Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/395923
I'm sure I could lecture about fru- gality and liv- ing below your means as a way of life until my face turned blue and write until my computer ex- ploded in a fit of rebellion and still not achieve the impact of a success story like this one from Kelly D., who lives in Colorado. "Shortly after my hus- band and I were mar- ried, the first credit card application showed up. At first, I was dead-set against filling it out, but after a little coaxing from my husband, I gave in. Of course, others fol- lowed shortly. Each time we had an emergency — car repairs, unpaid taxes, a weekend getaway — we'd pull out a card. It all seemed so easy. Before I knew it, we had three or four cards that were all nearly charged to the limit. "We tried setting up a plan to pay off the debts. The money was al- ways there on paper, but somehow I never saw it in the account. My hus- band and I would tell each other things would be much better once the next raise, next promo- tion or next job came along. Somehow it never worked out that way. That was how things were our first five years together. "In no time at all, we found ourselves over $20,000 in debt with lit- tle to show for it. Mak- ing more money was not the answer. I needed to find a better way to put the money we had to work for us. I needed a lot of in- formation and a little en- couragement. I needed help! "I found just what I needed at Debt-Proof Liv- ing (www.debtproofliv- ing.com) and in this daily column. Not only have I developed a cheapskate mindset, but I learned so much about cutting costs through so much practi- cal information. I also learned (or re- learned) the pit- falls of "debting," the value of sav- ing and the im- portance of pay- ing myself first. To date, my husband and I have paid off nearly half of our total debt. "If we continue to fol- low our repayment plan, by the end of the year we will only have a small bal- ance on my husband's school loan remaining. We will then be able to begin saving for our first home. In addition, we have joined my husband's 401(k) plan, have begun a savings account and set up a Freedom Account to help cover those 'emer- gencies' that are bound to happen. "Our efforts at debt re- payment have not come without sacrifice. Noth- ing worthwhile ever does. I have been as de- termined to remain at home with our three young children as I have been about repaying our debts. For us to be able to achieve this, we have been delivering news- papers, and I have been baby-sitting at home. While this may seem like a heavy load to bear, it is nothing compared to the burden of debt we have been carrying. "Thank you again for starting us down the right path and helping us to achieve our financial goals." Wow, I am so proud of Kelly and her family for what they are doing. I am impressed by their will- ingness to make the nec- essary sacrifices to get out of debt. They will never regret this short-term sit- uation that is going to lead to long-term peace and joy. Wouldyouliketosend a tip to Mary? You can email her at mary@eve- rydaycheapskate.com, or write to Everyday Cheap- skate, P.O. Box 2099, Cy- press, CA 90630. EVERYDAYCHEAPSKATE A cheapskate state of mind CHESTER Residents and visitors to the area of the Lassen National Forest where the Chips fire burned in 2012 might soon notice some smoke in the air, be- cause a prescribed burning project is planned in units burned during the Chips fire that were recently he- licopter salvaged. Additional small diame- ter snags have been felled, creating concentrations of fuel scattered throughout the units. Dubbed the Bobcat Pre- scribed Burn, the project will encompass 92 acres of jackpot broadcast burning in northern Plumas County, two miles southwest of Prattville. The purpose of this burn is to consume remaining woody material to open up areas for tree plant- ing, which is scheduled for spring of 2015. Because of air quality concerns, this burn could take up to five days of ig- nition to complete. Imple- mentation of the project could begin sometime in October or November and will be dependent on con- ditions being favorable for meeting objectives and lift- ing smoke up and out of the Almanor Basin. For information regard- ing this project, call Jenni- fer Hensel, fuels planner for the Almanor Ranger Dis- trict, at 530-258-2141. PUBLIC LANDS Burningprojectplanned for Chips fire area Mary Hunt A new addition to the Te- hama District Fairground comes in the form of a new sign. This year the 2013-2014 Emerald Star Project was designed and presented by members Taylor, Nathen, Will and Ryan of the An- telope 4-H club. After get- ting permission from the county, the fair board and 4-H council, work began. The youth worked with a few local businesses to help create the new "Te- hama County 4-H Wel- comes You." sign. They wanted to have the sign in place in time for the Te- hama District Fair, during which the four Emerald Star members each sold an animal at the Tehama Dis- trict Junior Livestock Auc- tion. They invited the fair board members to help cel- ebrate National 4-H week and dedicate the sign with a ribbon cutting. More than 6 million young people across the country celebrated Na- tional 4-H Week, an annual celebration of 4-H during the first full week of Octo- ber. Tehama County 4-H lev- eraged National 4-H Week this year to showcase the great things that 4-H offers young people and highlight the 4-H youth in the com- munity who work each day to make a positive impact on the community. The nation's largest youth development and empowerment organiza- tion, 4-H cultivates confi- dent kids who tackle the issues that matter most in their communities. Research has proven that participation in 4-H has a significant positive impact on young people. Recent findings from the Tufts University 4-H Study of Positive Youth Develop- ment indicate that, when compared to their peers, young people in 4-H are, "nearly four times more likely to contribute to their communities, two times more likely to pur- sue healthy behaviors and two times more likely to engage in Science, Tech- nology, Engineering and Math (STEM) programs in the out-of-school time. In Tehama County there are 401 4-H youth and 132 adult volunteers who are involved in the 4H pro- gram. For more informa- tion, call the 4-H office at 527-3101. Local youth celebrate with fairground sign COURTESYPHOTO Pictured, from le , are Taylor Collins, Kelley Ferreira new CEO, Linda Durrer president, Cheryl Weibling director, Farrell Shatswell director, and Nathen Fregoso. 4-H WEEK Today REDBLUFF 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 Red Bluff Rotary Club Sunrise: 7a.m., M&M Ranch CORNING Car Show: 5-9p.m., Bar- tels Giant Burger, 22355 Corning,Road, local car clubs welcome, 824-2788 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 Saturday RED BLUFF Airplane Display Days: 8a.m. to 1p.m., Red Bluff Airport, 1760Airport Blvd., 527-6547 Frontier Village Farmers Market: 8a.m. to 1p.m., 645Antelope Blvd. Tehama County Young Marine Drills: 9a.m. to 3 p.m., 1005Vista Way, Ste. C. 366-0813 TEHAMA Tehama County Museum: 1-4p.m., 275C St., groups by appointment, 384-2595 Sunday RED BLUFF AA Live and Let Live: noon and 5:30p.m., 785Musick St., seven days a week except Thursday meets at 8p.m. Airplane Display Days: 8a.m. to 1p.m., Red Bluff Airport, 1760Airport Blvd., 527-6547 Al-Anon New Comers At Heart: 6:30-7:30p.m., Presbyterian Church of Red Bluff, 838Jefferson Road, Room 2, 941-6405 Kelly-Griggs House Museum: 1-3p.m., 311 Washington St., group tours by appointment, 527-1129 or 527-5895 TEHAMA Tehama County Museum: 1-4p.m., 275C St., group tours any day by appoint- ment, 384-2595 Monday RED BLUFF Antelope 4-H: 6:30p.m., Antelope School, 527-3101 Community Band re- hearsal: 7-9p.m., Red Bluff Presbyterian Church, 838 Jefferson St., New mem- bers welcome, 527-3486 English as a Second Lan- guage class: 5:30-8:30 p.m., 1295Red Bud, 736- 3308, same time Tuesday and Wednesday and 9a.m. to 12:20p.m. Thursdays, free childcare, classes in Richlieu Hall, 900Johnson St. Head Injury Recreational Entity: 10a.m. to 2p.m., St. Elizabeth Community Hos- pital, Coyne Center, Rusty, 529-2059 Key to Life: 6p.m., Fam- ily Resource Center, 220 Sycamore St. Ste. 101, 528-8066 Narcotics Anonymous: 11 a.m. to noon, 838Jeffer- son St., Room 3, Monday through Saturday and 5:30- 6:30p.m. Saturday Narcotics Anonymous: 7-8:30p.m., 785Musick St., every day except Thursday Nutrition classes: 10:30 a.m. to noon, 220Sycamore St. #101 PAL Martial Arts: 3-5p.m., ages 5-18, 1005Vista Way, Ste. C, free, 529-7950 Salvation Army Writing Class: 9:30-11:30a.m., 940Walnut St., 527-8530 Senior Writing Class: 10 a.m. to noon, Sycamore Center, 220Sycamore St., 527-5762 Spartan Athletic Booster Club: 6:30p.m. Red Bluff Union High School Library Sun Country Quilters Community Service Group: 9a.m. to noon, Family Resource Center, 220Sycamore St. Ste. 101, 528-1126 TeenScreen Mental Health Appointments: 10a.m. to 2p.m., free, by appointment only, 1900 Walnut St., 527-8491, Ext. 3012 Tehama County Sheriff's Search and Rescue: 7 p.m., Stillwell Training Cen- ter, Park Avenue near Baker Road, 527-7546 US citizenship prepara- tion class: 5:30-8:30 p.m., Red Bluff High School Adult Ed building, 1295Red Bud, 736-3308, same time Tuesday and Wednesday Venture Crew 1914meet- ing: 6:30-8p.m., Moose Lodge on 99W, coed ages 14-20welcome Widows Association of Red Bluff - Play Cards: 1p.m., call 527-4659for location CORNING Alcoholics Anonymous: noon Monday through Friday, 5p.m. Thursday, 7 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Saturday and 1p.m. Sunday, 783Solano St. Corning 4-H: 7p.m., Woodson Elementary School, 527-3101 Corning Neighborhood Watch: 5:30p.m., City Hall, 794Third St. Exchange Club member- ship meeting: 7p.m., Iron Skillet Narcotics Anonymous: 7-8:30p.m., 820Marin St., 824-114or 586-0245, meetings daily Olive 4-H: 6:30p.m., May- wood School, 527-3101 Tehama County Mental Health stakeholders meeting: 1p.m., Rolling Hills Casino TOPS Club (take off pounds Sensibly): 8:30 a.m., First Christian Church, 926Madison Ave., 527- 7541or 347-6120, www. tops.org Sewing group: 9a.m., Family Resource Center, West and South streets, 824-7670 Spanish Adult Education: 5p.m., Family Resource Center, West and South streets, 824-7670 Strategies for Success, Life Skill classes: 1:30 p.m., Family Resource Center, West and South streets, 824-7670 Weight Watchers: weigh in 5:30p.m., meeting 6 p.m., Senior Center, South and Fourth streets. LOCAL CALENDAR Martin'sGardens 530SolanoSt.,Corning 824-2131 is closing Up To 60% OFF everythingmustgo. WatchourReaderBoardforfurther reductions FREECONCERT! 1005 So. Jackson St, Red Bluff FirstChurchofGod - Southern Gospel at it's very best! - Wonderful for entire family - Invite friends and family Genre- Southern Gospel/Inspirational/R&B/Country Three Bridges' music is rooted in traditional "southern gospel" and "black gospel" music. This blended style has made Three Bridges an internationally- acclaimed Gospel group — one that is known for tight harmonies, a unique vocal style, an exciting and energy packed stage presence and, most importantly, for spreading the joy of the Good News of Christ. They have entertained and ministered to millions through their recordings, TV appearances and live shows — which is why Three Bridges has quickly become one of the most prominent Gospel groups in Christian music today. Lead and tenor singers were previous members of The Imperials. ThreeBridges FREE CONCERT Love Offering will be taken October 14 th , 2014 Tuesday Night 6:30 pm Opener ThePelsters LIFESTYLES » redbluffdailynews.com Friday, October 10, 2014 MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A5