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It'snoteasybeinga consumer these days. In fact, it can be downright confusing because of all the payment choices. First, you have your cash, your checkbook, credit and debit cards. And then you have de- ferred bill- ing, skip-a-payment, noth- ing down, no payments and/or zero interest till the next decade. See? Confu- sion, pure and simple. Prehistoric consum- ers had it easy. Just one choice: chickens. They traded poultry for things they needed. The rules were simple: No fowl? No food, fuel, fun or futons for that matter. Then, along came the invention of currency and that gave consum- ers a second choice — one that caught on quickly, since folding a chicken to fit neatly into one's wallet was rather messy. A third option was both the day some unknown re- tailer came up with a pay- ment plan, surely named in memory of the good ol' chicken days: Layaway. You may be wondering what happened to layaway, anyway! Not that long ago, every major retail store in the country allowed customers to buy merchandise on lay- away. The item was placed in the back room and cus- tomers could take all the time they needed to pay it off ... interest free. And when they made the last payment, they took the item home. Layaway was simpler, and more upfront than credit card purchasing; There was a start and a finish. There was delayed gratification as well as a sense of responsibility and anticipation. With layaway, there were no surprises. Without much notice, layaway programs started to disappear in the 1980s. Jumping on the consumer credit bandwagon, retail- ers convinced consum- ers it was better to take everything home right away, avoid those annoy- ing progress payments and then commence to pay for the next 15 or 20 years. Re- tailers did such a good job of convincing that layaway plans all but disappeared. You'll be happy to know that a good number of your favorite national chain stores have reintro- duced layaway: • Toys R Us/Babies R Us • GameStop • Kmart • Sears • Walmart • Burlington Coat Fac- tory/Baby Depot • Marshalls • T.J. Maxx • eLayaway (Online only) While cash up front will always be the best choice, in your columnist's hum- ble opinion, making pay- ments on layaway is much better than making pay- ments on a credit card ac- count because: 1. The store keeps the items until they are paid in full. No debt is in- curred. 2. There are no inter- est charges, although some stores have a small lay- away service fee and a re- stocking fee if you cancel. 3. Typically, the cus- tomer is protected if the item goes on sale during the layaway period and the price of the time is re- duced accordingly. 4. There is no legal obli- gation. If you change your mind, you get a refund. To avoid misunder- standings, get specific in- formation about a store's layaway terms before you participate. Ask for a writ- ten description of the store's plan and read it be- fore you agree to a layaway purchase. No matter how you choose to do your gift shopping in the com- ing year, make sure you start early. And pay as you go with cash or lay- away, which remains just slightly more convenient than chickens. 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 Pay-as-you-goisagreatwaytogo This holiday season Cal Fire Ishi, Salt Creek and Valley View conservation camps presented patients of St. Elizabeth Commu- nity Hospital with hand- made ornaments. The ornaments were pre- sented by Capt. Felix Ber- bena along with inmate firefighter residents of Ishi Conservation Camp and were delivered throughout the hospital. "The ornaments bring such light and joy, espe- cially during this time of year," sid Amy Gonczeruk, marketing manager if St. Elizabeth Community Hos- pital. "It was a real treat to have the fire captain and his crew deliver the ornaments themselves." ISHI CAMP CONTRIBUTEDPHOTO Capt. Felix Berbena and inmate firefighter residents of Ishi Conservation Camp are pictured with Kristin Gray, of Mercy Foundation North. Inmates spread holiday cheer The Westside Fire Re- covery Project County Roadside Hazard Tree Re- moval Record of Decision (ROD) was signed Dec. 23 and addresses the re- moval of roadside hazard trees along the Sawyers Bar Road. The Westside Fires oc- curred in the summer of 2014. Over the past year fire-killed and fire-dam- aged trees have continued to deteriorate. The dam- aged trees' root systems are compromised, making the trees more prone to falling. Tree tops and small dead trees have also begun to de- teriorate and break. Some trees have already fallen. With the onset of win- ter and anticipated win- ter storm events, the prob- ability increases that haz- ard trees may fall and block the roadway or strike a ve- hicle. Hazard trees along the Sawyers Bar Road pose an immediate and unnec- essary risk to motorists uti- lizing the road and to resi- dents or emergency person- nelwhodepend ontheroad for access. Sawyers Bar Road is a primary travel corridor that provides public ac- cess to the communities of Sawyers Bar and Forks of the Salmon, California. The road provides critical access for residents, visi- tors and emergency per- sonnel. Sawyers Bar Road serves as a primary evacu- ation route for these com- munities. Work is expected to be- gin in early January on National Forest System lands adjacent to 11.2 miles (536 acres) of Sawyers Bar Road. This includes some 1.9 miles (95 acres) of con- centrated hazard trees and approximately 9.3 miles (441 acres) of scattered hazard trees. KLAMATH FOREST Em er ge nc y de ci si on issued for tree removal Mary Hunt PLEASE RECYCLE THIS NEWSPAPER. Lariat Bowl Per Person Make your reservation today 9:30PM-12:30AM UNLIMITEDBOWLING Food Specials & Bar Specials Limited to the first 96 participants. Payment due by Dec. 29 to reserve spot. $14/person after Dec. 29. $5 cover charge for non bowlers. 530.527.2720 • 365 S. Main St., Red Bluff 527-2151 FAX 527-3719 545DIAMONDAVE., RED BLUFF TheDailyNewsofficewill CLOSE AT NOON Thurs., Dec. 24 & Dec. 31 CLOSED Christmas Day, Fri, Dec. 25 New Years Day, Fri, Jan. 1 Retailadvertisingdeadlineforthese editions is Tuesday, 10AM Classified deadline Wednesday, 10AM Regular Haircut $ 2 00 off KWIK KUTS FamilyHairSalon 1064SouthMainSt.,RedBluff•529-3540 ANY RETAIL PRODUCT 20 % off withanychemicalserviceof $50 or more Notgoodwithotheroffers Expires 1/31/16 With coupon Reg. $13.95 Round Up Saloon Round Up Saloon 610WashingtonSt. (530) 527-9901 Come join us for BBQ & Football on Sunday's LIVE MUSIC CALL FOR DATES 736-1389 632 Main Street, Red Bluff RagzToRiches 20% off Selected Items (Must present coupon) Unique Seasonal Gifts Handcrafted Items C O U P O N C O U P O N 530-526-9887 645 Antelope Blvd. • Suite 8 Red Bluff, Ca 96080 www.countrycaninedayspa.com info@countrycaninedayspa.com Professional Groomer for 10 years, serving Tehama County and surrounding areas Country Canine Luxury Day Spa We care for the whole dog JuliFoster ExclusiveAgent 250 Walnut Street Red Bluff, CA 96080 Office 530-527-5534 Cell 530-339-1595 Fax 530-527-4808 julifoster@allstate.com CA Insurance License Number OD41159 24-Hour Customer Service Water Truck Service from Walberg, Inc. We'lldeliverwatertoyourtank,wateryourroadsfordustcontrol, or water your plants. We're here for all of your Water Truck needs. OpenMondaythroughFriday8:00amto5:00pm. Call us today @ (530) 824-0773 or (530) 567-6246 Topsoil from Red Truck Rock Yard LLC !!! • Standard Blends • Premium Blends • Special Blends • Also Available: Mushroom Compost Mulch • Worm Castings Open Monday through Friday 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. We'llalsodeliverstraighttoyou. Call us today @ (530) 824-2418 Now Selling Locally Handmade Christmas Ornaments HUGE Selection of New & Used Musical Instruments & Accessories BEST PRICES OF THE YEAR! 413WalnutStreet•530-528-8000 Sat.-Mon. 10am-4pm • Tues-Fri 10am-5:30pm Se Habla Español www.redbluffgoldexchange.com www.angelsamongusall.com ServingOurCommunityForOver21Years LIFESTYLES » redbluffdailynews.com Tuesday, December 29, 2015 » MORE ATFACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A5