Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/764022
Themostimportant thing you can do to make your personal economy strong is have an um- brella, a Contingency Fund with at least enough money to pay all of your bills for three to six months without a paycheck. Let's say it's $10,000. SAVE 10 PERCENT OF YOUR PAYCHECK. It may sound like a lot, so if you can't save 10 percent, start with 5 percent, or even 1 percent, and build up. Deposit the money into your Contingency Fund automatically; you won't miss what you don't see in the first place. OK, you'll miss it for the first few weeks. But soon you really won't. GET RID OF NONES- SENTIALS. Give up the little things, such as ca- ble TV, eating out, a gym membership and enter- tainment. CUT VARIABLE EX- PENSES. You can't cut off your utilities, stop eating or give up driving. But you can reduce the cost of the food, energy and fuel you buy. Opt for the cheapest supermarket and gas sta- tion. Turn out the lights, and only run full appli- ances. QUIT SMOKING. This suggestion requires no ex- planation — although it does beg the question, who can even afford to smoke these days? At about $7 for a pack of smokes (U.S. aver- age), the habit could cost up to $2,555 a year. And it's double that in New York City. Yeah, it's $14 a pack. STOP PAYING BANK FEES. If you're paying a $7.95 fee per month (or more) for the privilege of maintaining an account, stop. Open an account with an online bank (they have better interest rates anyway), like Ally Bank, which doesn't charge a monthly maintenance fee for checking or savings ac- counts. Or check with a lo- cal credit union for free personal checking ac- counts. Some banks even offer free business accounts. PULL BACK. Stop send- ing more money than is re- quired each month to your credit card companies, mortgage lender or other creditor. It's admirable that you're diligently repaying the debts, but if you con- tinue to do this while liv- ing without money in the bank, you'll be setting yourself up to fall even deeper in debt. CLEAN OUT. Take a look through your cup- boards and closets. Iden- tify everything you haven't used in the past six months. Turn what you don't need into cash on a web- site like eBay or Craigslist, or at a yard sale. Or donate to an IRS- qualified charitable orga- nization and take a tax deduction for each item's fair market value when you itemize your federal tax return. With "Money For Your Used Clothing," a certified and guaran- teed workbook that helps you determine the high- est market values the IRS will allow, you'll max- imize your deduction, which means you'll re- duce the amount of tax you owe. You can order online or call 800-550-3502 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. MT Monday through Friday. ADJUST WITHHOLD- INGS. Use the 2016 Fed- eral Withholding Tax Cal- culator to make sure you aren't having too much or too little income tax with- held from your pay. INCREASE YOUR IN- COME. Get a second job. Or a third. Or work more hours at your current job. Get creative by making money doing things you already love to do, like walking dogs or selling handmade items. GIVE UP YOUR LAND- LINE. Over 38 percent of U.S. adults have given up their land-based telephone service. Are you in that group? If not, why aren't you? Basic services cost at least $25 per month in most markets. TAKE YOUR LUNCH TO WORK. Have you fig- ured out what you're spending per year on eat- ing out for lunch? At, say, $10 a day, you're spend- ing $2,500 after-tax dol- lars on lunch. Just think of all those dinner left- overs you throw out that could easily be next day's lunch. STOP AT THE MATCH. If you are contributing to a retirement account like a 401(k) or 403(b), don't stop now, but limit your contri- bution to the amount your employer matches. Ask your employer how to ad- just your contribution. You can always change your contribution again once you have reached your sav- ings goal. Would you like to send 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 Foolproof plan for saving $10,000 Mary Hunt PLEASE RECYCLE THIS NEWSPAPER. The Tehama County Shrine Club held its An- nual Installation dinner at the Wilcox Oaks Golf Club on Sunday, Dec. 11. After dinner Noble Gary Kruzner opened the proceedings by singing "O Holy Night" and then lead the pledge of allegiance to the flag. The club's outgoing President Jake Scott pre- sented Noble Bob Mitchell with a framed certificate naming him Shriner of the Year and reminded ev- eryone that earlier in the year the club named Noble John Gumm as Most Val- ued Player of 2016. The club then gave gen- erous checks to the Poten- tate's project and to the Sacramento Shriners Hos- pital for Children. Ben Ali Potentate Tom Nickens and First Lady Su- zanne drove up from Sacra- mento to break bread with the club and to swear in its new officers. Officers installed to lead the Tehama County Shriners next year include President Dean Cofer, Vice President Mark Smith, Treasurer John Gumm and directors Jake Scott, Andy Rieland, Roger Kirk and Bob Mitchell. Cofer singled out the following VIPs in the au- dience for special recogni- tion: Noble Chuck Brooks and Lady Ruth for serv- ing as 2009 Ben Ali Poten- tate and First Lady and for their continued service as TCSC members; Noble Bob "Mitch" Mitchell, mayor of Tehama, and Sherrie; guest Doug Hatley, new mayor of Corning and DeDe; guest Bucky Bowen, 91-year-old WWII veteran and Gena; and Tehama County Super- visors Noble Dennis Gar- ton and Jeannie and Noble Steve Chamblin and Lynn. The program ended with a reading of "My Old Fez" and the playing of a recorded rendition of the Shriners theme song, "We Have a Dream." Both honor and laud Shrine's continu- ing support of 22 Shriner Hospitals for Children. Children 18 years and younger with orthopedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries, cleft lip and palate and scarring from any cause are eligible for admission — at no charge ever for services rendered. If you know a child Shri- ners Hospitals might be able to help, call 1-916-453- 2191 or visit www.shriner- hospitalsforchildren.org. TEHAMA COUNTY Sh ri ne C lu b ho ld s ins ta ll at io n di nn er CONTRIBUTED Tehama County Shrine Club officers and Potentate, from le , are Ben Ali Potentate Tom Nickens, VP Mark Smith, Past President Jake Scott, President Dean Cofer, Director Bob Mitchell and Treasurer John Gumm. By Patricia Mrofka Social Security, Redding This is the season of car- ing. No matter your reli- gion or belief, December is also considered a time to focus on the children we love. Whether we're wrap- ping Santa's gifts, buying Hanukkah treats, decorat- ing the house in celebra- tion of Kwanzaa, or volun- teering for a toy drive, chil- dren add joy to the holiday season. And we at Social Security definitely know a thing or two about helping children. Often overlooked in the paperwork that prospec- tive parents fill out in prep- aration for a child's birth is an application for a So- cial Security number and card. Typically, the hospi- tal will ask if you want to apply for a Social Security number for your newborn as part of the birth regis- tration process. This is the easiest and fastest way to apply. The Social Secu- rity card typically ar- rives about a week to ten days after that little bun- dle of joy! You can learn about Social Security numbers for children by reading our publication, Social Security Numbers for Children, available at www.socialsecurity.gov/ pubs. A child needs a Social Security number if he or she is going to have a bank account, if a relative is buying savings bonds for the child, if the child will have medical cover- age, or if the child will re- ceive government services. You'll also need a Social Se- curity number for a child to claim him or her on your tax returns. If you wait to apply, you will have to visit a Social Security office and you'll need to: Complete an Application For a Social Security Card (Form SS-5); Show us original docu- ments proving your child's U.S. citizenship, age, and identity; and Show us documents proving your identity. Remember, a child age 12 or older requesting an orig- inal Social Security number must appear in person for the interview, even though a parent or guardian will sign the application on the child's behalf. Children with disabil- ities are among our most vulnerable citizens. Social Security is dedicated to helping those with quali- fying disabilities and their families through the Sup- plemental Security Income (SSI) program. To qualify for SSI: The child must have a physical or mental condi- tion, or a combination of conditions, resulting in "marked and severe func- tional limitations." This means that the condition(s) must severely limit your child's activities; The child's condition(s) must be severe, last for at least 12 months, or be ex- pected to result in death; If your child's condition(s) does not re- sult in "marked and se- vere limitations," or does not result in those limita- tions lasting for at least 12 months, your child will not qualify for SSI; and The child must not be working and earning more than $1,090 a month in 2016. (This amount usu- ally changes every year.) If he or she is working and earning that much money, your child will not be eligi- ble for benefits. Learn the details about benefitsforchildrenbyread- ingourpublication,Benefits for Children with Disabil- ities, available at www.so- cialsecurity.gov/pubs. Visit www.socialsecu- rity.gov/people/kids to learn more about all we do to care for children. Caring for the next generation is a central part of securing today and tomorrow, dur- ing the holidays and all year long. SOCIAL SECURITY Agency's gi to children is security NEVER GIVE UP UNTIL THEY BUCKLE UP. VISIT SAFERCAR.GOV/ KIDSBUCKLEUP VISIT SAFERCAR.GOV/ KIDSBUCKLEUP We at Social Security definitely know a thing or two about helping children. 5 Chestnut Ave. Red Bluff 530-527-3161 The Green Barn would like to introduce their new chef Travis Thomas. Travis graduated from Culinary Arts Institute in Santa Monica. While attending culinary school Travis worked as a sauté' chef at fine dining restaurant Ad- Hoc Bouchon Bistro in the Napa area. Once he graduated he returned to Red Bluff and worked at the Highlands Ranch Resort until the time when Green Barn owner, Paulette Hendricks presented him an opportunity as head chef. Travis is excited to create some additions to the menu and maintain the quality that Tehama County has come to expect at the Green Barn. Please stop by and check out the nightly specials they have to offer. Friday Night Special thru December: Chef Travis' Cioppino (530) 527-2151 728MAINST., RED BLUFF DAILY NEWS The Daily News office will CLOSE AT NOON Fri., Dec. 23 & Fri., Dec. 30 CLOSED Mon., Dec. 26 to Celebrate Christmas CLOSED Mon, Jan. 2 to Celebrate The New Year RetailadvertisingdeadlinefortheseeditionsisWed.,10AM Classified deadline Friday, 10AM Visitusat 100JacksonSt. in Red Bluff for details (530) 529-1220 Monthly Membership as low as $ 28 00 a month! Gift Certificates Available LIFESTYLES » redbluffdailynews.com Friday, December 16, 2016 » MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A5