There are some specialized CPA and tax attorneys out there who are great at doing stuff. Just don't get cuaght up in that crap about contractors in a war zone being tax exempt.

Definitely pay someone to do them. That fee is deductable on the next year's taxes anyway.

Great advice in regards to finding an expert on this. I can almost guarantee that your average CPA is not going to be up on his foreign earned income rules, so either find one that is, or make sure that you do a ton of research yourself so that you know he is guiding you in the right direction. It can get very confusing.

The SEP which was talked about in an earlier post was a big money saver for me as well. Really helped knock down the taxes and it's a great savings tool.