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Openingacreditcard account these days is ri- diculously simple. And quick. But that's not so with closing an account. For sure, the bank doesn't want to lose a good cus- tomer. But it's more than that. Closing ac- counts can mess with your FICO score big time if you're carrying a pile of debt and if it's not done strategically. Dear Mary: I am go- ing to be terminating my checking, savings, in- vestment and credit card accounts with banks that back social issues I strongly oppose. How can I do this without adversely affecting my credit rating? — Valerie Dear Valerie: Of the types of accounts you mention, only the credit card account could neg- atively affect your FICO credit score if closed. Clos- ing checking or savings or even investment accounts would not affect your credit score because none of those are credit-related. To understand how much closing a credit card account will negatively af- fect your FICO score, you need to understand some- thing called your utiliza- tion rate, which weighs heavily in determining your FICO score. This will help you devise a plan to close the accounts strate- gically — spreading your closures over a period of six months to a year. Your utilization rate is your credit limit com- pared to how much of that available credit you are us- ing at any given time, ex- pressed as a percentage. If you have a credit card with a $1,000 credit limit and a $100 balance owed, you are 10 percent utilized on that card. You can figure the utiliza- tion rate by dividing the balance owed on the ac- count by the limit on the card and then multiply- ing that figure by 100. (For example, dividing $100 by $1,000 equals 0.10. And multiplying 0.10 by 100 equals 10 per- cent.) You can figure your ag- gregate utilization rate by adding together all of your credit card balances, di- viding by the total of the credit limits on all of those accounts and multiplying that number by 100. Credit scoring looks at both utili- zation rates. The best utilization per- centage to have is zero percent because then you have no credit card debt and you're not paying in- terest. But since that's not realistic for everyone, the best percentage is the low- est percentage you can achieve. In fact, according to FICO, consumers who have scores above 760 have an average utilization per- centage of 7 percent. If you intend to close more than one credit card account, do this over a pe- riod of time, say, no more than one account every six months. Hope that helps! Dear Mary: Referring to your recent column "Five Killer Make-Your-Own Cleaning Products," can I use your granite cleaning formula on my new quartz countertop? Thank you! — Ann Dear Ann: Yes. However, you have many other op- tions in caring for quartz because unlike gran- ite, quartz is nonporous, much harder and dura- ble. Quartz never requires a sealant, whereas gran- ite counters should be re- sealed annually to protect their beauty. You can use vinegar or cleaning prod- ucts that contain ammo- nia on quartz but not on granite because with re- peated use, both will strip away the sealant and dam- age the surface. Dear Mary: Can an In- stant Pot be used to can meat? — Annette Dear Annette: The In- stant Pot has been ap- proved by the USDA for boiling-water canning, or water-bath canning, at 212 degrees F (for acidic fruits, tomatoes, pickles and jel- lied products) but not for pressure-canning low-acid vegetables, meat and poul- try. While I'm sure that's not the answer you were looking for, you just can't be too careful when it comes to food safety. Wouldyouliketosend a tip to Mary? You can email her at mary@ everydaycheapskate.com. EVERYDAYCHEAPSKATE Credit cards and credit scores — it's complicated The annual "Thank You Central Tehama Kiwanis" breakfast was hosted by the Tehama County Museum at the museum on Saturday, Feb. 4. In addition to a break- fast of ham and eggs, coun- try style potatoes, fresh fruit, home baked banana nut and persimmon breads and fresh-ground coffee, good conversation and a whole lot of gratitude were on the menu. The Kiwanians received a certificate of appreciation that read "in grateful rec- ognition of your long his- tory of faithful dedication and support of the Tehama County Museum." "This breakfast is an an- nual event because the Cen- tral Tehama Kiwanis Club does such good work for the central Tehama County community on such a regu- lar basis," said Chris Bauer, museum board president. "They are local people who believe that society is bet- ter off with people help- ing people — especially the kids. They are more than just a social organization — they are a service orga- nization. They give freely of their time both directly helping organizations like the museum and by earning money which they desig- nate to causes that in their judgement benefit the com- munity. For many years the Central Tehama Kiwanis has teamed up with the mu- seum in all kinds of Septem- ber weather to help us with our annual fund raising Ju- bilee, and we think it's ap- propriate to say thank you in a very tangible way." Anyone who wants to add meaning to their lives by helping people and wants information about the Cen- tral Tehama Kiwanis Club can call 384-1563 and ask for Bill, or attend one of its meetings — 7-8 a.m. on the first and third Thursday of each month at Mill Creek Restaurant in Los Molinos. "They are a good bunch and would welcome more involvement," Bauer said. The Tehama County Mu- seum is at 275 C St. in Te- hama. Beginning Saturday, Feb. 25 it will be open 1-4 p.m. every Saturday after- noon. MUSEUM Ce nt ra l Te ha ma K iw an is h onor ed CONTRIBUTED Pat Brown, Joyce Bundy, Shelly Patchen and other Central Tehama Kiwanis Club members were treated to a breakfast hosted by the Tehama County Museum to honor the club's long history of supporting the Tehama County Museum. Mary Hunt By Justin McCuin Social Security manager in Redding Saving for the future is a vital part of ensur- ing a secure retirement. American Savings Educa- tion Council and America Saves coordinate the an- nual America Saves Week. Started in 2007, the week is an annual opportunity for organizations to pro- mote good savings behav- ior and a chance for indi- viduals to assess their own saving status. For years, Social Secu- rity has collaborated with America Saves Week to promote our shared mis- sion of helping millions of people save for their future. This year, Amer- ica Saves Week begins on February 27, but people like you are striving to save every day. The 2016 annual Amer- ica Saves Week survey as- sessing national household savings revealed: Just two out of every five U.S. households report good or excellent progress in meeting their savings needs. About half (52 percent) are saving enough for a re- tirement with a desirable standard of living. Only 43 percent have au- tomatic savings outside of work. More men (74 percent) report progress with sav- ing than do women (67 per- cent). Those with a savings plan with specific goals (55 percent of the public) are making much more sav- ings progress than those without a plan (23 per- cent). Knowing this, it's never too early to start plan- ning for your future. Set a goal, make a plan, and save automatically. Savers with a plan are twice as likely to save successfully. Pledge to save for Amer- ica Saves Week at www. americasaves.org. Share what you're saving for us- ing the hashtag #ImSav- ingFor. You may also want to visit www.myRA.gov if you do not have retirement savings as part of your job. myRA is a retirement sav- ings account from the De- partment of the Treasury designed to help you put aside money for your re- tirement. You can invest in the fund according to your budget, putting you in con- trol of your financial pros- pects. Social Security's "People Like Me" website has tai- lor-made information for preparing for your future. Our richly diverse coun- try is made up of count- less backgrounds, ethnic- ities, and nationalities, yet we all want the same thing — a secure future. You can see many of the diverse people we serve at www. socialsecurity.gov/people. Younger people need to know, the earlier you start saving, the more your money can grow. Our website for young work- ers at www.socialsecurity. gov/people/youngpeople/ saving.html has many re- sources that can help you secure today and tomor- row. Veterans and wounded warriors, as well as their families, sometimes face unique obstacles when sav- ing for their future. Our website has life-chang- ing information at www. socialsecurity.gov/people/ veterans. After more than 80 years of success, we know that Social Security will al- ways be there for you. Se- curing your today and to- morrow will always be our priority. SOCIAL SECURITY Se t a go al , ma ke a p la n and save automatically REDDING Shasta College will host its annual Ero- sion Control Best Manage- ment Practices Summit 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 11-12 at the Shasta College Ero- sion Control Training Fa- cility and Farm, a 5-acre site that mimics an actual construction site. Instructor John McCul- lah, Sacramento Water- shed Action Group and Shasta College instructor, will present and demon- strate the most effective Best Management Prac- tices you can use for Con- struction Stormwater Pro- tection. Special guest presenter will be Eric Berntsen, for- merly with the State Water Board. He has extraordi- nary experience with MS4 regulations and in the area of hydromodification. Registration is $300 per person, with group rates available. Students are able to attend for no cost. Discounts of 30 percent will be given to state, fed- eral and local agencies with groups of 5 or more and early registration. Registration includes breakfast and lunch for both days. Register at www.watchyourdirt.com or call 247-1600. This two-day workshop is designed for people of beginning, intermediate or advanced erosion con- trol experience. It will be extremely ben- eficial for storm water pre- vention pollution plan de- velopers, reviewers, en- gineers, construction personnel, site inspectors, landscape contractors and other water-quality profes- sionals. Attendees will spend time both in the classroom and out in the field. This workshop is a part- nership with Shasta Col- lege, the Doing What Mat- ters Initiative, Sacramento Watershed Action Group and Western Chapter In- ternational Erosion Con- trol Association. SHASTA COLLEGE Erosion control management summit set REDDING This July Shasta College will present Ste- phen Sondheim's classic musical thriller Sweeney Todd and auditions are April 17 and 18 in room 638 at the college. This ground-breaking musicalwontheTonyaward forBestMusicalin1980.Itis known for its breathtaking storyline as well as its gor- geous musical score. Actors are asked to pre- pare a one-minute dra- matic monologue and 16 bars of a song from a mu- sical. All ages and experi- ence levels are encouraged to audition. Formoreinformationcall 242-2369 or write to gthor- son@shastacollege.edu. Sondheim's classic musi- cal thriller tells the excit- ing and suspenseful tale of a barber, Sweeney Todd, who returns to London af- ter 15 years of exile. Todd was wrongfully convicted of a crime he did not com- mit and returns to take vengeance on the corrupt judge who banished him. Along the way he meets a cast of entertaining char- acters, such as Ms. Lovett, who makes the best meat pies in London. Sweeney Todd is fre- quently revived on Broad- way and across the coun- try and is a classic of the American Musical. Performance dates for Sweeney Todd will be July 7-23 at the Shasta College Theatre. The production is di- rected by Dr. Gregory Thorson. SHASTA COLLEGE Auditions for production of Sweeney Todd 501 Madison St. (530) 527-1622 Reynolds Ranch & Farm Supply (includingTheLoftandRedBluffSportingGoods) SaturdayFebruary18 th 10am to 4pm Free Soft Drinks, Chips & Hot Dogs Repsfromsomeofthetop animal feed companies will be available to answer any questions & giveaway coupons & samples. Need not be present to win! 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