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IwishIcouldcomeup with a better word than "budget" for managing money. While I've made peace with the word, for me it still conjures up synonyms like "whip," "drudgery" and "cruel master." I prefer the more elegant term "spending plan," but because "bud- get" is so universally under- stood, let's just go with it for now — all preconceived notions aside. While there are many ways to budget, none are failproof. A budget is a tool you develop to fit your lifestyle. There is no sin- gle, guaranteed or perfect budget method, form or spreadsheet. What's more, even a template or finan- cial software that fits your temperament and life- style is not guaranteed to change your life — in the same way a power tool sit- ting on the garage shelf won't put together that new wall unit while you kick back and watch TV. You have to do the work. Budgets are extraordi- narily useful, not unlike training wheels on a bike. They can help you get go- ing and give you confi- dence as you learn the del- icate art of balance. There may come a time when you'll become an expert bi- cyclist and outgrow the need for training wheels. Or you may want to leave them on for confidence and security, should you hit a bump in the road. NO ONE SIZE FITS ALL. There are probably as many budget methods, templates, forms and soft- ware out there as there are peoples' financial tempera- ments. And rarely do those fill-in-the-blank templates work. That's because all of the categories, percent- ages and preloaded num- bers reflect someone else's income and lifestyle. That makes them doomed to fail in most situations. The only way a budget will ever work for you is if the categories and the numbers within them re- flect you. BUDGET OF CHOICE. Of course, I am referring to my choice, but I'm con- fident this plan will work for anyone in any situa- tion. 1. Create categories. Start with the easy ones like housing, food and gas- oline, and expand from there. 2. Assign every dollar a job (so to speak). Look at your paycheck or source of income. You have to man- age every single dollar. The way you do that is by giving every dollar a job, whether it be spent, saved or otherwise set aside. Think of yourself as the boss and those dollars as your employees. A good manager knows where the money is supposed to go and then follows through to make sure it went there. That's a budget. 3. You begin every month at zero dollars. Call it a zero-balance bud- get. Since every dollar has a job, at the end of the month every dollar should have done its job and moved out of the check- ing account. Theoretically, that brings your household bank account to zero dol- lars. And if, due to some- thing unexpected, there is some money left in the ac- count, determine where to move it so that the balance returns to zero. A budget where you cre- ate your own categories, allocate every dollar of ev- ery paycheck and then fol- low where the money goes, is a budget that will push you to develop new hab- its and routines. These changes will become your new normal in no time. 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 Threesecretsof successful budgeting The Red Bluff Art As- sociation's Artist of The Month for November is Corning artist Millie Wil- liams. "Millie is one of our favorite artists not just because she is really good but because she is so supportive and pos- itive, said President Debby Sipes. "Millie genuinely cares about you and is grateful for the effort we all make to bring art to the commu- nity and share ideas. It is exciting to see what she creates and with her usual humility." Williams' passion for art started when she was in elementary school where she discovered her love for drawing, however it wasn't until she was mar- ried and their young son was attending elementary school in Silver Lake, Ore- gon, that she began formal art training. Upon their return to Northern California, Wil- liams pursued further art instruction through classes offered at Chico State, with Ann Pierce and other pro- fessors. This is where she was first introduced to working with watercolor and oils. She found it stimulating and exciting to study and work alongside university students. Through Shasta Col- lege, Williams had addi- tional training from no- table teachers like Rich- ard Bower and Mary Ann Beaulac. After Mary Ann retired the class continues to meet each Tuesday at the Corn- ing Senior Center. They are known as the "Tuesday Art Group." It's a meeting place where artists work in di- verse media hold critiques and have periodic demos. "We've developed a very special camaraderie, bonding and making life- long friendships," Williams said. They are an integral part of the community and participate and exhibit during the annual Corning Hometown Christmas and the Rotarian sponsored Art, Food and Wine event at the Rolling Hills Casino. Some members generously donate works to non-profit fundraising events. Several years ago Wil- liams joined the Red Bluff Art Association and shared that she has greatly bene- fited from their informa- tive critiques, demos and encouragements. When asked what future goals she might have, Wil- liams smiled and said, "I want to paint many more landscapes focusing on skies and water using wa- tercolor as my medium. I derive great pleasure the challenges of using water- color and making this me- dium sing and dance on paper." Painting has enriched her life and she feels priv- ileged to be selected to ex- hibit her works of art at the Tehama County Li- brary in Red Bluff this month. The association meets 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursdays at the Tehama District Fair- grounds, 650 Antelope Blvd. in Red Bluff. For more information, call 528-2438, visit red- bluffartassociation.com or find the association on Facebook. ART ASSOCIATION Millie Williams named Artist of the Month The Shasta College Chamber and Concert Choirs will be giving a con- cert of Celtic music for one performance only at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3 in the Shasta College theater. The Chamber Choir will perform "Northern Lights" by Norwegian composer Oja Glielo, and other short choral works by Palestrina and Bach. Solo performances by music department stu- dents and a joint perfor- mance from both choirs of "The Hallelujah Chorus" by Handel will round out the program. The public is invited to enjoy a variety of choral music from Celtic melodies to classic choral pieces by the great composers of the past. The program will be conducted by Elizabeth Wa- terbury, accompanied by El- len Southard on piano. Tickets are available at the door, and through the college website www.shas- tacollege.edu/fine_arts. General admission is $7, students with student ID and senior admission is $5. SHASTA COLLEGE Chamber and Concert Choirs to hold concert Mary Hunt Findusonline! Pacific Gas and Elec- tric Company is joining utilities throughout North America to make custom- ers aware of telephone, mail, e-mail and door-to- door and in-person scams that involve criminals pos- ing as utility company rep- resentatives and demand- ing immediate payment or personal information. The Utilities United Against Scams collabora- tion has designated Nov. 16 as Utilities United Against Scams Day. This day will be supported by a week- long campaign, which be- gan Nov. 14, with informa- tion focused on exposing the tricks scammers use to steal from customers, and how customers can protect themselves. "The safety and secu- rity of our customers is the foundation of how we operate, so it's heart- breaking when you hear about people being af- fected by these types of scams," said Deb Affonsa, vice president, PG&E Cus- tomer Care. "Awareness is a key part of stopping this type of crime and we are working hard to continue getting the word out to our cus- tomers." The North American- wide collaborative en- courages the public to share these messages to help guard against scam activity. To date in 2016, PG&E has received more than 2,400 scam reports. Scam- mers continue to employ increasingly more sophis- ticated tactics to exploit customers. PG&E continues to work with law enforcement agencies that are conduct- ing investigations as well as supporting ongoing ef- forts to help educate cus- tomers about scams. Scamredflags and how to protect yourself A scammer tells the cus- tomer his or her account is past due and service will be disconnected if pay- ment isn't made through prepaid cash card — usu- ally within an hour. PG&E never requires a customer to purchase a prepaid debit card to avoid disconnection. Customers behind on their bill receive multiple advance discon- nection notifications — never a single notification one hour before disconnec- tion. Customers can make payments online, by phone, automatic bank draft, mail or in person. Hang up on suspicious calls. Contact local po- lice on their non-emer- gency number and then call PG&E. Never dial phone num- bers scammers provide or assume caller ID is ac- curate. Scammers use so- phisticated systems where they can mimic caller ID that appears to be PG&E's number. An in-person scammer wears a hard hat, an or- ange vest and holds a clip board and asks to see your utility bill or to be let in- side your home. If someone is at your door claiming to represent PG&E and is unwilling to show their ID or is other- wise making you uncom- fortable, don't let them in and call local law enforce- ment immediately. PG&E employees carry identifica- tion and are always willing to show it to you. Expect to receive an au- tomated call from PG&E 48 hours before a sched- uled visit. You may also re- ceive a personal call from a PG&E gas service repre- sentative before a sched- uled visit. You can also call PG&E to verify an appoint- ment. A scammer sends an email that demands im- mediate payment, asks for financial information or contains suspicious links. Beware of emails re- questing your personal in- formation. Never click on suspicious links or open attachments that demand immediate payment or fi- nancial information. Customers who suspect or experience fraud, or feel threatened during contact with one of these scam- mers, should contact local authorities and then PG&E 1-800-743-5000. For more information visit www.pge.com. PG&E Utility aims to increase awareness of scams MillieWilliams Wilcox Oaks Golf Club Social & Pool Family Membership $ 312 00 annually 527-6680 or 527-1020 Juli Foster Exclusive Agent 250 Walnut Street Red Bluff, CA 96080 Office 530-527-5534 Cell 530-339-1595 Fax 530-527-4808 julifoster@allstate.com CA Insurance License Number OD41159 24-Hour Customer Service www.dalescarpetandflooringredbluff.com Come in and see us in our NEW LOCATION at 330 Walnut St. Red Bluff 530-529-4004 LifeGuard's TM patented WATERPROOF BACKING system REDUCES ODORS and stains, allowing easy and more effective cleanup. 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