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Ifitwereeasytogetout of debt, no one would have credit card balances, stu- dent debt or personal loans. No one would be in debt. It's not easy to get out of debt. But it is pos- sible. And if you are using the correct method, possible becomes highly probable. Granted, there are sev- eral methods for getting out of debt, but only one that offers you hope of lasting success. I've gone down every road that promises a way out of debt and have dis- covered that most come to a dead end. Others are filled with impossi- ble twists and turns. But there is a way out. I found it. My husband and I are now completely debt-free, including the mortgage. Done. Free at last. And that is what makes me uniquely qualified to tell you the best way to get out of debt. But first let's identify the roads you should avoid and the reasons why. FAST AND AGGRES- SIVE. This way out of debt is very inviting because it promises a quick and easy shortcut. It goes like this: What it is. First, you make sure you have $1,000 in the bank to cover emer- gencies. But that's all you need, so stop saving. Take every dollar you can squeeze out of your life and send it to your debt. Hurry! Fast! And if you pass Go and collect $200, send that in, too. The rebate check you got in the mail? Off it goes. Tax refund? Birth- day check? You know the routine — apply it to your debt. Why you should avoid it. This plan makes an as- sumption that $1,000 will be adequate to cover all of your unexpected emer- gencies until you are debt- free. But what if they are greater than that? What if after, say, six months of aggressively throwing ev- ery nickel you can possibly spare against your credit card debt, your tires and refrigerator both die at the same time — and just when you are facing other expenses for which you are unprepared? Or what if you lose your job? Stuff happens, and if you are not prepared to fund your own emergen- cies while you are getting out of debt, you will run back to the credit cards for a bailout. The bigger the bail- out, the more likely this method is to fail because it will be easier to justify another bailout next time. And the next. TAP THE EQUITY. This way out of debt is inviting because it feels like you are a financial genius, do- ing as many professionals suggest — borrowing your way out of debt. What it is. First you add up all your unsecured debt — credit cards, stu- dent loans, personal loans, upside-down auto loans. Once you know how much you need, you apply for a home equity loan for that amount, plus as much as you might need to fix up the house, start a sav- ings account or take the kids to Disney World plus enough for an emergency fund. You put the money into the bank account and write out checks to pay off every one of your unse- cured debts. There. Paid in full. Wow. Feels great. Why you should avoid it. To say this is a way out of debt is very misleading. You don't get out of debt. You create new debt to fix old debt, and that hardly ever works. Your new home equity loan comes with a monthly payment. If you miss a payment you will be look- ing at foreclosure. Yes, they will take your home if you miss payments on a home equity loan. And when things get tight you will see the paid-off credit cards as an easy way to fund emergencies. Within about two years, you will have all your credit card debt back again — plus the home equity loan. That means twice the trouble. SLOW AND STEADY. It's not sexy and any- thing but exciting. There's no instant gratification here, but it's the only way I know of that will bring lasting satisfaction and a debt-free lifestyle. What it is. First, com- mit to no more credit pur- chases. Period. You're done with that. Next, get out all of your non-mort- gage debts and look at the minimum payment re- quired this month. Now lock in that payment — pay the same amount ev- ery month until you are out of debt, even if your creditors would accept less. As one debt reaches $0, take its payment and add it to the regular pay- ment of the next debt in line. Keep doing that every month. As it is paid, repeat with the next debt. And on and on until all are paid in full. Learn more about my Rapid Debt-Repayment Plan at DebtProofLiving. com Why you should do it. Fast and aggressive is en- ticing because it promises speed. Tapping your eq- uity is tempting because it looks like free money. But both methods are risky — too risky. Slow and steady takes longer but it is do- able. And that is what makes the journey enjoy- able. This reasonable, low- risk, get-out-of-debt method has the greatest potential for success be- cause it works. Thousands of people have proven that over the years, including me, your humble colum- nist. Wouldyouliketosend a tip to Mary? You can email her at mary@ everydaycheapskate. com, or write to Everyday Cheapskate, 12340 Seal Beach Blvd., Ste. B-416, Seal Beach, CA 90740. EVERYDAYCHEAPSKATE Slow and steady wins the race Mary Hunt By Claire Lester Red Bluff FFA held its 2014-2015 End of the Year Banquet on May 18. The evening began with a tri-tip and chicken din- ner that was served to FFA members and their families. During the din- ner, all of the quests had the opportunity to bid on silent auction items or try to win raffle prizes, which were generously do- nated by businesses and individuals in the commu- nity. Next, everyone headed over to the Performing Arts Center where the of- ficer team opened the final meeting of the year. At the meeting, FFA members who dedicated their time throughout the year to be on competitive teams and participate in speaking contests were rec- ognized for their efforts. In addition, several community members, par- ents, educators and school board members were given awards for their generous and selfless support. Mel- anie Burke was awarded the 2015 Honorary Farmer Award. All of the retiring senior officers presented their re- tiring addresses and cher- ished the last few mo- ments with their officer team. The 2015-2016 officer team was then announced and the meeting came to a close. Congratulations to the 2015-2016 Red Bluff FFA officer team and thanks to everyone who donated and helped make the year and the banquet a success. RED BLUFF FFA EndoftheYearbanquetheld The shareholders of the Los Molinos Mutual Wa- ter Co. have elected Darl A. Smith as director of the company for the next three years from District No. 5. The other directors are William E. Alward, Burton Bundy, William Hardwick, Roy L. Garlett Jr., Susan N. Junge and Susan C. Mus- taine. The board of directors at its April 9 meeting elected Garlett Jr. as president, Hardwick as vice presi- dent and Darrell E. Mull- ins as secretary and trea- surer. This is the board of the company for 2015. LOS MOLINOS Water company elects new officers We're on the verge of another long, hot summer and people seem to be taking wa- ter conser- vation up a notch. Granted, this is also the first week when we'll pay penalties if we exceed our new water budgets. (To check out your per- sonal water budget online, go to: https://usage.calwa- ter.com and punch in your account number). I know people have been converting their lawns over the past year, but its just now that I'm noticing them left, right and right in front of me. Several weeks ago we had a follow up visit at UC Davis in Sacramento. With 35 minutes to kill, we decided to take a lei- surely stroll and check out some horticultural hand- iwork. The folks who live near UC Davis really had their conservation mojo going on. Similar to Chico, tow- ering trees have spent the last 100 years fighting each other for the right to cast shade. The houses are built close together, with small front yards that end abruptly. On several blocks we wondered if homeown- ers had fed on each others' enthusiasm. Or perhaps there was some neighborly conservation competition. One small yard was al- most completely covered in plants with silver foli- age. I looked this up re- cently and plants with sil- ver and/or fuzzy foliage are often drought tolerant — think lavender, sage, dusty miller. In the little yard next door, the residents had gone hog-wild with gera- nium. You guessed it, gera- nium will do a mighty re- bound after being nearly killed by lack of water. A few more yards down the way and we spotted a yard in that unfortunate stage of drought conver- sion. I'm less than thrilled by yards covered in a thick layer of bark and just a few baby drought- tolerant plants. Much better was the nearby bark-covered yard with interesting large ce- ramic containers over- flowing with ornamental grasses. On our way back to the hospital we saw a yard with a fabulously lush lawn. The green space was so green I stopped to make fun of it, and to take pic- tures. We're in a drought, right? Nobody has lawn like this anymore, except maybe at Disneyland. When we got close, we learned this was high- quality "AstroTurf," lawn carpet, plastic greenery. When we lingered longer, we saw that the same syn- thetic grass was placed in the strip between the sidewalk and the street. One more fantastically fake touch was plastic no- mow along the driveway near the house. Instead of driveway strips of grass, these clever folks had placed greener-than-life carpet strips. SOW THERE! Drought-tolerant gardens around every turn Heather Hacking By Jennifer Cooper Social Security manager in Redding The first typewriter to be commercially success- ful was invented June 23, 1868. One hundred years later, Social Security still used the same technol- ogy to type Social Security cards, envelopes, forms, and applications. This sys- tem required thousands of employees to create, main- tain, transmit, and file the folder for each current and future beneficiary by hand to ensure accurate pay- ments to retirees and dis- ability beneficiaries. Of course, that has all changed with modern com- puters and the Internet. Now, you don't even need to leave the comfort of your home to do the majority of your business with Social Security. Your first step in embracing the future is creating your own, personal my Social Security account. Setting up a my Social Security account is quick, secure, and easy. More than 18 million Americans already have accounts. In fact, someone opens one about every 6 seconds. Join the crowd and sign up to- day at www.socialsecurity. gov/myaccount. With a per- sonalized my Social Secu- rity account, you can: Obtain an instant, per- sonalized estimate of your future Social Security ben- efits; Verify the accuracy of your earnings record — your future benefit amounts are based on your earnings record; Change your address and phone number, if you receive monthly Social Se- curity benefits; Sign up for or change di- rect deposit of your Social Security benefits; Get a replacement SSA- 1099 or SSA-1042S for tax season; and Obtain estimates of the Social Security and Medi- care taxes you've paid. Here are some other things you can do with a few simple key strokes at our website, www.socialse- curity.gov: Apply for retirement, disability, spouses, and Medicare benefits; Check the status of your benefit application; Use our benefit plan- ners to help you better un- derstand your Social Secu- rity options as you plan for your financial future; Request a replacement Medicare card; and Apply for Extra Help with your Medicare pre- scription drug plan costs. Accessing www.socialse- curity.gov on the go is just as easy as it is at home. We've optimized our web- site to function on your desktop computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone. Just look at how far we've come. Those slow days of typewriters are gone. At Social Security, we're em- bracing innovation and seeking new technologies to better serve you. Social Security isn't just prepared for the future; we're pro- tecting your future. Learn more about Social Security by typing www.so- cialsecurity.gov — in your web browser, not on your typewriter. SOCIAL SECURITY Moving from typewriters to megabytes HEATHERHACKING—ENTERPRISE- RECORD This home in Lincoln was recently converted to drought-tolerant plants. PLEASE RECYCLE THIS NEWSPAPER. CNAsPM's $1000 Sign-On Bonus at Red Bluff Health Care Call 527-6232 555 Luther Rd. MeasureQExpenditure Oversight Committee Securing a legacy of open space lands in Santa Clara Valley Thisseven-membercommitteewillprovidepublicoversightfor all funds collected and allocated by Measure Q. Each member will contribute unique talents, including an understanding of budgets and audit reports. As a whole, the committee will represent the vibrant diversity of the Authority's jurisdiction. Annually, the committee will review: 1) the plan expenditures; 2) the annual audit and report prepared by an independent auditor; and 3) will submit an annual oversight report. About Measure Q Measure Q is a $24 parcel tax that provides $7.8 million annually to invest in open space land, public access, recreation and protection of water, wildlife and working lands. Applications are due on July 6, 2015 by 5:00 p.m. To obtain an application, visit openspaceauthority.org or call 408-224-7476 6980 Santa Teresa Blvd. Suite 100 San Jose, CA 95119 Doyoulove nature and numbers? If so, the Expenditure Oversight Committee might be the perfect volunteer role for you! Areyoumelting? Professional Evaporative Cooler Service & Repair 221 3331 Chimneys•AirDucts Swamp Coolers • Dryer Vents Residential & Commercial WhiteGloveChimney.com ChocolateIsn'tHappy InTheDesert NeedaDoctor? Wehavetherightoneforyou. This Complimentary Service... will help you find a doctor who is right for you. 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