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Wednesday, November 28, 2012
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Coweta’s Local Daily Newspaper, Published 5 Days A Week
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Thank you for picking up MyConnection. Look for your copy delivered free to your home from The Newnan Times-Herald each Wednesday. You’ll find entertainment and travel news, as well as upcoming events, easy-to-make recipes, and things that matter to you and your family.
Fire Safety for your family
Family Features
N
o one likes to think about bad things happening to their home or family. But things like home fires do happen — more often than you might think. Home fires kill an average of seven people every day, and they cause billions of dollars in property damage. Here are some easy steps you and your family can take to protect your home and each other, and to under stand the basics of fire safety.
Your Best Defense According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), working smoke alarms are your best chance
Almost one-quarter (23 percent) of the smoke alarm failures were due to dead batteries. Remember to change batteries yearly. Working smoke alarms are your best chance for escaping a home fire.
➤ SEe FIRE SAFETY, PAGE 6
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our Gifts for Y ss oste Holiday H ➤
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Signs you may be heading for substantial debt Many men and women with heavy debt are vague when asked to describe how they got there, often ex pressing a notion that the debt seem ingly piled up overnight. Though it's possible to incur a substantial amount of debt in a short period of time, many debtors witness their financial pitfalls gradually increase, with inter est rates adding up over time. Men and women who know their debts didn't occur overnight may have missed the warning signs that they were heading for financial trouble. The following are a few signs that your problem with debt might be on the way to spiraling out of control.
Tips for accommodating overnight guests Entertaining isn’t always just about host ing an evening of cocktails and appetiz ers or presenting your home as the meet ing place for the next holiday celebration. Entertaining also extends to welcoming guests for a night or more when certain conditions warrant an overnight stay. There are many different reasons a guest might need to stay over for a night or two. Perhaps a relative from afar is visiting, and you’ve spared him or her the expense of paying for a hotel. Some friends may need a layover spot between traveling. Some hosts prefer to err on the side of safety when a party gets a bit too rowdy by offering a place to crash for the night. Whatever the reason for hosting an overnight guest, there are different steps you can take to make sure the person feels comfortable staying in your home.
Be courteous to his or her needs, even if it infringes on your own comfort for the time being. Have a private area for sleeping. Some guests are content to crash on the couch for a night, but the courteous host will offer a better place in which to retire. Not every home is equipped with a spare bedroom, but there are ways to make existing spaces more comfortable and private. Offer your own room for the time being, seeing as you will have full run of the rest of the house and know the comings and goings of daily routines. Otherwise, ask one of the children to bunk with another and prepare his or her bedroom for your guest. If you have an out-of-the-way den or office, you may be able to set up a futon or fold-out sofa there for your guest.
Keep special linens on hand. You probably want to make a good impres sion, and that involves making the bed with crisp, clean sheets and blankets. Keep a set of guest linens in a bag with a sheet of fabric softener or a little pot pourri sack to ensure the sheets always smell fresh. Now is not the time to drag out those old floral sheets that have seen their share of wear and tear. Have extra grooming essentials at the ready. Guests look to the special ac commodations at hotels to feel comfort able. These are often sample-sized bottles of shampoo and mouthwash, or even an extra toothbrush. It’s easy to overlook essentials when you’re packing in haste. Therefore, be the perfect host or hostess
➤ SEe GUESTS, PAGE 4
Minimum payments: Every credit card statement includes the outstand ing balance as well as the minimum payment due. In addition, statements now include a forecast of when the debt will be paid in full if consumers make only the minimum payment, and those with substantial debt may notice that they won't be paying off their debts any time soon if they only make the minimum payment. Men and women who can only afford to make the minimum payment on an outstanding balance should recognize that as a warning sign that they are carrying too much debt and should
begin an analysis of their finances immediately before that debt gets out of control. Frequent use of credit: Using credit wisely is a great way to build your financial reputation. But using credit poorly can do significant harm to your reputation, affecting your ability to rent an apartment, finance a vehicle or secure a home loan, among other things. If you find yourself using credit to make purchases you should be mak ing with cash (or a debit card), such as fast food, your morning coffee or monthly utilities, then you're likely setting yourself up for significant debt in the future. Such purchases have a way of adding up. Before you know it your balance could be higher than you had anticipated and you might have already used your cash supply for other purchases you as sumed were affordable. Credit cards should not be used to pay for life's necessities or every day expenditures, as doing so only increases your cost of living when you factor in the inter est you will have to pay when using credit to pay for these necessities.
➤ SEe DEBT, PAGE 4