When you sit down with your tax records, it ought to be easy to tote up your big charitable contributions -- what you gave to your church or synagogue. But don't forget to check your pay stub for how much you gave to the United Way or other charities via payroll deduction. And don't throw away tax savings by overlooking the little things, such as out-of-pocket expenses paid while volunteering at a school, for example, or helping with a charitable fund-raiser.
Deductions include things such as parking fees, tolls, stamps, long-distance phone calls and 14-cents-a-mile if you drove your own car. Did you prepare food for a church-sponsored homeless shelter? The cost of the ingredients counts as a deductible expense if you itemize.
All this might sound like nickels and dimes, but it can really add up. And don't feel chintzy about it either; the more you save in taxes, the more generous you can be this year.
One other tip: If you and your husband or wife use different checkbooks, make sure you go through both registers to uncover all the contributions you made.
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