With changing tax laws, tax rebates checks and tax cats giving advice, there's a lot to consider when filing your taxes. E-filing can make things easier. It has for me.

For the last few years I have filed my taxes electronically. I have found e-file is more accurate and it saves me time number crunching. I also receive my refund quicker than I did when I mailed my refund. I'm not the only one that's found filing online easier. The Internal Revenue Service received nearly 80 million tax returns electronically in 2007 which accounted for nearly 60 percent of all returns they received. This is not just individuals; small businesses, charities and nonprofits can also e-file.

There are some things to think about before filing your taxes electronically. If your adjusted gross income is less than $54,000 you can file for free, but if it is more you will be charged for e-filing. Some states will accept your state tax return along with your federal return, but some will not. You should check to see how your state accepts online tax returns before you file. Also if you don't normally file a tax return, but are doing so for the tax rebate checks you should contact the IRS before e-filing to see if you are eligible.

For those who want to e-file, the IRS has a searchable database of local e-file providers as well as a list of online tax preparers. Though strict government laws won't allow me to endorse what it says (Oh, I'd only lose my job) and it's not a tip from their expert, the tax cat, you may want to check out the Consumerist post last week about how these online tax preparers rank.

Tired of the fighting the crowds yet? I still haven't been out shopping this holiday season, but I'll get around to it. Maybe. If I can shake this cold and if I can't find something online for everyone on my gift list.

Confined to my couch with a bag of cough drops and a carton of orange juice (which taste really nasty together), and needing to get my shopping under way, I've been poking around USA.gov's page devoted to government books, souvenirs and gift shops for unusual presents. Turns out some of them were no farther away than my very own office.

The Federal Citizen Information Center, where we Gov Gabbers work, started out back in the 70s as the place that distributed government booklets from Pueblo, Colorado. Even though FCIC has added all sorts of online services over the years, millions of people still clamor for those booklets from Pueblo. And it dawned on me that many of those booklets make good "go-withs" for larger holiday gifts. I'm going to tuck a couple of the online safety booklets into my mom's Christmas stocking to accompany the new computer she'll find under the tree.

Another gift idea that appealed to me was the collection of recordings from the Library of Congress American Folk Life Center on cassette  or CD. Work songs, blues, spirituals, cowboy ballads--this is the kind of thing that makes my heart go pitter pat because I love looking back at America's past and people through folk songs and storytelling. And a couple of my friends do too, so I can check two more names off my list.

Have a collector in your life? The government has lots of holiday ornaments, including favorites from the US Capitol and the White House Historical Association, which is featuring President Grover Cleveland's wedding on this year's annual ornament. And the US Postal Service's online store features an assortment of ornaments based on popular stamps, as well as collections of the stamps themselves and other gifts.

You can find cool stuff for adults and kids from NASA like a Space Shuttle flight suit for the child on your list who says he or she wants to grow up to be an astronaut. The National Zoo has gifts for animal lovers--especially fans of the zoo's panda bears. And the Smithsonian Institution's online store is full of collectibles, jewelry, toys and art, tied to various Smithsonian exhibits. My favorite Smithsonian store was located in the National Museum of American History which is closed until next summer for renovations. But the online store has a lot of the goodies I'd find there.

There are so many more gift ideas to tell you about. But my cold medicine is kicking in and before I start typing gibberish or make an online purchase I won't remember later when the cough suppressant wears off, I'll get offline and let you do some 'gov gift' exploring on your own.

About two weeks ago, I attended a Federal Trade Commission Town Hall meeting about online privacy issues. This meeting really sparked the consumer advocate in me and I immediately wanted to step into action and single handedly change the world to protect the consumer interest!

After sitting through the meeting, however, I began wondering if there's even potential for online privacy. Or, are we so far past the possibility that there’s no going back. With spyware, cookies, tracking cookies, online ads and privacy policies on almost every site you visit; data losses every time we turn around, and a multitude of log-in IDs and passwords to remember every day, having privacy online seems completely impossible to me.

At the meeting, I learned about some new tools and research that might help make the marketplace a little more transparent though we’ve got a LONG way to go:

• OnGuard Online provides practical tips from the federal government and the technology industry to teach you about Internet fraud, to secure your computer, and protect your personal information.
• PrivacyFinder.org: This site, developed by Carnegie Mellon University, allows you to search the web just like any other search engine but it lets you choose an information sharing level you’re comfortable with.  It then uses your preference and compares it to data from the search results' valid P3P privacy policies to help you make a more informed decision about whether you want to do business with that particular company or organization.
• News.com’s recent article shows how each major search engine uses personal search data complete with a chart that tells you which ones retain, delete, or anonymize your search records, and more.
• Network Advertising Initiative created a tool to help consumers opt out of online advertising.  It’s definitely not a perfect tool, but, hey it’s a start!
• World Privacy Forum serves as an information resource for all things privacy.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on some issues related to online privacy. If you’re willing, I welcome you to leave a comment. I’m very curious about the opinions others have on this topic.

1. What are your expectations for online privacy from companies and search engines?
2. What’s the appropriate use of your information online: Examples: offer notice before sharing your info vs. offering choice by allowing you to opt in or out of third party information sharing
3. When it comes to online privacy, what do you care about most? Examples: privacy of financial data, personalized advertising as a result of tracking you on the web, information sharing among third party companies
   

As an extension of Colleen's post on online shopping, I would like to introduce you to the dress that was not meant to be:

Trying to be proactive, I’m planning to stage my midlife crisis rather than letting it catch me by surprise. Determined to get it all over with in one day, I’m ushering in my 40th birthday (more on that traumatic milestone in a future post) with a 1950s-style party. I'm doing up the house in kitschy retro decor, serving 'back in the day' food like pigs in a blanket  and am dressing for the role of the happy hostess.

I stalked this fifties frock at an online auction site, staying up past my bedtime to bid on it right to the nail biter ending. And with five seconds to go, somebody who did not NEED this dress like I did beat me out by a dollar. A lousy buck.

Not that I’m bitter.

Now I know online auctions aren't new. But there are still millions of people who have never tried one. And there are lots of others, like me, whose bidding skills could use a little finessing.

Internet Auctions: A Guide for Buyers and Sellers lays out the basics of the online auction world with tips on bidding, listing items you want to sell, and keeping from getting ripped off by unscrupulous dealers.

If you collect anything, from velvet Elvis paintings to Fiestaware and don't want to pay antique store prices, or can't stand to fork over half your paycheck at the mall for new things like designer shoes (hello, Samantha!), there's somebody at an online auction site willing to sell it to you for a better price. And one of those somebodies, it turns out, is Uncle Sam. The Government Sales and Auctions page is one of the most popular destinations at USA.gov. When I first heard about government auctions, I envisioned outdated furniture or 20th century computers. But a look at some of the things up for bid online from the government put my imagination to shame and forced me into the 21st century. Government auction sites are filled with modern computers and office furniture; late model cars, trucks and boats; jewelry, clothes and home decor; art and collectibles; houses, farms and commercial property and more. Everything's been seized by law enforcement or used by the government, and it's up for bid online at fair prices.

So why buy retail when you can save a bundle and enjoy the hunt in an online auction?

As for me and my dress situation, all is not lost. In fifties fashion, I dried my tears, smoothed out my apron and dove back into that auction site, scoring a little periwinkle number, circa 1955.

This was the dress that was meant to be.

While my fellow bloggers are reveling in the autumnal atmosphere, I felt like I got hit by a ton of bricks this weekend when I walked into the drugstore. Intermixed with Halloween candy and goblin displays I could hear echoes of Christmas carols and see the twinkling of tree lights. October 13th and we're already being bombarded by the "holiday season." (Poor Thanksgiving. The red-headed stepchild of holidays-always gets the shaft.)

Bah-humbug to it all. At the ripe old age of 24, I'm already totally Scrooged. What used to be an exciting season filled with festivities and cartoon specials has turned into a hectic, guilt-ridden, spending-spree that I enjoy about as much as I do advanced calculus.

Driving around aimlessly in mall parking lots in order to do holiday shopping has become the bane of my existence. That's why last year I decided to spare my sanity, and did the majority of my purchasing online. Shipping fee? Totally worth the mental anguish spared by not having to deal with those people walking to their cars to just "drop off" packages- a complete tease to all potential parkers on lap 82 of the parking-spot derby.

Shopping online is fabulous. No parking involved. No women with quad strollers standing in the middle of the aisle. No cashier asking me to sign my life away for a "preferred customer card" and then failing to remove the security tag from my garments.

As with anything else, online purchasing does have its risks. To keep your personal and credit card information private, always shop on sites with secure servers. You'll know it's secure when the URL starts with "https://". Never give anybody your account passwords. Read the company's online privacy policy. Be sure your computer is equipped with firewall or anti-spyware software to prevent hacking.

The government has lots of information available to help you safely shop the 'net:

• Shop Safely Online
• Get Net Safe
• Online Security & Safety Tips
• Crime Prevention in the Information Age
• Stop. Think. Click.

 Now sit back, relax, and rid yourself of the hassle! Put some Bing Crosby on in the background- presto! "Two very enthusiastic thumbs up- fine holiday fun!" (Who can name that movie?)