I Double-Paid Taxes (And Other Rookie Mistakes)

Happy Friday, let's talk money because apparently I have stories now!

I accidentally double paid my taxes this week. Yes, really. And while I'd love to say that was part of some advanced financial strategy... it was not.

But it did make me pause and think about something I see all the time in business, especially early on. It's not usually one big mistake that takes you out. It's the small things you overlook.

Something that caught my attention this year during tax filing stood out. When I had my return reviewed through TurboTax Pro, she mentioned I'd kept great expense details. As entrepreneurs, there is a lot of mix up about what we can and cannot write off. Recent government changes help clarify that, but I 10/10 recommend tracking it all.

Here are a few expenses that are easy to ignore but add up fast …

Supplies
Even if your business mostly lives on your laptop, there are always extras. Pens, notebooks, printer ink, storage, random "I'll just grab this" purchases. None feels big in the moment, but together they add up.

This is something I barely thought about when I started. Now I track everything. One of the best shifts early on is separating business and personal finances. It creates clarity and, honestly, a little discipline too.

Software and subscriptions
We're all guilty of subscriptions in personal life, so chances are you're paying for several business tools each month too. Email platforms, design apps like Canva, scheduling tools, bookkeeping software like QuickBooks, storage accounts. They seem small on their own but stack up quickly.

Processing fees
This one surprises a lot of people. Every time you get paid through a payment platform, a percentage gets taken out.
It might not seem like much at first, but over time it adds up. If you're not building this into your pricing, you're quietly losing money.

I started paying more attention after reading Profit First, which completely changed how I think about business money. The biggest takeaway is simple. Profit is not what's left over. It's something you plan for first.
That mindset shift alone makes you look at every expense differently.

If I could go back, I wouldn't try to do everything perfectly (clearly), but I'd pay closer attention sooner.
Because the goal isn't just to make money. It's to actually keep it.