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Ifyouweretobehit with a major economic cri- sis right now, would you be pre- pared? The vast major- ity of Amer- icans ad- mit they'd be in deep trouble. The sad truth is that most Ameri- cans are theoretically just one paycheck away from the street. Approximately 62 percent have no emer- gency savings. Nothing in the bank. Nada. Zilch. Why aren't people sav- ing? They don't believe they make enough to keep current on their debt, pay the rent, keep food on the table, gas in the car — and come out with anything left to save. While all of this is cer- tainly plausible, another statistic kind of blows a hole in that argument: 70 percent of Americans spend $18 per week eating lunch out twice a week. At $9 per day, that's $936 a year! And for those who eat lunch out five days a week the number jumps to $2,340 per year. Lunch may well be eating a huge hole in their finances. The solution is not hard to figure out. Tak- ing your lunch to work or school could easily recover $2,500 per year for sav- ings, if we consider at least 2.5 lunch-eating people per household. And every time you are strategic with using last night's leftovers to make today's lunch, you'll be saving even more. (Who says there's no such thing as a free lunch?) The biggest hurdle for many of us may well be psychological rather than practical. No one wants to look like a nerd at the of- fice. And not everyone is intuitively creative with loading up a brown bag with something that will be close to appealing come lunchtime. It does require a bit of planning and a rigid commitment to a plan. The secret is to make it a rigid behavior long enough until it becomes a habit — a habit that will increase your bottom line. CALCULATE. Need more proof that taking your lunch to work will pay off big? The Brown Bag Lunch Money Sav- ings Calculator will do just that. Check it out. (It's free.) REUSABLE TRANS- PORTS. While the tradi- tional brown bag will hold the average sized lunch, it's not protective, it's not insulated and it's a sin- gle-use proposition. To af- firm your commitment to packing your lunch for the office or school, I rec- ommend you invest a few bucks in a functional and also attractive lunchbox or bag. I've had a Freddie and Sebbie black-and-white polka dot lunch bag for a while now, and I love it. It's just the perfect size, made of neoprene (a great insulator), has a zipper top and cleans up like a dream. I wash it in the sink like I'd wash any food container and set it upside down on the counter to dry. This bag would make a great gift for any work- ing gal or student. Seri- ously cute, too. Of all the lunch trans- ports for my male read- ers and their sons, I would recommend the Hango in- sulated lunchbox cooler set in the black option. And it's really great in pink for ladies and girls. This set of two lunchboxes (one large and one a bit smaller) fold up for easy storage. You can eat your lunch, fold up the bag and put it in your handbag, book bag or briefcase. Hand wash- able, too. MOTIVATIONAL RE- SOURCES. If you could use some motivation, instruc- tions and fabulous ideas for making really great lunches for kids, students and adults, too, check out these resources: "What Are You Doing for Lunch?" by Mona Meighan (Book Publishers Network, 2012; $12). This helpful book approaches the sub- ject of from a nutritional viewpoint and is packed with ideas and specific in- structions for packing healthy lunches that will appeal to all ages and spe- cific tastes. Included with great nutritional informa- tion are cost comparisons and potential savings. "Beating the Lunch- box Blues: Fresh Ideas for Lunches on the Go," by J.M. Hirsch (Rachael Ray Books, 2013; $12). You'll find some recipes in this book, but mostly you're go- ing to find fun ideas that can be combined in end- less ways (depending on what you have on hand) to make a delicious lunch. Presents tons of ideas for kids' food and grown- up lunches, too. One sec- tion of the book has reci- pes for family dinners that can become the foundation for packed lunches the next day. What a great idea. For more information on the lunch bags, calcula- tor, and books mentioned above please visit www. everydaycheapskate.com/ lunchbag. 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 Don't let lunch eat a hole in your future Mary Hunt By David Sayen When you shop for a new car, you don't just buy the first one you see, right? Of course not. You shop around, looking for the best deal you can get on a vehicle that fits your driv- ing needs as well as your pocketbook. Well, it's the time of year when you should think about shopping for a Medi- care health or drug plan. Medicare open enroll- ment period begins Oct. 15 and runs through Dec. 7. If you have Original Medicare, meaning that you can choose any doctor or hospital that accepts Medicare, you don't need to think about open enroll- ment. But if you have a Medi- care Advantage (Part C) health plan, or a Medi- care (Part D) prescrip- tion drug plan, you may want to see if there's a new plan on the mar- ket that would be a bet- ter match for you, at a lower price. If you're enrolled in a plan already and you're happy with it, you don't need to do anything. But Medicare health and drug plans — which are run by private insurers under contract to Medicare — can change from year to year. A plan can raise its monthly premium or drop a medicine that you need. So it makes good sense to review your cover- age each year. Make sure your plan still is a good fit for you in terms of cost, coverage, and quality. If it isn't, look for another plan. During open enroll- ment, you can sign up for a Medicare Advantage health plan or Part D pre- scription drug plan, or switch from one plan to another. Your new cover- age will take effect Jan. 1, 2016. How do you shop for a new plan? There are several ways to do that. One is the "Medicare & You" handbook, which is mailed each fall to every Medicare household in the country. This booklet lists all the Medicare Ad- vantage and Part D drug plans that are available where you live, along with basic information such as premiums, deductibles, and contact information. There's also the Medi- care Plan Finder, at the www.Medicare.gov web- site. Look for a green button that says, "Find health & drug plans." By clicking on that and plugging in your zip code, you'll be able to see all of the Medicare Ad- vantage and Part D plans available in your area. You can compare them based on benefits, premiums, co- pays, and estimated out-of- pocket costs. Contact in- formation for the plans is listed. If you don't have ac- cess to a computer, call 1-800-MEDICARE (1- 800-633-4227). Our cus- tomer service represen- tatives can help you with questions about Medicare health and drug plans. The call is free. Another very help- ful resource is Califor- nia's Health Insurance Counseling and Advo- cacy Program, or HI- CAP. California HICAP is an independent, non- profit organization that provides free, personal- ized counseling to peo- ple with Medicare. You can make an appoint- ment to speak with a HICAP counselor either in-person or over the phone. HICAP counselors are well-trained volunteers who often are enrolled in Medicare themselves, so they know the issues. They can help you sort through the many health and drug plans on the market and pick one that's right for you. To contact HICAP, call 800-434-0222. If you're enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan as of Jan. 1, 2016 but you're not satisfied with it, you have a 45-day window to dis-enroll. Be- tween Jan. 1 and Feb. 14, 2016, you can drop your plan and return to Orig- inal Medicare. You can also sign up for a Part D drug plan during that time. Having trouble paying for your Part D plan? You may be eligible for the Ex- tra Help program, which helps cover your premi- ums, deductibles, and co- pays. Medicare beneficia- ries typically save about $4,000 annually with Ex- tra Help. For more informa- tion on Extra Help, go to www.SSA.gov/prescrip- tionhelp. David Sayen is Medicare's regional administrator for Arizona, California, Nevada, Hawaii, and the Pacific Territories. You can always get answers to your Medicare questions by calling 1-800-MEDICARE (1- 800-633-4227). SENIORS Medicareopenenrollmentseasonishere A Red Bluff orchard owner, a women's do- nor circle and several in- dividuals donated a total of $116,000 to St. Eliza- beth Community Hospital to purchase special equip- ment for three ambu- lances. The devices, called LifePak 15s, are used in- side ambulances to act as a defibrillator and can monitor a patient's carbon monoxide levels, said Jason Swann, man- ager of ground ambu- lance and emergency ser- vices for Dignity Health. The LifePak 15 collects vital information about the patient's heart and electronically sends the data to the emergency room physicians, who then give the paramed- ics instructions as they transport the patient to the hospital. "These are essential tools for paramedics," Swann said. "They allow for rapid decision making and destination consider- ations for patients still in the field, which helps us provide the best care to our patients." Rose Crain, owner of Haleakala Ranch, do- nated funds to purchase the fourth LifePak moni- tor. The Catherine McAu- ley Circle, which is a wom- en's donor circle affiliated with Mercy Foundation North, and several pri- vate individuals donated funds for the first three LifePaks. The hospital is consider- ing whether there is a need for additional monitors. The cost of one monitor is $29,000. "We rely on the sup- port of our community and individuals such as Rose Crain to help fund St. Elizabeth Community Hospital so we can offer the best health care pos- sible in Tehama County," said Maggie Redmon, president of Mercy Foun- dation North. The foun- dation serves as the phil- anthropic arm of St. Elizabeth, Mercy Medi- cal Center Redding and Mercy Medical Center Mt. Shasta. "We very much appreci- ate the donations from the Catherine McAuley Circle and other community in- dividuals who recognized our great need and said 'let us help,'" Redmon said. ST. ELIZABETH Donations help to equip ambulances CORNING Lucero Olive Oil celebrated National 4-H Week by presenting checks to Corning 4-H and Olive 4-H Friday at its mill in Corning. Liz Tagami, general manager, said the do- nation is part the com- pany's "A Gallon for You: A Future for Oth- ers" program, which was implemented No- vember 2014. "When a gallon of our Five-Star Blend extra vir- gin olive oil is purchased," Tagami said, "Lucero Ol- ive Oil sets aside $5 to support local agricultural education programs. We believe donations like this will seed our agricultural system, which is impor- tant to a local company in a farm-based commu- nity." The company is no stranger to 4-H; four of its employees partic- ipated in 4-H when they were younger and have expressed what a life- changing experience club activities were for them. 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After a complete set of x-rays, comprehensive exam and cleaning are completed Insuranceiswelcome 445 Elm Street, Red Bluff, CA • 530-527-2877 Mon.-Thurs. 8am-5pm Cosmetic&GeneralFamilyDentistry DR. WILLEM S.C. VAN OPIJNEN 736-1389 632 Main Street, Red Bluff RagzToRiches Upscale Resale Boutique Unique Seasonal Gifts Handcrafted Items $28 A Month Offer Expires 10-31-2015 Call for details (530) 529-1220 100 Jackson St. Red Bluff www.TehamaCountyRealEstate.com 530529-2700 314 Washington St, Red Bluff, CA LIFESTYLES » redbluffdailynews.com Thursday, October 15, 2015 MORE ATFACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A4