Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/639204
Lastyear,readersMitch and Jenn had a string of bad luck. Mitch broke his leg in a ski- ing acci- dent. Jenn's car broke down requir- ing major re- pairs. And their home's aged roof de- cided to fail right in the midst of a ma- jor storm. The timing for all of this wasn't ideal: three weeks before Christmas. The fi- nancial and emotional tolls were huge, but noth- ing like they might have been if these folks hadn't been diligently building their Contingency Fund: a pool of money every family needs when facing a dire emergency. Mitch's health insur- ance covered most of the costs of his surgery and follow-up therapy. Still they had to come up with more than $2,400 to cover his deductible, co-pays and prescriptions. The car repairs were just shy of $2,700 — not surprising, given their Subaru's age and 140,000 miles. It was the roof that re- ally threw them for a loop. The estimate to repair it — with no assurance that said repairs would last for longer than a few months — was $750, with a new roof coming in at $12,000. Because the roof was so old and failed because of its age, not because of the storm, their claim was de- nied. Suddenly, their healthy $18,000 Contingency Fund (CF) didn't look quite as massive as it had only days earlier. All of these financial emergencies were of top priority. None could be ig- nored. The medical bills and car repairs reduced Mitch and Jenn's CF to about $12,500. They opted to go for the roof repair of $750 to buy themselves time to save for a new roof. So far the roof repairs are holding well. They've had time to get additional estimates, and it looks like the cost will be closer to $10,000, which, given the circumstances, comes as good news. Mitch and Jenn are crash=saving so that when they replace the roof this summer, the cost will not deplete their CF. And they're committed to con- tinue saving like that to restore their CF back to $18,000 by year's end. Now, I'm going to pre- dict what the major- ity of readers are think- ing: Sure, Mitch and Jenn are wealthy, so of course they have money to save. Or: They're lucky because they have two incomes; we have only one. Or: Must be nice, but what about those of us who are unem- ployed, unhealthy, deeply in debt or (insert excuse of choice here)? Trust me on this: You are not alone in thinking you do not have enough money to save some of it. A recent study by the Credit Union National As- sociation revealed that only 43 percent of women overall reported having an emergency fund compared with 63 percent of men. The gap was even wider between women and men age 55 to 64. Just 58 per- cent of women in that age group had an emergency fund, while 82 percent of men did. I find this disturbing. Emergency savings are es- pecially critical in your 50s or 60s, when life can really throw you a curve- ball, from losing a job to unforeseen home repairs. As long as you see build- ing your Contingency Fund as optional, there will always be something more pressing to take pri- ority. You must stop see- ing this as something op- tional. Financial emergen- cies are coming at you, you can count on that, and you'd better believe they'll arrive sooner than later. Start small. While you need a big, healthy Con- tingency Fund (equal to at least six months' living ex- penses), do not focus on that big number. Start by saving $500. Then set your goal to make it $1,000. Now you're on your way. You're catching the sav- ings bug. Soon you will reach $2,500. Then $5,000 will be in view. Get started. Soon you'll discover that worry-free is the way to be. Would you like to send 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 Worry-free is way to be Gleaners will distribute food as follows in February: Corning, 8 a.m. to noon, Wednesday, Feb. 17, Corning Senior Center, 1015 Fourth Ave. Red Bluff, 8 a.m. to noon, Wednesday, Feb. 17, Food Bank, 20699 Walnut St. Rancho Tehama, noon to 2 p.m., Monday, Feb. 15, Recreation Center. Los Molinos, 9 a.m. to noon, Tuesday, Feb. 16, Ma- sonic Hall, 25020 Tehama Vina Road. Paynes Creek, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 12, at 30100 State Route 36E. Ponderosa Sky Ranch, 2-6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 13, at 18889 Juniper Ave. Manton, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 13, at 31555 Forward Road. All other sites in the county will be at the usual times and places. Applications for food bank cards may be on the day of giveaway. Bring large paper or plastic bags if pos- sible. New applicants please bring Rent Receipt, PG&E bill or something with a physical address. All income must be re- ported. Income is gross monthly per household not net. Only one card will be issued per household. GLEANERS Food distribution schedule Mary Hunt Los Molinos Unified School District recently broke ground on a new greenhouse at Los Moli- nos High School. "The current green- house is well past its ex- pected life and we need ad- ditional space for our ag- riculture classes and FFA project," said Principal Cliff Curry. The District is plan- ning on a state-of-the art greenhouse that is more than 50 percent larger than the existing struc- ture. In addition, the new greenhouse will have greatly improved heat- ing, cooling and a "solar curtain" to better man- age heat and sunlight. "The new greenhouse will enable us to greatly improve our plant science, ornamental horticulture and other classes," said agriculture teacher Katie Tenneson. "Also, we will have the room for FFA stu- dents to engage in special projects." While the need for an improved facility was clear, funding was not. "We really didn't have the money for this project right now," Superintendent Charles Ward said, "but the need was just too great and we decided to under- take a major fundraising and grant-writing effort to make it possible. With the generous donations of labor, equipment and ex- pertise from business, we knew it was time to begin work." Board Trustee Patrick Andersen has been a lead- ing force in soliciting do- nations of funds and labor. "As an LMHS graduate, former FFA student and as someone who works in the agricultural industry, this project is very important to me," Andersen said. Fundraising efforts have included soliciting dona- tions from vendors that do business with the district, from alumni, local commu- nity members and by ap- plying for grants. "The district contacted all alumni for whom we have an address, and the response has been phe- nomenal," Curry said. A brick sponsorship program, that starts at $50 and includes an en- graved brick that will be part of the walkway to the new greenhouse, has been particularly suc- cessful. The groundbreaking was made possible by the generous donation of labor and equipment from BCM Construction and Walberg, Inc. They have removed as- phalt from an old, unused tennis court and will be doing most of the site prep- aration. "We still need to raise more funds, but we feel confident enough about our efforts so far to begin the work with donated la- bor," said Board President Jill Botts. "I'm sure that by the time school starts in August, the school will have a fine new green- house to support our ag- ricultural education pro- gram." In addition to donations from BCM Construction and Walberg, Inc., Foot- hill Ready-Mix is donating concrete and other mate- rial and Patterson Electric is donating labor to com- plete the electrical work. Anyone interested in learning more about the greenhouse project or making a donation can contact Los Molinos High School or visit www.lmhs- greenhouseproject.com. School breaks ground on greenhouse SACRAMENTO The Bu- reau of Reclamation and the Tehama-Colusa Canal Authority have released for public comment an Environmental Assess- ment and Initial Study and draft Mitigated Neg- ative Declaration on the effects of proposed water transfers from willing sell- ers to buyers in the Sacra- mento Valley. This EA/IS analyzes transfers of Base Supply, Central Valley Project wa- ter, and non-CVP water supplies that require the use of CVP facilities. The CVP transfer water would be made available through a combination of cropland idling and/or groundwater substitution. The transfers could originate in Colusa, Glenn, Sacramento, Shasta, Sutter, Tehama or Yolo counties, and buy- ers could be located in Colusa, Glenn, Tehama or Yolo counties. The EA/IS was prepared in accordance with the Na- tional Environmental Pol- icy Act and the Califor- nia Environmental Qual- ity Act. The document is avail- able for review at http:// w w w. u s b r . g o v / m p / nepa/nepa_projdetails. cfm?Project_ID=24324. If you encounter problems accessing documents on- line, call the Public Affairs Office at 916-978-5100 or write to mppublicaffairs@ usbr.gov. Comments are due by close of business Mon- day, March 7. Send com- ments to Brad Hubbard, Bureau of Reclamation, 2800 Cottage Way, MP- 410, Sacramento, 95825, fax to 916-978-5290 or write to bhubbard@usbr. gov. For additional informa- tion or to request a copy of the documents, call 916- 978-5204 (TDD 800-877- 8339). WATER Environmental documents released on transfers It's the middle of winter and, for much of the US and Canada, that means high heating bills. Scam- mers know this, and they are tempting homeowners with a "free energy audit." Howthescamworks You get a call or a knock on the door from someone claimingtoprovide"freeen- ergy audits." They may ap- pear to represent your util- ity company or local gov- ernment. In either case, the scammerwantstocomeinto yourhome,lookaround,and identify ways for you to save on your utility bills. Don't let them in. The "energy audit" is really a set up for another scam; the actual con varies. In one version, scammers claimed after the audit that homeowners were eligible for government rebates or programs, a common scam where victims are asked to pay upfront for a non-exis- tent grant. Other times, the "en- ergy audit" is part of a high pressure sales technique, which tricks homeowners into purchasing marked up products, such as a $4,000 solar blanket or shoddy construction work. Localgas,water,andelec- triccompaniesdosometimes contact their customers by phone. It can be difficult to tell a scammer from a real agent. Here are some tips: Never allow anyone into your home to check electri- calwiring,naturalgaspipes or appliances unless you have scheduled an appoint- mentorreportedaproblem. Ask utility employees for proper identification. Make sure their ID card matches their story and uniform. Prepaid debit cards are a red flag. If a caller spe- cifically asks you to pay by prepaid debit card or wire transfer, this is a huge warning sign. Your util- ity company will accept a check or credit card. Don't cave to pressure to pay immediately. If you feel pressured for immediate payment or personal infor- mation, hang up the phone and call the customer ser- vice number on your util- ity bill. SCAM ALERT Energy audit con promises savings, fools homeowners COURTESYPHOTO FFA students from Los Molinos High School hold a banner announcing a new greenhouse, standing in front of the site where it will be built. LOS MOLINOS HIGH "The new greenhouse will enable us to greatly improve our plant science, ornamental horticulture and other classes." — Agriculture teacher Katie Tenneson (530) 529-1220 100 Jackson St. Red Bluff $ 50 .00 No Enrollment Fee with ACH sign up monthly COUPLE SPECIAL Coupleconsistsof spouse, significant other, or child under the age of 20. Any children added to that is only $10.00 a month. 530-528-8000 BridalJewelry WeddingServices TravelingAura CameraforShowers &Parties Gold Exchange LetThe Romance Begin... 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