IRS provides tax filing software for free, thwarting TurboTax and lobbyists

This could save millions of taxpayers time and money.

By

Erik Barnes

Jun 8, 2025

By Erik Barnes

June 8, 2025

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Photo credit: Canva – The IRS free tax filing software is available to everyone.

The Direct File program that had been promised and launched by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has faced opposition from lobbyists and tax preparation companies such as TurboTax ever since the government-provided free tax filing service was introduced in 2023. Amid the threat of Direct File being removed entirely by the current administration, members of the IRS made a bold decision. They just open sourced Direct File, completely free for anyone to use.

According to 404 Media, the IRS published the majority of Direct File’s code on GitHub, an online platform that allows users and developers to share and store their code to test, develop, and improve their software. While many may see this action as an act of defiance against the current federal government, this is not the case. Per the IRS’s 2024 report on Direct File, it was always intended to become open sourced and available “to build public trust and enable independent assessment of its work.” This would allow more people to try out the program and also create improvements upon it.

This comes at a time when Direct File showed lasting promise. As according to the Tax Policy Center, the majority of Americans were interested in using it to file their taxes. In the same report, the 12 states that did have access to Direct File for the 2024 tax season were pleased with it, with 90% of users rating their experience as positive. Many of the users made it known that they liked how simple and easy it was to file their taxes, especially for free. Direct File was marked for further expansion and availability to even more states prior to the current administration.

Most Americans would welcome a free and easier means to file their taxes. Per a 2024 report by the Tax Foundation, Americans pay $133 billion per year on payments to tax professionals, online tax preparation services, and fees. In addition to the expense, another report showed the average taxpayer spends 13 hours to comply with a Form 1040 tax form.

Time will tell to see if Direct File becomes an even more sought-after method to file taxes, but with that in mind there are ways to still save money before you file. Former financial analyst Tina Orem recommends tweaking your W-4 to have your employer withhold more tax from your paycheck to better ensure a refund the following year. You could also investigate investing more money into a 401(k) or an IRA to both save more money for retirement along with keeping it, tax-free.

If you still want the eyes of a professional to make sure everything is kosher and that you have every advantage before filing, you could still hire a certified public accountant to go through your forms and receipts. While you may spend an average of $319 for a basic non-itemized 1040, it could be cheaper than mistakenly owing more money to the IRS. When shopping around for a CPA, be sure to ask for their preparer tax identification number (PTIN) and verify their credentials through the IRS website.

While things are in flux to determine how the IRS and tax payment will function in the future, it is good to know that there are options available that allow you to file with peace of mind for a low cost or, even better, free of charge.

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Photo credit: Canva – Colorado is allowing more people to sell homemade meals to others.

Everyday Economics, Money

Coloradans can now fight against a weaker economy and hunger through the ‘Tamale Act’

Feed the community while keeping money in it.

Erik Barnes

6/11/2026

The citizens of Colorado are being presented with an opportunity to make more money through home-cooked meals. The state has passed into law the “Tamale Act,” which allows people to make and sell food made in their personal kitchens. This creates a means for many people to make supplemental income and/or start a full-fledged home-based business.

Previously, there were restrictions for folks to sell food outside of official commercial businesses and restaurants. Now that the Tamale Act has been written into law, many restrictions are lifted, including access to foods that were previously prohibited. The law is an expansion of the Colorado Cottage Foods Act that allowed the sale of non-refrigerated food items excluding dairy and meat products.

There are still requirements in play for safety and public health. The sellers must complete a food safety and handling course with proof of completion. The homemade food also cannot be transported more than once or for longer than two hours.

Colorado’s officials weigh in

According to government officials, this law allows opportunities for both home cooks and consumers alike.

“This is a big win for Colorado cooking entrepreneurs!” said Governor Jared Polis in a statement. “This important bill expands Coloradan’s access to tasty homemade foods while supporting small kitchens and empowering Colorado’s cooking entrepreneurs and small business owners. Some of our favorite restaurants were started in a home kitchen, and today we are taking action to remove barriers for home-based cooks to earn a living and legally sell delicious food to Coloradans growing our economy and supporting communities,” said Governor Polis.

“People already sell prepared food – like tamales, pupusas, and baked goods – to their friends, family, and neighbors,” added Senate Majority Leader Robert Rodriguez. “This is a way that Coloradans share their culture, support each other, and work hard to earn extra money and support their families. This law creates a pathway for this to happen in a safe and legal way.”

Addressing two issues with one law

This act helps two growing issues in the United States overall. Per a Talker Research 2024 poll, 77% of Americans feel too exhausted to cook for themselves after work. Because of this, many people turn to unhealthy, cheap takeout for sustenance rather than healthier home cooked meals. Laws like the Tamale Act provide an opportunity for people to pay people within their community for a home cooked meal that is likely cheaper and healthier than fast food from a national chain.

The other issue, as mentioned by the Colorado government, is the growing need for a side hustle. Per a 2026 survey by Omnisend, one in three Americans turned to a side hustle to help stay afloat with their bills. This is to survive, mind you, not thrive. According to recent Gallup polls, the increasingly difficult job market has shown many that they can better benefit from turning their delicious recipes into a side business.

How to start a home cooking business

If you want to start a home cooking business, there are a few things to keep in mind.

First, the legality. While Colorado has just reduced restrictions on selling homemade food, there may be more red tape in your state. The Food and Drug Administration recommends researching your local laws to see what’s restricted. You’ll also want to know what kind of permits, licenses, and certifications you’ll need before putting your food up for sale.

After all of that is researched and settled, there are other considerations. The Food and Liability Insurance Program offers some tips: depending on the scale of your homemade food business, you may want to invest in specific equipment to make larger batches of meals. You may also want to register as an LLC and/or get your food business insured.

Marketing is also an important aspect. Setting up a website and social media accounts featuring a brand can help spread the word locally. If you want tips for that, you may want to scour online for your favorite homemade food businesses and ask what worked for them.

With a little bit of research and grit, many people in local communities will be fed either through delicious home cooked meals or through the profit generated from them.

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Photo credit: Canva – That coffee you brewed can provide a money-saving cleanser.

Everyday Economics, Money

4 reasons why coffee grounds are a money-saving cleaning supply

A fresh pot leaves a fresh overall house cleaner.

Erik Barnes

6/4/2026

Due to the rising price of gas and other issues, more people are looking for various hacks to make the most out of their purchases and cut down costs. As a result, more people are brewing coffee at home rather than grabbing a latte to-go from Starbucks. Now, making coffee at home doesn’t just save money on caffeine fixes; it can also save money on dishwashing soap, facial scrubs, pest control, and many other household needs.

Coffee grounds are the secret cleaning supply you brew each morning. It sounds odd, but it’s true, effective, and reduces expenses. Whether you use a French press or a can of Folgers, coffee grounds could do the job that several other cleaning or home products can.

Here are five reasons you keep your coffee grounds around:

1. They help scrub cookware (and yourself) better

You’ve likely seen ads for dish soap that specialize in cutting through grease or burned on stains on pots and pans. It turns out dried coffee grounds can be just as, if not more, effective when paired with cheap dish soap.

After used coffee grounds are dried up (if you’re impatient, you can use your oven to bake them dry), they become incredibly fine and coarse. Paired up with basic dish soap, the coarse grounds gently scrape off grease, grime, and tough-to-scrub burn stains. This can apply to nearly any metal or porcelain cookware. Since coffee grounds are so refined, they can do heavy-duty cleaning without damage. If a food stain is incredibly stubborn, adding salt to your coffee grounds with the dish soap can act as a safer sandpaper for those stains.

While great for dishes, coffee grounds can do the same thing with stains and gunk clinging to grills, sinks, tubs, kitchen floors, and other surfaces.

Coffee grounds aren’t just safe for scrubbing dishes; they’re also safe for scrubbing you. If you’ve been handling sticky or greasy items while cleaning the kitchen, coffee grounds can reduce the amount of hand soap needed to wash it off.

Leftover coffee grounds can also be DIY’d into an effective exfoliant for your face. In fact, there could be health benefits, too. A 2013 study found that caffeic acid in coffee facial scrubs may increase collagen production to reduce wrinkles and signs of aging. Like any exfoliant, it sloughs off extra oils and dead skin cells. The difference is in the cost: used coffee grounds do the trick just as well (if not better) than expensive store-bought scrubs.

2. Coffee grounds deodorize everything, everywhere

While many people can enjoy the scent of coffee, the grounds can eliminate other scents in your home. This doesn’t mean that you’re covering up bad smells with coffee smells. Far from it. Coffee contains nitrogen which neutralizes odors much more effectively than sprays and air fresheners.

The good thing is that coffee grounds can help improve or remove smells in almost any part of the home. Place a small bowl of coffee grounds in the refrigerator and freezer to remove food smells. Put a small cup of grounds in your closet to reduce odor from the laundry hamper. Pour some dry grounds in some old socks and put them in your shoes to deodorize them overnight.

Here’s the other benefit: While humans tend to like the scent of coffee, pests don’t.

3. Most bugs hate coffee

No one wants a bug infestation of any kind in their home, and one of the best nontoxic ways of keeping them out is with coffee. No sprays, no traps, and no need for an additional purchase. Just coffee grounds.

The scent of coffee is intense to many insects’ heightened sense of smell, so they tend to shy away from its source. Affected insects include ants, wasps, bees, slugs, and fleas among others.

In moderation, used coffee grounds can help deter outdoor pests in your garden while also acting as fertilizer for some plants. If you enjoy the outdoors, burning dry coffee grounds like incense can also keep mosquitoes away.

4. They can buff out scratched wooden furniture

Before you spend money on wood filler, scratch repair kits, or the like to fix surface scratches on dark wooden furniture, you may want to try coffee grounds instead. Spread a paste made from dried grounds and water onto the scratches. Let it “soak” for a few minutes and then wipe the coffee ground paste away. It may take a few tries, but many light scratches look better. Some outright disappear after absorbing the coffee and its color into the surface of the wood.

Coffee grounds are a waste product for sure, but they’re a waste product that could save money in the long term—and hat shouldn’t go to waste!

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Photo credit: Canva – Her last dollar, left, and a large family meal, right.

Money, Smart Spending

Brooklyn chef’s budget-meal videos turn $5 worth of groceries into delicious family dinners

Saving money, real cooking skills, and lasting kitchen confidence.

Mark Wales

6/3/2026

Feeding a family has become increasingly expensive, leaving many parents in dire need of creative ways to stretch their grocery budget. One Brooklyn chef stumbled upon an entertaining solution that’s helping families turn cheap meals into something delicious.

Known to his online followers as “Chef Moe,” Maurice Levene, through his popular chat_n_chops TikTok series, proves how just $5 worth of groceries can be used to craft flavorful and satisfying family dinners. The captivating platform has viewers doing more than eating well on a tight budget. He’s boosting confidence in the kitchen and changing what people believe affordable meals can look like.

Brooklyn chef offers budget-friendly meals

A former professional chef based in Brooklyn, Chef Moe has built a large audience through positive energy and budget-friendly meals. Using inexpensive ingredients from discount stores and grocery chains, he walks viewers through recipes step by step. Breaking down exactly how much each ingredient costs, he proves that affordable meals don’t have to be boring or uninspired.

The success of the videos is not only a testament to his food knowledge and great personality, but also to the larger need facing many Americans. Food prices are way higher than they were only a couple of years ago, forcing families to shop and cook on a much tighter budget.

In a story for the New York Post, Chef Moe recalled a widowed mother of three struggling to feed her family. “I got so sad thinking that she couldn’t even afford to buy seasonings,” he explained. “I figured if I could help people in some small way — teach them a few simple tricks or techniques — they’d be able to get by.”

Turning bare-bone choices into satisfying meals

Chef Moe stands out from similar budgeting experts because of his now seasoned approach. Rather than focusing on ways for people to sacrifice and cut out, he emphasizes how to be clever with limited resources. Using his professional culinary background, he turns bare-bones choices into intentionally satisfying meals.

Comments from his growing community reveal people grateful for the means to save money and the knowledge gained with practical cooking techniques. His positive energy leaves viewers feeling empowered, earning him 771 thousand followers and over 7 million likes.

“… I gotta say seeing you do this warms my heart. And now I know where to turn if God forbid I need to stretch a buck. keep doing good work”

“Not only are you teaching me how to make meals with $5, you’re teaching me the culinary techniques to help me with everything I cook.”

“This meal is not only ‘fun’ but you fed a family for $5, gave a cooking lesson and made everyone feel seen… thank you.”

“This is awesome, especially with so many folks struggling.”

“The price point is cool but the CULINARY TECHNIQUE in a basic way is why I’m really watching lol steam fry deglaze”

“One of the most useful series on here!”

“I love your videos!!! your positivity and good aura make me forget…”

“I’m genuinely shocked about what you were able to make with just $5 for your entire family. That is so awesome!”

Simple ingredients and cooking skills

Chef Moe continues to share upbeat videos packed with affordable meal ideas. As people search for ways to balance rising costs with everyday needs, he offers practical, realistic solutions. While social media has its problems, it has also become an unexpected resource where people seeking guidance can connect with creators offering useful answers.

Chef Moe is helping people feel capable in the kitchen. Tight finances don’t have to mean sacrificing good food. In fact, a little creativity makes for surprisingly delicious dishes more enjoyable than you might expect. Even a seasoned chef knows that some of the best kitchen skills start by making the most of what they have.

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