Red Bluff Daily News

January 29, 2015

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Itusedtobethatyoung people reaching adulthood could not wait to leave home and be on their own. And their parents longed for an empty nest and qui- eter lives. But young people are spoiling these plans. Among 2012 U.S. col- lege graduates, 80 percent moved back home with their parents after gradua- tion. One can only assume the other 20 percent never moved out. Many American homes have become very crowded nests. While parents are asking themselves what went wrong, the boomer- ang kids seem to be ad- justing quite nicely. And why not? For lots of boo- merangs get a boarding house without the rent, a laundromat with no slots for coins and a mini-stor- age facility, otherwise known as your garage. No one's doubting that current economic condi- tions are making it nearly impossible for kids to make it out of the nest for good on the first try. That's fine. Just remem- ber you want to make this a short-term layover. Eventually you want leav- ing to be easier than stay- ing. And I'm talking about them, not you. Above all, take care of yourself. That means first in the shower. It means securing your own re- tirement before you take on their student debt. It means paying off your mortgage before helping with theirs. Rent. Insist that adult children pay rent or make some other form of finan- cial contribution. At the very least, they are buying groceries, paying utilities or paying a third of the rent. This is, after all, the real world. Harmony. Boomerangs have to respect the parents and their rules. Period. Yes, they are adults, but in this house at this time they are subordinates. Temporary. This should be a one-time event with both a start and an end date, and not subject to re- newal. Laundry. Resist all temptation to do the boo- merang's laundry. No. Matter. What. Bills. Boomerangs will undoubtedly arrive with bills. Do not pay these. Do not even think about it. Boomerangs must take full responsibility for all bills and debts, even if that re- quires a second minimum- wage job. Transportation. Liv- ing privileges should not extend to your car. Nor should you drive said boo- merang around the way you did many years ago. Boomerangs are on their own to get around. Parking. Make it very clear what the parking ar- rangements are. Boomer- angs, by all rights, should park on the street, not oc- cupy the primo garage or driveway space, if that re- quires the parents to park on the street. Food. Do not leave this matter undiscussed. While the Crowded Nest Diet (wherein no matter how much you spend on food, it disappears faster than the national surplus) has been known to result in weight loss for the host parents, it does nothing to encourage boomerangs to move along to a better pasture. Chores. Boomerangs need to be involved in the house. When determining who does what and when, err on the side of being too detailed and specific. Contract. Transfer your house rules to a sim- ple contract that every- one signs. Remember, this is the same kid who was the master at finding loop- holes, and not so many years ago. MaryHuntisthefounder of www.DebtProofLiving. com, a personal finance member website. You can email her at mary@eve- rydaycheapskate.com, or write to Everyday Cheap- skate, P.O. Box 2099, Cy- press, CA 90630. EVERYDAYCHEAPSKATE Life in a crowded nest Unless you've been way out of touch, you proba- bly know that a key part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires that taxpay- ers have qualifying health care coverage. Those without will need to qualify for an exemption or pay a penalty. This Indi- vidual Shared Responsibil- ity provision applies to both individuals and families, so while preparing your tax return this year, here are some things you ought to know. If in 2014, you, your spouse, and everyone else on your tax return (dependents) had"minimumessentialcov- erage," which includes most employer-sponsored plans, as well as programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP and insurance purchased through the Health Insur- ance Marketplace, you're in fine shape. Just check the ap- propriate box that says you are insured for the full year. If there were months that someone on your return had no coverage, that per- son needs to qualify for an exemption or pay a penalty. To qualify for an exemp- tion, one of the following sit- uations must exist. The indi- vidual does not have access to affordable coverage be- cause the minimum annual premium available is more than eight percent of the householdincome;thegapin coverageexisted forless than three months or the individ- ualqualifiesforotherexemp- tions that include a hardship orbeingamemberofagroup that is exempt from health coverage — for example, in- carcerated inmates or mem- bersofafederally-recognized Indian tribe. Withoutcoverageoranex- emption, you'll have to pay a penalty for each month you were not insured. This pen- alty is calculated and re- ported on your tax return. In general,thepaymentamount is the greater of one percent of your household income over the filing threshold for your filing status, or $95 per person — $47.50 per person under 18 years old. This caps atafamilymaximumof$285 for 2014. You'll owe half the annual payment for each month you or anotherperson on your re- turndoesn'thaveeitherqual- ifying health care or an ex- emption. Enrolled agents are li- censed by the U.S. Depart- ment of Treasury, must pass an exam administered by IRS and complete IRS-ap- provedcontinuingeducation. Find an EA in your area at www.naea.org. HEALTH CARE TheAffordableCareAct's effect on your tax return COURTESYPHOTO Volunteers deliver 65buckets of mandarins from Whiteley Orchard to Gary Shoub's pickup for transport to the Tehama County Food Bank in Red Bluff. CORNING Eighteen volun- teers recently spent three hours picking mandarins at Corning's Whiteley Orchard for distribution during Te- hama County Food Bank's January food give-away. Organized by the Te- hama County Community Food Alliance, representa- tives of Sacramento River Discovery Center, North- ern Valley Catholic Social Services, Tehama Together and the county's Public Health Division quickly gleaned 1,600 pounds of end-of the season man- darins to give more than 1,000 families fresh fruit as a part of their January food allotment. The Community Food Al- liance, under the umbrella of Tehama Together, was established three years ago to support the coordination of a healthy food system within Tehama County. In bringing together agricul- tural interests, nutrition programs, commercial food businesses, community food pantries, educational institutions and nonprofit, faith and public agencies, the CFA meets monthly to implement its special proj- ects and to promote cooper- ation among the thirty par- ticipating agencies. While the Tehama County Food Bank, also known as The Gleaners, was established many years ago by a group of volunteers who gathered excess food from local gardens, farms and orchards for distri- bution to those in need in the County, it now primar- ily distributes USDA com- modities monthly in Red Bluff, Corning, Los Molinos, Rancho Tehama, Manton and Paynes Creek. Staffed by 25 dedicated volunteers who provide services to more than 1,200 families per month, the program al- ways welcomes donations of produce to include local and fresh food for its give- aways. One of the first pro- grams of the Community Food Alliance was the de- velopment of a listing of local farms and orchards where the public is invited to pick their own pro- duce at greatly discounted prices. The first business to be identified for the listing was the Whiteley Ranch for their Satsuma manda- rins which in this case were generously donated to the Food Bank. Special appreciation goes to the Whiteley fam- ily for supporting this pro- gram, to the County Public Health Division employees who recruited family mem- bers and friends to assist with this project and to Gary and Steve Shoub for delivering the mandarins to Red Bluff. Tehama Together, founded six years ago, is proud to be able to support the county by providing a variety of services. To learn more about Tehama To- gether or the Community Food Alliance, call 527-2223 or email tehamatogether@ gmail.com. Volunteers pick mandarins for January food give-away The Red Bluff-Tehama County Chamber of Com- merce invites you to the best networking meeting in the county, Good Morn- ing, Red Bluff, 7:50-9 a.m. Thursday at Mercy High School 233 Riverside Way. Coffee, juice, fruits and pastries are provided. Please feel free to come and bring guests to this fantas- tic meeting. 11DaysofRound-Up meeting Get involved in Round- Up events by attending a planning meeting set for 10 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 4. If you or your group is doing or wants to do an event, please come on down and get in on the planning at the Tehama County Farm Bureau, 275 Sale Lane in Red Bluff. For more information, call the chamber at 527- 6220. Business Expo And Mixer — BEAM The 3rd annual Busi- ness Expo And Mixer "Your Time To Shine" is filling up fast, with more than half of our table spots already re- served. Sign up today. The Business Expo is scheduled for 5-7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 19 at the Red Bluff Community Cen- ter, 1500 S. Jackson St. This trade show is an ex- cellent opportunity for all local businesses and or- ganizations to showcase what they have to offer to the Red Bluff and the Te- hama County community. This event will feature more than 50 vendors form all categories of business, organizations and events. Registrations are now open to reserve your table. Visit www.redbluffchamber.com for more information and to register online. The cost is $50 per table. The event is open to the public with no admission fee. Appetizers will be in- cluded in the event with a no host bar. There will be door prizes and raffles. Grand prize give away to some fortunate person at the event is a flat screen television. The vendors are encour- aged to register early as it is first come first served. The registrants will bring props, tell their story and will make it fun. The sky is the limit for this event. Set-up will be 3-4:30 p.m. BEAM is sponsored in part by Red Bluff Dodge, Redding Distributing Com- pany, the Daily News and the Round-Up Saloon. Questions, contact the chamber at jason@red- bluffchamber.com or 527- 6220 ext. 301. Be in compliance for 2015 Order your Employment Posters now for 2015 from the chamber by calling 527- 6220 ext 301. New members Dow Realty Group, Shellie Johnson, 485 Ante- lope Blvd., Red Bluff, (530) 527-1050, jshellie@ymail. com, real estate. Dazzling Décor & More, Karen and Willie Lucero, 650 Main St., Red Bluff, (530) 727-6061, twin- s02cg@yahoo.com. RED BLUFF CHAMBER Networking at Mercy High School planned COURTESY PHOTO Some of the more festive exhibitors gather at the 2014BEAM event. FOOD ALLIANCE 40ChestnutAvenue Red Bluff 530-330-1096 BRING BALANCE TO YOUR BODY Bring balance to your LIFE Callnowfor class times & information 2Bud'sBBQ 592AntelopeBlvd.RedBluff (IntheoldProntoMarket) M-F 11am-6pm • Sat. 11am-3pm Closed Sunday (530) 528-0799 BBQ PORK★ BEEF ★ CHICKEN Life Handed Us Lemons But We Made Lemonade! Regular Haircut $ 2 00 off KWIK KUTS FamilyHairSalon 1064SouthMainSt.,RedBluff•529-3540 ANY RETAIL PRODUCT 20 % off withanychemicalserviceof $50 or more Notgoodwithotheroffers Expires 2/28/15 With coupon Reg. $13.95 100JacksonStreet Red Bluff (530) 529-1220 No Enrollment Fee $25.00 month NeedaDoctor? Wehavetherightoneforyou. This Complimentary Service... will help you find a doctor who is right for you. Call 888.628.1948 any time or visit dignityhealth.org/doctor redbluff.mercy.org HellohumankindnessTM LIFESTYLES » redbluffdailynews.com Thursday, January 29, 2015 MORE ATFACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS B4

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