Family Living
Focus
DAVID MANZO
Northampton Co.
. Extension
Managing Credit Cards
American consumers owe $541
billion on their credit cards,
which is double the level of 1990,
according to the New Road Map
Foundation.
When you are creating your
financial budget, no more than
10 to IS percent of your spending
should go toward installment
debt. This includes credit cards.
If you are paying more than 20
percent of your disposable in
come towards installment debt
then you could be looking at
some trouble ahead.
The best advice about using
credit cards is to pay them off
and keep them paid off. You can
leave them at home, and use
them only for vacations when
you don’t want to carry large
amounts of cash.
If that is too drastic a measure,
NEED YOUR
FARM BUILDINGS
PAINTED?
Let us give you a price!
Write:
Daniel’s Painting
637-A Georgetown Rd.
Ronks, PA 17572
(or leave message)
(717) 687-8262
spray on and Brush in Painting
CUSTOM MADE
FEED BINS FOR
FARMS - FEED MILLS
• Made of 13 gauge Steel
• All welded seams
• Gravity Flow or Auger
| Free Estimates
Also - Steel Roof Trusses for
Buildings - Portable Hog Buildings
- Bucket Elevators - Grain augers
Distributors - Flow Pipes &
Accessories
We Sell, Service & Install
Ph: 570-345-3724
Fax: 570-345-2294
STOLTZFUS WELDING SHOP
Owner - Samuel P. Stoltzfus
RD 3, Box 331
Pine Grove, PA 17963
then I suggest that you use only
one credit card that doesn’t have
an annual fee.
Some other tips about using
credit cards include the follow
ing:
• Know the Annual Percent
age Rate (APR), and the Periodic
Rate. The periodic rate is the
APR divided by the number of
billing cycles (usually 12) per
year.
• Know the “grace period,”
which is the number of days be
tween the posting date of a trans
action and the due date.
• Shop for the “best” credit
card available in terms of interest
rate, services, etc.
• Read the small print on the
statement for “hidden” charges.
• Pay your charges completely
every month. If you can’t pay off
your bill every month, try to pay
more than the
minimum.
• Set a limit on
your spending.
Master Gardener Program Accepts Applications
WEST CHESTER (Chester
Co.) Penn State Cooperative
Extension in Chester County is
accepting applications for the
year 2001 Penn State Master
Gardening Program.
This program consists of a vol
unteer training course designed
to provide experienced home gar-
Buy with cash. You’re less likely
to make spur of the moment pur
chases, and people tend to find it
harder to use cash than plastic.
• Do exceed your credit limit.
• Never use a cash advance for
living expenses. Cash advances
do not earn a grace period, inter
est accrues at once, in addition
you will have to pay the transac
tion fee.
• Debt is often the greatest
roadblock to families wanting to
control their spending and sav
ings. You can begin to get your
spending under control by man
aging you credit cards.
Morton Buildings Includes An Unequaled Warranty Package
With Every Building Purchase
• 50-year protection against snow load damage to
structures with no weight limit.
• 50-year protection against decay or insect attack on
preservative-treated columns and lumber.
• 20-year protection against red rust, fading, chalking,
cracking and peeling on roof and sidewall panels,
including damage from atmospheric pollutants.
800-447-7436
A&k MORTON
W BUILDINGS
PO. Box 399, Morton, 1L 61550
www mortonbuildings com
©1999 Morton Buildings, Inc
WV Contractor’s License #WVOO7B4B
m
deners with the information and
skills necessary to share their ex
perience and knowledge with
others.
Weekly classes will be held
from Aug. 23 to Nov. 29 (every
Wednesday night) from 6 p.m. to
9 p.m. at the Government Serv
ices Building, 601 Westtown Rd.,
In exchange for 30 hours of in
door and outdoor instruction,
candidates must agree to donate
50 hours of volunteer service to
Penn State Cooperative Exten
sion. Volunteer activities carried
out by the Master Gardeners in
Chester County include West
Tips On Spotting Fad Diets
• Claims to or implies to pro
duce a quick weight loss of more
than one to two pounds per
week. Slow, gradual weight loss
increases the chance of weight
loss success and of keeping
weight off over the long term.
• Promotes magical or miracle
foods. No foods can undo the
long-term effects of overeating
and not exercising or melt away
fat.
• Restricts or eliminates cer
tain foods, recommends certain
foods in large quantities, insists
• 10-year protection against windload damage to Morton
Buildings' AlumaSteel sliding doors with no velocity
limit.
• 5-year protection against windload damage on the entire
structure with no wind velocity limit.
• 5-year protection against roof-leaks on Morton
Buildings' hi-nb steel panels.
Gettysburg, PA 717-624-3331
Pleasant Unity, PA 412-423-7477
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 1. 2000-817
Meadville, PA 814-336-5083
Phillipsburg, NJ 908454-7900
Chester flower show, community
gardening projects, working with
horticulture and youth, planning
and maintaining a demonstra
tion garden, plant clinics, an
swering horticulture questions by
phone for the residents of Chest
er County, and more.
There is a program fee of $3O
to cover the cost of the training
manual and other materials. Ap
plications are being accepted
through July 23.
For more information, contact
Chester County Penn State Co
operative Extension, Suite 370,
601 Westtown Rd., West Chest
er, PA 19382, (610) 696-3500.
on eating specific food combina
tions, or offers rigid, inflexible
menus.
• Implies that weight can be
lost and maintained without
exercise and other lifestyle
changes.
• Relies heavily on undocu
mented case histories, testimoni
als, and anecdotes but has no sci
entific research to back claims.
• Contradicts what most trust
ed health professional groups
say, or makes promises that
sound too good to be true.