The good folks at H&R Block sent me a copy of their software to do my taxes this year.  Here is my review of their product and a chance for a reader to win a copy of H&R Block at Home.

H&R Block at Home is the software formerly known as H&R Block Taxcut Online.  I have not used their old software so I am writing as a newbie user of H&R Block software.  The version I received was .  My taxes are not overly complex, but I do file the regular 1040 form and I have to file a schedule C for business income.  The software also included one state form and I chose California.

I found the workflow to be very simple.  I have used TurboTax in the past and I felt that H&R Block at Home was less of a hassle because it was so simple. I was able to type in everything in a couple hours and there is a good error check section where I could review the forms.  With each step there is a guide that explains what each field means.  I found the explanations to be more clear than TurboTax for the most part.

Many features in this software is also present in other popular tax software packages.  For example, there is a running count of your tax refund or underpayment on the right top corner.  However, one thing that is unique about the H&R Block software is that in case you get audited you will get the assistance of an H&R Block enrolled agent, and I think that is a great value.

One thing that I felt was a bit lacking is that there were not that many companies where I could download investment data from so I had to type in my investment sales one by one.  The software did not support popular investment firms like Fidelity, Vanguard, and Charles Schwab, so I requested that those companies be added in the next iteration of the software.

To win a free copy of H&R Block at Home, just leave a comment telling me your thoughts about taxes this year.  Do you love them or hate them?  Do you think you pay too much?  A winner will be announced and contacted on 03/22/2010.

The winner was lucky number 7!  Jay’s comment:

Our taxes are so confusing! I feel like I would never be able to figure it out-we have an extended family member do them for us so I would say I hate them!!

In this economy everyone is trying to save a few bucks, and one tool many people have used over the years is the . This is basically a book of coupons that you can purchase and it contains many buy one get one free coupons for restaurants, services, and entertainment in your area. One of my friends have used it in the past and he saved quite a bundle eating out with his wife while they were dating. Basically 2 to 3 coupons from the book would cover the price of the book. So I was pretty happy when Entertainment Book offered me a free review copy and one to give away to my readers.

Today I received my Entertainment Book for the San Francisco/San Mateo area. This book is a bit smaller than the East Bay version because I guess not as many merchants participate. Nevertheless, I found quite a few buy one get one free coupons for local restaurants. Additionally, there are coupon codes to use at online retailers like Borders and ProFlowers. There are also $5 off coupons for Longs Drugs and Safeway. I am organizing all the coupons I can use during the year and I think I could save at least $300 at the restaurants and shops I already frequent with my husband. This coupon book is definitely an excellent deal for couples because essentially you are paying half price for many meals.

So now for the best part. You can win a copy of the 2009 Entertainment Book for your area for just commenting on this post. Give your best money saving tips or link to a blogpost where you saved money with coupons. Winners will be chosen randomly on 2/14/2009 and you will have to give your contact information to Entertainment Book’s marketing folks to claim your prize. I want the winner to start using the book as soon as possible!

buy cialis online safely

There is just one week left to file your taxes, but I have some good news for those of you who haven’t started on your files yet. H&R Block is graciously offering all of you procrastinators a chance to win a free copy of TaxCut here on The Baglady!

Just for fun, I want to know about your worst tax foibles or mistakes in the past. You can either leave a comment or write a post and link here. I will select the best submission on 4/9/2008 3pm Pacific Time so you still have plenty of time to file your taxes with you brand new software and get your return done. Now go at it!

Prize Details:

H&R Block is providing the winner with a keycode for . It includes a free session with a tax an H&R Block tax advisor and Worry-Free Audit Support®.

No purchase necessary.