Money management:
Personal debt - are
you in over your head?
"Only a small amount a month on
our EASY payment plan." If you
have succumbed to that seductive
please only to learn that the pay
ments are easy for them to receive,
not for you to make, you may be one
of an ever growing group of Ameri
cans who take on more debt than they
afford.
ut it doesn't have to be that way.
AcoOrding to the North Carolina As
sociation of Certified Public Accoun
tants, you can head off credit prob
lems by identifying in advance just
how much debt you can afford to take
on.
The first step you need to take is
determining your "safe" level of
debt. And the term debt includes not
only, credit cards, but all credit obli
gations except your mortgage. For
example, you would include any stu
dent loans, car payments, etc.
For most people, the safe level is
no more than 20 percent of monthly
take-home pay. But even that may be
too much. If your annual gross in
come is $20,000 or less, or you make
$40,000 a year but have two or more
children, you may not be able to han
dle above 15 percent.
It is important to emphasize that
the 20 percent figure is based on your
take-home pay-not your gross pay
before deductions. Remember that if
you are single, a $20,000 annual gross
income after taxes, Social Security
and other payroll deductions is prob
ably about $14,500 or less in take
home pay.
Let's say that you've determined
that 20 percent of your take-home
pay is $300 a month and you have only
$150 in payments other than a mort
gage. Does that mean you can run out
and incur $150 a month more in debt?
Of course not. Owing more than you
can pay is the last of many signs that
jyou're in over your head. And an
swering "yes" to any of the following
questions could indicate that you are
headed for credit trouble.
Do you spend money with the ex
pectation that you'll be earning more
in the future?
Do you borrow money or take
cash advances on credit cards to
meet current bills?
Do you leave a bigger tip when
paying by credit card or collect cash
from friends in restaurants then us
your credit card to pay for a dinner
out?
Do you go oo credit card spend
ing sprees even though you know you
might not be able to make the
monthly payments?
Do you pay your credit bills but
let others go for a month or more? Or
do you pay both but only pay the min
imum amount due on the credit card
balances?
Does owning or using a credit
card make you feel prowerful or im
portant?
Do you have trouble imagining
life without credit cards?
The more "yes" answers you have,
the more you need to stop and review
your spending habits and debt load.
If you are already having trouble
paying your bills each month, you
probably need to take some additio
nal steps.
First, draw up a budget-an auster
ity budget-to see if you can squeeze
more cash free to pay your obliga
tions. If that's not enough, contact
your creditors to see if you can work
out an agreement: paying interest
only for a few months for example.
While this may seem intimidating,
remember, your creditors want their
money and they may be willing to
wait if you convince them you want to
pay them.
However, there is always the
chance that they won't listen to rea
son. If that is the case, you will prob
ably need help from a credit coun
selor. There are almost 300 nonprofit
credit counselling services that be
long to the National Foundation for
Consumer Credit and can help you
work out a payment plan with your
counselors. The nonprofit counselors
charge only a nominal fee or, in some
cases, no fee. For a directory, write
to the NFCC at 8701 Georgia Avenue,
Suite 507, Silver Spring, MD 20910.
The credit counselor will help you
come up with a budget and negotiate
repayment terms with your cred
itors. Because they often work clo
sely with creditors, they can usually
work out a better repayment plan
than you could. When the plan is ac
cepted, you write one check to the
counselor each month who then par
cels it out to the creditors.
Before things get that bad, CPAs
advise you to take a close look at your
credit levels. If you debt load is ap
proaching 20 percent of your take
home pay, it may be time to cut back
on your credit purchases.
Commission approves
funding for project
The N.C. Wildlife Resources Com
mission in its regular meeting ap
proved its first ever small grants pro
gram which will provide (50,000 from
the Nongame Wildlife Fund to sup
port research, management and edu
cation projects for nongame wildlife.
These funds come from the income
tax refund checkoff. Under this pro
gram, members of the Commission's
Nongame Advisory Committee
would examine requests for grant
money from individuals, organiza
tions or agencies working on nong
ame wildlife-related projects. Nong
ame wildlife includes all species of
animals which are not hunted, fished
or trapped.
"Our Nongame and Endangered
Wildlife Program is growing, thanks
to the outstanding support of North
Carolinians who contribute through
the income tax checkoff," said Debo
rah Paul, manager of the Commis
sion's Nongame Section. "We are
very pleased to now have funding
available to support much-needed
projects conducted by graduate, con
servation groups and others involved
in ttongame work."
' The grants, which may range from
$500 to $5,000, will be awarded by the
advisory committee based on the
quality of the project and its benefits
to North Carolina wildlife and citi
zens. The project must be accom
plished in North Carolina.
'"There are some small mammals
in high mountain peaks such as
moles and shrews that we know al
most nothing about, "said Dr. Jim
Parnell, who chairs the Commis
sion's Nongame Wildlife Advisory
Committee. "We have a mammalog
ist at the University of North Caro
lina campus in Wilmington who
would be eager to take a group of stu
dents to the mountains for two or
three days to study these mammals.
"Then there's the piping plover? a
bird we know little about. We may
have a graduate student looking at
the bird on our beaches. We may
have Boy Scout groups that have the
energy for educational or manage
ment projects, but not the materials.
We could provide money for those
materials through the Small Grants
Program."
Through the projects funded by the
grants program, the Commission it
self could increase its base of infor
mation about many of North Caroli
na's animals..
All grants will be made for a single
year. Proposals may be made for
multi-year projects, but funding be
yond the first year will depend on the
availability of funds, progress during
the first year and how the project
would contribute to the advisory
committee's goals.
"We will invite proposals for grants
and then decide what should be
awarded based on the merits of those
proposals," Dr. Parnell said. "We'll
look for quality projects. They could
come from groups or agencies in
cluding local conservation groups, 4
H groups, school groups, or graduate
students. We beleive it will increase
the visibility of our nongame pro
gram.
"A little amount of money can gen
erate a lot of interest," he said.
1 aps for responsible
holiday party planning
Raleigh? If you're planning to en
tertain friends on New Year's Eve,
North Carolina Commissioner of Mo
tor Vehicles William S. Hiatt offers a
fenr tips for responsiblie party plan
ning.
"The purpose of a party is to cele
brate friendship, relax and have
fuft!" Hiatt said. "All too often,
though, someone drinks too much.
And when this happens you certainly
don't want them behind the wheel of
a car."
The best approach is to prevent
drunkenness, Hiatt advised. "We
have made alcohol such a staple at
parties that many guests are embar
rassed to ask for non-alcoholic
drinks. You can quietly avoid this sit
uation by making an inviting, non-al
coholic punch and by icing down soft
drinks''
Here are some other imaginative
party ideas and subtle ways for you
to control consumption without of
fending guests:
r. Serve all drinks, alcoholic and
non, in the same kind of glass so the
noiHlrinken don't have to be singled
L?ut;
L;. Serve high-protein foods, both
before and during alcohol consump
tion. Food has no power to sober any
one up, but it will slow the rate of
bloodstream absorption;
3. If there's no bartender, set out
jiggers to encourage measuring
when guests are mixing their own
drinks;
4. Provide music, dancing, cha
rades, food service. Anything that
keeps your guests from just sitting
around and drinking will help pro
mote sobriety; and finally
5. If you have any doubts about
guests ability to drive, offer an alter
native; Let them curl up on the sofa
and stay overnight, call a taxi, or get
someone who has not been drinking
to take them home.
"Alcohol is cunning, powerful and
dangerous," Hiatt said. "There's no
set rule as to bow much an individual
can consume without becoming im
paired. This varies from person to
person. But the odds of having an ac
cident increase with each drink.
Last year in North Carolina, 707
people were killed and nearly 90,000
were injured as a direct result of al
cohol-related traffic acddens, Hiatt
Pictured are Ray and Pam Carney Coltrain and their daugh
ter, Rachel Lyndsey of Hertford. They participated recently
in a special reunion of Lamaze babies born during the past
year at Chowan Hospital. Approximately 35 couples at
tended. Rachel is the grandaughter of Mr. and Mrs. Henry
Carney of Hertford and Mr. and Mrs. Sherwood Coltrain of
Eden ton.
Bookmobile schedule
The following is the Perquimans
County Bookmobile Schedule for Jan
uary through May, 1988.
1st & 3rd Friday: January 15, Feb
ruary 5 & 19, March 4 & 18, April 1 &
15, May 6 & 20.
Cherrix Day Care 9:30; Brian Cen
ter 9:45-10:15; Wynne Fork Court
10:30-11:00; Holiday Island Club
House 11:15-12:30; Snug Harbor 1:00
2:00; Nebling Drive (Cedar St.);
George's Store 2:30-2:45; Kirby
Drive 3:15; Gladys Warren 3:30;
Boyce Drive 3:45.
2nd & 4th Friday: January 8 & 22,
February 12 & 26, March XI & 25,
April 8 & 22, May 13 & 27.
New Hope 9:45-10:15; White Hat
10:20-10:45; Harrell's Drive 11:00;
Woodville Fire Station 11:15-12:00; S.
Broglin Drive 12: 15; J. Perry's Drive
12:15; A. Whitley 12:30; Chapanoke
12:45-1:15; Truck's Drive 1:30; C.W.
Gregory 1:45; Winnie Riddick 2:00;
Layden Supermarket 2:15-2:30; M.
White 2:45; Wynne Fork 3:15.
School lunch menus
The following is the school menu
for the week of January 4-8, 1988.
Monday? breakfast? Pop tart or
cereal, fruit or juice, milk.
Lunch? hamburgar-bun or steak
biscuit, french fries, broccoli spears,
managers' choice vegetable, pears,
milk.
Tuesday? breakfast? toast-bacon
or cereal, fruit or juice, milk.
Lunch? chicken pattie-bun or hot
ham & cheese-bun, tri taters, fried
okra, succotash, fruit, milk.
Wednesday? breakfast? danish or
cereal, iruu or juice, milK.
Lunch? sausage biscuit or lun
cheon meat sandwich, french fries,
soup, vegetable sticks, fresh apple,
milk.
Thursday? breakfast? coffeecake
or cereal, fruit or juice, milk.
Lunch? spaghetti or fish portion,
potato salad, tossed salad, coleslaw,
pineapple, cornbread, milk.
Friday? breakfast? sausage bis
cuit or cereal, fruit or juice, milk.
Lunch? pizza or submarine, potato
wedges, corn on cob, lettuce and to
mato, fruit, milk.
Nutrition site menus
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menu for the week of January 4-8,
1988.
Monday? baked ham with glazed
pineapple, scalloped potatoes, sea
soned turnips with roots, cornbread,
margarine, orange, fresh, milk.
Tuesday? beef stew in onion
gravy, glazed carrots, buttered
green peas, buttered noodles, marga
rine, orange-grapefruit juice, 2 me
dium chocolate cookies, milk.
Wednesday? chicken baked in un
diluted cream of mushroom soup,
buttered chopped spinach, coleslaw
tv i v* i gi vvii o, miuib nilgai
bread, margarine, chocolate layer
cake with chocolate frosting, milk,
(optional: hot spiced peaches instead
of cake).
Thursday? grilled calves liver, on
ions, mashed potatoes, seasoned
green beans, dinner roll, margarine,
(Cong.) strawberries on angel food
cake with whipped topping, milk,
(optional: fresh orange).
Friday? Salisbury steak with
gravy, red apple, celery & raisin
salad on lettuce, buttered broccoli
spears, rice, margarine, grapefruit
orange sections, milk.
Teen health tips
TOUGH TIMES FOR TEENS
tiy L)r. James "tied" Duke Jr.
Prominent Physician
Teens haven't changed, times
have. Pressures of the '80s, such as
divorce, fierce peer competition and
limited family time, make it harder
for teens to mature into healthy
adults. Fortunately, however, these
pressures can be counter-balanced
with some simple "dos and don'ts":
? Do encourage life experience
as much as academic success. Allow
teens to broaden their skills beyond
an abililty to answer test questions,
through community clubs and stim
ulating part-time jobs.
? Do welcome questions. In to
day's society, people are embar
rassed about appearing naive.
Teens need a place to ask questions
without intimidation. Listen care
fully and take questions seriously.
? Do set the rules. One thing
that helps keep anyone out of
trouble is a known set of standards
and reactions. To make sure you're
both communicating clearly, listen
to your teen's point of view, repeat
it to make sure you understand,
then based on your discussion set
new ground rules to follow.
? Do watch what they eat. With
commercial role models demanding
great looks, teens are concerned
about their changing bodies more
than ever. Establish good eating
habits by serving and eating low
fat nutritious meals.
? Do accept hard truths. Hon
esty on both sides is essential.
Many kids won't be honest if they
think you won't like the truth. Ac
cept their decisions instead of judg
ing them. Your teen will tell you
Dr. Duke
more and begin to look for more
guidance.
? Don't underestimate social
traumas. Wanting "to-be-liked" is
a natural emotion for teens. Take
time to discuss social problems.
? Don't overdo. Pressures from
schools and friends can wear teens
out. If they want to sit at home and
rest, let them. They need quiet
times to be by themselves and
grow. And besides, they've proba
bly earned the break.
For more information on this and
other ideas for healthy living, tune
in to bodywatch, the PBS-TV
series funded by The NutraSweet
Company, that brings you health
and fitness ideas you can live with.
A viewers' guide to the series is
available through: The Nutra
Sweet Center (BWII) P.O. Box
CI 115, Skokie, IL 600076. For
further details, check the current
issue of American Health Magazine
and your local TV listings for show
times in your area.
NOTICE
TOWNOFWINFALL
GARBAGE COLLECTION
DECEMBER 31, THURSDAY MORNING
TOWN OFFICE WILL BE CLOSED JAN. 1
Central Carolina motor
vehicle office to open
RALIEGH? One of Governor
J a me* G. Martin's chief goals? pro
viding enhanced state government
services and greater responsiveness
to the needs of citizens and busi
ness?will become a reality January
4. At the same time, the governor will
also acbeive a second important
goal, which is improved efficiency
and reduced costs for state govern
ment.
On that day, commericial motor
carries planning to renew their li
censes and operating and fuel use tax
permits will have the advantage of
completing their transactions at a
central North Carolina office, rather
than having to visit several widely
dispersed state and federal agencies.
William S. Hiatt, North Carolina
Commissioner of Motor Vehicles, an
nounced that the new "one-stop shop
ping" service is an experimental pro
gram being tested for the first time in
1988; in an effort to enhance conve
nience to truckers and bus operators.
The period from January 4 to; Feb
ruary 15 was selected for the experi
mental program, Hiatt said, because
it is the peak permit and license rene
wal season.
Under the cooperation state-fed
eral arranagement, respresentatives
of the Division of Motor Vehicles
, Fuels Use Tax Division of the North
Carolina Department of Revenue
Service, North Carolina Utilities
Commission and Internal Revenue
Service will be headquartered to
gether in DMV facilities on New Bern
Avenue, Raleigh, during the six-week
period. This central one-stop office
will be equipped to provide all of the
renewal services required by com
mercial vehicle operators.
Divisions of Motor Vehicles rep
resentatives who will be assigned to
the office include officials of the Reg
istration Section, Motor Carrier
Safety Unit of the Enforcement Sec
tion, and the International Registra
tion Plan Section.
Hiatt said that one-stop shopping is
a concept encouraged nationwide by
the National Governors 'Assoc ia ton
to promote uniformity among the
states.
Undoubtedly , this will afford an
added convenience for commercial
vehicle operators," the commis
sioner added, "but the agencies have
better working relations among
agencies.and fostering voluntary
compliance by motor carriers with
permit and license regulations."
Hiatt, who serves on a five-mem
ber national committee which is
studying one-stop shopping for the
Fereral Highway Administration,
pointed out that the North Carolina
experience will be advantageous in
helping other states establish a per
manent central ofice. The commis
sioners
appointment to the committee was
announced this week by the National
Governors' Association.
The North Carolina one-stop shop
ping office will be located on the first
floor of DMV's main building. Tele
phone inquires will be answered at
the office beginning Janary 4. The
telephone number is (919 ) 733-0671
"North Carolina is pleased to be
come one of the first states in Amer
ica to provide one-stop shopping for
commercial motor carriers, and we
are dedicated to becoming a national
model," Hiatt said. "We are confi
dent that the experiment will be a
success, and we anticipate expansion
of the service in the future."
ina reviews new ia&
laws for legal aliens
IRS REVIEWS TAX OBLIGATIONS
OF LEGALISED ALIENS
The Internal Revenue Service has
issued a new publication to inform le
galized aliens about their tax obliga
tions. Any alien having income from
sources in the United States, must
pay U.S. taxes. This applies whether
the alien is a legal U.S. resident or an
alien undergoing legalization.
The Publication 927, "Tax Obliga
tions of Legalized Aliens", is now
available from the Internal Revenue
Serice. It describes the tax rules that
apply to aliens undergoing legaliza
tion of their residence status. The
text is written in both English and
Spanish.
The publication is available
through the Immigration and Natu
ralization Service and also through
the IRS by calling 1-800-424-367
"Please, my little girl
needs "blood?
Imagine if you had to ask for blood to save the life of someone you love.
Next time the American Red Cross asks, give blood, please.
GIVE BLOOD, PLEASE R^Croiw
NOTICE
The filing period for candi
dates that have to file in Per
quimans County May
Primary commences at
1 2:00 Noon, January 4, 1 988
and closes at 12:00 Noon
February 1, 1988.
BIFOCALS FOR YOUNG ADULTS
If you're a young adult whose vision isn't as good as you would
like it to be, especially when looking at objects close up or at a
distance, you may be able to benefit from wearing glasses or con
tacts with bifocal lenses.
In examining your eyes, your eye doctor will perform a series
of tests to find out how good your near vision is. This is the vi
sion you use for reading or working with figures and other activ
ities in which it is important to see close-up objects clearly. If
your near vision needs correcting, a prescription will be made for
the lower portion of your lens. Tests will then be made to see
how accurate or clear your distance vision is. If that should need
correcting, a separate prescription will be made for the upper
portion of your lens.
Whatever your vision problems may be, let your eye doctor
prescribe the corrections you need to see well and comfortably
ogain, no matter where you happen to be looking.
Dr. A.F. DOWNUM
103 W.Eden St.
Edenton, N.C.
Phone: 482-8444