Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/371338
DearMary:I wanted to tell you the secret of stick- ing to a budget on our family vaca- tion — something we've had a hard time achieving in the past. This year, we let our teen- age daughter plan the vacation. Seems too simple. We told her the amount we had to spend beyond the cost of over- night accommodations. We told her she could spend the money any way she wanted. We could eat out every night or cook dinner in our kitchenette. She could spend it all on the boardwalk. My spend- thrift daughter became Ms. Frugality. She wanted to parasail. So she had us eat every single meal in the room and spent less than $20 at the Board- walk. We parasailed and had the best time ever. We came home with cash in our pockets. Best of all, we are enjoying the priceless accomplishment of teach- ing our child the value of money. — Madeline Dear Madeline: Wow, way to go! What a great idea, and I am so proud of your sweet daughter for accepting the challenge of such a big task. I'm go- ing to predict that this event will stay with her for a lifetime and will be- gin to shape her money life. Never again will she think you have unlimited sources of money. She's experienced how mak- ing good choices with a limited amount of money can result in positive out- comes. You gave her the opportunity to make her own independent financial decisions, and she scored. Please give her my heart- felt congratulations and a big frugal high five! Dear Mary: Living on a fixed income and given the nature of the economy, we are thinking about switching to pre- paid cell phones to cut expenses even further. If I termi- nate my current cell phone service, will I still be able to use the camera feature on my phone? I take pic- tures and download them to my computer to share with family and friends, though I do not have a data plan on my phone. — B.J. Dear B.J. I don't know which phone you have, but generally, the camera will still work even if you can- cel your phone service. If you have an iPhone, it will continue to function ex- cept for connecting to the internet, making calls or texting. Please confirm this information with your phone's manufacturer be- fore pulling the plug on your service, just to be cer- tain. Then you'll know that your decision is fully informed. Dear Readers: I abso- lutely adore getting mail from readers of my Every- day Cheapskate column. Do you have a question, comment or money-saving tip to share? Please write to me at the email address you see below. While I read all of my mail, I can- not always respond per- sonally because of the vol- ume of mail I receive. I re- spond to select letters in this column. Many thanks, in advance. 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 Letters from my readers Mary Hunt The Corning High School class of 1967 is re- newing a project it started 47 years ago. The Cardinal Mall is undergoing a major over- haul. After cutting down a palm tree and removing the hazardous brick en- closure, six dump truck loads of old concrete were hauled off for recycling and 21 yards of cement were poured. Nine new wooden benches will be installed after the concrete has cured. The Corning VF W has given $1,000 for the project, and the Corning Rotary Club has given $500. The original project in- cluded 40 feet of steps and a time capsule. Dennis As- bury has donated his time and the use of his backhoe. He is from Willows, and is married to Roberta Miller- Asbury, class of '67. "A small group of dedi- cated volunteers from the class of 1967 has taken on this project," said Alice Sue Thompson. "Despite the heat, hip replacement surgery, sore muscles and aching backs the work continues." The cost of repairs, not including the volunteer work, will be $6,500. Anyone wishing to con- tribute to this project, may send a check to Class of '67, C/O Valanne Cardenas, 1417 Colusa St., Corning 96021. CLASS OF 1967 Ca rd in al M al l to g et o ve rh au l COURTESYPHOTO The Cardinal Mall is undergoing a major overhaul. By David Sayen Medicare helps pay for a wide variety of medi- cal services and goods in hospitals, doctor's offices, and other healthcare set- tings. But it doesn't cover everything, and it's useful to know what is and isn't included. Services are covered ei- ther under Medicare Part A or Part B. If you have both Part A and Part B, you can get many Medi- care-covered services whether you have Origi- nal Medicare or a Medi- care health plan. Part A is Hospital Insur- ance and it helps pay for in- patient care in hospitals; inpatient care in a skilled nursing facility (not cus- todial or long-term care); hospice care services; home health care services; inpatient care in a religious nonmedical health care in- stitution. You can find out if you have Parts A and B by look- ing at your Medicare card. If you have Original Medi- care, you'll use this card to get your Medicare-covered services. If you join a Medicare health plan, in most cases you must use the card from the plan to get your Medi- care-covered ser- vices. Part B (Med- ical Insurance) helps cover med- ically necessary doctors' services, outpatient care, home health services, du- rable medical equipment such as wheelchairs and walkers, and other medi- cal services. Part B also covers many preventive-care services. Under Original Medi- care, if the yearly Part B de- ductible ($147 in 2014) ap- plies, you must pay all costs (up to the Medicare-ap- proved amount) until you meet the Part B deductible before Medicare begins to pay its share. After your deductible is met, you typically pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount of the service, if the doctor or other health- care provider accepts as- signment. "Accepting assignment" means that a doctor or other provider agrees to be paid directly by Medi- care, to accept the payment amount Medicare approves for the service, and not to bill you for any more than the Medicare deduct- ible and coinsurance. You'll pay more if you see doctors or providers who don't accept assign- ment. And there's no yearly limit on what you pay out- of-pocket. If you're in a Medicare Advantage plan (like an HMO or PPO) or have other insurance, your costs may be different. Contact your plan or benefits adminis- trator directly to find out about the costs. Under Part B, Medi- care pays for many pre- ventive services (such as screenings for cancer and heart disease) that can de- tect health problems early when they're easier to treat. You pay nothing for most covered preventive services if you get the ser- vices from a doctor or other qualified provider who ac- cepts assignment. However, for some pre- ventive services, you may have to pay a deductible, coinsurance, or both. Medicare doesn't cover everything, of course. If you need certain services that aren't covered un- der Part A or Part B, you'll have to pay for them your- self unless you have other insurance (or Medicaid) to cover the costs or you're in a Medicare health plan that covers these services. Some of the services and goods that Medicare doesn't cover are long- term care (also called cus- todial care); routine dental or eye care; dentures; cos- metic surgery; acupunc- ture; hearing aids and ex- ams for fitting them. David Sayen is Medi- care's regional adminis- trator for Arizona, Cali- fornia, Nevada, Hawaii, and the Pacific Territo- ries. You can always get answers to your Medi- care questions by calling 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800- 633-4227). MEDICARE What Medicare does and doesn't cover David Sayen Today REDBLUFF California HEAT Chorus - Sweet Adelines: 7p.m., Meteer School multipurpose room, 695Kimball Road, 895-0139 Childbirth Class: 6:30- 8:30p.m., St. Elizabeth Community Hospital, Columba Room, 888-628- 1948 Fun Senior Aerobics: 8-9 a.m., $1per class, Com- munity Center, 1500S. Jackson St. 527-8177 Good Morning Red Bluff: 7:50a.m., Enjoy the Store, Main Street Grief Support Group: 3-5 p.m., Coyne Center, Kristin Hoskins 528-4207 Imagination Train story hour: 4p.m., Tehama County Library Kelly-Griggs House Museum: 1-3p.m., 311 Washington St., group tours by appointment, 527-1129 Live country music, din- ner: 5-7p.m., Veterans Hall Narcotics Anonymous: 7-8:15p.m., 2595Main St, last Thursday of month Painting session, Red Bluff Art Association: 10 a.m., Tehama District Fair- ground, 529-1603 PAL Martial Arts: 3-5p.m., ages 5-18, 1005Vista Way, Ste. C, free, 529-7950 Penny Bingo: 9:30a.m., Community Center, 1500S. Jackson St. Phoenix Community Sup- port Group for chemical dependency: 11:30a.m., Presbyterian Church, 838 Jefferson St., 945-2349 Pinochle for Seniors: 12:30-3:30p.m., 1500S. Jackson St., free, 527-8177 Red Bluff Exchange Club: noon, M&M Ranch House, 645Antelope Blvd. #1 Red Bluff Lions Club: 6 p.m., Veterans Memorial, 527-6616 Rock Choir: 4p.m., 601 Monroe St., free, all wel- come Senior Chair Volleyball: 1p.m. Community Center, 1500S. Jackson St. Sunrise Speakers Toast- masters: noon, 220Syca- more St. Swinging Squares Square Dance Club: 7p.m., Com- munity Center, 1500S. Jackson St., for beginner or review classes, call 529- 1615 Tehama County Flood Control and Water Con- servation District: 10a.m., 727Oak St. Widowed Persons Dinner: 5p.m., call 384-2471for location CORNING Cal-Fresh and Healthy Family Appointments: 1-3p.m., Family Resource Center, 1488South St., 824-7670 Dance with Juana: noon to 1p.m., Family Resource Center, 1488South St., 824-7670 Degree of Pocahontas Sil- ver Cloud Council # 168: 7p.m. Independent Grange 470, 20945Corning Road, Bernie 824-1114or Kathy 586-1065 Dual Diagnosis Group: 1:30-3p.m., 1600Solano St., 527-8491, Ext. 3309 ESL/Citizenship classes: 9a.m. - 11a.m., Family Resource Center, West and South streets, 824-7670 Soccer training: 4-6p.m., except for holidays and rain, Woodson School Soccer Field, 150N Toomes, 824- 7680 Women's Support Group: 6p.m., Family Resource Center, West and South streets, 824-7670 Friday RED BLUFF Celebrate Recovery: 7 p.m., Bethel Assembly of God, 625Luther Road, 527- 0445or 366-6298 Hospice Second Hand Store half price sale: all day, Riverside Shopping Center CORNING Nutrition Classes: 11:30 a.m. to 1p.m., 175Solano St., 824-7670 LOS MOLINOS Narcotics Anonymous: 7-8p.m., 25204Josephine Ave, Wednesday and Friday. Calendar to ensure that your business is part of the official promotional publication and Program for Red Bluff's annual "party of the year." Red Bluff Business Operators: TIME'S A- WASTIN'! N EWS D AILY RED BLUFF TEHAMA COUNTY Call your Daily News Advertising RepresentativeTODAY! 530-527-2151 Sponsored by the Downtown Red Bluff Business Association and the Tehama County CattleWomen. • 13,000 pre-event household Distribution via newspaper & mail. • Published online 9/14-21 at www.redbluffdailynews.com • Detailed "pull out" Downtown Beef and Brew serving locations Map included inside. (Premium ad spaces available!) • …and much more! Advertising Deadline: FRIDAY, AUGUST 29 For rates, details and space reservations: - R E D B L U FF ' S - Take15%offyourentire food purchase dine in only Open Tues-Sat www. palominoroom .com 723 Main St. 527.5470 PHYSICIAN REFERRAL AFREESERVICE PROVIDED FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE 888-628-1948 New physicians arriving every month STOVEJUNCTION The TheNorthState'spremiersupplierofstoves 22825 Antelope Blvd., Red Bluff 530-528-2221 • Fax 530-528-2229 www.thestovejunction.com Over 25 years of experience Tues-Sat9am-5pm• ClosedSun&Mon Now Carrying! GreenMountainGrills & Accessories Serving Butte, Glenn & Tehama Counties Smog Check (MOST CARS & PICK-UPS) 527-9841 • 195 S. Main St. starting at $ 29 95 + $ 8 25 certificate SERVICESATLOWERPRICES All makes and models. We perform dealer recommened 30K, 60K, 90K MembersWelcome LIFESTYLES » redbluffdailynews.com Thursday, August 28, 2014 » MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A4