Tax professionals get asked this question more often than you might think. Pet owners spent $15 billion on veterinary bills in 2014, so it’s no wonder the question comes up at the tax desk. This might have you envisioning a spoiled poodle in a designer sweater, munching expensive dog treats all day, but many times when a tax preparer is asked about deducting pet expenses, it’s followed by a story about a costly surgery the animal had the previous year.

Is it possible to claim deductions related to pets? Surprisingly, sometimes the answer is yes.

• Service animals According to the IRS, you can include in medical expenses the costs of buying, training, and maintaining a guide dog or other service animal to assist a visually impaired or hearing disabled person, or a person with other physical disabilities.
• New home If you’re relocating and can claim moving expenses, you can deduct the cost of transporting your pets to your new location. 
• Volunteering  If you volunteer at an animal shelter or rescue group and offer your assistance in the form of fostering abandoned animals, any unreimbursed expenses can be deducted.
• Pet employees  If you’ve put your animal to work for your business, for example, in the capacity of a guard dog, you can deduct certain costs related to your pet. 

But what about the average Joe with the average Fido? Can he claim his dog? The answer is usually no. Unfortunately, the IRS sees pets as personal property, and only persons get the personal exemption. 

Be sure to contact your tax professional for more information. Time is running out! Have you filed your return yet?

April was once called Eostre-month, named after a pagan goddess, who could turn into a hare at will. The story goes that she came upon an injured bird, which she turned into a hare, as it was a stronger animal. The grateful former bird could still lay eggs, and laid colored eggs as a gift to the goddess. 

So THAT’S what colored eggs and the Easter bunny have to do with each other! (Maybe.)

Easter stories are as plentiful as traditional Easter foods. If you are looking for some recipes to try this year, here are a few:

Ham  Spice things up with this Easter Ham with Chipotle-Pineapple Glaze or go the traditional route with a Slow-Cooked Honey-Glazed Ham. However you cook it, buy at least 1 pound of ham per person so you have plenty of leftovers. Cooked ham freezes well and you can make ham steaks, omelets, and sandwiches.

Chicken Chicken Cordon Bleu is surprisingly easy to make, and you can’t go wrong with Garlic-Herb Roasted Chicken.

Side Dishes  Making a healthy dinner couldn’t be easier than with these recipes for Glazed Orange Carrots and Roasted Asparagus. This Skinny Baked Broccoli Macaroni and Cheese recipe may very well become one of your new favorites.

Bread  They’ll think you spent all day in the kitchen making these Easy Parmesan-Herb Rolls. These Mini Cornbread Puddings are straight from Martha Stewart’s site.    

Dessert This Rainbow Ring Easter Basket Cake is probably the most festive cake you’ll ever make. Fifteen minutes prep time is all you need for this Slow-Cooker Pineapple Upside Down Cake.

Bon appétit and happy Easter

Do you find yourself eating until you are Thanksgiving-Day stuffed? Do you grab fast food on the way home from a stressful day at work because the thought of cooking seems like more tension in your day?

Does a nasty phone call from your mother cause you to crave something sweet?

Too often we don’t eat for the most important reason--because our bodies need the fuel. We should eat when we are hungry, and stop eating when we are full. After many years of dieting or hectic schedules, we may have forgotten what the real hunger cues are actually like, and depend instead on responding to our feelings or emotions. 

If you feel that emotional eating is sabotaging your health or causing weight gain, here are some tips:

• Avoid the addictive foods. If you know you can’t say no to just one potato chip, then don’t buy them. 
• Pack your own food or meals so they are convenient and aren’t someone else’s idea of “healthy”.
• Don’t feel obligated to eat food that’s offered to you if you aren’t hungry. 
• Pay attention to how your stomach feels after each bite. Stop eating when you feel halfway full. 

As soon as you recognize that you feel stress, find something other than food that will actually make you feel better such as a hot bath, a long walk, listening to music, deep breathing exercises, or laughing at funny cat videos. Paying attention to your body’s needs is the best way to take charge of your health.

Is it too early to be worrying about your children’s heart health? If you want to give your kids the gift of longer life expectancy, there is no time like the present to educate both them and yourself about the importance of fitness and diet. 

Read the labels  

Salt is associated with high blood pressure. If you don’t read anything else on the label, at least check the sodium content, and keep it below 1,500 mg sodium/day or check with your pediatrician. 

Fruits and veggies

They’re high in vitamins, minerals, and fiber, and low in calories--a great way to control weight and blood pressure. Some ways to encourage the kids to try them:

• At the grocery store, allow children to take turns being the official fruit/vegetable ‘picker-outter.’
• Have red, green, yellow, orange, blue, or rainbow -themed meals.
• Add fruit to cereal. Create new pizza toppings. Invent new smoothies.

Praise noise  

Remember, if the kids are quiet, they’re probably online, eating or coloring on the walls. Physical activity is frequently loud. If they’re stuck inside, have indoor activities available like hula- hoops, a Twister game, or a mini trampoline. 

Lead by example  

Get out there and play with the kids. You’re never too old to soak them with a water hose, or find the best hiding places for hide-and-seek. 

Have you explored the neighborhood during every season? Or better yet, can you still kick the ball as far as the kids can? There’s no better time than now to find out.

Between bills, unexpected emergencies and family obligations, saving money is harder than ever. 

A great way to make it easier is by automating your savings. Why worry about remembering to go down to the bank and make a deposit when you have twenty-five other things on your mind?

With automated savings, you don’t have to remember. Just set up the date and the amount and forget about it. When it’s automatic, most people often find they do not even notice the smaller amount they have to spend each month.

Be intentional.

If you’re serious about saving, why put it last on the priority list? Many people make the mistake of waiting until everything else has been paid first. By the time the end of the month rolls around, much of your paycheck may already be gone.

By automating your savings, you’re making sure your savings account gets the love it deserves, and more importantly…gets the funding it deserves.

Life happens.

Financial emergencies can crop up anytime, usually at the worst possible time. Having a healthy balance in your savings accounts can be a lifesaver if you find yourself with sudden medical expenses or even worse, unemployed for any length of time. 

Our modern life is filled with technology, so why not take advantage of it? If you’ve decided it’s time to start saving away for that rainy day, let an automated savings plan do the work for you.

Do you read ingredient labels? Polydimethylsiloxane, Propylene glycol, Azodicarbonamide, etc. The list goes on and on. You’re not sure exactly what they are, but it’s a pretty safe bet some of them shouldn't be part of a healthy diet.

If you’re like many people who want to avoid eating things they can’t pronounce, here are 4 tips to help you live and eat better:

1. When shopping at the grocery store, stick to the perimeter.  Fresh produce, meats, and dairy tend to be on the outer aisles of the store. Once you venture into the center areas of the store, where prepackaged foods are, the choices are not nearly as healthy. 
2. Consider additives carefully.  While the Food & Drug Administration has approved additives, many people have adverse reactions to them. Some of the likely culprits include olestra, aspartame, artificial colors and flavors, monosodium glutamate, saccharin, sodium nitrate, sulfites, cyclamate, caffeine, BHA, BHT and acesulfame-potassium. Save the list to your phone, or print a list to consult at the store.
3. Don’t fall prey to thinking cheap can’t be healthy.  Dried beans, rice, old-fashioned oats, canned tuna and salmon, popcorn, frozen vegetables, and canned tomatoes are all healthy choices that are not very expensive. 
4. Be choosy.  When in doubt, look at the labels. Choose the product with the shortest ingredient list.

Here’s to healthy…and pronounceable…dining.