Now as the calendar turns to February, you may be starting to feel the pressure of tax time a little more. We are here, too, but are really only amped up and excited for the season. Much of this excitement, though, comes from watching our schedule fill up, so to get the best choice of slots that work for you, do not put off making your appointment.

Having a better choice of appointment time isn’t the only reason to think about making an appointment, though. The earlier you start preparing your return, the more chance you will have to get things together that can help you receive more deductions. This happens more than one may suspect. Taxes often seem that they turn out the same every year, but there are always changes to the tax code, and even some changes in your own life that may open up new tax avenues of which you were unaware.

Some of those roads are not large ones, but anything is better than nothing, right? And if you get enough of those smaller things together, it can really add up.

An interesting look at that is spotlighted by a recent article in Accounting Today. Away from accounting concerns, one may be surprised and/or impresses at the rise of Uber (company politics aside), and this article definitely highlights its emergence at the expense of the rental car and traditional taxi industry. But the fact that those Uber rides are such a corporate expense (and then likely a tax deduction) may seem wilder.

The surprise one feels in that area is probably because it seems like such a small-scale transaction. An Uber ride may only cost a few dollars, so can that really be such a grand expense? The biggest corporate expenses and deductions must come from different, more mysterious spots, no?

Well, no.

Look at some of other names in that article - Dunkin Donuts, McDonald’s, Starbucks, Subway - all of those are largely transactions that are under $10, but the fact that there are so many of them makes them very important. Essentially, this comes down to economies of scale.  Yes, one big purchase is important because of how much it costs. If 150 smaller transactions add up to the same amount at the end of the year, however, the importance is roughly equal.

This is something to keep in mind whether you’re an individual or a business. I find often that when a family breaks down its budget, they are not so much surprised at how much their bills and larger purchases cost, but at how much the purchases they do not give a second thought to eat into their finances.

To use ultra-simple math, if you buy one $5 coffee every day for a month, you’re looking at $150. Each of those individual Lincolns is easy to pass across the counter and not feel like a big deal, but would you cut a check for $150 at the beginning of the month to pay for your coffee intake? A double-take is much more likely in that scenario. Keeping this type of math in mind is always a good idea to help you keep track of where your money is going and if it is going to the destinations you want.

The amassing of these seemingly minor transactions is just as important for those with legitimate business expenses to keep in mind, for when tax time arrives, you want to be able to get all to which you are entitled. So make an appointment now and help us help you get there!