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Youknowwhattodoin a medical emergency, but do you know what to do when faced with a big fat financial crisis? Dear Mary: Af- ter 10 years of marriage and tons of unwise de- cisions, my husband handed the fi- nances to me to handle. I have never done this be- fore. We have mountains of bills and $900 in the bank. I don't know where to start. Please help me. I feel like I am drowning. — Gladys Dear Gladys: First, you need to separate facts from feelings. There will be a time later to address emotional issues and how to develop financial inti- macy in your marriage. But for now, pack up your feelings and put them on a shelf. Develop a mind- set that you've been called in to perform a finan- cial rescue for a complete stranger. Take a deep breath and write down all of your bills. Include the "bills" for basic food, gasoline and necessary medications, if any, to survive until your next payday. Divide these bills into two lists: Essen- tial and nonessential. An essential expense is a seri- ous obligation that, if not paid, could produce se- vere, even life-threatening consequences. Follow this rule to figure out which bills should get paid first: Do not make payments on nonessential debts or expenses when you have not paid essential ones — even if your nonessential creditors are breathing down your neck. Now prioritize your bills as follows so that the most essential come first. This is the order in which you should allocate the $900 you have on hand. Essential Expenses/ Debts 1. Family necessities. This means basic food, necessary medication and health insurance. 2. Rent or mortgage. Be- ing late with a mortgage payment or rent could mean eviction or foreclo- sure. 3. Utilities. Pay the min- imum required to keep es- sential utility services. 4. Car payments. If a car is necessary to keep a job, the payment is essential. 5. Child support. Paying child support is absolutely essential or you go to jail. 6. Other secured loans. If getting the item repos- sessed would be devastat- ing, pay this bill next. Oth- erwise, consider it nones- sential. 7. Unpaid taxes. If the IRS is about to take your paycheck, bank account, house or other property, you need to set up a repay- ment plan immediately. Nonessential Expenses/ Debts These are bills you can let slide for a while be- cause the effects of not paying will not be devas- tating. You still owe the money; you'll pay late fees and you will damage your credit score. But in the big picture, a blemished credit report is easier to live with than being thrown out of your home or having your car repossessed. 8. Student loans. 9. Credit cards. 10. Personal loans. 11. Medical, legal and accounting bills. 12. Other unsecured debts. Survival mode It's time for your fam- ily to move into survival mode. This means abso- lutely no spending at all for anything that isn't crit- ically essential. Determine that you will live on the food you have in the house already, sup- plementing with milk and produce as necessary. Start planning for ways you can raise cash — a ga- rage sale, working extra hours, selling larger items on eBay and so on. Please read my book, "Debt-Proof Living" as soon as you can (check your local library). Soon you will know how to manage a paycheck. Join us at DebtProofLiving. com. There you will find support, encouragement and friendship with people who understand because they are or have been where you are now. Know- ing you are not alone will give you the hope you need to keep going. I know things look bleak right now. And that will change quickly. Just don't let your emotions run the show. Make deci- sions based on principles, not feelings. Remember tough times never last but tough peo- ple do. MaryHuntisthefounder of www.DebtProofLiving. com, a personal finance member website. 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 Howtohandle a money crisis Mary Hunt ANDERSON Five groups of disadvantaged children from the Red Bluff area will camp at Lassen Vol- canic National Park this summer, thanks to Youth Camping Grants provided by the Lassen Park Foun- dation. The local groups in- clude the Tehama County Mentoring Girls Wilder- ness Team and Mentors & Mentees, Student Support Services, Jackson Heights School and PAL Tehama Wilderness Team. "Nearly $28,000 in grants were awarded to 32 groups this year," said Ex- ecutive Director Kristen Gray. "That's slightly more than last year. For many of the 336 kids given these trips, it will be their first and perhaps the only time they go camping in their childhood." Children benefitting from the grants include battered and abused teens for whom camping often has a life-changing benefi- cial effect, Gray said. "At the national park they see truly amazing things and do things they never imagined they'd do," Gray said. "Camping helps build their self-confidence, independence, pride of ac- complishment and a love of the outdoors. There's just nothing like it for these kids." In some instances, the children on these trips are homeless or live in the in- ner city and have never gone camping. "For them, Lassen and its volcanoes make geol- ogy real," Gray said. "The park's clear mountain sky reveals the heavens and the wonder of astronomy. They would never experience such things, if it weren't for this program." The foundation has is- sued Youth Camping Grants to not-for-profit youth organizations and schools for many years. The purpose is to provide disadvantaged children equal access to the natu- ral wonders of Lassen Vol- canic National Park. Trans- portation, food and equip- ment costs or rental are underwritten for three- to five-day trips to the park. "Group leaders must only demonstrate that their kids need financial support and we try to help," Gray said. "The youth groups camp at the park's Crags group campsite. They are required to organize their trip and provide adult su- pervision and insurance. Other than that, it's a no- strings grant." This summer, youth groups will be traveling to Lassen from communi- ties across north-central California and Nevada, in- cluding Sacramento, Elk Grove, Reno, Orland, Para- dise, Amador County, Red- ding, Taylorsville, Napa, Red Bluff, Jackson, Her- long, Chico, Plumas Lake, Doyle and Susanville. The Lassen Park Foun- dation is a 501 (c) 3 non- profit organization the pur- pose of which is to provide philanthropic support to preserve and interpret the natural and cultural re- sources of Lassen Volcanic National Park and its en- virons, for present and fu- ture generations. Areas of focus include youth pro- grams, enhanced interpre- tive and educational activi- ties, trail restoration, wild- life research and cultural resource development. To apply for a Youth Camping Grant or for more information about the foundation, call (530) 898- 9309 or visit www.lassen- parkfoundation.org. LASSEN FOUNDATION Ki ds t o ha ve o nc e- in -a -l if et im e cam pi ng e xp er ie nc e COURTESYPHOTO Whittenberg Country School students. The inaugural Old Time Country Fair will be a free event for the whole family 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at Ridgeway Park west of Red Bluff. The fair will feature fair- type foods, carnival-style games, water games, farm animals and various booths with a variety of vendors. There will be information about summer camps and other programs for children at a number of the booths, such as the booths for the Sacramento River Discov- ery Center and the Tehama County Library. There will be a book give- away, for the first 200 chil- dren in attendance, thanks to a generous grant from the Rolling Hills Casino Community Development Foundation. The Old Time Country Fair will be an annual fun- draiser that supports book purchases and student scholarships at Whitten- berg Country School, a pri- vate K-8 school. The school will have several booths at the fair, with information about the school, its sum- mer theater program and its summer space science program. For more information, send an email to whitten- bergcountryschool@gmail. com or visit facebook.com/ whittenbergcountryschool. RIDGEWAY PARK Old Time Country Fair set for Saturday By Verda Mackay Correspondent CHICO Most people know the story of the ugly duck- ling, which was turned into a beautiful swan. The North State Sym- phony has proven that ugly can become beautiful with its annual fundraiser Fru- gal House. June 19 and 20 will mark the seventh year of this event, which raises more funds for the North State Symphony than other ef- forts. Since people can pur- chase much of the decora- tions, Frugal House has be- come a summer shopping tradition in Chico. A Frugal House features the donated work of local professional and amateur decorators, with help from Chico State University inte- rior design students. They work together to furnish and decorate a Chico house with donated items. The North State Sym- phony orchestra was cre- ated in 2001 with the merger of the Chico and Redding symphonies. The orchestra functions as a program within Chico State's College of Human- ities and Fine Arts. The symphony includes professional musicians, faculty and students from Chico State and other skilled artists. In addition to the university admin- istrative and production support, financial support comes from community leaders who serve on the Board of Directors, Board of Regents and members of the music-loving com- munities. For information, contact the North State Symphony at 898-5984 or email sym- phony@csuchico.edu. NORTH STATE SYMPHONY Symphony scores with Frugal House fundraiser NEW ARRIVALS Areyoumelting? Professional Evaporative Cooler Service & Repair 221 3331 Chimneys•AirDucts Swamp Coolers • Dryer Vents Residential & Commercial WhiteGloveChimney.com ChocolateIsn'tHappy InTheDesert LIFESTYLES » redbluffdailynews.com Thursday, June 11, 2015 MORE ATFACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A4