Not a great situation to be in, is it? But there is still hope for this year. You have almost six months, in some cases a little longer, to make certain you owe less tax, and possibly no tax, next year.

Here's a blueprint that outlines keys to lowering your taxes and remaining audit proof. Follow these keys and you're guaranteed to lower your taxes by hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars!

Key #1: Consider a Home Office Deduction

Many taxpayers have avoided home office deduction because it has been regarded as a red flag for an audit. If you legitimately qualify for deduction, however, there should be no problem. You are entitled to write off expenses - such as rent, utilities, insurance, and housekeeping - associated with portion of your home where you exclusively conduct business. A middle-class taxpayer who uses a home office and pays $1,200 a month for a two-bedroom apartment could easily save $1,200 in taxes a year. People in higher tax brackets with greater expenses can save even more

Key #2: Organize your Records

Good organization may not cut your taxes. But there are other rewards, and some of them are financial. For many, biggest hassle at tax time is getting all of documentation together.

How do you get started?

·Collect receipts and information that you have piled up thus far. ·Group similar documents together; putting them in different file folders if there are enough papers. ·If you have time, enter amounts from all these documents into a computer program like Quicken or Microsoft Excel for quick totals and make a printout for your tax preparer.

You can expect savings of $300 to $400 with your tax preparer and hours of your time. Plus, you're likely to sail through an audit - with fewer assessments and penalties - if you have documentation on hand.

Key #3: Contribute to Retirement Accounts

Where are all good men/women? You go to parties, sign up for various activities and ask friends and family if they know anyone they can introduce you to. Yet, your dating life has been more than a little disappointing. What is a guy/girl supposed to do to find quality people?

Begin by continuing to do what you have been doing. These are all good ways to meet people. However, you may need to expand your search to world of online dating. This would allow you to expand your search and come into contact with interested and available singles you would never meet in existing circles in which you now move.

Perhaps you are thinking, "I have already tried this with little or mixed success." Maybe this too has become a source of disappointment and frustration and even despair. If so, you could be going about it wrong way, or be in need of some information to put you on a track to better success. The first important step is writing your personal ad and choosing a good site to place it on.

The following are tips to help you write for success.

* Be Yourself

The goal of your ad is to attract kind of person who would be compatible with you. You are looking for someone who shares your goals, values, sense of humor, lifestyle and perhaps religion or other specific criteria. If you put in information that is not true to who you are, you could send potentially good dates on to next ad. You may also attract kind of person you are not interested in.

* Be Sincere

Nothing is more attractive than sincerity. Think about it. Isn't this a turn-on for you? If you are funny, be funny. If you are serious, be that. Use honesty in describing your traits and desires in a potential mate. If there is something that is a must-have for you in any future relationship, highlight it. Remember that when and if you move to next step, other person will experience you as you really are, regardless of what picture you drew for them in your ad looked like.

* Write Like You Talk

This goes right along with being you. Don't make your ad seem too contrived or rehearsed. You will loose that feeling of sincerity. Write a few drafts and just let thoughts flow. Then go back and edit it. Make sure you spell check and check again. There is no bigger turn-off than someone who appears to have poor grammar or spelling.