TAKING
TIME
by Rebecca Escott
Extension Home Economist
Checkbook Priorities
Last week many families were
scurrying around making last
minute calculations for filing tax
es. And for many, the money that
president Bush “put in our pock
ets” last spring was coming out of
our checkbooks this April. Some
workers who were expecting
refunds discovered the unpleasant
truth that they owed taxes this
year.
As I prepared my family’s tax
records, I reviewed recent entries
in my check register. I was inter
ested to look back at some of our
expenses over the past year. Ideal
ly, a person’s spending should
reflect his or her most important
values or priorities. Does yours?
Pull out your checkbook and
review the recent entries. What do
you see? Mortgage pre-payment?
Charitable contribution? New
exercise equipment? Medical pay
ment? Groceries? Magazine
subscription?
What do these entries tell you
about the priorities you have
established for your family? If you
and the other members of your
family would sit down and rank
priorities, would they match the
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spending choices that you now
make? Try this exercise:
Write die following items on
separate slips of paper: sports car,
education for selves, good car or
pickup, eat out occasionally,
adequate life insurance, large
appliance or furnishings, rent and
other bills paid on time, stereo or
color television, church, savings
for future wants, family trip, fami
ly or religious celebrations, educa
tion for children, stylish clothes,
gifts for others, sports or other
recreation, medicine and doctor.
Now put these items in order of
importance to you. What do you
value? At this time in your life
what are some special needs for
your family? For instance, you
may have a long-standing belief in
the value of education. But if your
children have all received diplo
mas or college degrees, this may
not be a current priority for you.
Each person in the family
should rank the items. You can
add more items if you think of any
that are important to you. Do you
enjoy having pets? Perhaps that
should be added to the list. After
each family member has ranked
the items, compare your choices.
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Grass Clipping Dilemna
HUNTINGDON (Huntingdon
Co.) As you prepare for spring
ritual of mowing the grass, think
about these suggestions for deal
ing with grass clippings.
Leaving grass clippings on the
lawn will not harm your turf—in
fact, it may be beneficial, says a
Penn State turfgrass expert.
“It’s estimated that 20 percent
of what goes into landfills is yard
One time I had a couple whose
primary needs were very different.
The husband who worked long
hours in the accounting depart
ment of a local company most
wanted to spend money and time
on a trip with his family. His wife
who stayed at home caring for
four children ranked her lop
choice as a vacation alone—to rest
and recuperate. They had different
needs?
Come to some agreement about
your important goals? Once you
have that list, compare it to the
recent checks you have written.
Do your payments actually reflect
your priorities? Or have you been
spending money eating out when
you ranked buying a new sofa as a
priority?
Our checkbooks reveal infor
mation about us. Does the action
reflected in your checks match the
priorities you speak about? If it
doesn’t, take some time today to
rethink your spending habits. Set
up a realistic plan for accomplish
ing the goal or acting on that
value.
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Lancaster Farming, Saturday, April 24, 1993-B5
debris such as leaves, hedge pran
ings and grass clippings,” says Dr.
Peter Landschoot, Penn State
assistant professor of turfgrass sci
ence. “Recycling grass clippings
not only is civic-minded, but it
also can be beneficial to the lawn
and saves the work involved in
bagging.
“If you leave the clippings on
the lawn, you can reduce fertilizer
needs by as much as one-third.
When turf is mowed on a regular
basis, clippings break down easi
ly, returning nitrogen and other
nutrients to the soil.
“Some people are concerned
that returning clippings to the
lawn may result in thatch accumu
lation,” says Landschoot. “But
because the clippings decompose
rapidly, they do not contribute to
thatch.”
For clippings to break down
rapidly, the lawn must be mowed
frequently enough so that large
amounts of leaf residue don’t
remain on the surface of the turf.
“Weekly mowing often isn’t fre
quent enough, especially during
the peak period of leaf growth in
spring,” he says. Excessive accu
mulations of clippings remain on
the surface for long periods and
can smother the grass.
“When you’re mowing, you
shouldn’t take off more than one
third of the leaf blade at one time.
Otherwise, you may scalp the
grass and make it more vulnerable
to stress.”
If no herbicides have been
applied to the grass, homeowners
can rake the dried clippings and
use them as mulch around trees,
shrubs or flowers, says
LandschooL
Lawn mower manufacturers
now offer mulching mowers that
keep the clippings circulating
under the mower deck, chopping
the grass blades into finer pieces.
“This hastens the decomposition
of the clippings and reduces the
amount of residue left on the
lawn,” says Landschoot.
“However, you don’t have to
buy a mulching mower to recycle
clippings. Ordinary lawn mowers
also will provide good results.”
Grass clippings also can be
composted. “If you combine clip
pings with tree leaves, the two
sources of yard waste will com
plement one another in the com
posting process,” Landschoot
says.