Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/687714
Thedataisin,and it's not pretty. The aver- age American is spend- ing $1.22 for each $1 of income. If you're one of the over- spending av- erage, you're in trouble. You are dig- ging yourself into a horrible pit of debt. Let's say you're below the average spender and spend $1 for every $1 you earn. That's a lot better. But you're still living from paycheck to paycheck. If one thing goes wrong, you'll be in trouble. The key to achieving fi- nancial freedom is to live below your means. Limit your spending to 80 cents for each $1 you earn. That leaves 10 cents to spend and 10 cents to save for the future. That's called bal- ance, and I promise that if you live by that formula you will never be broke. Is it impossible? No. But it takes skill, effort and de- termination. It takes de- sire and commitment to live below your means without giving up your lifestyle or your quality of life. The first step is to adopt a new attitude, a simple personal standard: I do not pay full price for any- thing. It is not realistic to think you will never pay full price for anything, or that everything is avail- able somewhere for just pennies on the dollar. But if your goal is to ex- clusively buy half-priced items, it will average out over time. This is a mind- set and an attitude. Don't worry about los- ing your dignity and being plunged into a life of pov- erty if you live below your means. In fact, no one will know how you spend your money unless you write "I'm Cheap!" on your fore- head. Instead, write this in your mind: Wherever I am, whatever I do, there is a way to do it for less. Living below your means doesn't require you to give up the things that bring you joy and add to your quality of life. It just means that you find a way to have things for less. Or, you decide to be happy by choosing to want what you already have. Here's one example of how to cut the cost of an act that millions of people do every day: Let's say you are hooked on caffe lattes or other pricey Starbucks bever- ages. With a slight ad- justment, you can cut the price tag for a tall (which means small) Caffe Latte nearly in half without sac- rificing your Starbucks experience. Near me, a caffe latte costs around $3.39. Instead, order a strong freshly brewed cof- fee for about $1.75. Re- quest that it be made ex- tra hot. Then, step to the side counter, where you will find a lovely assort- ment of creams, sweeten- ers and flavorings for no additional charge. Add milk or cream until your drink reasonably resem- bles a Caffe Latte. It won't be exactly the same (a true caffe latte is made with espresso and steamed milk), but I can no lon- ger tell the difference, and that says a lot because I am not one to be fooled easy. What makes it taste even better is knowing I paid half the price. Living below your means doesn't equate to deprivation and misery. Actually, it's just the oppo- site. Spending more than you earn is a surefire way to plunge yourself into de- privation and financial misery. By living below your means, you, too, will know the secret shared by many who have learned how to live extraordinary lives on an ordinary in- come. 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 A half-price state of mind SACRAMENTO The rarest of the rare from the State Library's vault are avail- able for public viewing at a new year-long exhibit at the California Capitol Museum, which opened May 28. This is a unique oppor- tunity to view these im- portant pieces of Califor- nia's story. The exhibit runs through April 23, 2017. The museum, in the State Cap- itol, is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Among the treasures: Original drawings from Audubon's The Birds of America; California's first newspaper, Californian, from 1846; map of Califor- nia as an island circa 1615- 1675; first edition volumes of The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, White Fang by Jack London, and Moby Dick by Herman Melville; James Marshall's hand- drawn maps of his discov- ery of gold in the Coloma Valley; an American Dic- tionary of the English Lan- guage, by Noah Webster from 1828 and an original painting of the city of Sacra- mento from 1849 by George A. Frost. For more information, write to Deborah Lynch at Deborah.lynch@library. ca.gov or call 916-651-6452. Founded in 1850, the Cal- ifornia State Library has an extensive collection of doc- uments from and about the state's rich history, ranging from books, maps, miners' diaries, newspapers and pe- riodicals to photographs, paintings and posters. The State Library also holds fed- eral and state publications, and is home to the Bernard E. Witkin State Law Li- brary, and the Braille and Talking Book Library. www. library.ca.gov. STATE CAPITOL MUSEUM Tr ea su re s fr om t he State Library on display Mary Hunt Photographers are in- vited to enter their best photos in the 2016 Images From a Glass Eye Interna- tional Juried Photography Contest, sponsored by the Tehama County Photo Club in Red Bluff. With $2,650 in prizes, this is an opportunity to have your images show- cased in the state-of-the- art-gallery in the Tehama Country Visitor Center in Red Bluff and viewed in- ternationally in a website gallery. All photographers age 18 and older worldwide are eligible. Film and digital images will be accepted on any subject appropri- ate for a family-oriented gallery. Entry fees are $33 for the first three images, $8 each additional, unlimited. The deadline for entries is June 27. Winners will be an- nounced at the opening reception at 5 p.m. Friday, Aug. 19, at the visitor cen- ter gallery, 250 Antelope Blvd. in Red Bluff. This Year's Juror is Sean Arbabi, who has been a commercial travel photog- rapher for more than 25 years specializing in ad- venture, lifestyle, nature and travel for ad, corpo- rate and editorial clients. Sean has shot more than 200 assignments for Sun- set, more than 150 for Via and writes many feature articles on photography for Lightroom, Outdoor Photographer, Peterson's Photographic, Photoshop User and Shutterbug. He has also authored two books, The BetterPhoto Guide to Exposure and The Complete Guide to Na- ture Photography. Images must be sub- mitted on line as digital files. For additional re- quirements and to enter, visit http://www.images- fromaglasseye.org. For more information, write to info@images- fromaglasseye.org or call (530) 360-6590 or (530) 566-2377. IMAGES FROM A GLASS EYE Photo contest entries sought CHICO The Center for Healthy Communities at California State University, Chico has been chosen to establish the North State Benefits Enrollment Center to help older adults and the disabled in Tehama, Butte, Colusa, Glenn and Yuba counties. The center will con- duct education and out- reach regarding programs that could save individuals money on health care, pre- scriptions, food and more and will help them enroll, if eligible. "The Center for Healthy Communities has a strong history of helping vulner- able residents in Butte, Tehama, Glenn, Colusa and Yuba counties," said Executive Director Cindy Wolff. "We're proud to be part of a national network of centers that since 2009 has helped over 700,000 low- income older adults and younger adults with dis- abilities to save over half a billion dollars and achieve long-term financial stabil- ity." The NSBEC is a part- nership between the CHC, Passages and the Na- tional Council on Aging (NCOA), and is made pos- sible through an 18-month, $100,000 grant. Residents in the five ru- ral counties have tradition- ally been underserved, in part because of their geo- graphic isolation, and the region has a substantially higher percentage of adults age 65 and older compared to the state and national average. Nationally, half of all retirees live on incomes of less than $24,150 per year, and many lack the resources needed to meet basic living expenses. In Butte County, 17.6 percent of adults age 65 and older are below 150 percent of the federal poverty level, 7 percent have limited English pro- ficiency and 66 percent of low-income Medicare ben- eficiaries have reported having a difficulty or dis- ability of some kind—one of the highest levels in the state. Several programs exist to help these individuals, but many people do not know how to apply for as- sistance, said Jenny Breed, CalFresh Outreach pro- gram director. "Essentially, if you are an older adult, you have to go to multi- ple places to get re- sources," Breed said. "We are striving toward creating a one-stop shop. With Passages, we'll work together to cross- promote and pre-screen people, enroll people in five core benefits and help them be aware of other resources." The NSBEC is one of only 49 community orga- nizations across the coun- try awarded grants to serve as such a center, and is the only one in Northern Cal- ifornia. These regional enroll- ment centers are sup- ported with funding from the Medicare Improve- ments for Patients and Providers Act, adminis- tered through the U.S. Ad- ministration for Commu- nity Living. Enrollment centers use NCOA's free online Bene- fitsCheckUp tool to screen lower income older adults and younger adults with disabilities for a number of benefits — including Medi- care Savings Programs, Part D Extra Help, Medi- Cal, LIHEAP and CalFresh — and to help them apply for and use those bene- fits. To see if someone you know qualifies for assistance, call 345- 9749. CENTER FOR HEALTHY COMMUNITIES Helping adults enroll in money-saving programs The Sierra Club, Yahi Group, is hosting the fol- lowing events for June. Unless otherwise noted, trips are free and open to the public and begin at the trailhead. If you have any ques- tions or want further in- formation about specific activities, call Wayland Augur at 519-4724 or write to wba@acm.org. • Saturday, June 11, Car- ibou Wilderness Day Hike (Posey Lake Loop) From Hay Meadow to Long Lake via Hidden Lakes, return via Posey Lake — 7.5 miles. 700' el- evation gain. Bring wa- ter, lunch, camera, bring money for drivers. Meet 8 a.m. at Chico Park and Ride, 9:30 a.m. at Chester Holiday Market front parking lot or 10 a.m. at Hay Meadow trail head. Rain cancels. Call leader for more in- formation. Leader: Bar- bara, 258-3905; assistant leader: Bethany, 514-0558, text preferred. • Thursday, June 23 to Sunday, June 26, Backpack Marble Mountain Wilder- ness Abasecampbackpackto the Sky High Lakes in the Marble Mountains west of Yreka. Drive up on Thurs- day and hike in 1,500' up and 6 miles to the beauti- ful Sky High Lakes. Friday and Saturday will include day hikes along the beautiful white Marble rim and enjoying the long range views. Hike out on Sunday and drive home. The Marbles are also well-known for amazing floral displays and emer- ald green meadows. Indi- vidual commissary. Bring standard backpacking gear and dress in layers. Call leader for more information. Leader: Alan, 891-8789 or aj- mendoza777@comcast. net. 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