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Thesedaysthesky- rocketing cost of prescrip- tion drugs is enough to give you a heart at- tack. If your prescrip- tion medi- cation costs have got you down, cheer up. Then check out these 10 ways you can save money on prescription medications — plus where and how to get some medi- cines (antibiotics) for free. GOODRX.COM. What a fantastic website this is — no sign-up or credit card required. Just type in the drug name plus your zip code at this site (or using GoodRx' mobile app for IOS and Android) to compare prices at dif- ferent pharmacies in the area and to find coupons too, that will cut the cost even farther. Drug prices vary wildly between pharmacies and GoodRx finds you the lowest prices and discounts. Here's an example for Los Angeles for 90 cap- sules of 300mg gabapen- tin* (generic Neurontin): Kmart: $12.92. Rite Aid $55.49. Safeway: $13.17. Target $16.38; Wal- greens $29.29. Crazy is it! GoodRx.com will make sure you get the lowest price available. Here's an- other example: 30 tablets 20mg Lipitor (generic). The estimated cash price is $80.10. With GoodRx Coupon: $10.63. That's a savings of 87 percent. THE DOC TALK. Usu- ally doctors don't keep up with the retail price of medications they prescribe — they're thinking in terms of successful treat- ment not dollar signs. A pharmacy tech told me re- cently that all the time she will have patients call the doctor for a cheaper op- tions once she shows them what the first will cost. Don't be afraid to make that call. More than likely there is a less expensive option that will be just as effective. PILL SPLITTING. A $5 pill splitter just might save you 50 percent on the cost of your medica- tion. Because of a quirk of how some drugs are priced, a tablet that's twice as strong as an- other may not be twice the price. In fact, it might be about the same price. So, sometimes, cutting a higher strength pill in half can get you two doses for about the price of one. With a little man- ual labor — just snapping down the lid of a pill cut- ter with your finger — pill splitting can save quite a lot of money. Talk to your doctor. Not all pre- scription pills are splitta- ble, but the one you take just might be. Accord- ing to Web MD, some pills that are commonly split include: statins like Cre- stor, Lipitor and Prava- chol; antidepressants like Celexa, Paxil, and Zoloft; ACE-Inhibitors like Mono- pril, Prinivil, Univasc and Zestril; and angioten- sin receptor blockers like Avapro and Cozaar. ASSISTANCE PRO- GRAMS. From time to time government pro- grams, non-profits and drug manufacturers offer deeply discount or no-cost medicines. To find out the latest information on what is available, I highly rec- ommend the Partnership for Prescription Assistance website (pparx.org). Once there, simply enter the name of the medication or the company that makes it then click "Get Help Now" to discover if there are currently programs and assistance with the cost of that medication. Also check with disease related associations such as The American Cancer Society (cancer.org) or the Ameri- can Diabetes Association (diabetes.org) too, if with help in locating less ex- pensive options that relate those diagnoses. BIG BOX STORE PRO- GRAMS. Many discount store chains like Walmart, Publix, Target, Meijer and Costco offer deeply dis- counted generic medicines for $4 to $10. Some med- icines, like antibiotics or pre-natal vitamins are of- fered free as some of these stores like Meijer and Pub- lix. Costco's assistance is available for members only and it is fantastic — well worth the price of mem- bership if you do not have prescription drug insur- ance coverage. AARP DISCOUNTS. If you're eligible (age 50 or older), look into joining AARP as their members receive many discounts in- cluding mail-order phar- macy discounts through reputable distributors. BUY IN BULK. Cer- tain medications (choles- terol statins are one exam- ple) are often available for a much discounted price in a 90-day supply. You may be required to order by mail order to get that price. *as of 7-10-2015 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 Seven ways to cut the high cost of prescription drugs By Patricia Mrofka Assistant District Manager, Redding Social Security has you covered, even outside our nation's borders. We're with you through life's journey, even if you're trav- eling outside the United States. Many people who travel or live outside the country receive some kind of Social Security benefit, including retired and dis- abled workers, as well as spouses, widows, widow- ers, and children. If you're a U.S. citizen, you may receive your So- cial Security payments outside the United States as long as you are eligible. When we say you are "out- side the United States," we mean you're not in one of the 50 states, the Dis- trict of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Is- lands, Guam, the North- ern Mariana Islands, or American Samoa. Once you've been outside the United States for at least 30 days in a row, we con- sider you to be outside the country. Whether you're off to Europe, or consid- ering a stay in our newly reopened neighbor, Cuba, you may be able to receive your Social Security bene- fits even while you're out- side the United States. If you receive Supplemen- tal Security Income (SSI), you cannot receive bene- fits if you're outside of the United States for a month or more. If you're traveling out- side the U.S. for an ex- tended amount of time, it's important that you tell So- cial Security the date you plan to leave and the date you plan to come back, no matter how long you ex- pect your travel to last. You can use this online tool to find out if you can continue to receive your Social Security benefits if you are outside the United States or are planning to go outside the United States at www.socialsecu- rity.gov/international/pay- ments_outsideUS.html. This tool will help you find out if your retire- ment, disability, or survi- vor's payments will con- tinue as long as you are eligible, stop after six con- secutive calendar months, or if certain country-spe- cific restrictions apply. When you live outside the United States, we send you a questionnaire peri- odically. Your answers will help us figure out if you still are eligible for bene- fits. Return the question- naire to the office that sent it as soon as possible. If you don't, your payments will stop. In addition to re- sponding to the question- naire, notify us promptly about changes that could affect your payments. You can also read the publication titled Your Payments While You Are Outside the United States at www.socialsecurity.gov/ pubs. Securing today and to- morrow is our priority, no matter where you might be living. SOCIAL SECURITY You're covered even when you're abroad By Hannah Thornton Los Molinos FFA reporter This year Los Molinos FFA was well represented with 52 exhibitors with a total of 76 exhibits at the 96th annual Tehama Dis- trict Fair in September. Los Molinos FFA chap- ter brought projects rang- ing from market rabbits, swine, goats, poultry, steers, lambs and agri- culture mechanics. All of their hard work was not wasted, and it was an ex- tremely successful week for all exhibitors in the Los Molinos and other 4-H groups and FFA Chapters. On the Sept. 22 all ex- hibitors hurriedly pre- pared their animals for market, hoping to catch the eye of the judge and be selected for the Cham- pion Drive. Denny D'Andrea and his goat were awarded FFA Grand Champion, Max Ventimiglia and his goat were awarded FFA Reserve Grand Champion and Jana Andrews earned FFA Grand Champion with her market poultry. Half of the swine final drive con- sisted of Los Molinos FFA exhibitors. Dawson Spencer earned 3rd place in advanced swine showmanship and Denny D'Andrea earned 1st place in novice show- manship, which earned him a trip to large animal round robin. The Los Molinos exhib- itors swept away the all around clean barn award after doing intensive shifts of barn duty in all species barns. The Los Molinos FFA Chapter would like to thank the community, the Junior Livestock com- mittee and all of the buy- ers who came out to sup- port them on the day of sale. Also they would like to thank all the hardwork- ing people who volunteer to help put on the Tehama District Fair. Without them none of this would be possible. LOS MOLINOS FFA Ju ni or L iv es to ck s uc ce ss c el eb ra te d CONTRIBUTED Los Molinos FFA participants at the Tehama District Fair. Mary Hunt 235 S Main St., Red Bluff 530 527-1657 www.thefurnituredepot.net HOURS: MONDAY-FRIDAY 9:00-6:00 SATURDAY 9:00-5:00 • SUNDAY 11:00-5:00 Furniture DEPOT Don't Miss Our RED TAG ITEMS SelectMerchandisethroughoutthestore 1/2 off We're making room for NEW merchandise Patrick's Pumping SepticPumpingServices Red Bluff, CA Garet Patrick Owner/Operator 530-366-6899 4patricks@att.net Av ailab le 24/7 Round Up Saloon Round Up Saloon 610WashingtonSt. (530) 527-9901 JoinUsEach Sunday For FOOTBALL!! 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