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Ifyouitemizeyour tax return, you proba- bly know that you are al- lowed to de- duct the fair mar- ket value of items you donate to charity. But what's the fair mar- ket value of, say, a pair of shoes or a lamp? More than you might think. The law does not al- low the charity to deter- mine the value of an item you donate. The charita- ble organization gives you a receipt saying that you made the donation. You, the donor, must deter- mine its value. And that's the prob- lem. If you overstate the value, you risk an audit, penalties and interest. If you underestimate, you'll pay more taxes than you should. In the process of paring down and purging in an- ticipation of our big move to Colorado this spring, my husband and I do- nated an antique pump organ to a church where it will be used in services and enjoyed by many. It's more than a hundred years old, so looking up the new price and depre- ciating it appropriately was not possible. Our accountant sug- gested we locate similar antiques that have sold in, say, the past year and then adjust accordingly for our specific situation. Right. Like there's a brisk market for antique reed organs down at the mall. But then I got to think- ing .... hmm ... eBay! Sure enough, several pump or- gans have sold in the past year. I printed the doc- umentation and will at- tach that to our next tax return to back up the de- ductible value we as- signed to that donation. But enough about me. Let's talk about your castoffs. How can you know for sure the "fair market value" of, say, that sports jacket that's still in great shape or those kitchen items that are still serviceable? You can use the method I used for my lit- tle pump organ. Start searching for actual sales of similar items. Or let someone else do that for you. The donation valuation book, "Money for Your Used Clothing," lists val- ues for more than 1,200 specific items of clothing (many by brand name) and household goods commonly donated to charity. And here's the best part: The values con- form to IRS requirements for donated items. "Money for Your Used Clothing" is guaranteed. If the IRS ever questions you about the fair market values assigned to your donations by "Money for Your Used Clothing," the publisher will respond to the IRS on your behalf with how they got those values ($5,000 limited warranty). If you receive a fine or penalty relat- ing to the values they as- signed, the publisher will pay those fines and pen- alties for you. By using this book, thousands of people have avoided overpaying mil- lions of dollars in income taxes! If you're like most peo- ple, you stuff a bunch of old clothes into bags and claim a $100 deduction, receiving maybe a few dollars in tax benefits. All of that could easily have been worth $1,500 or more if you only knew how to value your dona- tions. The values add up quickly. To take deductions on your 2014 tax return, you have until April 15, 2015, to complete the pa- perwork and file your re- turn (unless you qual- ify and file for an ex- tension). Don't let those dates get away from you. Get started today turning your used stuff into cash! By the way, as a reader of this column, you can get a huge discount on "Money for Your Used Clothing" (only $20 plus s/h) at www.debtproofli- ving.com/bookstore. Sup- plies are limited. MaryHuntisthefounder of www.DebtProofLiving. com, a personal finance member website. You can email her at mary@ everydaycheapskate. com, or write to Everyday Cheapskate, P.O. Box 2099, Cypress, CA 90630. EVERYDAYCHEAPSKATE Getpaidto donate your stuff Mary Hunt By Claire Lester Several Red Bluff FFA members went to Shasta College Feb. 27 to compete at the annual Shasta Section Speaking Contest. Several chapters from the Shasta Section came to compete. Some of the contests held there included Job Inter- view, the Prepared Speech Contest, Impromptu Speech Contest, Extemporaneous Speech Contest, Best In- formed Greenhand and Creed Speaking. Participating in these contests is a great way for FFA members to gain expe- rience in several areas, such as thinking on their feet, improving their speaking skills, and presenting them- selves appropriately. After the contest, all of the contestants enjoyed a delicious lunch and lis- tened as the awards were announced. Amy Garrison placed second and Olivia Zumalt placed fifth in the Prepared Speech Contest, Danielle Mincer placed first and Ga- briel Fregoso placed fifth in theExtemporaneousSpeech ContestandBrittanyWright placed second in the Im- promptu Contest. Thetopthreepeoplefrom each contest will be compet- ing again at the Regional Contest at Chico State in March. From there, the top two competitors from each competition will move on to compete at the state contest in Fresno. Everyonehadagreattime and did an awesome job. FFA Students compete in speaking contest Following are the April activities for Mount Las- sen Chapter California Na- tive Plant Society. All activ- ities are open to the public. For more information, visit mountlassen.cnps.org. • General Meeting, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 1, Chico Public Library Linnea Hanson, pres- ident of Northern Cali- fornia Botanists and for- mer Ecosystem Manager for Plumas National For- est will present an over- view of fens in California National Forest. A fen is a kind of wetland that is peat-forming. Her talk will explain differences among wetlands and focus on the types of fens in California, summarizing conservation and monitoring work that is being accomplished. She will also describe some of the mosses and flowering plants found in fens. • Wildflower Show and Native Plant Sale, noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, April 12, CARD Community Center, 545 Vallombrosa, Chico Celebrate Native Plant Week at the biennial Wild- flower Show. See more than 200 species of na- tive plants from a variety of habitats in Butte, Glenn, Tehama and Plumas coun- ties with more native plants available for pur- chase for planting in the garden. Learn about plant communities, pest plants, and growing natives. There will also be nature talks, walks and activities for children. Suggested dona- tion is $5 for adults; free for children and students with ID. • State Park at Sut- ter Buttes, 8 a.m. Sunday, April 19 Meet at Chico Park and Ride west lot with lunch, water, hat, hiking shoes, long pants and money for ride sharing. Two sepa- rate walks are scheduled within this new state park, which is accessible only to guided groups. One group will look for wildflowers on easy trails in Peace Valley. The second group will fol- low a more strenuous more than 5-mile route with ele- vation gain and drop of 800 feet over the surrounding ridges to better see plant communities and panora- mas. There is a $10 fee per person to cover costs of the State Park Special Use Permit and escort. There is a strict 30-person limit and reservations are required. Email leader Woody at woodyelliott@gmail.com to reserve a spot or to ask questions. Alternate meet- ing spot is the parking lot of Live Oak Memorial Park public pool on Pennington Road at 8:45 a.m. • Ten Mile House Trail, Upper Bidwell Park, 10 a.m. Sunday, April 26 Meet at the Green Gate trail head on Highway 32, 9 miles east of Highway 99. There is a small park- ing area on the north side of the road. Bring lunch, water, sun and insect pro- tection and sturdy shoes. Starting at an elevation of 900 feet, the group will hike 1.5 miles down on the wagon road to a lunch spot by Big Chico Creek. The group may see yel- low star tulip, scarlet frit- illary and California buck- eye in bloom. Be prepared to climb 700 feet in eleva- tion on the 2-mile return trip. Call leader Wes and 530-342-2293 for more in- formation. • Camp Creek Road to Mayaro, Feather River Canyon, Plumas National Forest, 9 a.m. Sunday, May 3 Meet at Chico Park and Ride west lot with lunch, water, sun and insect pro- tection and money for ride sharing. The group will drive 32 miles north on Highways 99 and 70 to the old railroad town of Pulga, then 2 miles on the Camp Creek Road, an unpaved, narrow, rough-surfaced road recommended only for high-clearance vehicles, to the ruins of Mayaro, a 1920s resort. The site is high above the Feather River and the group will be stopping frequently to see fritillaria, snowdrop, lupine and bush monkey flower. Lunch will be by a waterfall. The average ele- vation will be around 2,000 feet. Call leader Gerry at 530-893-5123 for alternate meeting place. MT. LASSEN CHAPTER Native Plant Society plans spring activities COURTESYPHOTO Members of the Red Bluff FFA competed at the annual Shasta Section Speaking Contest at Shasta College last month. PLEASE RECYCLE THIS NEWSPAPER. 1921 ~ 2015 94 TH APRIL17,18,19,2015 Friday Family Packs $ 35 RODEO AMERICA'S ORIGINAL EXTREME SPORT! saturday, april 4th 11:00 am–8:00 pm r o l l i n g h i l l s cas i n o, c o r n i n g , ca tickets $30 tickets available at the casino box office, red bluff chamber, or online at www.rollinghillscasino.com m u s t b e 2 1 & ov e r t o at t e n d " L a i s s e z l e s b o n t e m p s r o u l e r " Live Music ∙ all-you-can-eat crawdads ∙ beer & wine tasting 645Antelope Blvd. (across from the Tehama District Fairgrounds) at Frontier Village EGGS! 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