Boston Is One Of The Most Expensive Date Night Cities

It goes, New York, then San Francisco, and Boston ranks a third when it comes to the cost of a night out. According to a recent report by The Loupe (by Shane Company), Boston is quite pricey for a date night in the city.

"Whether you’re a homebody or a social butterfly, we’ve crunched the numbers to analyze the costs of multiple date night factors, including food, movies, booze, tips, fees, and rideshare in 50 of America’s largest cities," The Loupe explains. Furthermore, what this report highlights is that all is not lost if the expected cost of a date night out is more than you budgeted. They also compare what a date night "in" would be. As you can imagine, in most cases, it is significantly cheaper.

The Loupe states that the average cost of a date night out in Boston will cost you approximately $176.73. However, if you want to stay in the same with the same company and simply get creative, you can have a night in for $39.79. That saves you almost $137. The factors considered for a date night include the average costs of take-out food, delivery, tips, fees, beer, and ice cream.

New York was the only city to crack $200, with their typical date night out coming in at $202.30. San Francisco was only about $2 more than Boston at $179.

50 minutes south, however, is an entirely different story. The Loupe has Providence, Rhode Island as the second cheapest city in the country for a date night ($33.22).

A night out around the town is certainly worth the extra spend at times. In addition, there's nothing wrong with grabbing the same type of food and relaxing within the confines of your own place. "Pull on your favorite sweatpants and get ready to give your wallet a break," The Loupe concludes.

Tax season is truly in full swing. Tax deductions and credits are there to help people, so why not take the help? It might seem like a headache having to go through a long list of possible deductions, but it's really not so bad. I've gathered some information directly from the IRS to help you save this tax season. So, let's get into the dollars and cents.

Before we get into the savings, let's look at how credits and deductions work. According to the IRS, "You can claim credits and deductions when you file your tax return to lower your tax. Make sure you get all the credits and deductions you qualify for."

The definition of a credit, according to the IRS, is "an amount you subtract from the tax you owe. This can lower your tax payment or increase your refund." They note that some credits are refundable. That means "they can give you money back even if you don't owe any tax." If you want to claim credits, you must answer questions in your tax filing software. Or, if you're doing taxes the old-fashioned way, you'll have to fill out a form and attach it.

The definition of a deduction, according to the IRS, is "an amount you subtract from your income when you file so you don’t pay tax on it. By lowering your income, deductions lower your tax." In order to do this, you have to have documents to show expenses or losses you want to deduct. You can do this via tax software or, if you're filing a paper return, your deductions go on Form 1040 and you may need to attach extra forms.

Now, the fun part. Read on for tax deductions and credits that could save you cash this season. Here's hoping that Uncle Sam treats you well.

The standard deduction for 2023 is $13,850 for single or married filing separately; $27,700 for married couples filing jointly or qualifying surviving spouse; and $20,800 for head of household. "If you're married filing separately, you can't take the standard deduction if your spouse itemizes. You must both choose the same method," the IRS says.

To find the standard deduction if you're over 65 or blind, go here. To find the standard deduction if you're a dependent on someone else's tax return, go here.

According to the IRS, you can deduct these expenses whether you take the standard deduction or itemize:

Alimony payments
Business use of your car
Business use of your home
Money you put in an IRA
Money you put in health savings accounts
Penalties on early withdrawals from savings
Student loan interest
Teacher expenses
For some military, government, self-employed and people with disabilities: work-related education expenses
For military servicemembers: moving expenses

According to the IRS, you can deduct these expenses if you itemize:

Bad debts
Canceled debt on home
Capital losses
Donations to charity
Gains from sale of your home
Gambling losses
Home mortgage interest
Income, sales, real estate and personal property taxes
Losses from disasters and theft
Medical and dental expenses over 7.5% of your adjusted gross income
Miscellaneous itemized deductions
Opportunity zone investment

Tax season can be a confusing time. There are lots of bits and piece that you have to put together. That said, the IRS has a very helpful page with frequently asked questions. Find the list of questions and answers here. As always, it's also a good idea to get a professional to help with any questions.