Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/785043
Thereisnoreasonable way to shield your children from the glitz and glam- our of credit. It's every- where with all its seduc- tion and al- lure. So if you cannot shield, neu- tralize. Years ago, I watched an effective tele- vision documentary in which juvenile delinquents went into prisons, drug- treatment centers and the like to observe the dark side of the life they were heading toward. The inten- tion was to scare them out of their wits, to scare them straight. In the same way these kids were jolted by reality, you can scare your kids out of a life of consumer debt by revealing the seduction and lies behind the glam- our. Tellstories There is nothing as ef- fective as true stories when it comes to scaring kids about the dangers of con- sumer debt. Share credit horror stories with them as often as you can (stick to stories you read in newspa- pers, newsletters or other published sources rather than gossip). Let your chil- dren draw conclusions and suggest what would have been a better course of ac- tion. Let them be the ones to point out how foolish it is to live beyond your means. Follow up with an explanation that when people are not financially knowledgeable, they are easy marks for the debt trap. Exposethe"nothing down,nopayments" mystery Perhaps you've won- dered about popular ad- vertisements that prom- ise nothing down, no pay- ments and no interest. You'll see this in news- paper ads and store win- dows, particularly around the holidays. What a seduc- tive yet deceitful come-on. You must carefully read the fine print to figure this out, and even then it can be confusing. Here's the reason stores love to advertise this way: Most people who want these deals can't qual- ify. But the advertisement catches their attention. Within seconds, they feel entitled to have new furni- ture, new electronic items or even a new car. Emo- tionally, they've gotten the item and are enjoying it. So when they get the bad news, they're ripe to fall for a more expensive deal, which the salesperson is quick to offer. Deglamorizeshopping Here's a great way to get your older kids to think re- alistically about stores, the mall and online shopping sites. Start by getting a credit card application from your mailbox. Have them figure out the terms. Then go on- line with them, or grab a mail-order catalog, and go wild! The rule is you can buy — hypothetically — what- ever you see but only for a predetermined period of time. Write down every- thing you've ordered with your pretend credit card. At the end of the time, add up the total cost, includ- ing the shipping and han- dling. Now get your finan- cial calculator and assess the damage. Using the total as the balance and the payment terms on the application, find out how many years it will take you to pay for this shopping spree. Whew! You'll be mighty glad this was only a game. And just think of all the stuff you won't have to take care of or return because of a real- ity check. Teachaboutgiving It's a universal princi- ple, a simple concept: Give back part of everything you receive. Giving ex- poses us and our finances to something supernatural. Teach your kids to always give back a percentage of their income before they save it or spend it. Brain- storm with them good rea- sons to give. Neutralizing the glam- our of easy credit with you kids will produce an un- expected bonus: They will begin to mature and de- velop financial intelligence. Youcanemail Mary at mary@ everydaycheapskate. com, or write to Everyday Cheapskate, 12340 Seal Beach Blvd., Ste. B-416, Seal Beach, CA 90740. EVERYDAYCHEAPSKATE Four ways to neutralize the glamour of easy credit with kids The Bureau of Reclama- tion planned to incremen- tally increase releases be- low Keswick Dam begin- ning Thursday, Feb. 9. Releases are expected to reach 50,000 cubic feet per second on Friday, 60,000 cfs on Saturday and 70,000 cfs on Sunday, Feb. 12. The increased releases are necessary to meet flood space regulatory require- ments within Shasta Reser- voir. Conditions are moni- tored in real time and op- erational adjustments will be made as necessary and may occur on short notice. People along the Sacra- mento River downstream of Keswick Dam can ex- pect river levels to increase and should take appropri- ate safety precautions. Midnight reservoir ele- vation and flows from Kes- wick Dam may be found at Reclamation's Central Val- ley Operations Office web- site at https://www.usbr. gov/mp/cvo/vungvari/wtr_ rpt.pdf. Sacramento River conditions may be found at the Department of Water Resources' California Data Exchange Center website at http://cdec.water.ca.gov/ river/upsacto1Stages.html. WATER Flows from Shasta Dam to increase Corning Artist and member of the Red Bluff Art Association Jackie Furtado has been selected as Artist of the Month. You can view her work all of February at the Tehama County Library and at the Corning Wine, Food & Art Festival held in the Rolling Hills Casino Feb. 25. "Jackie is one of those artists that sneak up on you, said President Debby Sipes. "She is quiet and un- assuming and really, re- ally good. She is very ac- tive with the Corning Art- ist Group showing her work at the Tehama County Mu- seum Jubilee, Corning Ca- sino and several other ven- ues. She has participated at the Art Walk in Red Bluff and several of our shows." Furtado was born in Wil- letsbutgrewupinRiverdale where she and future hus- band Anthony were neigh- bors. In high school Jackie wanted to be an airline stewardess but sadly was discouraged to take classes helpful for that career being thatshewassmallinstature — too short. She decided to take art classes. "I could lose myself in my artwork and eventually found that I really liked it," she said. Jackie and her husband changed the direction of their lives even though he had earned an engineer- ing degree, by moving their young family to Corn- ing, where he became the ranch manager of Tran- quility Brangus Cattle Co. with Jackie working cat- tle at his side. After a few years Furtado walked into the local school and said she needed a job — she needed toworkthereasherchildren were now enrolled. She be- gan working in the kitchen for a time, which led to her beingheadcookintheHead Start program. She is now the cook manager at the Richfield School, having 30 years in food service, and will retire next year. Furtado did not pursue her art, being busy rais- ing children, working and traveling a lot while show- ing horses with her daugh- ter. Her many artist friends encouraged her to get back to her art. In 1995 Corning artist Kathy Abel invited her to at- tend night classes through Shasta College with an in- structor who taught "The Way of The Masters" for three years until his re- tirement. Abel loaned her brushes, oils, canvases, ev- erything needed to begin. "I then fell in love with pen and inks and while working on a barn scene, artist and friend Joann Bloomquist gave me great advice, stating 'Jackie that's not going to work. You're completely off,' and walked away," Furtado said. "I re- worked it, got looser and when Joann walked back by she then said, 'That will work.' These statements changed everything for me." Furtado has enjoyed var- ious workshops the with Art Association, learning watercolor techniques in re- flections with Deb Groesser from Chester, pencil draw- ing workshops with Sandy Palmer in Cottonwood. "I loved seeing Jackie work at the 3 Generations, where she explored and showed her alcohol ink paintings and at the Black and White Show," Sipes said. "Artist Susana Roisen- zvit brought out the adven- turous side of her." Furtado enjoyed learn- ing and having fun with friend and artist Marji Ray- mond with Alcohol Inks on Yupo paper. "I enjoy watching the col- ors move," she said. "It's a mystery what you'll come up with. 'Happy Accidents' as the great Bob Ross put it." The Art Association meets 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursdays at the Tehama District Fairground, 650 Antelope Blvd. in Red Bluff. For more information, call 528-2438, visit redbluffar- tassociation.com or find the association on Facebook. ART ASSOCIATION Furtado named Artist of the Month By Justin McCuin Social Security manager in Redding Tax time is fast ap- proaching. Preparing your documents can seem over- whelming. Some forms and paperwork might be diffi- cult to track down. Social Security has made it easy to track down your annual Benefit Statement. An SSA-1099, or your an- nual Benefit Statement, is a tax form Social Security mails each year in Janu- ary to people who receive Social Security benefits. It shows the total amount of benefits received from So- cial Security in the previ- ous year so people know how much Social Security income to report to the IRS on their tax return. You should have received your SSA-1099 by Jan. 31. For noncitizens who live outside of the United States and received or repaid So- cial Security benefits last year, we'll send form SSA- 1042S instead. The forms SSA-1099 and SSA-1042S are not available for people who receive Sup- plemental Security Income (SSI). If you live in the United States and need a replace- ment form SSA-1099 or SSA-1042S, we have a way for you to get an instant re- placement quickly and eas- ily. Go online and request an instant replacement form with a my Social Se- curity account at www.so- cialsecurity.gov/myaccount. The online replacement form was available begin- ning Feb. 1. Every working person in the U.S. should create a my Social Security account. The secure and person- alized features of my So- cial Security are invalu- able in securing a com- fortable retirement — for today and tomorrow. SOCIAL SECURITY Easily get replacement tax forms online Mary Hunt CONTRIBUTED Jackie Furtado at the new Main Event Gallery in Red Bluff. "I c ou ld l ose my se lf i n m y ar tw or k an d ev en tua ll y f ou n d th at I re all y l ik ed it ." — J ac ki e F ur t ad o SacredHeartSchool Christ Centered Faith for all denominations Transitional Kindergarten Class available for students who are 4 years old by September 1 Call for an appointment or classroom visit 530-527-6727 2255 Monroe Ave, Red Bluff Ca 96080 www.shsredbluff.org Mercy High School • College Prep Curriculum • FFA • AP Coursework • Full Sports Program • Performing Arts • Personalized College Counseling • All students use digital textbooks 233 Riverside Way, Red Bluff Ca 96080 Interested?ScheduleaTourToday! Contact Us: pweber@mercy-high.org (530) 527-8313 Visit Our Website: www.mercy-high.org Follow Us on Facebook: MercyCatholicHighSchool •FineArts • STEM Education • Dual Language Immersion Program • Ipad stations in every classroom Catholic Education in Red Bluff More affordable than you think Accepting All Faiths inFrontierVillageacrossfrom the fairgrounds 527-1420 645 Antelope Blvd. #1 Reservationsrecommended Steak & Lobster Tail Complete Dinner including Dessert & a Drink Dinner Special available on February 9 th thru 18 th Sweetheart Dinner Special 25yearsprofessional experience. QualityWork Very Reasonable Rates Red Bluff Transmission • Automatic • Manual • Computer Diagnosis • Clutches • Transfer Cases • CV Axles CALL TODAY! 529-4493 440 Antelope Blvd. #6 Bob's Youcantmissus... Weonly moved 50 feet!! Mon.-Fri.9AM-5PM (530) 527-6166 78 Belle Mill Road Red Bluff, CA GAUMER'S Jewelry • Museum • Lapidary Show some one how much you really love them on Valentine's Day Open Saturday Feb. 11 th 10am-4pm 604MainSt.,RedBluff Dine-InOnly11amto3pm Not valid with any other offers or special items. Cannot be used with any catering services. TACOTUESDAY All You Can Eat Taco Tuesday (Every Tuesday) Kids eat FREE Tuesday Chicken or Beef, Rice, Beans and all the fixings! $ 7.99 530-529-5154 NoJobToBigorTooSmall Now Offering Catering For Your Special Event Weinviteyoutocheckoutourwebsite for our complete menu & photos www.redblufflosmariachis.com per person CALIC#778199 GERBER 385-1153 HINKLE ROOFING & CONSTRUCTION, INC Gold Exchange 413WalnutStreet 530-528-8000 Sat.-Mon. 10am-4pm • Tues-Fri 10am-5:30pm www.redbluffgoldexchange.com Valentine'sNight Valentine's Day Will You Marry Me? www.gummsoptical.com (530) 527-2510 1-800-481-LENS (5367) 910MainSt.,SuiteC,RedBluff Quality•Service Style Bring your Eyeglass prescription to us. We'llSpoilYa!!" Regular Haircut $ 2 00 off KWIK KUTS FamilyHairSalon 1064SouthMainSt.,RedBluff•529-3540 ANY RETAIL PRODUCT 20 % off withanychemicalserviceof $50 or more Notgoodwithotheroffers Expires 2/28/17 With coupon Reg. $13.95 LIFESTYLES » redbluffdailynews.com Friday, February 10, 2017 » MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A5