I like this approach!  As a matter of fact I've been doing this for years-I thought it was called procrastination. 

Bankrate.com's 7-day tax-filing plan.

Day 2: Reduce taxable income
Welcome back. Day two probably will be the fullest of our tax-filing plan, but it's worth it. Today we start slashing your tax bill.

Pull together all your exemption, deduction and tax credit info. These items will help you whittle down your income to the actual amount that the Internal Revenue Service will tax.

You get to take $3,300 off the top for each person you claim as an exemption on your return. That's generally a pretty easy determination: you, your spouse and any dependents, which generally means your kids. But did you care for a parent, even one who didn't live in your home? You may be able to claim an exemption for that person, too.

Next, there are some expenses that any taxpayer can take without bothering with extra paperwork. These include certain IRA contributions, student loan interest, alimony payments or moving costs. Collect the backup for these nonitemizing expenses first.

Now check the standard deduction allowed for your filing status. Most taxpayers use this rather than bothering with tracking every expense to itemize. If the standard amount works for you, great! You may be through today in less than an hour.

But if you find itemizing will help cut your taxes, you've got a bit more work to do.