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The Red Bluff Bass An- glers fished Lake Berryessa on Sunday, Feb. 21. Despite a tough bite, Jesse Sisne- ros caught a 6.90 lb. large- mouth for big fish honors, and a total weight of 12.88 lbs. for first place. Kevin McLachlan took second with 11.89 lbs., and Jeremy Johnson finished third with 10.10 lbs. Kevin and Jeremy are tied for An- gler of the Year points with one tournament left at Lake Oroville. The anglers will be start- ing a new tournament year in April, and are always looking for new members. Anyone interested can visit www.RedBluffBassAn- glers.com, attend a monthly meeting, at 6:30 p.m. March 15 at Red Bluff Sporting Goods or call 526-1397 for information. The anglers would like to congratulate Red Bluff's local bass pro, Greg Guti- errez, on his victory at Shasta Lake, where he won the FLW tournament and won the first place award of $36,000. Greg started his bass fishing ca- reer with the anglers and worked his way up to the national level. Check out Greg's com- pany "Frenzy Baits" for his winning baits. FISHING Re d Bl uff B as s An gl er s ne ws Is your monthly gro- cery spending eating up a large portion of your income? You're not alone. Data from the U.S. De- partment of Agricul- ture shows that a fam- ily of four, using a moderate-cost plan, spent an average of $1,062 on groceries per month in 2015 — that's $12,744 annually! Want to cut that cost by, say, half? You can if you are determined to be- come a smart shopper. By using every trick and tip in the book, you could save about $7,500 over this coming year — with- out sacrificing your fam- ily's health or the joy of eating great food. Here's how: CHOP. CHOP. Sure, those precut bags of veg- etables and individ- ual packets of oatmeal are convenient. But Con- sumer Reports says that you'll pay twice as much for prepped food. The worst offenders are cut, prewashed and bagged veggies ($11 per pound prepped versus $3 per pound for bulk broc- coli), single-serving com- modities ($9.90 for a box of oatmeal packets ver- sus $1.59 for a canister of oats) and sliced cheese ($2 more per pound). Do your own chopping, shredding, grating and measuring to save money. BUY RIGHT. Most of us purchase more pro- duce and other perish- ables than we can use before they spoil. A rot- ten apple here, a limp carrot there — spoiled produce means money in the trash. Accord- ing to the National Re- sources Defense Coun- cil, the average Ameri- can household throws out approximately 25 percent of the food and beverages they buy, with a cost estimate of $1,365 to $2,275 per year for the average American family of four. REFUSE FULL PRICE. I've said it a dozen times and I'll say it again: Only buy what's on sale. If it's not on sale this week, it will be soon. So just wait. Assuming you have room in your freezer or pan- try, stock up on items you know you will always use when the price is marked down. And get creative by planning your weekly purchases of perishables around sale items. KNOW YOUR UNITS. It's easy to compare cost of items. Just look closely at the price labels on the shelves. RECIPE CHOICES. In- stead of choosing menus and recipes from Pinter- est or your favorite rec- ipe site, choose recipes according to what you al- ready have in your pan- try and what you can buy on sale. WEAR BLINDERS. Take the time to make a grocery list before you go to the store. When you're at the store, stick to it like glue. Don't let your eyes wander, as an estimated 60 to 70 percent of super- market purchases are un- planned. ORGANIC PRUDENCE. Save your dollars to buy organic when it really matters, like for soft- skinned fruits, meat, milk and chicken, which are more susceptible to pes- ticides. Visit the Environ- mental Working Group's website to learn more about organic foods and healthy choices. UN-BRAND. There may be a couple of brand name items that you can't live without. But beyond that, give up your brand loyalties. Opt for the ge- neric brand, the store brand, or private label, all of which are almost cer- tainly cheaper. If the item turns out to be inferior — with all the flavor of card- board — return it for a refund. You may be sur- prised. SHOP SMART. Read your coupons carefully, and look for restrictions and expirations. Make sure that sale items are marked and located ap- propriately in the store — you could easily pick up something similar to what the sale flyer shows, but that is actually differ- ent and full price. PAY ATTENTION. If you have the slightest doubt, ask an employee to scan a package or coupon to verify the discount. Don't assume. Food re- tailers can get tricky, but you're smarter than their ploys. 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 Spending how much on groceries? Mary Hunt Whether you draw a pay- check, are self-employed or own a small business, you can use all available tax forms you need for free with IRS Free File. If you make $62,000 or less, you qualify for free brand-name software of- fered through a partner- ship between the IRS and 13 leading tax software providers. Some of these providers offer free fed- eral and free state return preparation and elec- tronic filing. If you made more than $62,000, you can use Free File Fillable Forms, electronic ver- sions of IRS paper forms best for someone experi- enced in return prepara- tion. Free File offers all fed- eral tax forms for free. That goes for the Form 1040, Form 1040EZ and Form 1040A. For exam- ple, all forms are free if you have mortgage inter- est deductions, children in college or made money in the stock market, among other things. Also for example, all forms are free if you have a Form W-2, or a Form 1099 or an EIN for your own business. February marks a high- point in the tax filing sea- son when the IRS experi- ences many calls to its cus- tomer service line from taxpayers with questions. Free File software prod- ucts can help answer many of your questions by walk- ing you through a step-by- step process to complete your tax return. And if you can't find answers from your tax software product, there are many other online tools at IRS.gov that can help you find the answers you need when you need them. To start your Free File tax return, you first need all your documents in- cluding your income state- ments such as Form W-2. Businesses are required to provide their employ- ees with their Forms W-2 by Jan. 31. If you did not receive your Form W-2, now is a good time to contact your employer or former em- ployer and put in your re- quest. If you do not receive your Form W-2 by the end of February, contact the IRS and the agency will send a letter to your em- ployer. If, for whatever reason, you cannot meet the April 18 tax deadline this year, you also can use Free File to submit an extension to file. Just look for the com- panies that are offering free extensions. The ex- tension will give you un- til Oct. 17. But remember, it's an extension to file, not an extension to pay. If you think you will owe, be sure to make any payment by April 18. TAX TIPS Use all available tax forms for free courtesy of IRS Free File CHICO The 2016 Kids Race heldduringtheannualChico Stage Race will be hosted by Chico Velo and sponsored by Fostering Wellness Chiro- practic Center Sunday, Feb. 28. The race is free to all kids aged 9 and younger, with sev- eral categories and distances based on age and bike wheel size. The Chico Stage Race is California's opener for the 2016 bicycle racing season. In recentyearsithasemergedas thepremierearly-seasonstage race, attracting national-cali- berridersandteamsforthrill- ing spectator viewing. Stage one is at Thunderhill Raceway Friday, stage two is ontheroadsaroundPaskenta SaturdaystartingatBuckhorn RecreationAreaatBlackButte Lake, stage three is the River RoadTimeTrialinChicoSun- dayandstagefouristheSteve Harrison Downtown Memo- rial Criterium Sunday. For stage specifics, visit http:// www.chicostagerace.com/ stages.html. "Chico Velo is excited to help the Chico Stage Race by organizing the Kids Race this year," said Janine Rood, exec- utive director of Chico Velo. "Getting more kids to expe- rience the freedom and inde- pendence of bicycling is cen- tral to our mission." Chico Velo is hoping to have more than 100 kids par- ticipate in this event. Parents can have some fun with the new 'Race to Retail' passport game, where they can earn a Chico Stage Race T-shirt by visiting 10 downtown mer- chants and collecting stamps on'passports'theycanpickup and return at the Chico Velo booth in the Plaza. "As a community, we need toofferparentsandkidsmore opportunities to get off the couch and outdoors, to test theirlegsinafunlocalevent," said Brad Foster, owner of Fostering Wellness. "This event fits the bill: it is a free andfunwayforkidstoexperi- encecompetitionusingsports gear they already have in the garage, and to watch high- level bike racing for more in- spiration." Registration for the Kids Race is on-site at City Plaza only,anytimefrom9a.m.un- til15minutesbeforeracetime, which will be around 11:30 a.m. on Sunday. Parents must be present to sign waiver. Helmets are re- quired and closed-toed shoes are recommended. All kids who participate receive medals at the end of the race. More info about the Chico stage race here http:// www.chicostagerace.com/ spectators.html. CYCLING Free kids bike race set for Chico Sunday COURTESYPHOTO Jesse Sisneros is pictured at Lake Berryessa. By David Sayen Did you know that Medi- care helps pay for prescrip- tion medications? Even if you don't take many prescriptions now, you should consider joining a Medicare drug plan. There aretwowaystogetMedicare prescription drug coverage: 1. Medicare standalone drug plans, also known as Part D plans, add drug cov- erage to Original Medicare, as well as to some Medicare CostPlansandMedicarePri- vate Fee-for-Service plans. YoumusthaveMedicarePart A or Part B to join a stand- alone Part D plan. 2. Medicare Advantage plans and other Medicare health plans often include prescription drugs. Medi- care Advantage plans are managed care plans, simi- lar to HMOs or PPOs. Many, but not all, Medicare Advan- tage plans offer prescription coverage.Tojoinsuchaplan, youmusthaveMedicarePart A and Part B. You can sign up for ei- ther type of drug plan when you first become eligible for Medicare or during Medi- care's open enrollment sea- son, which runs from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7 each year. Beware: If your Medi- care Advantage plan in- cludes prescription benefits and you join a Part D plan, you'll be dis-enrolled from your Medicare Advantage plan and returned to Orig- inal Medicare. How much does a Medi- care drug plan cost? It var- ies, depending on what plan you choose, which drugs it covers, which pharmacy you use, and whether you're eli- gible for the Extra Help pro- gram (more on that later). Most standalone, or Part D, plans charge a monthly premium, which you must payinadditiontoyourPartB premium.Ifyou'reinaMedi- care Advantage plan, the monthly premium for that plan may include an amount for drug coverage. MostMedicaredrugplans alsohaveayearlydeductible, an amount you must pay be- fore the plan begins paying for its share of your drugs. Once the deductible is met, you'll also pay a co-payment or co-insurance amount at the pharmacy counter. In addition, most Medi- care drug plans have a cov- erage gap, also known as the "donut hole." The gap begins after you and your drug plan togetherhavespentacertain amount for your drugs. For more details on the gap, see the "Medicare & You" hand- book, mailed to every Medi- care beneficiary annually and also available online, at https://www.medicare.gov/ Pubs/pdf/10050.pdf. Onceyou'reoutofthegap, you get "catastrophic cover- age," which means you only have to pay a co-payment or co-insurance amount for yourdrugsfortherestofthat calendar year. However, not everyone will enter the coverage gap because their drug costs won't be high enough. The gap is scheduled to be elimi- nated by 2020. Keep in mind that not ev- ery Medicare drug plan cov- ers every drug. You'll need to check with the plan to make sure that the drugs you need are covered. Also, plans may have restrictions such as prior authorization, quan- tity limits, and step therapy, which requires that you try a lower-cost drug before the plan will cover a high-priced medication. For more details, see the "Medicare&You"handbook. David Sayen is a regional administrator for Medicare. MEDICARE How Medicare covers prescription drugs PLEASE RECYCLE THIS NEWSPAPER. 365-7194or365-4322 OPEN 7 DAYS 6am-10pm 8080 AIRPORT ROAD Your full service: Meat Department, Deli & Groceries www.kentsmeats.com On-site HARVESTING CUTTING & CRYOVACING Smog Check (MOST CARS & PICK-UPS) 527-9841 • 195 S. 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