Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/536643
Everleavethecoffee pot on overnight only to wake to a blackened, burnt mess? Can't get rid of the gunky buildup in your favor- ite carafe or thermos that you can see, but not reach? Don't toss them out before you try this trick to get them sparkling clean. Dear Mary: I have a big stainless coffee ther- mos. The opening makes it impossible to get in and clean. I have tried baking soda and vinegar, but that hasn't worked to dissolve and remove the buildup of coffee stains. I can look in and see stuff I'd rather not see. How can I clean inside my thermos? Karen Dear Karen: I have the perfect solution: Ice and salt. Fill the thermos about full of pieces of ice just small enough to fit through the opening. Add 3 to 4 tablespoons of ordi- nary table salt depending on the size of the thermos. Apply the lid. Now shake it up, baby! Swirl it round and round, first clock- wise then counter clock- wise, upside-down, up and down. The salt will begin to melt the ice, allowing the pieces to move freely. You'll get a good workout, too! The salt acts like lit- tle nonabrasive sanding blocks. You may have to do this for a few minutes if you have a nasty buildup, repeating as necessary. Rinse well with cool water. This old restaurant trick works with glass coffee ca- rafes and glass-lined ther- moses, too. It's so much fun, I almost look forward to a burned mess in the bottom of our office cof- fee pot so I can amuse and amaze the staff. Dear Mary: My husband contributes 8 percent to his employer's 401(k) plan. Would it be wise to tempo- rarily stop that contribu- tion in that we have about $50,000 unsecured debt? — Debbie Dear Debbie: Yes, but only until your unsecured debts are paid. Putting your hard-earned money at risk is while you are carrying high-interest con- sumer debt is not wise. No matter how you cut it, money in a 401(k) is at risk. But investing in your debt carries no risk and offers a guaranteed rate of return. Here's how that works: Let's say you have a $10,000 revolving credit card balance at 18 percent interest. Each month you are paying $150 in inter- est ($10,000 x 18 percent / 12 = $150). Great Aunt Gertie dies and leaves you $10,000. You can either pay off the debt or invest the money. Let's say you invest it. Things don't go well and you lose some or all of it in the stock market. You still owe that $10,000 on the credit card, and you're still paying $150 interest each month. Now let's say you go the other way and use the money to repay the debt in full. Every month you get to keep the $150 you were sending to the credit card company. That is your guaranteed 18 per- cent return on the $10,000 "investment" you made in your debt. It's a sure thing regardless what happens with the economy. Now that's a good deal! Cau- tion: Even though you stop making contributions for a season, do not cash in his 40l(k) account. The penal- ties and tax consequence are too severe. Dear Mary: It takes about two weeks after I mail my mortgage pay- ment for the check to clear my bank. My sister says my lender is making me pay more interest by delay- ing depositing my check. Is it true? — Mary S. Dear Mary S: No. Your sister may be confusing your mortgage, which is a closed-end contract with an open-end contract like a credit-card account. The law treats the two differ- ently. A closed-end con- tract has a fixed payment schedule. The interest por- tion of your monthly mort- gage payment is the same whether you pay it early or at the last minute. A credit card or revolving open- end contract work differ- ently. Making your pay- ment early allows more of it to go to the principal be- cause interest is figured on the average daily balance. Federal law stated in "The Fair Credit Billing Act" re- quires open-end lenders to credit all payments on the date they're received, unless no extra charges would result if they failed to do so. But with your mortgage payment, it doesn't matter on which day during the month it is processed, provided of course it gets there by the due date. Mary Hunt is the founder of www. DebtProofLiving.com, a personal finance member website. You can email her at mary@ everydaycheapskate. com. EVERYDAYCHEAPSKATE Trythisoldcleaning trick from restaurants Mary Hunt The following summer camps are offered by the Sacramento River Discov- ery Center. Slimy, Slithery & Such: Amphibians & Reptiles camp will have the 6- to 12-year-old campers han- dling the 25-year-old Mo- jave desert kingsnake George. The campers will also have a chance to learn about rattlesnakes from Cody Wills, but they will not be handling the rat- tlers. The campers will have a chance to count the lizards in the garden that are helping keep the insect population under control. The campers will build some toad houses, so the toads in the greenhouse will have better living ac- commodations. There will be lots of different games to play and things to cre- ate during the week of July 6-10. There are only four spaces available for this camp. Beaks, Wings & Feath- ers camp is scheduled for the week of July 13-17 and is the chance for youth spread their wings and learn about winged crea- tures. The guest this week will be a turkey vulture and maybe a smaller bird of prey. Shasta Wildlife Res- cue and Rehabilitation will be visiting with the camp- ers. Campers will go on bird walks and learn to use bin- oculars to see some of the 120 species of birds that live and visit the Recre- ation Area each year. They will decorate paper ostrich eggs, make quail calls, cre- ate life-sized wingspan models among many other activities. There are only four spaces for this camp. Furry, Fuzzy & You: Mammals is the final camp in the regular camp series. There will be an oppor- tunity to learn about ele- phants and the proposed Tembo preserve; build a bat house and learn about the 17 varieties of bats liv- ing in this part of Califor- nia as well as play "blind bat's buff." The campers will have a chance to put together the 15-foot-tall gi- raffe they started last year and learn about both hairy and non-hairy mammals. This camp has room for ten additional campers. All of the above camps cost $60 per camper per week. A family member- ship in the Sacramento River Discovery Center reduces the price to only $50 per camper per week. There are still some schol- arship funds available to assist families that can- not afford the full camp fees. Contact the center for assistance at 527-1196 or bhughessrdc@gmail.com. Camp Director Zach Whitten has decided to provide youth ages 10 to 14 an opportunity to Go With the Flow, a camp that pro- vides lessons in water safety and then a chance to practice on a raft trip on the Sacramento River from Ide Adobe State Park to the center. Other activities will in- clude the building of a cardboard boat, making and learning to read river maps, rowing a rowboat and a canoe, paddling a kayak in the side channel and running a safety ob- stacle course. This camp is scheduled July 24-31. The last camp is more expensive due to the need to rent rafts for the major trip and the extra insur- ance and supplies needed. The cost will be $100 per camper for the week with a $20 deposit before Friday, July 3 to guarantee there will be camp. There is also a limit of 20 students in the 10 to 14 age group. Contact Whitten at teacherwhit- ten@gmail.com for more information. All camps are held at the Sacramento River Discov- ery Center, 1000 Sale Lane, within the Mendocino Na- tional Forest's Red Bluff Recreation Area. Summercampsforkidscontinue COURTESYPHOTO Campers at the Sacramento River Discovery Center. DISCOVERY CENTER RED BLUFF Summer is here and with it comes hot weather and long road trips. The summer heat plays havoc on your vehicle. From your vehicle's tires to its cooling system, mainte- nance is crucial. Old or under-inflated tires is the most common cause of finding yourself stopped on the side of the freeway instead of arriving at your distant destination at a reasonable time. Before your next trip, make sure you check your vehicle's tires for proper inflation, don't forget your spare, check for cracks in the tread and sides and proper tread depth. If you are pulling a trailer don't forget to check those tires as well as condition of the wheel bearings. Make sure you also check your vehicle's cool- ant level and check the ra- diator for obstructions and debris caught in it. Your vehicle's owner's manual should provide you with all the necessary information about your particular ve- hicle, including pictures to help locate items that need regular maintenance. During the summer months don't forget about the smaller passengers in your vehicle. Small chil- dren and pets are not able to regulate their body tem- perature quite the same as adults and the inside of a vehicle heats very rapidly once the engine is turned off and the air conditioning is no longer running. Remember it is illegal to leave small children under the age of six unattended in a vehicle without being su- pervised by person 12 years of age or older. Summer is a great time for getting away and enjoy- ing distant places. Remem- ber to plan accordingly, know your destination and route, and be prepared for heavy traffic if it's a popu- lar destination. CHP Summertime driving tips offered; maintenance crucial Better Business Bureau Looking for an easy way to supplement your income? Don't fall for fake emails that offer to pay you $300 a week for simply wrap- ping your car with a com- pany logo. Howthescamworks You get an email that appears to be from a well- known drink brand. These latest scams use Monster Energy's name, but scam- mers have also imperson- ated brands such as Coca Cola and Heineken. The email claims to be offering you a chance to earn $300 or more a week. All you need to do is wrap your car with the Monster Energy logo and use the ve- hicle for your daily routine. Sounds easy. You reply and are asked to provide contact information and vehicle de- tails. You are also promised an up-front payment. When you receive your check, it's for far more than you were promised. Your new boss instructs you to deposit it and wire the dif- ference to another person. This third party is alleg- edly responsible for design- ing the car wrap. Don't do it. It's a scam, and the check is a fake. If you deposit the check and withdraw the money, you will be respon- sible for the bank's losses. Howtospotajobscam Don't fall for an overpay- ment scam. No legitimate job would ever overpay an employee and ask him wire the money elsewhere. This is a common trick used by scammers. Some positions are more likely to be scams. Always be wary of work from home, secret shopper positions or any job with a generic title, such as administrative as- sistant or customer service representative. These often don't require special train- ing or licensing, so they ap- peal to a wide range of ap- plicants. Scammers know this and use these otherwise legiti- mate titles in their fake ad- vertisements. If a job looks suspicious, search for it online. If the re- sult comes up in many other cities with the exact same job post, it is likely a scam. Also, check the real compa- ny's job page to make sure the position is posted there. To find out more about other scams, check out BBB Scam Stopper (bbb.org/ scam). SCAM ALERT Do n' t fa ll f or c ar w ra pp in g bu si ne ss l og o co n Professional Personal Convenient • Premium Digital Hearing Aids for every budget • FREE hearing evaluations • Service/Repair, all makes and models • Batteries & accessories • Preferred provider for most insurance plans: Including PERS, Carpenters, Blue Cross/ Blue Shield, etc. • Low monthly payment plan available • Trial Period/ Satisfaction Guaranteed AskaboutourOpenFitTechnology Discreet and Comfortable Limited Appointments CALL 1-800-488-9906 Performedforproper amplificationselectiononly. RedBluff Community Center 1500 So. Jackson Wed., July 8, 2015 10:00 am - 3:00 pm www.TehamaCountyRealEstate.com 530529-2700 314 Washington St, Red Bluff, CA (530) 529-1220 100 Jackson St. Red Bluff AquaAerobics Classes BeginJune1st Mon.,Wed.,Fri. 10 to 10:45am Mon., Wed. 5:30 to 6:15pm Monthly pool pass $25 adult $15 child RUNNINGS ROOFING SheetMetalRoofing ResidentialCommercial • Composition • Shingle • Single Ply Membrane Ownerisonsiteoneveryjob ServingTehamaCounty 530-527-5789 530-209-5367 NoMoney Down! "NoJobTooSteep" " No Job Too Flat" FREE ESTIMATES CA. LIC#829089 Smog Check (MOST CARS & PICK-UPS) 527-9841 • 195 S. Main St. starting at $ 29 95 + $ 8 25 certificate All makes and models. We perform dealer recommened 30K 60K 90K Service At Lower Prices. Areyoumelting? Professional Evaporative Cooler Service & Repair 221 3331 Chimneys • Air Ducts Swamp Coolers • Dryer Vents Residential & Commercial WhiteGloveChimney.com ChocolateIsn'tHappy InTheDesert LIFESTYLES » redbluffdailynews.com Thursday, July 2, 2015 MORE ATFACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A4