Extension News: Family / Economics / Spending Archives

National/state program focuses on helping individuals and families save and build wealth

We invite New Hampshire residents to save more and reduce their debt by joining other Americans nationwide in the 5th annual New Hampshire Saves...America Saves campaign.

Your challenge: find a way to save money and then do it.

Research shows that there are "savers" and "spenders" at all income levels. While those with modest incomes can't save as much as more affluent earners, almost all have the ability to build wealth over time. The goal of the campaign is to convince all Americans that they can build wealth and help them do it.

How? Do what works!

A few ideas: Save something out of every paycheck, no matter how much or how little. Have the money automatically deposited into a savings account or your 401(k) plan at work if you have one. Save some of your tax refund or part of your next raise.

Our UNH Cooperative Extension family resource management team is dedicated to helping individuals and families increase savings, decrease debt, and increase confidence in managing their finances. Get started by browsing the informative 66 Ways to Save Money.

Commit to saving: make your decision concrete and specific

Commit to the challenge of becoming a New Hampshire Saver and receive newsletters about savings via email throughout the year. Make your decision to save concrete and specific. If you make it automatic through payroll deposit, you won't see it and are less likely to miss it.

Save a little; it all adds up

Some people think they need to win the lottery or receive an inheritance before they'll ever be able to save. Can saving $5 or $10 a week really make a difference?

Yes! Imagine a couple buying two coffees each per day. Four coffees a day, seven days a week at $1.79 each adds up to more than $2,600 a year. This represents a significant portion of their yearly electrical bill or payment towards an outstanding medical bill.

Cutting their coffee purchases in half would free up more than $1,300 in one year this couple could add to their savings. Try this coffee calculator to see how much you might save. To solve a disappearing dollar mystery in your household, download The Disappearing Dollar worksheet.

Write a savings goal; discover how to meet it

Participants in our Extension money management educational programs often comment on the value of writing a savings goal. Learning to save a little bit of money goes a long way toward helping them achieve that goal.

Do you tend to get a large refund at tax time? If so, use the IRS withholding calculator to estimate your withholding amount and complete a W-4 form with your employer to request the adjustment to your withholding. If you save this amount in a retirement plan before taxes, you'll get to keep more of what you've saved.

To learn more about how money grows over time and how little you'll need to grow an emergency fund of $5,000 or a nest egg of $100,000 or more, check out The Time Value of Money. The earlier you start the less you have to set aside out of each paycheck to build assets.

Start Small. Think Big. Commit to the challenge of becoming a New Hampshire Saver and receive newsletters about savings via email throughout the year.

Cooperative Extension has money-management information and programs for you

Our Family & Consumer Resources educators offer numerous workshops throughout the year that help individuals and families improve their money management skills. Download Maximizing Your Personal Finances for details. Then bookmark our money-management events listings for a schedule of educational workshops throughout the year in many locations around the state.

Reach Your Goals by Saving Small Amounts This brochure contains tips and a plan for reaching your personal financial goals.

Visit Managing Money for information on a variety of topics.

If you have questions about any of our money management programs, or for printed copies of any of the articles mentioned above, contact the Family & Consumer Resources educator in your county, or call our Education Center Info Line toll free at 1-877-398-4769 (Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.)

Governor Lynch's proclamation for New Hampshire Saves week

Website offers tips for financial security; sign up for email alerts

Cooperative Extension has teamed with the State Consumer Protection Bureau, the State Treasury, and the N.H. Banking Department to help residents protect, save, and manage their money.

A year in development, the New Hampshire Consumer Education Partnership has developed an information website and will deliver monthly emails containing notes about consumer fraud and educational tips on money-saving opportunities. The monthly emails may come more often to alert residents of a specific issue or to highlight a particular educational opportunity.

"We lead many money-management workshops throughout the year, and we are pleased to be part of this new group," says UNH Cooperative Extension Dean and Director, John Pike.

"Education is the key to help residents to preserve what they have earned," says Assistant Attorney General James Boffett. "This group will develop and deliver notes and tips to residents who sign up for them that will help them avoid financial problems."

"Our goal is to reach residents, encourage them to save for emergencies, and help them to navigate an increasingly complex financial world," adds Deputy Banking Commissioner Robert A. Fleury.

To sign up for the email alerts, visit the New Hampshire Consumer Education Partnership and click the graphic on the left side of the page.

Tax benefit for qualifying lower-income workers

Do you struggle to get by from paycheck to paycheck? Then you should know about the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), a special tax benefit for people who work full-time or part-time. Millions of low-wage taxpayers qualify. Even if you aren't a U.S. citizen, you may still qualify for the EITC.

More than 76,500 New Hampshire residents collectively received $137.7 million in EITC in 2009. The average EITC for State of New Hampshire residents for 2009 was $1,796.

What is Earned Income Credit?

The EITC is a special tax benefit for working people who earn low or moderate incomes. If you fall into this category, the EITC can help reduce your taxes and increase your income.

If you qualify for EITC and file a federal tax return, you can get back some or all of the federal tax withheld from your pay during the year. You may also get some cash back from the IRS. Even if you didn't earn enough to pay an income tax, you may qualify for EITC.

Who can get EITC?

If you worked full-time or part-time at some point in 2010, you can qualify for the EITC depending on your family income which must fall below the following income guidelines:

Family size	Single	Married filing jointly
Three or more children	$43,362	$48,362
Two children	$40,373	$45,373
One child	$35,545	$40,545
No children	$13,470	$18,470

Source: Internal Revenue Service

How much is it worth?

The chart below shows the maximum EITC a family can earn. Your family income determines the actual amount of EITC you receive.

Family size	Maximum EITC
Three or more children	$5,666
Two children	$5,368
One child	$3,050
No children	$457

Source: Internal Revenue Service

The IRS considers a qualifying child: (1) Any child who lived in your household for more than half of 2010, and (2) is your son, daughter, adopted child, grandchild, great-grandchild, stepchild, or eligible foster child, and (3) who also meets one of the following criteria:

• Was younger than age 19 at the end of the tax year
• Was a full-time student under age 24, or
• Was permanently and totally disabled at any age during the year

How do you get the EITC?

Workers raising a qualifying child in 2010 must file either Form 1040 or 1040A and must attach Schedule EIC. Workers with children can't get the EITC if they file Form 1040EZ or do not attach Schedule EIC. Married workers must file a joint return to get the EITC.

Workers who didn't raise a qualifying child in their home in 2010 can file any tax form, including the 1040EZ. These workers write EITC (or dollar amount of their credit) on the Earned Income Credit line on the tax form. They don't file Schedule EIC.

You must provide a correct name and Social Security number for every person listed on the tax return and Schedule EIC. If this information is incorrect or missing, the IRS will delay the refund.

Free help filing your tax forms

Many families who apply for EITC pay someone to complete their tax forms. Many families who apply for EITC pay someone $55 to $200--or sometimes much more--to complete their tax forms. Getting a quick tax refund may cost you even more.

Low or moderate income workers can get free help with tax preparation through local offices throughout New Hampshire. The IRS certifies volunteers to provide free tax help at sites throughout New Hampshire. Find out where the closest free tax preparation site by calling 2-1-1 or visiting the NH Earned Income Tax Credit online.

Does the EITC affect eligibility for other public benefits?

No. The money you receive as EITC doesn't count as income in determining your eligibility for benefits like Temporary Aid to Needy Families (TANF), Medicaid, SNAP food benefits (formerly called food stamps), the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program, Supplemental Social Security (SSI), or public or subsidized housing.

For more information:

• Earned Income Tax Credit for 2010Cooperative Extension EITC brochure for New Hampshire residents
NH Earned Income Tax Credit (information for New Hampshire residents)
• IRS Earned Income Tax Credit Questions & Answers
• IRS Frequently Asked Questions about “Qualifying Child” rules
• Information en espanol: Crédito por Ingreso del Trabajo(EITC)
• New Hampshire IRS offices
• IRS tool for estimating how much EITC you will get for 2010

Cooperative Extension's money-management educational outreach plays a role

The nation's first state-to-state survey measuring Americans' financial savvy found New Hampshire residents among the most financially astute in the nation. Granite State participants scored in the top five states in four out of five topic areas.

Developed in consultation with the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the President's Advisory Council on Financial Literacy, the FINRA Investor Education Foundation Financial Capability Survey collected information from more than 28,000 respondents--about 500 in each state--from June through October, 2009.

Cooperative Extension financial-management education reaches all age and income groups

"While we can't demonstrate a direct connection between our educational outreach and the heightened financial awareness of New Hampshire citizens, we'd like to think our years of family financial-management education has made a difference," says Suzann Enzian Knight, Extension family resource management specialist.

"For more than 20 years, UNH Cooperative Extension in every county has placed a priority on helping increase people's knowledge and skills of personal finance so they can make informed decisions regarding their income and expenses."

"In the past five years, our face-to-face money-management presentations have reached more than 20,000 people of all ages and income levels," Knight says. "We also provide information through mainstream news media, websites, brochures, and pamphlets."

Many programs, many partners

"Some of our money-management programs stay the same regardless of economic situation," Knight says. "We develop others around special topics based on changing economic circumstances, for example, our series entitled, Managing Money in Tough Times. In recent years we've targeted family farmers with help in debt reduction, estate planning, and other topics."

"We conduct our work in conjunction with many state and local partners and coalitions, including the NH Jumpstart Coalition, the NH Community Loan Fund, the Statewide Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Alliance and the New Hampshire Departments of Agriculture and Banking," Knight says.

Demonstrable outcomes

"Our program evaluations find that more than 85 percent of Extension program participants document an increase in their financial capability and improved money-management practices, " Knight says. "These improved practices include putting together a debt repayment calendar, requesting their credit report, developing a spending/savings plan, paying more than the minimum on a credit card, establishing or adding to an emergency fund, and reviewing their insurance policies."

N.H. #1 in "financial literacy"

In the FINRA study, New Hampshire survey participants scored first in the nation in the area of financial knowledge and decision making--what the report calls "financial literacy," understanding the concepts of economics and finance as they apply to everyday life.

The other categories involved:

• Sound borrowing practices: New Hampshire placed second, after New Jersey.
• Comparison shopping (for credit cards): New Hampshire placed 4th.
• Planning ahead by salting away a rainy day fund: New Hampshire placed 4th.
• Making ends meet (able to spend less than they earn): New Hampshire only hit the national average in this category; 20 percent of Granite Staters spent more than they earned.

Even though New Hampshire adults rank high in "financial capability" among other states, we still have a lot of room for improvement. The state FINRA survey found:

• 20 percent of individuals reported that their household spent more than their income in the previous year.
• More than half lack a rainy-day fund to cover expenses for three months, in case of emergencies such as sickness, job loss or economic downturn.
• 15 percent reported using one or more non-bank borrowing methods (such as payday loans) in the past five years.
• 58 percent of individuals said that they didn't collect and compare information about cards from more than one company when they got their last credit card.

More information

FINRA Investor Education Foundation US Financial Capability Study Get information about various aspects of the nationwide survey; take a financial literacy quiz.
Managing Money UNH Cooperative Extension resources for family resource management.
Money-management workshop calendar Cooperative Extension financial-education workshops in your area.

Questions about household money management? Call the Extension Family & Consumer Resources educator in your county

Farm estate-planning videos now online

Farm-succession planning tough to do

"Because it involves talking about the deaths of family elders and who gets the farm after their passing, farm estate-planning isn't easy for farm families to do," says John Porter, retired UNH Extension dairy specialist.

"Fear of the unknown, dislike of the subject, or just plain procrastination often shove this topic down the priority list. However, it's better to have those conversations with all the players around the table, rather than trying to second-guess what mom or dad would have wanted in the emotion-filled days after they die."

"After all," Porter says, "what's more important to a farmer than seeing a life's work--maybe generations of work--continue on?"

And what greater public benefit than keeping agricultural land open, since working farmland allows groundwater recharge, buffers against floods, filters pollutants, provides wildlife habitat, and delivers the scenic views that make New Hampshire such a great place to live and visit.

Real families tackle the issues

To help break the ice on this subject and hear from families who have dealt with estate-planning issues, a team of Extension colleagues that included Family Resource Management Specialist Suzann Enzian Knight, Program Assistant Katherine Fredette, Porter, and Agricultural Business Management Specialist Mike Sciabarrasi, has produced a series of six videocasts of farm families telling their farm-succession stories. The Family Farm Finances website Knight organized three years ago also contains a wealth of additional farm-family financial management information.

Opening their hearts, serving up practical advice

The videos feature three New Hampshire farm families interviewed at their farms about the estate planning steps they have taken: Charlie and Ruth Bachelder and their son Keith of Epsom; Ralph and Sandy LeClair and their sons Mark and Matt and his wife Beth, of Mason; and Martin and Lynda Connolly and their sons Patrick, Michael and Chris of Temple.

Porter asked each family a series of questions about how they dealt with estate planning. These became five segments, entitled How to start succession planning, How to prepare the generations, How to talk about succession planning, How to transition from discussion to documentation, and How to plan for life after farming.

"The families opened their hearts and gave a lot of honest, practical advice that could help another family get started in succession planning," says Porter.

Website, videos jumpstart the estate-planning process

Knight adds, "We've also posted to the website many downloadable resource materials that go along with the videocasts. Site visitors will find retirement budget calculators, sample documents, planning templates, and many other documents that can facilitate planning."

"The family farm financial website isn't a substitute for getting legal advice for finalizing the estate plan," says Knight. "But it can help get things started or reactivate stalled plans to promote the family discussions needed before sitting down with an attorney.

"Viewers will find that a lot of their apprehensions are shared by the farm families interviewed.Their discussions of how they worked through things can be a real encouragement."

Photo by John Porter Porter writes:

Farming is a family affair at Bachelder's Spooky View Farm in Epsom. Charlie and Ruth have been concerned about the business continuing on to the next generation and have done estate planning to help transition the farm to their son Keith. They still own the real estate and live in the house, but Keith runs the farm, and many extended family members are part of the activities and help out as needed. Shown above left to right are: Charlie Bachelder the dad and grand-dad; Amanda Bolduc, wife of another son, Brent; their children Alex, Ethan, and Adam Bachelder; son and operator Keith; and mother and grandmother, Ruth Bachelder.

The project was sponsored by the Northeast Center for Risk Management Education.

UNH Cooperative Extension in conjunction with the New Hampshire Legislative Task Force on Work and Family will host the 2nd New Hampshire Summit on Work and Family, June 7, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Grappone Conference Center in Concord.

Participants can register online. The cost of $30.00 per participant* includes lunch.

New Hampshire's other advantage: its quality of life

"Some argue that the widely touted New Hampshire Advantage that has attracted and kept many small and large businesses in New Hampshire is all about the state's low tax burden. We think it has as much to do with the quality of life that the Granite State offers those of us who work, live, and chose to raise our families here," says Malcolm Smith, Cooperative Extension family life and family policy specialist.

"Our first Work and Family Life Summit started a statewide conversation among business leaders, human resource professionals, state legislators, labor leaders, researchers and bureaucrats on how to make New Hampshire a better place for working families," Smith says.

"This year's summit continues the conversation, articulating what constitutes quality of life for working parents and how to extend those quality benefits to all," he says.

"Based on feedback from last year's event, this year we'll focus on the heightened importance of work-life fit in light of the current recession, and on the changing role of men in both work and family settings.

Conference presentations include:

The Changing Role of Men in Work and Family Life, by Dr. Brad Harrington, Executive Director, The Boston College Center on Work and Family

Sustainable Business Means Sustainable Families, by Gary Hirshberg, CE-YO, Stonyfield Farm and author of "Stirring it Up."

Why Work/Life Fit Matters Now More Than Ever, by Lois Backon, Vice President of the Families and Work Institute, New York

A panel of representatives from small, large, and not-for-profit businesses will discuss best work/life practices. "This session, again moderated by Connie Roy-Czyzowski of Delta Dental, was among the most popular of last year's conference offerings," says Smith.

"In addition to this stellar lineup of acclaimed presenters and panelists, my colleague Kristin Smith of UNH's Carsey Institute and I will present data from the first-ever survey of work-life balance in New Hampshire," Smith says.

"Our survey involved 500 working parents who answered questions about the fit between their family lives and their work lives. We think you'll find our survey results as fascinating as we did."

"We know that when workers neglect their families' needs because of work-related pressures, the quality and quantity of their work suffers," says Smith.

"We also know that when work pressures and job strain pile up at work, our families suffer. Therefore, it's vital that policy-makers, in collaboration with business and community leaders, pay attention to the many issues involved in balancing work and family life. Please join us June 7!"

* New Hampshire legislators may contact our office at 862-1928 to register as our guests.

For more information and to register

National program focuses on helping individuals and families save and build wealth

We invite New Hampshire residents to save more and reduce their debt by joining other Americans nationwide in the 4th annual America Saves--New Hampshire Saves campaign.

Your challenge: find a way to save money and then do it.

Research shows that there are "savers" and "spenders" at all income levels. While those with modest incomes can't save as much as more affluent earners, almost all have the ability to build wealth over time. The goal of the campaign is to convince all Americans that they can build wealth and help them do it.

How? Do what works!

A few ideas: Save something out of every paycheck, no matter how much or how little. Have the money automatically deposited into a savings account or your 401(k) plan at work if you have one. Save some of your tax refund or part of your next raise.

Our UNH Cooperative Extension family resource management team is dedicated to helping individuals and families increase savings, decrease debt, and increase confidence in managing their finances. Get started by browsing the informative 66 Ways to Save Money.

Commit to saving; make your decision concrete and specific

Commit to the challenge of becoming a New Hampshire Saver. Make your decision to save concrete and specific. If you make it automatic through payroll deposit, you won't see it and are less likely to miss it.

Save a little; it all adds up

Some people think they need to win the lottery or receive an inheritance before they will ever be able to save. Can saving $5 or $10 a week really make a difference?

Yes! Imagine a couple buying two coffees each per day. Four coffees a day, seven days a week at $1.79 each adds up to more than $2,600 a year. This represents a significant portion of their yearly electrical bill or payment towards an outstanding medical bill.

Cutting their coffee purchases in half would free up more than $1,300 in one year this couple could add to their savings. Try this coffee calculator to see how much you might save. To solve a disappearing dollar mystery in your household, download The Disappearing Dollar worksheet.

Write a savings goal; discover how to meet it

Participants in our Extension money management educational programs often comment on the value of writing a savings goal. Learning to save a little bit of money goes a long way toward helping them achieve that goal.

Do you tend to get a large refund at tax time? If so, use the IRS withholding calculator to estimate your withholding amount and complete a W-4 form with your employer to request the adjustment to your withholding. If you save this amount in a retirement plan before taxes, you'll get to keep more of what you've saved.

To learn more about how money grows over time and how little you'll need to grow an emergency fund of $5,000 or a nest egg of $100,000 or more, check out The Time Value of Money. The earlier you start the less you have to set aside out of each paycheck to build assets.

Cooperative Extension has money-management information and programs for you

Our Family & Consumer Resources educators offer numerous workshops throughout the year that help individuals and families improve their money management skills. Download Maximizing Your Personal Finances for details. Then bookmark our money-management events listings for a schedule of educational workshops throughout the year in many locations around the state.

Reach Your Goals by Saving Small Amounts This brochure contains tips and a plan for reaching your personal financial goals.

Visit Managing Money for information on a variety of topics. If you have questions about any of our money management programs, or for printed copies of any of the articles mentioned above, contact the Family & Consumer Resources educator in your county, or call our Education Center Info Line toll free at 1-877-398-4769 (Monday-Friday, from 9:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.)

Brochure & comprehensive training package available for parents, parent-educators, community groups

"Many years of research have shown that bullying in our schools and in our society is a much more damaging and dangerous experience for children than we ever suspected. Unfortunately, it's also much more widespread and is occurring at an earlier age than ever before," says Malcolm Smith, UNH Cooperative Extension family life and family policy specialist.

"We've also learned that bullying has many serious consequences for the children who are bullied, for the bullies themselves, and for the bystanders who witness it."

Debunking common myths about bullying

To debunk common myths about bullying and offer parents, schools, and communities concrete, practical advice about what to do, Smith has summarized the latest research findings in two publications (order online)

• Understanding Bullying, a 16-page booklet for parents or for schools, agencies and community groups that would like to have a good discussion-starter for parent groups.
• Understanding Bullying: an expanded training package for professionals who work with parents. "This is a comprehensive 'take-and-go' curriculum for parent educators, school personnel, social service, court and other professionals who want to provide parents with the latest research on bullying," Smith says. "The package includes a CD with handouts and resources, a PowerPoint presentation with narrative, links to Web sites and recommended reading on bullying, as well as teaching recommendations and evaluation materials."

"We've included concrete steps parents of victims and parents of bullies can use if they learn their child is being bullied, or has bullied others. We've also included information about the increasing problem of cyberbullying, since today's kids spend so much time online and on cell phones."

Bullying a top priority for agencies and nonprofits

"Bullying is an important priority for several state and federal agencies," says Smith. "The issue is so important that the Children's Alliance of New Hampshire has made bullying its top educational priority for 2010."

House Bill 1523, currently wending its way through the legislative process, would update the state's current bullying law," Smith says.

"It defines both bullying and cyber-bullying and emphasizes that bullying isn't just peer conflict, but always involves an imbalance of power. It will require schools to have clear bullying policies and to use only evidenced-based information to educate teachers about bullying.

"The bill also requires schools to develop policies for reporting incidents of bullying, and procedures for notifying parents of both the victim and the bully." Smith says.

"Cooperative Extension will be offering a series of parent educational forums this spring--at least one in each county, as well as through our 4-H Youth Development program. We will also be offering train-the-trainer workshops for professionals who work with parents.

"These forums will cover evidence-based information on bullying and give them specific information about what to do if their child is bullied, is a bully, or becomes a bystander to acts of bullying."

Contact your county Extension office to learn when the forums and trainings will take place in your area, or email Malcolm Smith for more information.

Download

Understanding Bullying, a 16-page brochure that summarizes the latest research on bullying and provides parents and professionals who work with youth a variety of concrete tips on how to identify and help victims, bullies, and witnesses to acts of bullying.

Order online

Understanding Bullying A 16-page booklet for parents, or for schools, agencies and community groups that would like to have a good discussion-starter for parent groups.

Understanding Bullying: A comprehensive, research-grounded curriculum for professionals who work with youth, parents, and families. includes a CD with handouts and resources, a PowerPoint presentation with narrative, links to Web sites and recommended reading on bullying, as well as teaching recommendations and evaluation materials.

"It's all about connecting"

Cori's story
In May, 2008, 13-year-old Cori laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery during an 8th-grade class trip to Washington D.C. She'd won the honor in a school essay competition.

"It was so emotional for me," she says. "All my classmates were like, 'Oh it's breathtaking! It's so beautiful!' But my mom was training to deploy to Iraq, and all I could see were the crosses and the tombs. I kept thinking about the lost lives, the brutality of war, thinking, 'What if my mom comes home as one of the Unknowns?'."

Cori's mom, a New Hampshire Army National Guard professional, trained for nearly a year but didn't deploy because of medical problems discovered at the last minute.

"But it had come to the point that my brother and I were already packed, even though we didn't know where we were going to live [during her deployment] because of a family legal issue," Cori says. "I was feeling incredibly anxious."

Last summer, Cori and her brother got involved in Operation: Military Kids (OMK), a program designed to connect military kids with each other and rally community support for the state's more than 4,000 children whose parents are in the National Guard, the Reserves, or on active duty.

UNH Cooperative Extension has managed the program in New Hampshire since 2005 in partnership with the various branches of the U.S. military and numerous state and local organizations.

Cori attended several OMK summer camps--You're the Chef, Adventures in Babysitting, and Flight Command, an introduction to space science--a Speak Out For Military Kids training, and the Family Adventure Camp, as well as the 4-H Teen Conference.

More than just something to do
"OMK started out as just something for us to do in the summer instead of just hanging out," she says. "But it's turned into so much more--a support system. We're the only military kids in our town, so it was great to get connected with other military kids. We're all so open with each other. Nobody is judgmental. It's so great, just having a good time and leaving the problems behind.

"I've made a lot of new friends from all over New Hampshire through OMK," says Cori. "We're in touch all the time, on the phone and through Facebook. In fact, a few of us are on a team to develop a Speak Out For Military Kids Facebook page," says Cori.

"Every military kid has a different story and a different kind of stress," she says. "But we understand each other. I want to stay involved in OMK as a mentor to other military kids."

Upcoming deployment largest in N.H. history
"With as many as 1,600 New Hampshire Guard and Reserve troops about to deploy in 2010, involving more than half the state's military kids, OMK operations have kicked into high gear in the past few months," says Charlotte Cross, the UNH Cooperative Extension 4-H Youth Development specialist who directs the OMK program in New Hampshire.

"This project is all about connecting--connecting military kids to each other and to their nonmilitary peers, connecting communities to the needs of kids. Military kids are geographically dispersed throughout the state," Cross says. "Whether their parents serve in the Guard, Reserve, or active military forces, New Hampshire's military kids don't live on or near military bases, so they don't have a lot of interaction with other military kids.

"Kids have told us they don't feel comfortable talking to their friends who don't have a parent in the military, because they think they won't understand," says Cross. "They really like getting together with other kids who know what it's like to have a parent about to be deployed, who has already gone, or has come home again, and the whole family dynamic has changed."

Components of the OMK project

Ready, Set, Go! "This is one of the core programs offered by OMK," says Cross. "These are presentations we make to school guidance counselors, social service providers, mental health professionals, youth workers, clergy, and others who serve kids and families to educate them about the impacts of deployment on kids and families."

OMK summer camps "In 2009, we held eight camps that served 192 participants. Our Family Adventure Camp at Mt. Ascutney attracted 84 military family members."

Partner Project "This project offers up to $500 to community groups or businesses to help defray costs of sponsoring a program for military kids," Cross says. "This year for example, we helped sponsor a fishing derby, an apple-picking festival, yoga classes, and a kayaking adventure."

Speak Out For Military Kids (SOMK) "This project brings both military kids and their non-military peers together to teach effective ways to raise awareness about and advocate for military youth using a variety of different media, says Cross. "In the process, the young people gain leadership, teamwork, research, organization, and public speaking skills. This year, we're hoping to expand into social media such as Facebook," says Cross.

The Mobile Technology Lab "The lab travels around the state a lot," says Cross. "It features laptop computers, cameras and video equipment, printers, laminators, and other equipment that helps military kids communicate with their deployed parents and share their message with non-military citizens."

"But the Hero Packs are our big project of the moment," Cross says. "These are backpacks filled with items such as disposable cameras, calling cards, journals, and age-appropriate fun items presented to military youth when a parent or loved one deploys, in recognition of the sacrifices these young people make. In 2010, we expect to distribute more than 2,000 of them. We put out a call for help gathering donations for the Hero Packs last summer. It's amazing the follow-up calls we've been getting from schools and community organizations throughout the state.

"A Timberland High School student wants to do a townwide project with a goal of filling 1,000 packs. The Service Credit Union, which has 17 branches, plans a big Hero-Pack collection project. Epping Elementary School, Northwood Elementary School, the UNH sororities, Hampstead Congregational Church, the Pemi-Baker Youth Center, and 4-H programs in Cheshire, Grafton, Merrimack, Strafford, and Sullivan counties have completed or are planning Hero Pack projects. New England Employee Benefits Co. in Concord is raising money among its employees. The N.H. Red Cross has offered us a storage space, and the Department of Education Service Learning Program is urging its grantees to take on Hero Pack projects during the Martin Luther King Day of Service."

Military kids need community support
"Our experiences with N.H. military kids mirror the findings of recent research studies," says Cross. "New Hampshire military teens do take on increased responsibilities at home, including the care of younger siblings. Kids may have to restrict extracurricular activities. They experience less involvement with the parent at home. Their grades can drop, and they may engage in acting-out behaviors. Also, studies indicate that when a parent is deployed, the rates of child abuse and neglect may increase. Military kids have higher rates of stress, depression and relationship conflict than their non-military peers.

"However, being a military child can also foster maturity, encourage independence, provide an opportunity to build new skills, and strengthen family bonds," Cross says.

"Findings indicate that military kids who feel supported by others are more likely to develop successful coping strategies. For this reason, it is so important for us to keep building a network of support for New Hampshire's kids living in military families."

There are many ways you can connect to military youth and families. We have opportunities that will accommodate even the busiest schedule. Contact us.

Operation: Military Kids is a partnership of Army Child, Youth and School Services, National 4-H Headquarters/USDA and the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension 4-H Youth Development Program. New Hampshire Operation: Military Kids is funded by the 4-H/Army Youth Development Project under Kansas State University Special Project #2007-48661-03868.

Thinking about canning the abundance from your garden, CSA, or local farm stand?

Before you harvest, make sure you're using current canning information and tested recipes. And make sure your equipment is in good working order.

Test your pressure canner
Test the pressure-canner dial gauge for accuracy each year before the canning season.

Home food-preservers with Presto-made pressure canners* may bring their Pressure Dial Gauge or Pressure Tru Indicator to a UNH Cooperative Extension county office for testing.

Please call your county Extension office in advance, rather than just walking in with your pressure gauge. If your county isn't conducting testing this year, the Family & Consumer Resources educator there can refer you to a site that will. The educator doing the testing can also inspect your equipment and provide you with recommendations for use based on its condition.

Although weighted-gauge types of pressure canners don't require testing for accuracy, replace the weighted gauge if it's damaged in any way.

*Brand names manufactured by National Presto Industries include: Magic Seal, Maid of Honor, Presto, and National.

Canning workshops scheduled
Although these workshops focus on water-bath canning, but instructors will answer questions about pressure canning, freezing, and drying. (Keep checking this space, as more workshops will be scheduled as the season progresses.)

• August 13: Yes You Can, Exeter Seacoast Farmers Market, Exeter, 2:15 p.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, call Claudia Boozer-Blasco 679-5616
• August 13: Yes You Can--Preserving Food at Home, Green Thumb Nursery, Rte 116, North Haverhill, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. For more information, call Deb Maes at 787-6944
• August 15: Yes You Can, Seacoast Farmers Market, Portsmouth, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. For more information, call Claudia Boozer-Blasco at 679-5616.
• August 18: Yes You Can, Tracy Library, New London, 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. For more information, call Marilyn Sullivan, 225-5505.
• August 18: Yes You Can, Applecrest Farm Orchards, 133 Exeter Road, Hampton Falls, 11:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. For more information, call Claudia Boozer-Blasco at 679-5616.
• August 20: Yes You Can, Wesley United Methodist Church, Clinton Street, Concord, 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Small fee will be charged. Registration handled by the Concord Cooperative Market. Call Ruth Smith at 410-3099 for more information.
• August 25: Yes You Can, Rye Public Library, 581 Washington Road, Rye, 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. For more information, call Claudia Boozer-Blasco at 679-5616.
• September 16: Yes You Can, Massabesic Audubon Center, 26 Audubon Way, Auburn, 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. Small fee will be charged. Registration handled by the Massabesic Audubon Center. Call 668-2045 for more information.
• September 17: Preserving Your Harvest, New Hampshire Technical Institute, Sweeney Building (student center) Room 225, 31 College Drive, Concord, 5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. For more information, call Marilyn Sullivan at 225-5505.
  

Photo credit: podchef at Flickr. Some rights reserved.

We are stardust, we are golden
We are ten billion year old carbon
And we got to get ourselves back to the garden.

Woodstock, Joni Mitchell

Survey research from the National Gardening Association indicates an explosion of interest in home food gardening this year:

• 43 million American households will plant food gardens in 2009--seven million more than last year.
• 11 percent of veteran gardeners say they plan to expand the size of their gardens this summer and the variety of crops they grow.
• 5 million households will seek space in a community garden.

Here in New Hampshire

Hope Lennon, who places seed orders and arranges educational seminars for gardeners at Blue Seal Feeds & Needs in Bow, says, "Stuff is flying off the shelves; our vegetable seeds have already sold out."

"We've already sold 45 percent more vegetable seedlings than last year and had to place another order," says Lennon. "We've sold twice as many seed potatoes this year, and people are still coming for them from as far away from Maine. We've had an increase in sales of organic products, and we've noticed a big rise in interest in container gardening."

During other crisis points in our history, Americans turned to backyard and community gardening in a big way

In 1918, more than 5.2 million World-War-1 Liberty Gardens yielded 528.5 million pounds of produce.

• From 1933-1936, the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) distributed more than three billion dollars to pay Depression Relief Gardeners for their food production.
• Victory Gardens of World War II produced more than 40 percent of the nation's fruits and vegetables.
• And during the Oil Embargo of the mid-1970s, more than half of American households tended vegetable gardens.

They think it tastes better (58 percent)! Saving money (54 percent), enjoying better-quality produce (51 percent) and having safe food (48 percent) fall close behind. Forty percent of food gardeners say they garden to "feel more productive."

Beyond a patch of good dirt (or a few containers of potting soil), hand tools, and seeds, home food producers don't need much by way of fancy equipment to raise fruits and vegetables. A plot managed with intensive techniques can easily yield 10 times the produce of a more conventional garden.

Visit our new Home & Community Food Gardening Web pages

They'll help you learn everything you need to know for success, from site selection and preparation to conditioning the soil, planting, finding space and time, caring for growing crops, managing problems, gardening with children, organizing or locating a community garden in New Hampshire.

We think of this site as a scaffold onto which we'll keep building. So, bookmark this section of our site for frequent reference. And help us keep building it by offering your suggestions for online information resources we haven't provided here.

Against a backdrop of recent news reports citing an increase in child abuse, more than 200 pediatric nurses, family-support professionals, child care providers, social workers and home visitors attended two Oh Baby! trainings held in Manchester and Portsmouth in the past month. A third training, scheduled for May 21 at Plymouth State University, is filling fast.

Designed by UNH Cooperative Extension Parenting and Child Development team members, the program helps participants use Extension's popular child-development newsletters, Cradle Crier and Toddler Tales, as part of an ongoing effort to educate New Hampshire parents and reduce the incidence of child abuse and neglect in New Hampshire.

The programs featured Dr. John Hornstein, a former UNH professor and a consultant to Harvard Medical School, who presented, "Culture, the Brain, and the Wisdom of the Young." Hornstein gave participants an update on current brain research with infants and toddlers and new methodology for educating young parents. Other highlights included presentations by Sarah Leonard, infant and toddler teacher at UNH's Child Study and Development Center, and Extension Specialist Dr. Malcolm Smith.

The Manchester training was co-sponsored by Early Learning New Hampshire and hosted by the Family Education Collaborative at the Manchester YWCA. The Portsmouth Community Campus hosted the Portsmouth event, which was co-sponsored by Families First, a parent resource and education center.

Learn more about the Oh Baby! programs and register for the Plymouth State training.

Explore UNH Cooperative Extension's Families & Parenting pages

Policy analysts and researchers from UNH Cooperative Extension, the UNH Department of Family Studies, and the Whittemore School of Business and Economics have completed a comprehensive review of the state's Child Support Guidelines and made recommendations to the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Child Support Services.

"Even though the current guidelines have been working fairly well for many people, with the rapidly changing economic climate and measurable changes in the patterns of parents involved in child support, it was time to revisit the guidelines," said project leader and Extension Family Life and Policy Specialist Dr. Malcolm Smith.

State and federal laws require the Department to conduct a review of Child Support Guidelines every four years.

Information collected from many publics
Over the past year, the team held public forums in Manchester, Keene, Portsmouth and Littleton and solicited input from people who pay and people who receive child support, other interested parties, and a variety of key stakeholders.

"One of the strengths of this process was the well-rounded approach taken by the review team," said Smith. "This review will be used internally by the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Child Support Services (DHHS DCSS) and will be reviewed by the N.H. Legislature for possible implementation in the next session."

"The most important feature of our evaluation," said Dr. Reagan Baughman, an economist from the UNH Whittemore School of Business and Economics, "was that we listened carefully to all parties affected by child support and developed recommendations that balanced the concerns of payors, payees and their children."

Recommendations move on to state legislature for action
According to Dr. Michael Kalinowski of the UNH Department of Family Studies, "This final report makes several recommendations, each of which we believe will provide some improvement to the child support formula and practice, and which together form a balanced and integrated package."

"We are very pleased to present this study to the N.H. Legislature," said Mary Weatherill, who directs the DCSS. "Not only because it meets federal and state requirements, but more importantly because it provides an unbiased, reliable economic analysis."

Read the complete 2009 NH Child Support Guidelines Review and Recommendations Report or the brief summary of recommendations.

Attendance indicates resurgence of interest in home food production

Eighty-five people showed up at the Holiday Inn in Concord for a workshop entitled Raising Chickens in the Backyard, featuring Merrimack County Extension agricultural resources coordinator Dot Perkins and retired Extension poultry specialist Tom Danko.

"When we scheduled the event in late February, we planned on meeting at the Blue Seal feed store in Bow," says Perkins. "We thought we'd get a big crowd of 30 or 40 people. But after first-week registration topped 60, we moved it to the Holiday Inn."

Meanwhile up in Coos County, agricultural resources educator Steve Turaj says his three-session spring Victory Garden workshop "was oversubscribed, with 50 registrants within two weeks of sending out the announcement."

Food security, safety, self-reliance
"More people are raising chickens and growing vegetables because of the economy," Perkins says. "They want to feed their families fresh, healthy food and feel more secure about their food supply," "Food safety issues play into it too."

Turaj chocks it up to "a greater interest in overall self-reliance."

Perkins says, "They wanted to know about everything: from brooding chicks to broody hens, housing issues, disease management, pasturing chickens, slaughtering, breeds of chickens, predators, nutrition, proper egg handling, food safety issues, lighting requirements--you name it. We rambled a lot. They battered us with questions from 6:30 until 10:00 p.m. and even walked me out to my car."

Perkins has scheduled another talk for April 4 on backyard poultry and swine. By March 30, that workshop had 45 people registered. Turaj also scheduled another session to accommodate the overflow of people interested in basic vegetable gardening and green crops as alternative livestock feeds.

For basic information on any aspect of home food production, call Extension's Family, Home & Garden Education Center Info Line, 1-877-398-4769, Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Residents of New Hampshire's seacoast region can soon purchase locally and sustainably caught shrimp and lobster directly from local fishermen at seacoast-area Winter Farmers Markets.

With shrimp and lobster prices at near 20-year lows, this is an economic boon to consumers and local fishermen alike.

Fishing: A vital component of the N.H. economy
Throughout our history, New Hampshire's commercial fishing industry has helped to shape the state's character and sense of community.

As a vital component of the state's economy for more than two centuries, commercial fishing has grown to a multi-million dollar industry in New Hampshire, employing approximately 100 commercial fishermen and supporting approximately 250 jobs in other sectors, including food processing, tourism, and boatyards.

Tough times for local fishermen
However, the state's seafood industry is at a critical juncture that will determine its future viability. Fishing regulations aimed at protecting declining fish stocks have made it difficult for commercial fishermen to turn a profit. Coupled with rock-bottom prices for shrimp and lobster, commercial fishermen worry that their livelihood is in jeopardy.

Extension initiative to help fishermen develop direct marketing strategies
But how can the shrimp and lobster industries both sustain the resource and increase profits from fish sales?

The answer may lie in establishing direct markets for local and sustainably caught seafood. By selling directly to consumers, fishermen get to keep more of the profits.

Combining a Significant Issues grant from UNH Cooperative Extension with other grant funding, we began conducting research to look at the prospects for direct marketing of seafood. We're conducting a survey to build a marketing profile of consumers and also surveying fishermen and retailers.

We've also been working with the fishermen of the Yankee Seafood Co-op, based in Seabrook, to build stronger links between commercial fishermen and local fresh markets and area restaurants.

Winter Markets the first step
As one result of our initiative, the Co-op will begin selling shrimp and lobster at Winter Farmers' Markets sponsored by Seacoast Eat Local. What better venue for fishermen than a farmers market where agricultural producers are already selling a variety of locally produced foods?

While the financial benefit may be modest for fishermen this first season, we see the farmers' markets as a way to get the word out, give fishermen an opportunity to talk to consumers about sustainable seafood harvesting, and provide information about cooking and preparing fresh seafood.

The Winter Markets help lay the groundwork for a variety of direct marketing opportunities, including community-supported fisheries (similar to community-supported agriculture).

If you're interested in buying fresh, local, sustainably harvested pre-packaged shrimp and live lobsters, visit one of these Winter Farmers Markets:

Saturday, February 7, 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m., 21 Front Street, Exeter
Saturday, Saturday, March 7, 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m., Stratham Town Hall, Stratham

By Charlie French, UNH Extension community economic development specialist and Ken La Valley, fisheries specialist
Photo of shrimp trawler by Ken La Valley

Cleaning out the refrigerator and checking your freezer for the safety of its contents don't often at rise to the top of your to-do list, but an extended power outage is a good time for these tasks.

These food safety tips can help:

• Keep appliance thermometers in the refrigerator and freezer at all times. Meat, poultry, fish, and eggs need to be refrigerated at or below 40 degrees F. Frozen foods need to be stored at or below 0 degrees F. Digital, dial, or instant-read food thermometers and appliance thermometers will help you know if the food is at safe temperatures.


• If you don't have an appliance thermometer, you can insert an instant-read food thermometer into the food and check its temperature.


• Keeping an appliance thermometer in the freezer will help you evaluate the safety of frozen foods. When the power comes back on, check the thermometer. If the temperature reads 40 degrees F or below, the food is safe and may be refrozen.


• If you don't have a thermometer in the freezer, check each package of food individually. Food is safe to refreeze if it still contains ice crystals. Partial thawing and refreezing may reduce the quality of some food, but the food will remain safe to eat.


• Keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible to maintain the cold temperature. The refrigerator will keep food safely cold for about 4 hours if it is unopened. A full freezer will hold the temperature for approximately 48 hours (24 hours if it is half full) if the door remains closed.


• For prolonged power outages, try to obtain dry or block ice to keep your refrigerator as cold as possible. Fifty pounds of dry ice should hold an 18-cubic foot full freezer for two days. Use caution when handling dry ice.


• Storing food outside isn't a good idea, even though the outside temperature is below 40 degrees F. Frozen food can thaw if exposed to the sun's rays, even when the temperature is very cold. Since the outside temperature could vary hour by hour, refrigerated food may become too warm and bacteria that cause foodborne illness could grow.


• Additionally, perishable items left outside could be exposed to unsanitary conditions or to animals. Never eat food that has come in contact with an animal.


• Rather than putting the food outside, consider taking advantage of cold temperatures by making ice. Fill buckets, empty milk cartons or cans with water and leave them outside to freeze. Then put the homemade ice in your refrigerator, freezer, or coolers.


• Discard any perishable food (e.g., meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and leftovers) that have been above 40 degrees F for 2 hours. Be sure to discard any items in either the freezer or the refrigerator that have come into contact with raw meat juices.


• Remember, you can't rely on appearance or odor to tell you whether a food is still safe to eat.

When in doubt, throw it out! It's much safer to throw out $150 worth of food than to spend $1000+ for a visit to the emergency room. Think of it as a great way to make room in your refrigerator for all the extra holiday foods. Have a happy, healthy and safe holiday season!

By Alice Mullen, Family & Consumer Resources Educator

More information

• Keeping Food Safe During an Emergency
• Food and Water in an Emergency
• Food Security and Emergency Preparedness





Posted December 15, 2008

Managing Money When It's Hard to Make Ends Meet

Does your emergency fund add up to less than three months of living expenses? Are you paying only the minimum amount due on your credit cards each month? Are you arguing about money in your household?

If you answer yes to any of these questions, it's time to talk about money.

Money is a common problem
Regardless of your income, age or education, money can cause hassles and arguments. Lack of open discussion about money and feelings about money often lie at the root of family financial problems.

When talking about money:

• Clearly identify the issue at hand.
• Recognize that whoever earns the money doesn't also earn the right to dictate how it should be spent.
• Let each household member freely state wants, needs and personal feelings.
• Listen carefully.

A spending plan helps you spend less than you make. Here's how:

Write down every dime, quarter and dollar you and your household members spend. Record your expenses on the Monthly Expense Chart. You may be surprised to see how you are spending your money.

After a month of charting your expenditures, think about how you and your household members spend money. Can you make changes that allow you to pay more than the minimum on your credit cards?

• Did you find yourself buying lottery tickets?
• Are you buying coffee you could make at home?
• Are you making unnecessary trips with the car and using more gas? Can you combine trips or eliminate trips by carpooling?
• Are you bringing your lunch to work or are you buying lunch at work?

For more information
Develop a Savings/Spending Plan
Browse our money-management Web pages
Attend a workshop or other money-management event
Consult a county Extension family & consumer educator

Written by Suzann Enzian Knight, Extension Family Resource Management Specialist

If you're intending to burn wood to heat your home this winter, you'd better make your first priority finding the wood to feed it.

Firewood supplies are already scarce. Many firewood dealers are delivering seasoned wood to long-term customers only. Some, but not all, will deliver green wood, but many dealers have a backlog until fall.

The truth about green wood
The moisture content of green wood averages 60 percent to more than 80 percent by weight, depending on when it was cut.

It takes about six months to air-dry a cord of cut-and-split wood to 30 percent moisture content, and a year or more to reach the 20 percent moisture desirable for the safest, most efficient burn.

If you try to burn green wood, evaporating all that water from your fuel will use as much as 15 percent of its potential heat. Allowing green wood to smolder also promotes a buildup of creosote in the chimney, increasing the risk of a dangerous chimney fire.

Let nature dry your wood
In almost every case, it's more inexpensive to let nature air-dry your wood before you burn it. That means the green wood you buy or cut this fall might not be ready to burn until the 2009-2010 heating season.

How much wood do you need?
The amount of wood required to heat a house depends on a number of factors: the size and interior layout of the house, how weather-tight the house is and the type and efficiency of the wood stove. A 1500-square-foot, fairly weather-tight New Hampshire house will burn between four and five cords of seasoned wood during an average New Hampshire heating season.

High prices
A quick perusal of your local weekly newspaper will show advertised prices exceeding $200 for a cord of green wood and more than $300 for a cord of seasoned wood. Don't delay too long shopping around for better deals on firewood, because prices are bound to increase as winter gets closer and supplies disappear.

Don't commit roadside thievery
By the way, if you've been watching the tree crews trimming the branches off trees close to utility lines and thinking about stopping by later with a pickup truck to collect that wood, think again. Those trees and branches belong to the folks who own the road frontage, and you need permission from them to scavenge the wood.

Where to look for firewood
If you're in the market for firewood, check your local paper, or ask your neighbors and friends about dealers they might know. On-line classifieds, such as Craigslist, are good resources for locating wood as well.

Ask the dealer how long the wood you plan to buy has been drying since it was cut and split. Learn the species mix of the dealer's wood, too. The denser the wood, the longer it will take to dry. Oak, for example, may take more than a year to dry to the desirable 20 percent moisture content.

Know what you're getting
Be sure to clarify what measure of wood you are buying. By state law, a cord of wood is 128 cubic feet of air, bark, and wood. That's a pile of wood 8 feet long by 4 feet high by 4 feet wide.

A vendor may legally sell a fraction of a cord, but must represent it accurately as such (e.g., a half-cord). Remember that stacking a cord is an imperfect skill, so the cord will vary slightly in size every time it is stacked.

Buyer beware
Meet the delivery truck before the load is dumped to make sure you are satisfied by the mixture of species and cleanliness, and tell the driver where you want the wood dumped. Most firewood dealers don't want to return to your house to reload their truck. Ask in advance about any delivery surcharges.

Don't pay for wood in advance of delivery. Ask for a sales invoice that includes the name and address of the firewood selller, the amount and species mix of wood delivered, and the price charged.

Stacking and storing your wood
Unless you've arranged otherwise, it's up to you to restack the pile. Stack it outside in a well-ventilated area off the ground—used pallets make a good platform if you don't have a woodshed. Don't cover your stacked wood until about a month or so before you begin to use it. This will encourage natural air circulation to drive the moisture from the wood.

Even if you're buying your firewood cut, split and delivered, the work of stacking it, loading your stove all winter, and removing the ashes will enable you to understand the old adage "wood warms you twice." At least.

For more information
From cutting your own firewood to managing the ashes from your stove, our new Heating with Wood Web pages offer information on all aspects of heating your home with wood.

By Tim Fleury, UNH Cooperative Extension Forest Resources Educator

Thinking of installing a woodstove to beat the high cost of other fuels? Wondering if you can crank up a once-in-a-while woodstove to serve as your home's primary heating source?

If so, you'll want to check out our new Heating With Wood Web pages.

If you're just starting to investigate wood heat, you'll find there's a lot to learn. Even if you've burned wood for years, you'll want to keep up with changes in wood heating technology and firewood markets.

Heating with Wood offers information on these and other topics:

• Assessing your home for wood heat.
• Cutting your own firewood.
• Buying and storing firewood.
• Sizing, locating, installing and maintaining your wood stove.
• Burning wood safely and efficiently.
• The health effects of woodsmoke.
• Outdoor wood boilers.
• Managing the ashes.

Tornadoes touching down in New Hampshire, three-day blizzards, or ice storms that knock out power for several days are without question newsworthy.

However, media-distributed images of the devastating effects of a natural disaster may be confusing and difficult for children to understand.

Very young children may see the many reports on television in the days after the event and believe that the extreme weather event is continuing to occur day after day, unable to understand that these are the same images being repeated.

In addition, many children's families or friends have been directly or indirectly affected by the storms. When talking to children about traumatic events such as these, here are a few points to bear in mind.

• Remember that not talking about an event doesn't mean children aren't aware of it.
• Listen first, then use questions to help you understand your child's emotions and concerns. Ask: What are your thoughts about that? What made you think about that?
• Acknowledge feelings; recognize that children will express their feelings differently at different ages. Young children will express feelings through behavior, often reverting to younger behavior. They may become loud and aggressive or shy and withdrawn
• Answer children's questions as completely as possible appropriate to their age. Children may become anxious if they feel an adult is hiding something. Try not to give too much information. Provide simple, direct facts, while reassuring children as much as is possible.

• Take time to think about and cope with your own feelings.
• Be willing to discuss difficult issues with your children. You may not have all the answers, but give what information you do have and acknowledge the sad and complex nature of traumatic events
• Acknowledge children's feelings and perspectives
• Remember that routines and predictable structure are reassuring for children.
• Remember to take care of yourself during stressful times. Eat well and try to get some exercise.

For more information

Talking with children after a natural disaster
Importance of Talking for Helping Children During Natural Disasters
Real Words to Help Children Cope with Tragedy
Children as victims of natural disasters

Updated September 17, 2009

An interdisciplinary team of UNH Cooperative Extension staff collaborating with outside experts will offer the third Natural Resource Business Institute (NRBI) this fall.

The 13-week course provides individuals and families who want to start or expand a natural resource-based business with the essential information and preparation they need to be successful.

"Sustainably profitable farms and forestry enterprises, so-called 'working landscapes', are essential for preserving New Hampshire's natural resources for future generations," says Extension agricultural business management specialist Mike Sciabarrasi.

Course covers all aspects of starting a natural resource business

NRBI participants will:

• develop an operating plan for a farming or forestry business or business expansion as they learn about biological systems, product and service marketing, enterprise profitability and legal matters particular to natural resource businesses.
• learn to take inventory of a site's natural resources
• explore the human dynamics of running a family business (e.g., defining roles and responsibilities, handling conflict, managing time, and hiring outside labor).
• understand how government agencies and financial institutions work with farm and forestry ventures
• receive valuable feedback from a peer support network of other natural-resources entrepreneurs leave well-connected to a wide variety of advisors and technical experts

Target audiences

• individuals and families starting or planning a natural-resource business
• current land-based business owners considering changes or expansions to their operations
• families looking for ways to pass viable operations on to the next generation
• high school and college students exploring career options

Classes meet Wednesdays, September 10 through December 10, from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. in Barton Hall, at the UNH Thompson School in Durham.

Cost is $175.00/person. The registration deadline is August 30, 2008

For more information or to register

Contact Michael Sciabarrasi at 862-3234, download a brochure, or sign up online.

Last year 59,000 New Hampshire residents received more than $62 million in food stamp benefits, nearly all of which was spent supermarkets and convenience stores.

Meanwhile, New Hampshire fruit and vegetable growers have increasingly turned to marketing their crops directly to consumers through farmers' markets and farm stands. This summer, 75 or more New Hampshire communities will host farmers' markets.

Growers typically receive only about 20 percent of a retail shopper's food dollar, so direct marketing not only enables consumers to get fresh, locally grown food, but it also allows farmers to capture more of the profit.

In 2004, UNH Cooperative Extension received a three-year grant from the Northeast Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (SARE) to connect food-stamp recipients with local growers by piloting the process of accepting food-stamp Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) Cards at farmers' markets.

Demonstration projects at markets in Nashua, Manchester and Enfield proved that the process would work. Extension's Helen Costello (who now heads the N.H. Food Bank's Recipe for Success Program) then developed a manual for market managers and farmers' market managers and vendors.

Published this month, Accepting Food Stamp Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) Cards at Farmers' Markets and Farm Stands: A Primer for Farmers and Market Managers highlights step by step the process by which an individual farmer or an entire market can become authorized to become a food stamp merchant, as well as listing the various ways to process transactions, the equipment needed for each, and other technical aspects needed to be successful.

Learn more

Download a copy of the manual

The New Hampshire food stamp program

N.H. farmers' markets

We've noticed more lawns and backyards sprouting tomatoes, beans and zucchini this year.

Even small gardens can produce an overabundance of vegetables at the peak of their harvest season. Preserving the overflow can help you store high-quality food for later use.

Canning, freezing, drying, and common storage are the four main methods of preserving homegrown food. The method(s) you choose will depend on whether you can find safe preservation guidelines for the foods you want to preserve, whether you have the equipment and space needed to process and store your garden crops, how much it will cost, and whether you and your family like the preserved products.

If you have questions about preserving food safely, call our toll-free Into Line (1-877-398-4769), or check the National Center for Home Food Preservation.

If you plan to can any vegetable but tomatoes, pressure canning is the only safe method.

Pressure canners that have a dial gauge should be checked for accuracy yearly, and most have a rubber gasket that needs periodic replacement. You can have your dial gauge checked at the Family, Home & Garden Education Center in Manchester or at most county Extension offices.

Walk or Bike to Work

Want to get fit, lose weight, build muscle, lower your stress levels, save gas, and reduce air pollution?

Consider biking or walking all or part of the distance to work.

Many more of us could commute with our own two legs than do. You probably have a few good excuses for not powering yourself to work:

I live too far from work. It'll take too much time. I don't have a safe route to travel. I don't have a place to shower at work. I don't have a safe place to stash my bike. I don't want to appear weird. I'm too out of shape to go that far.

Many self-powering commuters have found creative ways to solve these and other problems.

One of the sites below may offer for a solution to yours. Although they speak specifically to bicycle commuters, many excuses and answers apply to walkers as well:

Save Time Commuting by Bicycle
The top 10 excuses for not commuting by bike
Another top 10 excuses
Overcoming bike commuting excuses
More overcoming
No more excuses

Check out The True Cost of Driving to calculate the dollar, pollution and social cost savings of commuting with your own two legs.

For a lot more information about commuting by bike, check out this new section of Lighten Up NH!

Listen to NPR reporter Alex Chadwick commute to work by bike.

National program focuses on building wealth, not debt

We invite New Hampshire residents to "save more, reduce debt" by joining with other Americans nationwide in the second annual America Saves--New Hampshire Saves campaign. Register now to become a New Hampshire Saver and be entered in our drawing for a $50 U.S. Savings Bond (there will be two winners).

Your challenge: find a way to save money, then do it.
Unfortunately, the national trend is to borrow more and save less. The nation's personal savings rate has declined to less than one percent for the third year in a row. A recent study commissioned by Consumer Credit Counseling Service, revealed that overall consumer debt increased 38 percent for households at all income levels in recent years.

How do we turn this trend around?
Do what works! A few ideas: save something out of every paycheck, no matter how much or how little. Have the money automatically deposited into a savings account or your 401(k) plan at work if you have one. Save some of your tax refund or part of your next raise.

Our UNH Cooperative Extension family resource management team is dedicated to helping individuals and families increase savings, decrease debt, and increase confidence in managing their finances. Get started by browsing the informative 66 Ways to Save Money.

Commit to saving; make your decision concrete and specific
Then commit to the challenge of becoming a New Hampshire Saver by filling out our online form--a contract with yourself that makes your decision to save concrete and specific.

Anyone who submits a form will receive the quarterly America Saves newsletter and other information from the national program in addition to receiving a "Where To Find The Money You Need Calculator" free (while supplies last).

Save a little; end up with a lot
Some people think they need to win the lottery or receive an inheritance before they will ever be able to save. Can saving $5 or $10 a week really make a difference?

Yes! Imagine a couple buying two coffees each per day because they believe neither one of them can make a decent cup of coffee. Four coffees a day, seven days a week at $1.79 each adds up to more than $2,600 a year. This represents a significant portion of their yearly electrical bill or payment towards an outstanding medical bill.

Cutting their coffee purchases in half by improving their home coffee-brewing skills would free up more than $1,300 in one year this couple could add to their savings. Try this coffee calculator to see how much you might save. To solve a disappearing dollar mystery in your household, download The Disappearing Dollar.

Participants in our Extension money management educational programs often comment on the value of writing a savings goal, and learning how saving a little bit of money goes a long way toward helping them to achieve that goal.

To learn more about how money grows over time and how little you'll need to grow an emergency fund of $5,000 or a nest egg of $100,000 or more, check out The Time Value of Money.

Cooperative Extension has money management info and programs for you
Our Family & Consumer Resources educators offer numerous workshops throughout the year that help individuals and families improve their money management skills. Download Maximizing Your Personal Finances for details.

Visit Managing Money for information on a variety of topics. If you have questions about any of our money management programs, or for printed copies of any of the articles mentioned above, contact the Family & Consumer Resources educator in your county, or call our Family, Home & Garden Information Center Info Line toll free at 1-877-398-4769.

3rd annual Grazing Conference March 8

Interested in the whys and hows of raising meat and milk animals on pasture? Both beginners and experienced farmers can learn more about producing and marketing grass-fed products at this year's grazing conference, Grass-Fed: From Pasture to Plate, March 8 at the Common Man Inn in Plymouth.

The daylong event will feature two nationally known grazing experts: Jim Gerrish, author of Management-intensive Grazing and columnist for the Stockman-Grass Farmer, and Sarah Flack, a grazing specialist and organic farmer from Vermont.

Gerrish will deliver the keynote address on the topic of Yeah, but that will never work on my place! also lead two workshops: Stock Density-the Most Powerful Tool in the Grazier's Toolbox and Extending the Grazing Season for More Money in Your Pocket. Flack will conduct a two-part workshop on Getting Started with Managed Intensive Grazing.

The afternoon sessions will focus on marketing grass-fed products. Featured speakers include grass farmers Ridge Shinn, Matt & Beth LeClair, Jim & Adele Hayes, and Ed Jackson.

Conference sponsors: Granite State Graziers, Natural Resources Conservation Service and UNH Cooperative Extension.

Download a brochure containing full conference schedule and speaker bios.

Register for the conference online

A non-profit housing specialist relayed this story about a recent house closing in my community. Buyer and lender were ready to sign on the dotted line when the phone rang and the transaction ceased. The mortgage company had stopped processing mortgages. Both parties were left high and dry.

Scenarios like this reflect the harsh reality of the current mortgage-lending market in New Hampshire and across the nation. Individuals and families wanting to buy a home are finding limited opportunities for funding. Some lenders have gone out of business; many others are unable to get enough resources to lend money to prospective homebuyers. Foreclosure numbers are skyrocketing. The American Dream of home ownership is quickly getting out of reach, even for many middle-income families.

If your credit score is considered "good," also called "Tier 1," you qualify for the best rates and deals. If your credit score reflects past problems, companies take a chance in loaning you money, so it will cost you, the borrower, more to get money for a mortgage. Basically, the more you need the loan, the more it will cost you.

If you get a mortgage that can be insured, perhaps by FHA, Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac the company lending the money has a guarantee that if you default on your loan, they still get their money. In the subprime market there are no such guarantees, so lenders take more of a risk. (Subprime mortgages are home loans made to individuals or families who have a credit score of 650 or below.) Therefore it will cost you more to buy a house and failure to pay may mean losing your home and any equity you may have in your house.

Credit guidelines
Consumer groups have been working to reduce the number of loans made in the subprime market. Why? Because buyers with poor credit often realistically can't afford the mortgage.

Guidelines from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Development agency for mortgage loans at 1 percent interest require that your mortgage payment (principle, interest, taxes and insurance) be no more that 29 percent of your total gross income. In addition, your total debt load, including mortgage, should be no more than 41 percent of your total gross income. If your loan rate is closer to the standard 30-year fixed-rate mortgage now at around 6 percent, the rules allow your mortgage payment to rise to 33 percent of your income, but your total debt load should still be no more than 41 percent.

The subprime market has higher thresholds that allow a buyer's total debt load to rise as high as 50 percent of total income. That leaves subprime borrowers with less than 50 percent of their total gross income to cover payroll deductions, food, clothing, heating costs, gasoline and auto maintenance, phone, electricity and other essentials. You can see how families with subprime mortgages can get into financial trouble quickly.

If your mortgage is adjustable, meaning your payment may be tied to an ever-increasing interest rate, you could see your monthly bill rise every six months. That doesn't take into account an increase in the yearly taxes on your property or your homeowner's insurance.

New Hampshire County Register of Deeds offices across the state report that the number of foreclosures has been increasing. Most counties are on pace to exceed the numbers recorded in 2006, with the busy season ahead of them.

Trouble making mortgage payments?
If you're having trouble making your mortgage payments, there are some steps you should follow to help protect your home investment:

• The Federal Reserve Board has identified resources that can help you when you are having difficulty making your mortgage payment.


• Contact your lender immediately when you run into difficulty. Some may let you set up a different payment plan.


• If you have steadily improved your credit score, consider refinancing with a company that offers a fixed mortgage.


• Consider selling your current home and buying a smaller, more affordable place place. You can pay off the first home and you may be eligible for a better mortgage plan than what you currently have.

You can repair your credit by paying your bills on time and using your available credit carefully. The Federal Trade Commission has a publication Credit Repair: Self-Help May Be the Best http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/credit/repair.shtm offers more detailed information.

Get any promises in writing. Check with the consumer protection bureau http://doj.nh.gov/consumer/index.html of the state Department of Justice (1-888-468-4454) to see if complaints have been filed against the company you are contemplating doing business with. Proceed cautiously.

UNH Cooperative Extension Educators in each county offer a variety of money management classes to help you manage your money. In addition, we offer educational publications on a variety of consumer money management topics.

By Deb Maes, Family & Consumer Resources Educator

UNH Cooperative Extension launches statewide program to support "Kinship Caregivers"

According to the 2000 U.S. Census, about six million children across the nation live in households headed by grandparents or other relatives. In New Hampshire, 12,458 children live with such "kinship caregivers," 3,869 of them in households without either parent present.


"Kinship caregivers and the children they care for have needs and concerns that go beyond the usual challenges of childrearing," says Thom Linehan, a UNH Cooperative Extension parent educator. Linehan heads a new Extension initiative called NHRAPP (Relatives as Parents Program), aimed, he says, "at helping connect people, ideas, and information in a fragmented system."

"Many kinship caregivers are older; they have significant medical or financial concerns of their own. They may have health concerns and financial of their own. The kids may have disabilities, mental health needs, attachment disorders, and they're often acting out, engaging in risky behaviors, or suffering attachment disorders. Both the children and the kinship caregivers may find themselves involved in legal difficulties. Each situation is unique.

Supported by a grant from the Brookdale Foundation, "NHRAPP has three components to address this universe of needs." says Linehan, "Our Web site will collect and organize informational resources and create interactive online forums for kinship-care families and the professionals who work with them. We'll also establish a statewide coalition of professionals and families working together to identify the needs and improve the systems that support kinship care families. Third, the project will help incubate new support groups by training new facilitators."

"So many glitches, so many roadblocks, so few places to go for help"
Pauline Smith of Somersworth has cared for two of her 11 grandchildren off and on since 1990--full time since 1995, when it became evident that neither her son nor the children's mother could do so.

"I've spent 50 years as a parent," says Smith, who adds that she's raised her grandchildren as a single parent, working full time managing the Rochester toll plaza until she retired in 2000.

"It's been very painful," Smith admits. "Sometimes people question whether we're even fit to raise our grandchildren."

"The children were four and five when they came to me," she says. "They had no health records, and I couldn't get access to them. Without the health records, I couldn't even enroll the children in school. [Kinship caregivers] have no legal rights--it took six weeks to get legal guardianship."

"There've been so many glitches in the road, so many roadblocks. There were so few places to go for help," says Smith. "Nobody seemed willing to give me information I didn't know enough to ask for; if I had known enough to ask for it, I wouldn't have had to ask."

"I'm so excited about this new program," Smith says. "I've signed up to join the [NHRAPP] Coalition and to be trained as a support- group facilitator."

Energized and ready for action
Smith was among the 34 caregivers and professionals who attended RAPP New Hampshire's first public event, a "community dialogue for kinship caregivers" March 13 in Concord.

"We had a great conversation and got great feedback," says Linehan "It was a chance for people to step back a bit from issues they face every day but rarely have a chance to reflect on or share in a public forum. One important thing we learned was that, while everyone has access to some specific information, there's a lot people don't know.

"For example, we have a lot of professional resources for kinship families here in New Hampshire, but they're distributed through a wide variety of agencies. It's very clear we some means of bringing all the information and all the people who care about these families together.

"People told us they felt the community dialogue was an important first step," says Linehan. "They left energized and ready to take action."

2nd-time winners in financial lifeskills competition move on to nationals in Orlando

For the second time, Sullivan County 4-H has won the state championship in the 2007 New Hampshire Jump$tart Coalition's LifeSmarts financial literacy competition.

The team of five high school students: team captain Allen Abendroth, Rachel Shklar, Amy Barriger, Rebecca Mailhot, and alternate Caroline Mailhot, beat high school teams from Winnacunnet, Raymond, Newfound Regional, Mascoma Valley, and Interlakes Regional.

The Sullivan County team will represent New Hampshire at the LifeSmarts National Competition April 21 to 24 in Orlando, Florida.

National program focuses on building wealth, not debt

We invite New Hampshire residents to act on their "save more, reduce debt" New Year's resolutions by joining with other Americans nationwide in the first annual America Saves - New Hampshire Saves campaign. Register now to become a New Hampshire Saver.

Your challenge: find a way to save money and then do it.

Unfortunately, the national trend is to borrow more and save less. Currently, the nation's personal savings rate is a negative one-half percent, something that hasn't happened since the Great Depression. A recent study commissioned by Consumer Credit Counseling Service, revealed that overall consumer debt increased 38 percent for households at all income levels last year.

We’ve all heard the radio and TV ads that go something like this:

“Reduce your mortgage payment by up to 45 percent. Save hundreds of dollars a month.”

Even the most cynical listener would want to know how to save so much money each month. The ad usually goes on to talk about refinancing, and what you needed to do. Finally the punch line arrives: “Once you’ve refinanced, you only make interest payments on the family mortgage.”

What the ad doesn’t mention is that your mortgage principal balance never goes down. You could be making interest payments for the rest of your life and never reduce the balance of your mortgage. Years later you would still owe the same amount.
           
Predatory tactics
More and more vulnerable borrowers: folks with poor credit, elders, low-income families, and recent immigrants fall prey to a variety of lending practices collectively known as “predatory lending.” The term refers to practices that may include deception, outright fraud, and manipulation that mortgage brokers or other lenders may use to make a loan with terms disadvantageous to the borrower.

Predatory practices may include offers for refinanced mortgages, payday loans, cash advances on credit cards, debt consolidation loans, tax refund anticipation loans, and overdraft loans, among others.

Many residents are surprised to learn that New Hampshire has no specific statutory limits on how much interest can be charged on credit card balances or any other type of debt. Interest rates are not regulated by federal law either. New Hampshire retailers and lending institutions may charge interest rates as high as 400 percent on a consumer debt. All that is required by federal and state laws is that information about the interest rate be provided to the borrower.

“Flipping”
One common predatory lending practices is known as “flipping” , or “repeated financing.” The carrot for the consumer: a reduction in monthly payments, similar to the ad described above. What the lenders don’t tell you is that you will end up paying more over a longer period of time The lender gets all the benefits and the consumer often ends up owing more money
           
Up-front credit insurance
Another predatory lending practice involves bundling a loan with additional products. One that has proved very costly for consumers is the practice of bundling up-front, lump-sum credit insurance with a loan. If you ever chose to refinance the loan, you in essence will also refinance the insurance, and if your next lender also bundles up-front insurance, you end up financing and paying the new lump-sum insurance coverage. This can add thousands of dollars to each loan. It makes more sense to purchase a separate "credit life" policy, paid in installments throughout the life of your loan, which will pay the balance on your loan to your lender if you should die.

Car title loans
Similar to payday loans, car title loans are marketed as small emergency loans. A typical car title loan has a triple-digit annual interest rate, requires repayment within one month, and is made for much less than the value of the car. Title loans are typically made without regard to borrowers' ability to repay. Because the loans are structured to be repaid as a single balloon payment after a very short term, borrowers frequently can’t pay the full amount due on the maturity date and instead find themselves extending or “rolling over” the loan repeatedly. In this way, many borrowers pay fees well in excess of the amount they originally borrowed.

If you fail to keep up with these recurring payments, the lender may repossess your car—an essential asset to most working families, and often a family’s only means of transportation.

 In NH, where the interest rates for car title loans range as high as 366 percent, the original term is one month or less, and the car title is used to secure the loan. This means if the loan is not repaid, the lender may take the car and sell it to get the loan money back. You risk losing a valuable family asset and perhaps your only means of transportation.

Empower yourself!
As a consumer you need to be aware of high-pressure sales tactics, high interest rates, balloon payments (low monthly payments with a big payment due at the end of the loan), and promises to refinance the loan at a lower interest rate in the future.

To avoid falling prey to predatory lending practices, the American Banking Institute suggests asking yourself these questions before you borrow:

• Do I feel pressured?
• Have I shopped around for the best deal?
• Is it too good to be true?
• Can I trust the lender?
• Do I understand the loan terms?

The federal Department of Housing and Urban Development publishes a fact sheet of tips to help you avoid predatory lenders. Among them:

• Before you buy a home, attend a homeownership education program. Non-profit housing agencies such as the Concord Area Trust for Community Housing (CATCH) in Concord, and Affordable Housing, Education, And Development (AHEAD) in Littleton offer classes throughout their service areas.
• Hire a properly licensed inspector who will not over-estimate the value of your home, thereby making you eligible for a loan for more than your house is worth.
• Don’t make false statements on your loan application.
• Don’t let anyone convince you to `borrow more money than you can afford to repay. If you get behind on your payments you could lose your home.

           
Don’t get crushed by debt: Cooperative Extension offers money management programs
The best way to avoid getting into trouble with debt: empower yourself. UNH Cooperative Extension offers several money management programs and workshops designed to increase consumer financial skills and confidence, including a new one-hour workshop, Don’t Get Crushed By Debt.

We also offer Credit Check Up, Making Money Work For You and Taking Charge of Your Finances, among others. For more information, go to our Managing Money web page Check for upcoming classes on our Family and Consumer Resources Event Calendar.

Extension Family Resource Management specialist Suzann Enzian Knight and program assistant Katherine Fredette provided information for this article. Family and Consumer Resources educator Deb Maes developed the article’s original structure.

For more information

• Don’t Borrow Trouble® New Hampshire New Hampshire Housing authority’s Program to help prevent predatory lending across the state.

• Predatory Lending in New Hampshire Learn More, file complaints.

• Center for Responsible Lending A wealth of online resources to help you protect yourself from predatory lending practices.

• HUD-Approved Nonprofit Consumer Counseling Services in New Hampshire When you need help with consumer debt.

• Subprime and Predatory Lending in Rural America: Mortgage lending practices that can trap low-income rural people Recent report from the UNH Carsey Institute.
  
  
• US Department of Housing and Urban Development: Don’t be a Victim of Loan Fraud

• Credit: Truth-in-Lending US Department of Justice fact sheet provides a brief summary of the federal Truth-in-Lending Act (TILA), information on relevant state and federal statutes. Discusses balloon payments, payday lending, credit card scams and more.

UNH Cooperative Extension has an array of information to help New Hampshire residents recover from multiple problems caused by this weekend’s floods.

Storm damage can leave behind debris-strewn areas, contaminated water, spoiled food, displaced wildlife and conditions, if not treated properly, may lead to health problems.

With rain totals reaching as high as 11 inches in some areas, and more on the way, residents must assume that all water sources are contaminated until proven safe. Food contaminated by flood waters should be handled carefully and a determination made on what to keep or discard.

Topics include staying safe, recovering from a power outage, restoring storm-damaged buildings, helping children cope with disaster, salvaging water-damaged belongings, financial recovery and more.

To those in the flood areas, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) urges residents to do the following immediately:

• If your home, apartment or business has suffered damage, call the insurance company or agent who handles your insurance right away to file a claim.
• Before entering a building, check for structural damage.
• Do not use matches, cigarette lighters or any other open flames once you’ve entered a damaged building, since gas may be trapped inside. Use a flashlight.
• Keep electricity off until an electrician has inspected your system for safety.
• Flood waters pick up sewage and chemicals from road, farms and businesses. If your home has been flooded, start cleaning up as soon as possible. Throw out foods and medicines that may have come in contact with flood waters.
• Boil water for drinking and food preparation vigorously for five minutes before using.

If you have additional questions, please contact your local Extension office. Please click on all our links for further advice.

Have you already started feeling the stress of the approaching holiday season? As the weather turns colder and Halloween comes and goes, many of us will feel the mounting pressure of gifts not purchased and incomplete planning. Although often touted as a season to relax and share special time with family and friends, the holidays have increasingly become an added burden to the ongoing stresses and time demands common in our society today. As a result, more Americans are saying “time out” to the craziness, and looking for ways to better celebrate the true meaning of the season.

In a survey by The Center for a New American Dream, four out of five Americans would like to have a more simplified holiday and fewer than three in ten think it is necessary to spend a lot of money to have a fulfilling and enjoyable holiday.

Nearly two-thirds of us feel that giving and receiving gifts is awarded too much importance during the holidays. The money spent on holidays, including decorations, entertaining, gifts, travel, etc., typically doesn’t come from savings, but from a credit card. Surveys have found that a majority of Americans plan to pay for holiday purchases with a credit card. And when those inevitable bills come in January, it takes consumers an average of four months to pay them off.

Why not choose an alternative this holiday season?
The Center for a New American Dream is committed to helping individuals, families and communities counter the commercialization of our culture and identify ways to conserve natural resources. Instead of “keeping up with the Joneses,” they encourage a shift that reflects our innermost values and human needs. This shift can result in more time for family and friends, and also has a positive impact on individual and family finances.

Within the section on Living Consciously, the Center for a New American Dream  provides some suggestions for making this shift over the holiday season. Entitled Simplify the Holidays, this area of the website provides numerous tips on saving money, decreasing stress, maximizing fun, and increasing time for family and friends during the holiday season. There is information on alternative gifts, creating a community Alternative Gift Fair, and a 20-page downloadable brochure entitled Simplify the Holidays.

This brochure is a great place to start if you are serious about making changes. It includes making a plan for your holiday spending, suggestions on how to talk to your family and friends about the changes you want to make, suggestions for simpler entertaining, and alternative gift ideas, such as the gift of your talents or your time, gifts to charities, homemade gifts and more.

On the Web site, there is also a touching story about a wife who finds the perfect “gift” for her husband, which it transforms their family holiday experience. She says, “It all began because my husband Mike hated Christmas—oh, not the true meaning of Christmas, but the commercial aspects of it—overspending... the frantic running around at the last minute to get a tie for Uncle Harry and the dusting powder for Grandma—the gifts given in desperation because you couldn't think of anything else.” Does this sound familiar?

You can make changes
Over the last several years, our family of six has intentionally scaled back holiday spending and activities. With two daughters in college and the overall increases in the cost of raising children today, we decided to explore alternatives to those post-holiday bills.

It’s been a wonderful change. For example, all of our children create “coupons” for one another and for us. They have offered to do someone else’s chores for a week, baby-sit younger siblings, make supper one night a month, play their sibling’s favorite game, take a younger sibling out to a movie or other adventure, or mow the lawn for Dad. It has been a huge success, as we all try and figure out what would be the best “gift” for one another.

One of my daughters knitted scarves last year for the whole family, and the youngest child knitted bean bags. We have also used some gift money to plan a special family weekend trip. With older children away at college most of the year, this has provided some unforgettable family time for all of us.

We still buy gifts for our children, but not as many and not as expensive. We have discovered that our children are more interested in additional time with us than more gifts. These changes have created opportunities to talk about our family’s values, and how the experience of the holidays can continue throughout the year. It is not about deprivation; it’s about more time, fewer bills, less stress, and paying attention to the ways we can show those around us how much they truly mean to us. It shouldn’t cost money to do that.

By Karen M. Blass, UNH Cooperative Extension Family & Consumer Resources educator

In 2004, UNH Cooperative Extension specialists Suzann Knight and Valerie Long founded the New Hampshire Earned Income Tax Credit Alliance to bring together the many agencies and coalitions working throughout the state to help families improve their financial stability.

“We developed the Alliance to strengthen EITC-promotion efforts throughout the state,” says Long. “Its aims include encouraging development of volunteer tax preparation sites in areas that don’t yet serve EITC-eligible clientele, establishing collaborations between Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and other free tax preparation sites, promoting best practices, developing a statewide media campaign to inform EITC-eligible residents about where they can go for free tax preparation, and generally support community EITC efforts. The Alliance is unique—extraordinary, really—in that it involves all the key players in the state working to benefit our families in need.”

“But Alliance members soon realized we needed some means of sharing information among ourselves, promoting best practices, and distributing information about the EITC to the general public,” Long says. “We developed the Web site to meet those needs.”

If you struggle to get by from paycheck to paycheck, you should know about the Earned Income Credit (EIC), a special tax benefit for people who work full-time or part-time.

Millions of low wage taxpayers qualify. Even if you are not a U.S. Citizen, you may still qualify for Earned Income Credit.

Information en espanol Crédito por Ingreso del Trabajo(EITC)

What is Earned Income Credit?
The EIC is a special tax benefit for working people who earn low or moderate incomes. If you fall into this category, the EIC can help reduce your taxes and increase your income.

If you qualify for EIC and file a federal tax return, you can get back some or all of the federal tax withheld from your pay during the year. You may also get some cash back from the IRS. Even if you didn't earn enough to pay an income tax, you may qualify for EIC.

Who can get EIC?
If you worked full-time or part-time at some point in 2003, you can qualify for the EIC depending on your family income which must fall below the following income guidelines:

• any child who lived in your household for more than half of 2003,
• is your son, daughter, adopted child, grandchild, great-grandchild, stepchild, or eligible foster child, and who also
• meets one of the following criteria:
• Was younger than age 19 at the end of the tax year, or
• Was a full-time student under age 24, or
• Was permanently and totally disabled at any age during the year

• Workers raising a qualifying child in 2003 must file either Form 1040 or 1040A and must fill out and attach Schedule EIC. Workers with children can't get the EIC if they file Form 1040EZ or do not attach Schedule EIC. Married workers must file a joint return to get the EIC. (See below if you want free help filing your federal tax return.)
  
  
• Workers who didn't raise a qualifying child in their home in 2003 can file any tax form - including the 1040EZ. These workers write "EIC" (or dollar amount of their credit) on the Earned Income Credit line on the tax form. The do not file Schedule EIC.
  
  
• You must provide a correct name and Social Security number for every person listed on the tax return and Schedule EIC. If this information is incorrect or missing, the IRS will delay the refund.
  
  
• Workers don't have to calculate their own EIC; if they choose, the IRS will do it for them.

• IRS Earned Income Tax Credit Questions & Answers
• IRS Tax Topics about Earned Income Tax Credit
• IRS Frequently Asked Questions About "Qualifying Child" rules

The USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) has money to help New Hampshire farmers and woodland owners with 70 different conservation practices, through the national Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) and the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP).

UNH Cooperative Extension and NRCS are working together to see that the conservation goals of the funding are met.

For farmers, EQIP funds nutrient management plans, animal waste storage facility, cover crops, composting facilities, contour farming and feed management practices; WHIP pays for field restoration, brush cutting, release of fruiting trees and shrubs, and other practices that improve wildlife habitat.

For woodland owners, EQIP and WHIP fund forest stewardship plans, access roads, site preparation, tree planting, forest stand improvement, and stabilization of roads, trails and landings.

NRCS State Conservationist Tessa Chadwick says the financial and technical assistance programs can “help farmers and forest landowners address resource concerns on agricultural working lands, promote environmental quality, address challenges in water quality and quantity, protect prime farmland and grazing land, and protect valuable wetland ecosystems and wildlife habitat on private lands.”

The deadline for signing up for the cost-sharing programs is February 17, 2006, though we encourage landowners to apply immediately. If you are interested, contact your local NRCS or UNH Cooperative Extension office today.

By Karen Bennett, UNH Cooperative Extension Forest Resources Specialist

Additional Resources:

• Learn more about federal cost-share programs for landowners

Last year, Keeley G., a 26 year-old Nashua woman sought help with her tax returns from a volunteer at the Nashua Economic Opportunity Center, one of 69 sites across New Hampshire offering free tax preparation.

“When he told me I'd be getting more than $2100 back as an Earned Income Tax Credit, I couldn't believe it,” she said. “I put the money together with some savings to buy a more reliable car. The one I had was an old boat that kept breaking down and wasn't safe. Last winter, I often had to ask for rides.”

In short, the $2,127 EITC check that enabled Keeley to buy a reliable car allows her to function more self-reliantly and maintain a busy schedule that involves getting to work, to school, to her daughter’s day care, to medical appointments, and to visit family in another state.

Two years ago, fleeing an abusive living situation in North Carolina, Keeley returned to her native New Hampshire with her five-month-old daughter in a U-Haul rented with a family member’s credit card.

“I arrived in Nashua homeless, without money, a job, or a car,” she says.

A woman on the move
But today, Keeley is a young woman on the move who not only has a reliable car, but a home, a job, bank accounts, and firm career plans.

She was accepted into Nashua Pastoral Care Center’s transitional living program, and now lives with her daughter in a one bedroom apartment she rents through the Center.

“The transitional housing program requires me to be in school, so I enrolled at New Hampshire Community Technical College here in Nashua to study marketing. I hope eventually to get a job as a marketing rep for a pharmaceutical company,” says Keeley. “I also work part-time as an appointment secretary at a Dartmouth Hitchcock pediatric clinic.”

Keeley lives on a strict budget and maintains savings and checking accounts with a credit union. “I'm also enrolled in a financial literacy program, and I've begun saving to buy my own home through an Individual Development Account,” she says.

“I left home when I was very young, with all these ideas about what I wanted to do, but no idea about where or how to start,” says Keeley. “I didn't know how to ask for help and didn't think I needed any. Becoming a parent changed all that. I've learned to reach out, and I've had a lot of help.”

Do you struggle to get by from paycheck to paycheck? Then you should know about the Earned Income Credit (EITC), a special tax benefit for people who work full-time or part-time. Millions of low-wage taxpayers qualify. Even if you aren't a U.S. citizen, you may still qualify for the EITC.

More than 76,678 New Hampshire residents collectively received $137.7 million in EITC in 2009.
What is Earned Income Credit?
The EITC is a special tax benefit for working people who earn low or moderate incomes. If you fall into this category, the EITC can help reduce your taxes and increase your income.

If you qualify for EITC and file a federal tax return, you can get back some or all of the federal tax withheld from your pay during the year. You may also get some cash back from the IRS. Even if you didnt earn enough to pay an income tax, you may qualify for EITC.

Who can get EITC?
If you worked full-time or part-time at some point in 2010, you can qualify for the EITC depending on your family income which must fall below the following income guidelines:
:

Source: Internal Revenue Service





How much is it worth?

The chart below shows the maximum EITC a family can
earn. Your family income determines the actual amount of EITC you receive.

Source: Internal Revenue Service

Who is a “qualifying child”?

The IRS considers a qualifying child:

• any child who lived in your household for more than half of 2005,


• is your son, daughter, adopted child, grandchild, great-grandchild,
  stepchild, or eligible foster child, and who also


• meets one of the following criteria:
  
  
  
  1. Was younger than age 19 at the end of the tax year, or  
  
  
  2. Was a full-time student  under age 24, or
  
  
  3. Was permanently and totally disabled at any age during the year
  
  
  
  

How do you get the EITC?

Workers raising a qualifying child in 2005 must file either Form 1040
or 1040A and must fill out and attach Schedule EITC. Workers with children
can’t get the EITC if they file Form 1040EZ or do not attach
Schedule EITC. Married workers must file a joint return to get the
EITC.

• Workers who didn’t raise a qualifying child in their home in
  2005 can file any tax form - including the 1040EZ. These workers write “EITC” (or
  dollar amount of their credit) on the Earned Income Credit line on
  the tax form. The do not file Schedule EITC.

• You must provide a correct name and Social Security number for every
  person listed on the tax return and Schedule EITC. If this information
  is incorrect or missing, the IRS will delay the refund.

• Workers don’t have to calculate their own EITC; if they choose,
  the IRS will do it for them.

Workers raising children can get part of their EITC in their
paychecks

Workers raising children can get part of their EITC in their paychecks
throughout the year. The rest will come back as a check from the IRS
after the worker files a tax return. This is called the Advance EITC
payment option.

Learn more about it from the IRS
Advance Earned Income Credit Questions and Answers Web page.

Free help filing your tax forms

Many families that apply for EITC pay someone to complete their tax forms.
This can cost $55 to $200 or much more. Getting a “quick tax
refund” may cost you more than you will get back!

• Low-income workers can get free help with tax preparation through
  local offices throughout New Hampshire.


• The IRS certifies volunteers to provide free tax help through the Tax-Aide
  Program of an organization called
  the AARP.


• To find the Tax-Aide Program location nearest you, go to this
  Website,
  or call 1-888-227-7669.


• You can also call the New Hampshire Help Line at 1-800-852-3388 for
  a referral to a free tax preparation site nearest you.
  
   
  
  

Does the EITC affect eligibility for other public benefits?
No. The money you receive as EITC doesn't count as income in determining your eligibility for benefits like Temporary Aid to Needy Families (TANF), Medicaid, food stamps, the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program, supplemental social security (SSI), or public or subsidized housing.

Can immigrant workers get the EITC?

Many legal immigrants can qualify for the EITC, as long as they meet
the eligibility requirements. For more information, call 1-800-TAX-1040.

For more information:

• NH Earned Income Tax Credit (information for New Hampshire residents)


• IRS Earned Income Tax Credit Questions & Answers


• IRS Tax Topics about Earned Income Tax Credit


• IRS Frequently Asked Questions about “Qualifying Child” rules


• Information en espanol: Crédito por Ingreso del Trabajo(EITC)

Preserving food at home has long been a New Hampshire tradition. Growing and preserving your own food lets you enjoy delicious, locally grown fruits and vegetables throughout the year.

Even if you don’t have time or land to grow your own food, New Hampshire’s 300 fruit and vegetable growers offer a wide variety of high quality produce at roadside stands, farmers’ markets, and pick-your-own operations.

The advantages of preserving food at home include supporting local agriculture, taking advantage of the abundance of high quality produce, preserving food within hours of picking, and having control over the ingredients. The tradeoff for these advantages is the time and effort to preserve food at home and the cost of equipment.

Main food preservation methods

There are three main methods of preserving food: canning (which includes pickling), freezing, and drying. Which method you choose will depend on the characteristics of the food you want to preserve and whether there is a tested and safe method of preserving it.

For example, you might have a bumper crop of basil this year and want to make and can small jars of pesto as gifts for your family. Even though canned pesto is available commercially, there is no recommended method for canning it at home. Alternatively, you can safely freeze pesto for long term storage.

Even though summer months are usually busy ones and your time may be limited, you can still preserve food at home. Freezing, for example, takes little time and doesn’t require any special processing equipment.

Comparing canning, freezing and drying

Let’s compare the amount of time and equipment needed for each of the three methods of preserving food:

• Canning (includes fruits, vegetables, jellied products, pickled products)
• Equipment needed: water bath or pressure canner, jars and lids
• Preparation time: long
• Processing time: medium
• Freezing
• Equipment needed: freezer and packaging materials
• Preparation time: short to medium
• Processing time: short
• Drying
• Equipment needed: dehydrator
• Preparation time: short to medium
• Processing time: long

Select the method that best fits your schedule and how you’ll use the food. Be flexible. You may start the summer growing season thinking this will be the year you make strawberry jam, but your work schedule turns crazy just when the local berries are ripe. But if you don’t have time to make jam, you can freeze your strawberries, which takes much less time. You may even enjoy berries more than jam (you’ll also find the berries more versatile for meal-planning) next February when it seems as though winter will last forever.

Four steps to success

Whether you consider yourself an expert or novice food preserver, you can save time, effort, and money by following these four important steps as you plan ahead this summer.

1. Plan carefully before you begin to preserve food at home. Time invested before you begin your project will save you time later.
   
2. Use only up-to-date tested recipes and methods (see resources below). This is an important step. Preserving food safely at home is an evolving science. Recipes and methods are constantly updated based on current research.
   
3. Gather all your ingredients and equipment. Make sure you have everything you need on hand so you can work quickly and efficiently. Inspect equipment and replace as needed.
   
4. Follow recipes and directions precisely. Tested recipes are based on precise amounts of ingredients and procedures. For some preservation methods, altering either can affect the quality and safety of the final product.

Resources for tested recipes and methods

• UNH Cooperative Extension Family, Home, and Garden Info Line – 1-877-398-4769, Monday through Friday, 9 am to 2 pm.
  
  Trained volunteers provide resources, fact sheets and answer your food preservation questions.
  
  
• National Center for Home Food Preservation
  This is a comprehensive website featuring research-based information, publications, recipes, methods, and links for most food preservation methods.
  
• Pennsylvania State University – Let’s Preserve Fact Sheets
  The Let’s Preserve Fact Sheet Series includes tested recipes and methods for canning 15 fruits and vegetables.

Preserving food at home is a rewarding way to capture the taste of New Hampshire grown fruits and vegetables to enjoy all year long!

Catherine Violette, Ph.D., R.D., L.D.
UNH Cooperative Extension Professor and Specialist, Food and Nutrition

Last year, New Hampshire residents qualified for $16.5 million in Earned Income Credit that went unclaimed.

What is Earned Income Credit?

The EIC is a special tax benefit for working people who earn low or moderate incomes. If you fall into this category, the EIC can help reduce your taxes and increase your income.

If you qualify for EIC and file a federal tax return, you can get back some or all of the federal tax withheld from your pay during the year. You may also get some cash back from the IRS. Even if you didn’t earn enough to pay an income tax, you may qualify for EIC.

Who can get EIC?

If you worked full-time or part-time at some point in 2004, you can qualify for the EIC depending on your family income which must fall below the following income guidelines:

Source: Internal Revenue Service

How much is it worth?

The chart below shows the maximum EIC a family can earn. Your family income determines the actual amount of EIC you receive.

Source: Internal Revenue Service

Who is a “qualifying child”?

The IRS considers a qualifying child:

• any child who lived in your household for more than half of 2004,
• is your son, daughter, adopted child, grandchild, great-grandchild, stepchild, or eligible foster child, and who also
• meets one of the following criteria:
  • Was younger than age 19 at the end of the tax year, or
  • Was a full-time student under age 24, or
  • Was permanently and totally disabled at any age during the year

How do you get the EIC?

• Workers raising a qualifying child in 2004 must file either Form 1040 or 1040A and must fill out and attach Schedule EIC. Workers with children can’t get the EIC if they file Form 1040EZ or do not attach Schedule EIC. Married workers must file a joint return to get the EIC.

(See below if you want free help filing your federal tax return.)

• Workers who didn’t raise a qualifying child in their home in 2004 can file any tax form - including the 1040EZ. These workers write “EIC” (or dollar amount of their credit) on the Earned Income Credit line on the tax form. The do not file Schedule EIC.
  
  
• You must provide a correct name and Social Security number for every person listed on the tax return and Schedule EIC. If this information is incorrect or missing, the IRS will delay the refund.
  
  
• Workers don’t have to calculate their own EIC; if they choose, the IRS will do it for them.

Workers raising children can get part of their EIC in their paychecks

Workers raising children can get part of their EIC in their paychecks throughout the year. The rest will come back as a check from the IRS after the worker files a tax return. This is called the Advance EIC payment option.

Learn more about it from the IRS Advance Earned Income Credit Questions and Answers page

FREE help filing your tax forms

Many families that apply for EIC pay someone to complete their tax forms. This can cost $55 to $200 or much more. Getting a “quick tax refund” may cost you more than you will get back!

Low-income workers can get free help with tax preparation through local offices throughout New Hampshire .

The IRS certifies volunteers to provide free tax help through the Tax-Aide Program of an organization called the AARP.

To find the Tax-Aide Program location nearest you, go to this Website, or call 1-888-227-7669.

You can also call the New Hampshire Help Line at 1-800-852-3388 for a referral to a free tax preparation site nearest you.

Does the EIC affect eligibility for other public benefits?

No. The money you receive as EIC doesn’t count as income in determining your eligibility for benefits like Temporary Aid to Needy Families (TANF), Medicaid, food stamps, the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program, supplemental social security (SSI), or public or subsidized housing.

Can immigrant workers get the EIC?

Many legal immigrants can qualify for the EIC, as long as they meet the eligibility requirements. For more information, call 1-800-TAX-1040.

For more information

• IRS Earned Income Tax Credit Questions & Answers
• IRS Tax Topics about Earned Income Tax Credit
• IRS Frequently Asked Questions About “Qualifying Child” rules
• Information en espanol: Crédito por Ingreso del Trabajo(EITC)

Divorce is hard on everyone, but especially children. Getting tangled up in the legal system can be confusing and can lead to wars between parents, where there are “winners” and “losers” of the divorce. What’s really best, however, is when both parents feel they have won, because this promotes better outcomes for children.

The laws that regulate a state’s divorce procedures can contribute to whether or not parents come out feeling like winners or losers. In the best of cases, the state legislature can provide guidelines on how to make divorce less adversarial. The state of New Hampshire recently has done just that. The State’s Task Force on Family Law has revamped the laws that regulate divorce procedures in the state of New Hampshire. The Parental Rights and Responsibilities Act, which will take effect October 1, changes substantially how the state of New Hampshire approaches divorce.

In the best interests of the child
Weighing what is “in the best interests of the child” has served as the foundation of all child custody decisions since the early 1970’s. Most states outline how to determine what is in the best interests of children, and now New Hampshire will as well, using criteria that include:

• The relationship of the child with each parent
• The ability of each parent to provide the child with love, affection and guidance
• The ability of each parent to ensure that the child’s basic needs are met
• The child’s developmental needs and the ability of each parent to meet them
• The ability of each parent to support a relationship between the child and the other parent and to foster frequent and continuing contact with that parent
• The ability of the parents to communicate with each other
• Evidence of family violence or maltreatment

Language
Enter a New Hampshire courtroom in the near future, and you may be surprised by the language being used. Like many other states, New Hampshire has abandoned value-laden terms, such as sole physical custodian, in favor of more neutral terms, such as residential responsibility, when talking about with whom the child lives. Below are the new terms and the old terms they replace:

• Parental rights and responsibilities: This term replaces the old concept of “custody,” setting forth what rights parents enjoy as parents and what responsibilities the state expects them to meet. It specifies the role each parent will have in making decisions about the children and providing financial support for them.
• Decision-making responsibility: This term replaces “legal custody” and refers to who is legally empowered make substantive decisions about the children’s lives.
• Residential responsibility: This term replaces the old phrase “physical custody.” This new term addresses parents’ responsibilities to provide a home for their children.
• Parenting schedule: This term, adopted by other states as well, replaces the word “visitation.” States and court systems usually adopt this new language, because they want to make sure that “fit parents” never become visitors in their children’s lives. This new language suggests that parents are both permitted and expected to remain parents.

Joint decision-making responsibilities
The new law retains the old presumption that, except in cases of family violence or other forms of maltreatment, parents will adopt joint decision-making responsibilities for their children. To read more about shared parenting visit the Web sites of the Children’s Rights Council or the Shared Parenting Information Group. Both of these resources provide fairly gender-neutral information about joint parenting.

Educational seminars for parents
The new law also retains the old mandate that parents who are divorcing and facing child custody or child support issues must attend an educational child impact seminar before their case can be heard in court. This program, called Children First, broadly addresses how divorce and parental separation affects children. For more information about this program and for a scheduling of its offerings around the state, visit the Web site of Behavioral Health Network.

Mediation
Under the new law, if parents can’t come to an agreement about the terms of their divorce, the court can order the divorcing couple to seek assistance from a mediator. The law doesn’t mandate all disputing couples to use mediation, but specifies that each case be handled on a case-by-case basis. Of course, any couple can voluntarily use mediation if they are having trouble coming to a resolution of their divorce agreement.

For more information about mediation, see this recent issue of Bar Journal of the New Hampshire Bar Association or visit the family section of Mediate.com.

Parenting plans
In many states across the nation, parents are being encouraged to develop a detailed plan for the remainder of their children’s childhoods. The recently adopted New Hampshire divorce law encourages, but does not mandate such plans.

Parenting plans outline how parents will co-parent together and who will be responsible for what. Such a plan is much more specific than a traditional divorce decree and typically includes:

• Decision-making responsibility and residential responsibility for each parent
• A plan for communication, that includes how parents will gain access to and share information about their children
• The child’s legal residence (for school mailings, tax notices, medical provider communications, etc.)
• Parenting schedules, meaning when children will see each of their parents
• Responsibility for what transportation and when
• Procedures to be followed if one of the parents relocates out of the immediate area
• Details of how the plan will be modified in the future
• Guidelines for how disputes will be handled and resolved

In a nutshell, parenting plans are intended to head off future problems. The New Hampshire Bar Association offers a link to good information (from the Massachusetts Bar Association) on how to develop a parenting plan.

For more information

• The final report of the New Hampshire Task Force on Family Law
• Parental Rights and Responsibilities Act
• Helping Children Cope with their Parents’ Divorce

By Emily M. Douglas, Ph.D., UNH Cooperative Extension, assistant extension professor and family education & policy specialist

“New Hampshire has been the fastest growing state in New England for the last four decades,” says Frank Mitchell, land and water conservation specialist with UNH Cooperative Extension. “One major consequence of this growth is that the state is losing approximately 20,000 acres of open space to development every year.”

“New Hampshire residents value undeveloped natural areas, agricultural lands and forest lands as the backdrop shaping what we call ‘community character’,” Mitchell says. “These open lands also protect clean water, wetlands, wildlife habitats, agriculture, forests, recreation, and the scenery that draws people here to live and tourists here to visit.”

“But land use economic issues are a key, sometimes overlooked, piece of the land use planning and decision-making process in our towns and cities,” says Mitchell.

“In recent years, more local open space committees, conservation commissions and town planning boards have called us for help with land conservation initiatives. New Hampshire communities concerned about the economic impacts of growth and development have begun conducting studies on the relative costs of land development. We realized other communities could benefit from what they’d learned,” says Mitchell. “So we designed a program to meet this need, using research-based information specific to the state and region.”

“In conjunction with the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, and the Forest Society’s Center for Land Conservation Assistance, we’ve created a one-hour presentation called The Dollars and Sense of Saving Special Places. The presentation features slides and handouts that conservation commissions, open space committees, town planning boards and other civic organizations can use to build awareness and support locally for land conservation.

“Dollars and Sense covers the effects of growth, the benefits of open space, the economics of land use, and, because communities usually need funds to accomplish conservation goals, the presentation also includes information about a variety funding sources available to support conservation projects, including municipal, federal, state and private sources.”

For more information about The Dollars and Sense of Saving Special Places program and how to arrange a presentation in your community, contact: Frank Mitchell (862-1067) or Amanda Stone (346-5324).

Research on the economics of land use

“Recently, UNH Cooperative Extension, the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests , and the Forest Society’s Center for Land Conservation Assistance compiled information from a number of studies that collectively confirm the economic value of open space,” says Mitchell. “The data clearly show that working farms and forests and undeveloped natural areas bring in more revenue to a town than the land requires in services, and that conserving these lands can slow property tax increases in the long run.”

Mitchell cites these examples:

• A 1999 statewide study found that the open space components of agriculture, forestry, recreation, tourism and second homes contribute a total of $8 billion per year or 25 percent of the annual Gross State Product, and 35 percent of local taxes.

• A 1994 study considered tax bills on median-value homes in all 234 N.H. towns. This study found taxes higher in towns with more taxable property, more residents, and more commercial and industrial development. It also found taxes lower in towns with more open space and a higher proportion of vacation homes.

• A 2004 study in the town of Lee looked at 33 residential areas (see Figure 1). In 30 of these areas, tax income did not cover the expenses. Similar studies in Chester and Peterborough have also shown that residential land use rarely pays for itself.
  
  
• In 13 of the 14 New Hampshire towns that have conducted “cost of community services” studies (see Figure 2), residential properties require more in services than they provide in revenues.

New Hampshire communities respond

New Hampshire communities have responded to the rapid growth and loss of open space with an unprecedented willingness to fund land conservation.

“Since 2001, 70 New Hampshire towns and cities have raised and appropriated more than $125 million for land conservation,” Mitchell says. “That’s impressive!”

A survey of voters conducted in 2004 by UNH professors Mark Ducey and Richard England revealed some reasons voters have been approving conservation funding measures:

• 47 percent said open space, historical character and natural beauty were the features they appreciated most about their towns.
• 41percent identified “growth, sprawl and open space” as the biggest issue or problem facing their towns.
• 60 percent felt their town had grown “too fast.”

• More than 75 percent reported they had voted for a land conservation proposal in their town.
• 63 percent felt that land conservation “will assure the present and future quality of drinking water.”

“The appropriation of conservation funding is only part of the story,” says Mitchell. “Communities and conservation groups have also become much more sophisticated in the way they plan and conduct conservation projects. For example, most towns have established criteria for selecting and evaluating land conservation projects, and are using the criteria to focus their efforts on the most important conservation properties in order to get the most conservation value for their investment.”

Conservation links

• Brentwood Open Space Committee
  Includes fiscal impact study data as well as land conservation information.
  
  
• NH Association of Conservation Commissions list - N.H. municipalities that dedicate all or a portion of the Land Use Change Tax to conservation
  
  
• UNH Cooperative Extension’s Community Conservation Assistance Program A team of Extension Educators provides direct assistance to selected community land and water conservation planning projects at no cost to the communities.
  
  
• Society for the Protection of NH Forests
  Includes information on land conservation planning, implementation and funding.
  
  
• New Hampshire 's Changing Landscape 2005: Population Growth and Land Use Changes: What They Mean for the Granite State (Executive summary). An update of the Forest Society’s 1999 analysis of changes in population growth, development and land use and the impacts on natural resource values

“Matt feels good about losing weight. When he played outside last summer, he would have to catch his breath. Now he doesn’t have to catch his breath anymore,” says Matt’s mother JoAnn.

Six-year-old Matt, nicknamed “Bear,” has lost 18 pounds since last December, when he weighed 117 pounds. His family doctor told JoAnn that Matt had the height of an eight year-old and the weight of a 14 year-old.

But Matt also had medical problems related to his weight, including high blood pressure. His doctor was so concerned with Matt’s health he referred Matt to a specialist at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon.

The Dartmouth-Hitchcock doctor told Matt and JoAnn that Matt needed to lose weight. JoAnn was surprised. She hadn’t really thought about the health implications of Matt’s weight.

Experts nationwide have become increasingly alarmed about childhood obesity. National studies have shown that 15 percent of American children are overweight or obese. A recent New Hampshire study reported that 22 percent of boys and 17 percent of girls of elementary-school age are overweight and another 20 percent are at risk for becoming overweight.

But, being out of breath is nothing compared to the health risks associated with obesity. Obesity is a risk factor for the development of a variety of complications, including type 2 diabetes—a disease doctors once called “adult onset” diabetes because it appeared so rarely in children. A recent Yale University study revealed that 25 percent of obese children were at high risk for developing diabetes.

Matt’s Head Start teacher referred JoAnn to Terri Schoppmeyer, a UNH Cooperative Extension Nutrition Connections educator. Terri taught JoAnn the basics of nutrition, label reading, how to eat well on fewer calories, and the importance of parents serving as role models for good nutrition.

JoAnn started by writing down everything Matt ate, then decided what she needed to cut back on. “Matt used to eat two salami sandwiches on white bread with mayonnaise, but now has only one sandwich with mustard, instead of mayonnaise,” she said. “It was difficult at first to cut back on food for Matt. He’d say, ‘There’s nothing good to eat!’”

JoAnn and her husband have five children. The whole family began following a more healthy diet and lost a total of 65 pounds since December 2, 2004.

Dad plays a special role, because what Dad eats, “Bear” eats; if Dad eats well, so does “Bear.” JoAnn said, “Matt even likes asparagus and swordfish, just like his Dad.”

JoAnn says she is spending more on groceries; “I’m buying more fruit and other foods that sometimes cost more.” But when it comes to food, JoAnn now thinks first about her family’s health. “It’s hard at first to change eating habits, but you have to stick to it. Your child’s health is more important than anything.”

Some of the changes JoAnn made:

• Cutting back on items like chocolate milk (Matt was drinking four or five glasses each day)
• Offering fruits instead of breakfast pastries and other sugary, fatty foods
• Reading labels to identify the most nutritious foods
• Buying lower-fat products
• Finding ways to get her kids to eat vegetables
• Offering water instead of high-calorie drinks
• Encouraging more exercise

One of the best ideas JoAnn has for the summer is to keep a cooler full of ice cold water on her porch. When the kids get thirsty, they just open up the cooler and get their water. No hanging out in front of the refrigerator on hot summer days in this household!

Looking for nutrition information? Call toll-free:1-877-398-4769, Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

By Valerie Long, UNH Cooperative Extension Food Stamp Nutrition Education
Program Coordinator

To many Americans, the thought of retirement conjures up visions of restful days playing golf, reading a good book, or traveling to new and exciting destinations.

Have you thought about your own retirement? Have you thought about how you’ll pay for it?

The concept of retirement our parents and grandparents had is changing. When you reach age 60, one third of your life or more may lie in front of you. It has become increasingly important to plan for that time in your life. What will you do with those years, and how will you pay for them?

Many individuals approaching the age of traditional retirement are deciding to leave the work force slowly, with periods of partial retirement or part-time schedules. Most Baby Boomers expect to work full-time or part-time long after age 65. Some will even retire from one career to pursue new vocational interests and employment opportunities. There is no set age for retirement, and workers are protected against age discrimination starting at age 40.

However, decisions to retire are influenced by many factors, some beyond the control of the retiree. These include health, the needs of other family members, mergers and corporate changes, and retirement income sources.

Americans are living longer and enjoying a healthy and active later life. As people live longer, the chance of outliving savings and assets grow. While most older Americans never experience poverty, poverty rates are higher among people age 85 and older, women, minorities, and individuals living alone.

Longer life expectancies require planning for the number of years spent in retirement and the need to build adequate income sources. Individuals are increasingly responsible for their own financial security in later life. In recent years the responsibility of paying for retirement has shifted from employer-funded to employee-funded plans.

Older persons must often manage multiple income sources. In addition to workplace 401(k) or 403(b) plans, individuals may have pensions, individual retirement plans (IRAs), real estate and other investments, as well as Social Security. Although Social Security was never designed to be the only source of retirement income, it remains critical to many. Those who rely solely on Social Security are much more likely to live at or near poverty levels.

Longer life expectancies also increase the likelihood of unexpected changes in health. Health care is a major cost for many older Americans. Five of the six primary causes of death for older Americans are chronic diseases or diseases that are seldom cured. These diseases – including arthritis, diabetes, and heart disease – can negatively affect quality of life and ability to function. The high costs of treating and managing these diseases increase the chances of becoming a financial burden. Planning for later years must include protection against expenses related to health needs, including health insurance beyond Medicare and methods for financing long-term care.

You are not too young (or too old!) to start planning. The U.S. Department of Labor offers the following “10 ways to beat the clock and prepare for retirement.”

• Know your retirement needs . Experts estimate that you will need at least 70 percent of your pre-retirement income to maintain your standard of living.
  
  
• Find out about your Social Security benefits. On average, Social Security pays about 40 percent of pre-retirement earnings. Call the Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213 to get a free Personal Earnings and Benefit Estimate Statement.
  
  
• Learn about your employer’s pension or profit-sharing plan . If your employer has a plan (you are fortunate!), determine what your retirement benefit will be. Most employers provide an individual statement upon request. Before changing jobs, find out what will happen to your pension. Determine what benefits, if any, you are due from previous employers and from your spouse’s plan.
  
  
• Contribute to a tax-sheltered savings plan through work . If you have a 401(k) or 403(b) plan, contribute as much as possible. Your taxes will be lower, your company may match some or all of your personal contribution, and deductions are automatic from your paycheck—out of sight, out of mind! Over time, the tax deferral and compounding of interest will make an even bigger contribution to what you save.
  
  
• Ask your employer to start a plan . If your employer doesn’t have a retirement savings plan, suggest starting one. From their perspective, it is a great tool for attracting and keeping good employees.
  
  
• Put money into an Individual Retirement Account (IRA). You can set a tax-derferred IRA through your bank, accountant, or financial planner.
  
  
• Don’t touch your tax-sheltered retirement savings . Besides what you will lose in principal and interest, you may lose tax benefits or have to pay a penalty. If you change jobs, roll over your tax-sheltered retirement savings into your new employer’s plan or an IRA.
  
  
• Start now, set goals, and stick to them! The sooner you start, the more time you have to save. Make saving for retirement a high priority.
  
  
• Educate yourself about basic investment principles. Where you invest savings can be as important as the amount you save.
  
  
• Ask questions. As questions arise, ask your employer, your

UNH Cooperative Extension offers a free program called "Take the Road to Financial Security in Later Life." For more information or to schedule a program for your group, call the Family and Consumer Resources educator in your county Extension office.

Let’s start with the basics: The holidays aren’t the time to pay back, impress or splurge on gifts.

Too often, holiday shoppers try to deal with guilt, neglect, and a thousand other sentiments that have little to do with the spirit of the season, by buying far more than they can afford.

As a result they drain family resources, overextending credit accounts and reducing savings accounts. Many splurge shoppers end up having to cope with a serious financial burden long after the holidays.

A plan, a budget, and a list can help you curb the urge to overspend at the height of the holiday buying season. You may even enjoy the process of preparing without the panic, and maybe even without the guilt.

Here are some tips that may help:

• Make your shopping list now and include only those family and friends with whom you want to exchange gifts. Send cards to others. You can’t give gifts to everyone, but you can share holiday greetings.
  
  
• Decide how much money you have to spend and estimate how much of that total amount you will spend on whom. Then think about an appropriate gift for each within your price range before you set out to shop.
  
  
• Planning now gives you time to buy the materials and to create homemade gifts for a less expensive holiday, adding a personal touch to your giving. Making gifts at home during the next few weeks is an excellent opportunity to involve your whole family in the process.
  
  
• Many retailers have pre-season sales. On-line retailers often offer free shipping for a short period. Once you have a clear idea of what you need to buy, shop now to take advantage of these sales and early season selection.
  
  
• After each shopping trip write down how much you’ve spent. Keep your list up to date. Some shoppers buy early and forget what they have, risking needless panic buying at the last minute.
  
  

Remember, stress and fatigue often lead to poor buying decisions. Start early to avoid overspending, to avoid the mad rush, and to enjoy the process. You may find that being prepared will curb your urge to splurge.

By Suzann Enzian Knight, UNH Cooperative Extension Family Resource Management Specialist

Having a “credit checkup” is important to achieving financial security now and in later life. We all know how important it is to have physical checkups, but have you had a “credit checkup” lately?

Like a medical checkup, a credit checkup will help you identify whether you are credit healthy or if you need to take action. Many credit “illnesses” lie hidden until they surface as a crisis in obtaining a loan or making a purchase requiring credit approval. They can create very serious emotional and financial problems for you or your family, especially in the case of identity theft. Unfortunately, very few people ever think of having a “credit health checkup.”

Your ability to get credit is determined by the information stored in credit files maintained by credit bureaus. The information in your file is used to produce credit reports, and to calculate your credit score. Your credit report may also influence whether you get a job or insurance, as employers and insurance companies may base their hiring decision or underwriting on information contained in your credit file.

Individuals with higher credit scores have a better chance of getting a loan and borrowing money is likely to cost less.

The credit files themselves may contain mistakes, resulting in problems even for people who always pay their bills on time and repay their debts according to the terms of the loan.

It’s important to find out what others see when they request your credit report. A review of your credit file can expose any hidden problems and allow you to correct them before they erupt into a crisis. Also, checking your credit report regularly can provide early indications of identity theft or unauthorized use of credit in your name.

Free annual credit report
Just as a physical check-up helps to uncover health problems, a Credit Check-Up will give you a chance to check your credit health. In New Hampshire, consumers now have the right to receive a free annual copy of their credit report from each of the three credit bureaus—TransUnion, Experian and Equifax. Monitoring your credit report will help you maintain your credit-worthiness and protect you from inaccurate information and even identity theft. Reviewing your file can help you take steps to improve and “clean up” your credit rating.

To review your credit reports throughout the year at no cost, request a free credit report now from one of the credit bureaus; then, every four months request from a different credit bureau. By the end of one year, you will have a free credit report from each of the three credit bureaus.

In addition to your free annual credit report from each of the three credit bureaus, you can pay $9.50 to receive a copy of your credit report at any time. Also, any time you are denied credit, you are entitled to a free copy of your credit report from the credit reporting bureau that provided the information to the prospective lender. Your denial letter should contain information on how to request that report.

How to get your free credit report
The three credit reporting bureaus have collaborated on a central web site consumers can use to access their credit reports online.

As of September 1, those of us on the Eastern Seaboard can use the Web site to make our requests.

If you choose to request your credit report online, go through https://www.annualcreditreport.com. Look for the heading https at the beginning of your URL. The ‘s’ indicates the Web site is secure. Copycat Web sites may make it easier for the Web site to gain access to your computer information through spyware or adware.

Each of the credit bureaus requests additional information as an extra proof of identity for security purposes, to make sure that the online user is the same person named on the credit report. The credit bureau may ask for lender names, monthly payment ranges for a specific lender, the name of your employer, or account numbers of specified accounts (such as credit cards, mortgages, or consumer loans).

Two alternative ways to get access to your free credit report if you’re not comfortable getting your credit report online are:

• Call the toll free number 1-877-322-8228
• Submit your request by mail to Annual Credit Report Request Service, PO Box 105281, Atlanta GA, 30398-5281. You can download a form from the central web site.

Credit scores
Lenders primarily use credit applications and the information in your credit report to determine the financial risk of lending you money. Credit scoring was developed to simplify and speed up the lending process by calculating a number to represent a person’s credit risk level.

Your credit scores is a snapshot of your creditworthiness, based solely on the information in your credit report maintained by that credit bureau. Credit scores range from 150 to 900. The higher the score, the more confidence a lender has that the debt will be repaid. The lower the score, the more it will cost you in interest and fees to get credit.

You don’t receive your credit score as part of your free credit report. You’ll have to order it separately, and you’ll have to pay a fee to get it.

Avoid the pitfalls when requesting your credit report
Be forewarned: Many other Web sites have cropped up that promise free credit reports; if you get into one of these sites, you may end up paying for a credit report that could have been free, or purchasing expensive goods and services, such as credit card theft protection, credit repair, etc.

Credit Check-Up workshop
UNH Cooperative Extension is now offering a one-hour workshop called Credit Check-Up to help you learn how to understand the information you receive in your credit report. This free workshop is available to the general public, to organizations, or as a worksite program for employers.

• Three-fourths of American families have one or more credit cards.
• The average total credit card debt for American households with at least one card was $9,000 in 2004.
• In 1999 that figure was $7,564 showing credit card use increasing.
• A 2004 Gallup Poll shows that more than half of Americans have at least one card they don’t pay off in full each month. The average outstanding balance per card with balances is reported to be a little over $2,900 (in the Northeast the average balance is $1,918).
• Employers and insurance companies are among the businesses that can access your credit file.
• You have a right to receive a free annual copy of your credit report from each of the three credit bureaus.
• Your credit report says a lot about who you are to potential lenders. Know what others know about you by obtaining a copy of your credit report.
• Errors are often found in credit reports. This is a key reason for you to periodically review your credit report.
• Another important reason to regularly check your credit report is for early detection of identity theft.
• Your credit report is the basis of your credit score.
• Your credit score will determine whether you are approved for a loan and whether you pay a higher interest rate for a loan.
• When requesting the free annual credit report, consumers need to be aware of signing up for unwanted services with a cost from the three credit reporting agencies.
• You can write a 100-word statement to explain negative information in your credit file, but be aware that lenders often only look at your credit score, and this explanation is not included in the score calculations.
• You can follow some simple steps to “clean up” your credit file.
• Monitoring and periodically reviewing your credit report is an important step toward protecting both your identity and your creditworthiness.

By Suzann Enzian Knight, Extension Family Resource Management Specialist; Kathe Fredette, Family & Consumer Resources Program Assistant, Nancy Bradford-Sisson, Sharon Cowen and Deb Maes, Family & Consumer Resources Educators

“College students are particularly vulnerable to credit card marketing,” says Extension Educator Karen Blass. “They typically live away from their families, have little or no financial training, and receive several credit card offers a week. They don’t have the income to support significant amounts of debt, and sometimes rely on credit cards to cover college costs in addition to their high levels of consumer wants.”

“Although a typical student has received no education about finances or managing debt before arriving at college, studies show more than 80 percent of college students have at least one credit card—most have four or five—and carry an average balance of more than $2,000,” Blass says. “A fifth of them have more than $10,000 in credit card debt and many are paying interest rates as high as 20 percent.”

After seeking and obtaining a grant from the UNH Parents Association in 2001, Blass and several Extension colleagues partnered with UNH Health Services and UNH Residential Life to launch a program aimed at educating UNH students to manage money and debt.

“Project C.A.S.H. provides essential money management skills to college students to enable them to build a foundation for future financial security,” says Blass. “We help them decrease debt (especially credit card debt), increase savings, and become aware of the impact of advertising on their spending habits.”

C.A.S.H. Web site

Since 2001, Project C.A.S.H. (Creating a Savings Habit) has presented workshops to staff and students on money management, distributed literature to students and parents, written articles on money for the student publication The New Hampshire, offered presentations at numerous campus events, trained UNH Health Services Peer Educators in money management, and developed a comprehensive web site.

The innovative site offers a wealth of information in easy-to-read, interactive formats that will prove useful to any teen or young adult who wants to learn more about money management, as well as parents, teachers and youth group leaders.

Site visitors can test their financial literacy (a test 68 percent of high school seniors failed in 2002); learn the three simple rules of money management, and understand the techniques advertisers use to manipulate them to buy products and use more credit.

Even adults can learn a lot from this financial literacy Web site. And if you know an older teen who wants to become a millionaire, encourage him or her to visit the Project C.A.S.H. homepage today.

Today's To-Do List: get the kids ready for school, do a load of laundry, work eight hours, pick up the kids from after-school care, shop for Christmas gifts, pick up dinner, feed daughter before dance lesson, take daughter to dance lesson, start wrapping Christmas gifts, finish decorating tree, feed son before basketball practice, pick up daughter from dance lesson, help kids with homework, do dishes, put kids to bed - the list continues. Some days the "to-do" list never ends, and it grows even longer around the holidays. With long work days, complicated school schedules and extra-curricular activities, everyone is pulled in different directions. Many parents find it difficult to keep up with their children's lives, not to mention their own. Days may go by without the whole family spending any time together at all.

One important way families can stay connected is by sharing a meal. Finding time each day when everyone can sit down together goes a long way toward strengthening family bonds. According to recent surveys, less than half the families in the United States actually sit down to a meal on a regular basis. Yet, studies report family meals are strongly related to the development of adolescent mental health and stability. A Harvard Medical School study found there are nutritional, as well as social, emotional and academic advantages that occur in children when families share meals together.

Eating together regularly promotes adult-child communication skills such as listening patiently to each other and expressing one's opinion is a respectful manner. Since children thrive on routines, family meals foster a sense of security and stability. Mealtimes also provide a time for shared learning about family traditions, cultural heritage, and family values. So how are busy families expected to fit this important "to-do" item on their daily list? Consider it a Christmas gift everyone gives to each other, and make family mealtime a priority. Choose a time and put it on the calendar. Just as you would schedule basketball practice or time for dance lessons, plan ahead for family mealtime.

Think creatively and make adjustments to fit your family's schedule. Family mealtime doesn't always need to be at dinnertime. You could plan a Saturday breakfast or Sunday lunch. A picnic on a blanket before or after a ball game counts too. It could also be everyone enjoying pizza at a local restaurant.

If your family usually watches television during mealtime, decrease the habit slowly. Begin with one or two television-free meals a week and gradually increase the number. By turning off the television, you eliminate the distraction that can interfere with mealtime conversations. Let the answering machine pick up calls or turn off the phone ringer to avoid interruptions. A phone call can always be returned after the meal.

The Food Guide Pyramid recommends serving a variety of foods, but that doesn't mean you need to prepare an elaborate five-course meal every night. Keep meals simple and easy. You may decide to serve the same favorite food on a certain day of the week. For example, Friday is pizza day. Family meals are a perfect time to teach children about making nutritious food choices as well as a time for modeling good table manners.

To keep the family coming back to the table, make mealtimes pleasant and fun. Focus on positive table conversations by asking questions such as, "What was the best thing that happened to you today?" Everyone should listen attentively and avoid criticism or rude behaviors. Involving children in the planning, preparing and serving of meals helps build teamwork and cooperation. Listen to their meal suggestions and invite them to help create memorable holiday foods and decorations. For a special treat, light candles on the table or use flowers to create a pleasant atmosphere.

Today's Ta-Da! List: gave the gift of a family meal, spent time and reconnected with the children, enjoyed nutritious food and pleasant conversations and strengthened family values.

Alice Mullen, MS, RD UNH Cooperative Extension Family Development, Hillsborough County

“I tell the people I work with, ‘I know what it’s like to struggle for food to feed my family, and to struggle for work.,” says Heidi Bennett, a program associate in UNH Cooperative Extension’s Nutrition Connections program. Bennett teaches nutrition and money management to limited-income families in Hillsborough County .

Several times Bennett and her family have had to tap emergency food supplies in their community, their need arising because of injury, disability or layoff. “It’s happened to me. It can happen to anybody,” she says.

“The last time it happened to our family, my husband and I were both working full time. We were on the verge of buying the house we were leasing, when I got pregnant with our third child and had to quit work because an old injury prevented me from lifting and staying on my feet, which the job required. The landlord wouldn’t extend the lease because he wanted to sell the house, and we couldn’t afford it, so we had to move to an apartment we could afford. Then my husband got laid off, leaving us with only his unemployment to live on.

“My husband had job offers, but they didn’t pay enough to support a family and had no benefits. Because he was able to work, we didn’t qualify for food stamps. We bartered—my husband traded some labor for venison, I babysat for a friend who paid us in bread from the place she worked. I traded my picnic table for 10 cases of diapers. I qualified for and received WIC—it’s a terrific program. After the baby was born, the landlord let me plant a garden in the backyard.

“But I had to get food from a local food pantry those few months until my husband found a good job and we could get back on our feet again. We had prepared for a setback, like most families do. If you have only one setback, you can manage. But sometimes you have another, and another, until it feels like you’re taking one step forward, three steps back.”

Bennett says, “If you’re facing some sort of food emergency, call Nutrition Connections. We don’t provide food, but we have resources that can help with decision-making in tough times. We can arm you with knowledge, and knowledge is power.”

Start telling your money where to go, rather than wondering where it went.

Most people want to be able to save money in order to have the things they need and want.

Unfortunately, we aren’t a nation of savers. Americans love to spend their hard earned-cash and use their plastic.

Usually the money we can’t account for doesn’t come from our large-dollar purchases, but from the small items we buy on a daily basis. The few dollars spent here or there can wreak havoc on any well-designed budget.

Little extras add up

Take the couple I overheard at a local ATM. It was 11 o’clock in the morning and the couple was just arriving in North Conway for a visit. One partner exclaimed that she couldn’t figure out where the $60 she took out of the bank that morning went, since she hadn’t started shopping yet. Ever find yourself in that position?

Think carefully about those “extras” you buy that can add up to hundreds, even thousands of dollars a year. Do you like to stop on your way to work to buy a cup of coffee? Do you sleep too late in the morning to make your own lunch before heading to work or school? Have you stopped to figure out how much your “extras” add up to?

Sit down and do the math

The exercise of sitting down to calculate how you spend your money can help you curb poor money management habits. For example, a $1.79 coffee five days a week adds up to $8.95 a week or $465.40 a year. For some individuals or families this would represent a large portion of their yearly electrical bill, or payment towards an outstanding medical bill.

One couple I know was purchasing four coffees a day because they believed neither one of them could make good coffee. Four coffees a day/seven days a week at $1.79 each added up to $2,606.24 a year, an amount that would have covered their annual property tax bill! Needless to say, this couple curbed their habit quickly and discovered that home brewed coffee tasted just as good.

How much work does it take to support your spending habits?

Another way to figure out exactly how much your habits cost is to figure out how many hours you have to work in order to support them. For example, Sandy makes $12.50 per hour and takes home $500 a week. If Sandy spent $5.50 daily to buy lunch, it would cost her $27.50 a week. To find out how many hours a week she has to work to afford lunch, divide the amount lunch cost ($27.50) by her hourly rate ($12.50). The answer is 2.20. In other words, Sandy would work almost 2 hours a week to pay for lunch. Over a year, she would work about 104 hours to pay for her habit.

Next time you don’t have enough time to make your lunch, think about having to work nearly three weeks a year to pay for lunch from a local deli. Bringing a sandwich, drink, fruit and a snack from home will probably sound inviting. If time is a factor, prepare a portion of it the night before.

Decide where to cut

To continue meeting your financial obligations, saving for goals, and feeling good at the same time, it’s important to look at where your money goes. Then you can determine how you can cut back. Use this exercise, not just for calculating how much you spend each year on coffee and meals away from home, but also on things such as lottery tickets, magazines, movie rentals, vending machine snacks, the local car wash and or the dry cleaners. Only you can determine how much you spend on those extras and what to do about it.

Remember, successful money managers control the way they spend their money, using it to accomplish the things that are important to them. Good money managers tell their money where to go instead of wondering where it went.

UNH Cooperative Extension offers educational programs on managing personal finances and written information on how to save money, develop a spending/savings plan and decrease debt.

Ann Hamilton is an Extension educator in family and consumer resources with the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension in CarrollCounty.

Do you know a family affected by deployment?

Military life can create unexpected separation and hardship in families. According to the National Military Family Association, currently National Guard and Reserve members comprise thirty-eight percent of our military forces. Separations due to military service can be especially challenging for these families who often live far from a military installation. They lack ready access to the unique support services available to military families living on or near bases. Although military units provide information and training for Guard and Reserve families prior to mobilization, there may be additional needs that caring communities can fill.

Friends, neighbors, co-workers, and employers often want to be supportive. They may not know how to help when family separation invokes unexpected changes in family dynamics or intense feelings. The most important contributions they can make may be simple acts of caring and kindness. For example, the teen whose mom or dad has been called to duty may suddenly have to shoulder more of the responsibilities on the home front. This leaves little time to spend with friends. Rather than desert the teen and leave him to his new burden, his friends can be encouraged to spend time helping their buddy out. They can also share their own parents with the teen who may feel abandoned at a time when parental guidance is often secretly desired.

Other members of the community can play an important role in supporting these families. Teachers, coaches and youth leaders are in a critical place to observe emotional responses in children. These responses may include fears about the safety of a parent or older sibling who is serving the country away from home. Such fears are often based on a combination of real images of war they see on the news and their own imaginations. Children may also feel out of control, confused, and angry. It is important to try to maintain as many of the child's routines and schedules as possible, to help the child regain a sense of control. For example, this may require reaching out to the family and offering to help get a child to soccer practice. It can involve talking with the child to learn what he feels helps him stay in control of his life. Sometimes what the child needs to hear most is reassurance that we are there, and that responsible adults are still in charge.

Community organizations can also be supportive. A family may have worked through important checklists of financial details while preparing for deployment. However, they may suddenly be overwhelmed by the day-to-day realities of coping and managing during an extended period of deployment. Bills may get overlooked, and emergency home repairs may require outside assistance to be resolved. Community organizations are an excellent source of talented and caring people who may be willing to pitch in and provide needed help. When groups welcome military families into their groups, or reach out to assist, everyone gains.

Despite their best intentions, the family may fall behind in payment of important bills. Recently recognized with a 2002 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award, the Public Service Company of New Hampshire provides an example of how businesses can support our Guard and Reserve members. PSNH recognizes that things can slip through the cracks during deployment, and will work with these families on payment plans to ensure their electric service is not disconnected. To take advantage of this policy, families who receive a disconnect notice should call the customer service division at 1-800-662-7764 to explain their situation. Military families who have difficulty paying any of their utility, housing, or medical bills are advised to contact the individual companies to see if similar arrangements can be made.

Paula J. Gregory, UNH Cooperative Extension Specialist, 4-H Youth Development

One recent radio ad caught my attention. “Reduce your mortgage payment by up to 45 percent. Save hundreds of dollars a month.” Even the most cynical listener would want to know how to save so much money each month. The ad went on to talk about refinancing, and what you needed to do.

I kept waiting for the final punch that told me how to save money. Finally it came. “Once you’ve refinanced, you only make interest payments on the family mortgage”

Aha! What the ad didn’t mention is that your mortgage principle balance never goes down. You could be making interest payments for the rest of your life and never reduce the balance of your mortgage. Years later you would still owe the same amount.

Predatory lending

This example falls into the area of predatory lending. In his article “The Poverty Sharks,” Dan Allsup writes about how some lenders make a staggering 104.3 percent on cash advances. Other examples note that your interest rate on a credit card can be well over 20 percent, and if you miss a payment, or are late, that rate can be increased automatically.

If you ever read the very small print on your credit application, it’s all spelled out for you - if you understand the credit-ese.

Predator tactics: refinanced mortgages, cash advances, consolidation loans, payday loans

More and more Americans who find themselves in financial trouble fall prey to offers for refinanced mortgages, cash advances on their credit card, and consolidation loans. In some geographic areas, “payday loans” can cost a borrower 400 percent for just a few days’ advance on a paycheck. Asks Allsup, “If you can’t make it on a full paycheck this week, what chance do you have with a smaller one next [week]?”

Although 15 states forbid payday lending, New Hampshire allows the practice. The Center for Responsible Lending conservatively estimates that predatory payday lending practices cost American families $3.4 billion annually. Only 1 percent of payday loans go to one-time emergency borrowers.

‘Flipping’

One of the most common predatory lending practices is known as ‘flipping’ or ‘repeated financing.’ The lender gets all the benefits and the consumer often ends up owing more money. The carrot for the consumer is a reduction in monthly payments, similar to the ad described above. What the lenders don’t tell you is that you will end up paying more over a longer period of time.

Up-front credit insurance

Another predatory lending practice involves bundling a loan with additional products. One that has proved very costly for consumers is the practice of bundling up-front, lump-sum credit insurance with a loan. If you ever chose to refinance the loan, you in essence will also refinance the insurance, and if your next lender also bundles up-front insurance, you end up financing and paying the new lump-sum insurance coverage. This can add thousands of dollars to each loan. It makes more sense to purchase a separate "credit life" policy, paid in installments throughout the life of your loan, which will pay the balance on your loan to your lender if you should die .

Targeting vulnerable populations

Other predatory practices include targeting vulnerable borrowers, such as elders and low-income families, with offers for high-cost loans, and charging and/or financing excessive points and fees.

As a consumer you need to be aware of high-pressure sales tactics, high interest rates, balloon payments (low monthly payments with a big payment due at the end of the loan), and promises to refinance the loan at a lower interest rate in the future.

The predatory lending industry has grown so quickly that local, state and federal agencies haven’t been able to enact laws fast enough to protect us. But last June the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development urged Congress and individual states to adopt laws banning excessive fees, credit insurance, balloon payment and other predatory practices. Since North Carolina enacted such legislation last fall, at least six lenders have moved out of the state. Currently New Hampshire places no limit on how much interest can be changed on credit cards.

Avoid falling victim to predatory lenders

HUD offers several tips that can help you avoid predatory lenders:

• Before you buy a home, attend a homeownership education program. Non-profit housing agencies such as the Concord Area Trust for Community Housing (CATCH) in Concord, and Affordable Housing, Education, And Development (AHEAD) in Littleton offer classes throughout their service areas.
  
  
• Hire a properly licensed inspector who will not over-estimate the value of your home, thereby making you eligible for a loan for more than your house is worth.
  
  
• Don’t make false statements on your loan application.
  
  
• Don’t let anyone convince you to `borrow more money than you can afford to repay. If you get behind on your payments you could lose your home.

Empower yourself

The best way to deal with your debt load: empower yourself. Take a money management class such as Making Money Work for You offered by UNH Cooperative Extension Family & Consumer Resource Educators throughout the state. You can check for upcoming classes on our Family Development Event Calendar.

Take a good look at your spending habits, develop financial goals, determine your actual needs and wants, talk to your family about doing with less and protect the money you do have now and will have in the future.

by Deb Maes, Extension Educator, Family & Consumer Resources

More resources

• U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development: Don’t be a Victim of Loan Fraud
  
  
• Credit: Truth-in-Lending - U.S. Department of Justice fact sheet provides a brief summary of the federal Truth-in-Lending Act (TILA), information on relevant state and federal statutes. Discusses balloon payments, payday lending, credit card scams and more.
  
  
• Predatory Lending in New Hampshire - Learn More, file complaints.
  
  
• Subprime Mortgage Loans: Borrower Beware!
  
  
• Center for Responsible Lending - A wealth of online resources to help you protect yourself from predatory lending practices
  
  
• HUD-Approved Nonprofit Consumer Counseling Services in New Hampshire - When you need help with consumer debt