I've been keeping my receipts from all purchases I've made during the year. Because we don't have an income tax here in TN (yet), I've been saving my receipts. It's a good thing, too. Because I bought my laptop and a bunch of furniture, this year, my actual sales taxes paid is already exceeding the standard amount that I could have deducted based upon my income. And, I've still got a few receipts to add up.
t:
Getting a refund is nice but also irritates me. Why? The government isn't giving me money. They're giving me back MY money, because they took too much of it in the first place. And, while it was in the government coffers, MY money earned a whopping 0% interest for me. If I had invested it in a money market fund, I could have at least earned SOMETHING.
I'll do my own taxes by hand--no spending money on software, and no paying someone else to do it. It's one of the benefits that comes with being an accountant.