Thinking about tax time, I turned to the chapter on money in The Artist's Way. At the end of the chapter, she advised artists to spend a week taking stock of where their money goes. So this week, record every nickel you spend in a small pocket notepad. Be thorough, without being judgmental. She writes, "It will teach you what you value in terms of your spending. Often our spending differs from our real values. We fritter away cash on things we don't cherish and deny ourselves those things we do. For many of us, counting is a necessary prelude to learning creative luxury."