Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/641967
DEARMARY Ifollowed your suggestion to track our family spending for 30 days. I am so embarrassed to admit that our fam- ily of four spent nearly $385 on fast food in one month. I thought I kept track of all our ex- penses but hadn't even thought of tracking fast food spending. I know we have to stop eating out so much because we need that money for other things. But I'm a terri- ble cook and don't know where to start. Help! — Claudia DEAR CLAUDIA I can iden- tify. When our two boys were young I believe we ate out for at least one meal every day. That re- ally adds up. Here's the so- lution that turned things around for me. Create one meal from scratch that your family loves. Make it over and over until you perfect it and can cook it from memory. Then, cre- ate a second meal and per- fect that one. Before you know it you'll be eating fabulous cheap meals at home and saving a bundle. This will also do wonders for your family life. Here's a fast, delicious and fool- proof recipe that I suggest you try first in your new repertoire: Blastedchicken Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. You'll need one whole thawed 3 to 3.5 pound chicken (I get mine for 97 cents per pound) and salt and pep- per. Remove the giblets from the cavity (these can be set aside to be used another time). Rinse the chicken thoroughly inside and out, then pat it dry with a paper towel. Set it in a baking dish (on a rack in a baking dish if you have one) with the breast side up. Do not tuck in the wings or tie the legs together. Sprin- kle salt and pepper liber- ally inside and out. Bake at 450 degrees for 45 minutes. Don't even think about opening that oven door to peek or you'll blow the results. Re- move and let sit for a few minutes. Cut apart with kitchen shears or a sharp knife. If your chicken is larger than 3.5 pounds, bake it for a few minutes longer. Sensational rice Remove the outside lay- ers from one onion and chop the onion into small pieces. Heat two table- spoons of vegetable oil in a skillet and saute the on- ion on medium heat until soft. Add 1 cup of any raw rice — it MUST be raw, not precooked or minute rice. Saute the rice in the pan with the onion until the rice begins to brown, stirring constantly (about 10 minutes). Be care- ful not to burn. Add 2 cups of canned chicken broth, 1.5 teaspoons of salt, and pepper to taste. Reduce the heat to sim- mer, cover and cook for about 20 minutes. This recipe serves 4- to 6 peo- ple. Hint: If you begin cooking the rice right af- ter you put the chicken in the oven, they will be done at the same time. Serve the chicken and rice with a simple tossed green salad and warm bread. This meal is sure to please even the most picky eater. This meal is so great that you could fix it once a week for the rest of your life and never tire of it. It's quick, easy and healthy. And did I say cheap? I make this meal to serve six people for less than $5, and I do it all the time (I just checked and I have seven chickens in my freezer!) My family, friends and office staff think I am a gourmet genius. Please don't blow my se- cret. 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. EVERYDAY CHEAPSKATE You can be a good cook — yes, you can The Earned Income Tax Credit has helped workers with low and moderate in- comes get a tax break for 40 years. Yet, one out of every five eligible workers fails to claim it. Here are some things you should know about this valuable credit. Review your eligibility. If you worked and earned un- der $53,267, you may qual- ify for EITC. If your income or family situation has changed, you should review the EITC eligibility rules. You might qualify for EITC this year even if you didn't in the past. If you qualify for EITC you must file a federal income tax return and claim the credit to get it. This is true even if you are not otherwise required to file a tax return. Don't guess about your EITC el- igibility. Use the EITC As- sistant tool. (www.irs.gov/ Credits-&-Deductions/In- dividuals/Earned-Income- Tax-Credit/Use-the-EITC- Assistant) on IRS.gov. The tool can help you find out if you qualify for the credit. It can also estimate the amount of your EITC. Know the Rules. You need to understand the rules before you claim the EITC, to be sure you qualify. It's important that you get this right. Here are some factors you should consider: If you are married and file a separate return you do not qualify for EITC. YoumusthaveaSocialSe- curity number that is valid for employment for yourself, your spouse, if married, and any qualifying child listed on your tax return. You must have earned income. Earned income in- cludes earnings from work- ing for someone else or working for yourself. You may be married or single, with or without chil- dren to qualify. If you don't have children, you must also meet age, residency and dependency rules. If you have a child who lived with you for more than six months of 2015, the child must meet age, residency, relationship and the joint return rules to qualify. If you are a member of the U.S. Armed Forces serv- ing in a combat zone, spe- cial rules apply. Lower your tax or get a re- fund.If you qualify forEITC, you could pay less federal tax, no tax or even get a re- fund. EITC could be worth up to $6,242. The average credit was $2,447 last year. Use Free Services. If you do your own taxes, the best way to file your return to claimEITCistouseIRSFree File. Free brand-name soft- ware will figure your taxes and EITC for you. Combin- ing e-file with direct deposit is the fastest and safest way to get your refund. Free File is only available on IRS.gov/ freefile. You can also get free help preparing and e-filing your return to claim your EITC. The IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance, or VITA, program offers free help at thousands of sites around the country. You can also get help with the health care law tax provisions with Free File or VITA. For more on EITC, see IRS Publication 596, Earned Income Credit. TAX TIP TheEarnedIncomeTaxCreditiso enmissed The Lassen Park Foun- dation has reached its goal of raising more than $400,000 in private con- tributions to complete Vol- cano Adventure Camp at Lassen Volcanic National Park. The National Park Service has allocated $200,000 for the project. The camp, which is de- signed to accommodate school and youth groups — several of which include at- risk children — will open this summer during the 100th anniversaries of Las- sen Volcanic National Park and the National Park Ser- vice. "None of the park's ex- isting campgrounds were built to accommodate school or youth groups," said Lassen Superinten- dent Steve Gibbons. "They were designed, years ago, for friends and families. However, school and youth groups need outdoor space to gather and learn about the park, tent and cabin ar- eas that fit kids and their leaders, picnic pavilions and group restrooms and showers. Volcano Adven- ture Camp will have all that." The facility will serve a variety of youth. "Volcano Adventure Camp will be particularly appreciated by the many groups of at-risk kids that the Foundation sponsors on camping trips to the park," said foundation Chairman John Koeberer. "Providing a first-rate campground designed just for kids says to them, 'You are visiting a place that is special and loved, just like you.'" A late donation pushed the foundation to its goal. "Reaching our fund- ing goal was made possi- ble through the generosity of a $75,000 last-dollars-in gift from The McConnell Foundation in Redding," said Koeberer. "That put us over the top and assured that the youth campground will be finished this sum- mer and is the best possi- ble way to commemorate Lassen Volcanic National Park's and National Park Service's 100th anniversa- ries, as it is a gift to future generations of park visi- tors." The McConnell Founda- tion's Vice President of Op- erations, Shannon Phillips said, "We were delighted to be able to help LPF and the national park complete initial fundraising for Vol- cano Adventure Camp in time for these important anniversaries. LPF has worked so hard to make this signature outdoor ed- ucation opportunity for youth in Lassen National Park a reality. We feel hon- ored to be a partner in cre- ating a magical camping experience for kids from all over the North State and beyond." Now that funding for completion of Volcano Ad- venture Camp has been achieved, the foundation's Executive Director Jenni- fer Finnegan is announc- ing plans to fund an en- dowment to assure that youth camping grants con- tinue to be available and expanded for groups of at risk children. "Contributions made to the endowment will as- sure that kids who oth- erwise wouldn't have the chance to experience a na- tional park or go camping, get the chance to do so," Finnegan said. "It's a gift that changes these kids' lives for the better." Those interested in con- tributing to this effort can find out more about Vol- cano Adventure Camp at lassenparkfoundation.org. Finnegan said the LPF will open opportunities to apply for youth camping grants at the new Volcano Adventure Camp in spring- time. As in past years, the grants include funding of about $1,000 per group to cover transportation, food and supplies for weeklong youth camping trips at Lassen Volcanic National Park. LASSEN PARK Foundation reaches goal to build youth camp The Shasta Regional Community Foundation re- cently announced the Andy Peek Livestock Scholarship has awarded nine scholar- ships totaling $14,500 to deserving students. An award ceremony was held on Jan. 30 during the Red Bluff Bull & Gelding Sale. Andy Peek was former president of Western Video Market, a past president of the California Livestock Marketing Association and served as a board member for the National Livestock Marketing Association. A past chairman of the Shasta District Fair Board in California, in 2007 he was named Tehama County Cattleman of the Year and had a major pres- ence in the U.S. livestock industry until his passing. To continue Peek's sup- port of youth programs, this scholarship is offered annually to students ma- joring in Agricultural Studies with a special em- phasis in the livestock in- dustry, who share a desire to work in the industry he dearly loved. The 2016 recipients are Megan Banwarth, $2,000; Trase Bell, $2,000; Chloe Fowler, $2,000; Ryan Gif- ford, $2,000; Mackenzie Hayden, $1,500; Taylor Herman, $1,500; Erin Clen- denen, $1,500; Mikayla Du- chi, $1,000 and William Macdonald, $1,000. For more information about this scholarship fund, and other scholar- ship opportunities offered by the Community Founda- tion, visit www.shastarcf. org/scholarships or call Program Associate Mir- iam Leal at 244-1219. EDUCATION Andy Peek scholarship winners announced Mary Hunt CONTRIBUTEDPHOTO Boy Scout Troop 512out of Reno, Nevada, is seen at Lassen Volcanic National Park. BringingNewLife to Senior Living TM Brookdale Red Bluff (530) 529-2900 Thursday, February 18 ▲ brookdale.com Join us for a Winter Ball and Fundraiser. Love abounds this time of year, and we want you to count the reasons to love our community. Join us for a special Winter Ball, themed along Disney's "Lady and the Tramp" and complete with spaghetti dinner and live entertainment. The proceeds will benefit 2-1-1 NorCal, a free phone number that connects area residents with information on health and human services. Come enjoy the warm comfort of good food, good friends and good fun. ThisadCo-SponsoredbyTheRedBluffDailyNews RedBluffUnionElementarySchoolDistrict (530) 527-7200 Kindergarten & Transitional Kindergarten Registration for Bidwell, Metteer & Jackson Heights School Tuesday, March 2, 2016 • Time: 1-6pm JacksonHeightsSchool,225JacksonSt. Kindergarten: Must be 5 years of age on or before September 1, 2016 Transitional Kinder: Children whose 5th birthday falls between Sept. 2, 2016 & Dec. 2, 2016 Please Bring: Address Verification, Child's Birth Certificate, Immunization Records Bring your child for assessment, if possible. Kindergarten packets will be available at the district office and the school offices on Feb. 24. 413WalnutStreet•530-528-8000 Sat.-Mon. 10am-4pm • Tues-Fri 10am-5:30pm Se Habla Español www.redbluffgoldexchange.com www.angelsamongusall.com ServingOurCommunityForOver21Years New Merchandise with a Spiritual Twist exclusivelyatthe LIFESTYLES » redbluffdailynews.com Thursday, February 18, 2016 MORE ATFACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A4