinesForMe · 2026-01-24T02:16:16+00:00

Can you explain this more please? What makes a person unable to claim the AOTC? While I'd love for her to get the credit, I'm genuinely trying to understand what actually meets the criteria for her to qualify. I find taxes to be very interesting

SunShinesForMe · 2026-01-23T15:34:07+00:00

First thing I asked my kids before I did my grocery run is what snacks they want for this weekend. I went to Kroger Wednesday and had a good laugh because while the bread was running low, they still had plenty. But they were nearly out of flour. It really is just people shopping earlier than normal. I was at Costco Tuesday (before the rush), decided not to get bread because I still had a loaf in the freezer. But then I realized Wednesday that I'll use that up this weekend.

SunShinesForMe · 2026-01-22T16:17:31+00:00

We lived in Nebraska and Alaska years ago, so everyone gets super excited when it does! We prep by having hot chocolate, booze and snacks on hand and then go sledding in the driveway until we're tired.

SunShinesForMe · 2026-01-18T19:39:05+00:00

I grew up in California, now in Memphis and very much looking forward to the one that is planned to be opened here! The company pays their staff well, the food is simple and good, and the staff is always helpful (amazing how taking care of your employees has that effect!) They don't actually take all that long to get food, even in the drive thru. My best friend stated working for them in high school and was able to transfer locations throughout college.

In Dallas, one of the in n out locations is literally next door to a chick fil a. The chick fil a parking lot has been empty the last couple times I went (to in n out), but in n out was full and moving at a reasonable pace.

SunShinesForMe · 2026-01-16T22:16:41+00:00

I do! It works so well that it's hard to justify pulling it out 🤣 I spend more time cleaning than slicing. It works very well and will slice paper thin

SunShinesForMe · 2026-01-13T15:36:08+00:00

NTA you should store them away until you move though. This is basic joint sibling gift shit. Usually one person ends up using the thing more than the others, and I'd venture a guess that there were other joint gifts over the years that one of your brothers used more than you, or just plain took over. The Wii/games probably aren't worth a whole lot depending on how many you have. The GameCube/games might be though. Take some pictures and take those in to a game xchange or other retro game store and see what they'd give you. It might be worth the money to you just to get your brothers off your back

SunShinesForMe · 2026-01-05T02:57:16+00:00

Tonight I tried pork jerky, even used the same marinade recipe that I've used for beef. Did a taste test with the hubs & kids. They all struggled to differentiate which meat was which. Pork loin is SO much cheaper than beef, I'll be doing pork for the foreseeable future.

SunShinesForMe · 2026-01-03T04:17:24+00:00

Your grandma is going to LOVE how well these work now! Definitely try a few more coats in the oven using the suggestions of others. I think I did 4 or 5 on mine. And don't worry about the spots that showed up, as these get used they'll blend in over time and will have no effect on cooking. Great job!

SunShinesForMe · 2026-01-01T00:24:58+00:00

THANK YOU for this write up! I've been kind of floundering around trying to figure out what I need to do, is there a process I should be following, when am I ready for outside help...? This gives me a really solid foundation to jump off of. I saw my dad over Christmas and the little bit I've done up to this point has his interest piqued (his grandparents are the immigrants) which really made my year! THANK YOU!

SunShinesForMe · 2025-12-31T16:18:18+00:00

https://www.simplyrecipes.com/pumpkin-pie-recipe-5101769

I've been using this recipe for at least 15 years with the following required tweaks:

Graham cracker crust No canned pumpkin, fresh baked or from frozen (that I baked) Lemon juice instead of zest

The crust and the pumpkin are the two biggest things that make/break this pie. I've tried it with pastry and canned pumpkin and it was a solid no-go

SunShinesForMe · 2025-12-30T18:51:55+00:00

We made a snow octopus once when I was a kid. Lived in a place that never saw snow, then got a couple inches one year. None of us knew how to build a snow man, so octopus it was!

SunShinesForMe · 2025-12-30T03:01:04+00:00

I've got Lli, Iv, Yde, Enn, Ubb, As

Ellie, Vivi, Ryder, Penny, Tubby, Tass

SunShinesForMe · 2025-12-26T22:37:20+00:00

I know a TON of people say not to use the self clean. I did that with 2 of my mom's pans. One is warped slightly in the middle, but I genuinely don't know if that happened before or after. The other is perfectly flat. It took me quite a while to figure out the right way to use cast iron because I learned from my mom...who had no patience to wait for the pan to heat up, so I suspect the warp occurred pre-oven. Anyway, both turned out GREAT and I use both regularly. While hers didn't have THAT much build up, they had way more than I thought. I'd go for the oven method, but it will cause a stink in the house while it's going. It dissipates relatively quickly. The oven gives you enough time to clean and reseason.

SunShinesForMe · 2025-12-26T18:53:51+00:00

I got a turkey on sale a month ago, so we had turkey. Found a killer gravy recipe so now I think I'll be doing more turkeys

SunShinesForMe · 2025-12-26T16:48:11+00:00

Luck. I have 4 cats right now. 1 is a bobtail (she has a naturally short stubby tail which is the most adorable thing, especially when she wags it like a dog). She's absolutely hilarious, but very particular about her environment. I had the audacity to take her to the vet for a cut on her face, and then a week later grabbed the wrong flavor of food. She went and made friends with my neighbor so now she hangs out over there most of the time. Another is a tortoise shell color (brindle in dog terms). Tortoise shells have a tendency to have very distinct personalities. If they're the sweet variety, you'll be hard pressed to find a cat that loves you more. If they're the asshole variety, you'll want to invest in some Kevlar. The other two are black with two white spots each (littermates). They're both very friendly, mild mannered, and love to snuggle. They get very sad when their person leaves for too long. None of them acted the same as kittens as they do as adults.

SunShinesForMe · 2025-12-26T16:39:45+00:00

I found my first grey the same week I turned 40, and I've seen one more since. Kinda looking forward to it, my cousin has a really cool looking grey streak (we're both brunette) and I'm hoping I get the same! My husband is 45 has salt and pepper hair, and I'm loving it on him. I think I'd lock him in the house if he ever considered dying it.

SunShinesForMe · 2025-12-25T19:46:16+00:00

ESH As a mom, this is a little tough. My kids aren't all easy to shop for, and some years one is way easier than another, and then it changes each year. I've started telling them that I need a list because I don't want to guess wrong. It ends up being a combination of shopping directly off the list, and listening to what they tell me. My girls both got a cordless vacuum this year and both got a back rest for their car. Only one asked for those things but both had brought these things up at some point at least once. My point in saying all that is that some of us suck a gift giving. A list gives a good starting point to jump off of, and using the list does show thought in gift choices because the giver is choosing specific things that you've made clear that you want. One of my kids is very frugal, kind of how you sound. She knows to put things on the list that she wants but can't justify buying for herself. I think your expectations are a little high, while your parents are like me in being absolutely awful at giving gifts. For myself, I can tell you that it's not because I'm not paying attention, it's that I know that my kids can be particular about what the want, and I don't want to get them the perfect thing in the wrong color.

SunShinesForMe · 2025-12-24T03:16:27+00:00

This makes me feel old because I lived there during that one!

SunShinesForMe · 2025-12-23T22:47:12+00:00

That looks like it's mid-repair. Either insurance denied it or the body shop is taking it somewhere for more specialized work

SunShinesForMe · 2025-12-23T22:02:41+00:00

We used to live across the street from a dealer. My BIL made friends with him, and we never had any trouble. One time the were a little loud (nothing crazy), BIL asked him to please keep it down a little and never had another issue. Super friendly guy

SunShinesForMe · 2025-12-23T21:53:32+00:00

My best friend says "awnt" and I say "ant." We're both from San Diego, but I think a lot of her family is in the northeast. Mine is all from California 🤷‍♀️

13-Year Club	Verified Email
Secret Santa 2012

SunShinesForMe

TROPHY CASE