Que Hacer

 

Jane Brucker

How to Save Money

 

Tips and Tricks to Save Money

Call me cheap 

I can save money fast.

Review credit card annual statement:

Auto subscriptions- go to the website, scroll down,

 cancel, and unsubscribe.

Gym memberships- cancel and change to: 

Youtube yoga or online free workouts.

Vitamins, wine and beauty products by 

subscription are more expensive.

Shop for generics especially for your prescription drugs.

Pay off credit card debt. Not just move it around. 

Pay it down.

Don’t buy packaged foods.

Don’t buy fast fashion, find unique items 

that have been gently loved.

Do you watch cable television seven days a week? 

Can you cancel for a couple months and 

substitute getting books from the library, 

being creative, writing letters, and walking?

Substitute an xbox and cheaper internet with 

Netflix if you must watch movies.

Utilities turned on and not needed. 

My Dad always knew when you left a 

light on in your bedroom on the other side of the house. 

How he knew was some kind of magic, 

but we never bet him. 

Turn lights off, turn the thermostat down,

 put on a sweater, enjoy fresh air…

Never buy a new car, and never lease one, 

both are throwing money away. 

Research carefully the prices, maintenance tips, 

and know what a vehicle deal truly is: a car that always gets you there.

If you own your car without payments, 

you have more freedom than the guy with the fancy car at the valet. 

Keep your car in top shape by changing the oil early, 

checking the tires, cleaning it every week yourself.

Find an old bike and a helmet and start using it for short trips.

With the pandemic we all learned how to cook at home. 

My Noni taught me to always buy what is in season 

and to plan your weekly meals in advance.

 So how do you know what’s in season? 

Ask at the farmer’s market what’s coming next week… 

The produce direct from farm will last longer and taste better. 

Which leads me to grow your own. 

Eat at home. It is healthier and cheaper.

Seeds are free at many exchanges, as are cuttings from other gardeners. 

Pots and containers are often given away on freecycle.com 

or at yard sales. 

There is nothing as delicious as a tomato you grew still 

warm from sunshine.

What can you do to increase a little side income? 

Not uber or doordash, something that is special to you 

and doesn’t wear on your car. 

Offer to walk the neighbor’s dog in exchange for something. 

When you have extra of a find that has limited time or spoils, 

share it with neighbors or friends. 

I love to go strawberry picking in the spring. 

I’m allergic to the berries (can maybe eat one) 

but I enjoy the activity, so I bring back a box 

for my Mom and my neighbor.

What can you freelance? 

Write? Blog? Teach? Babysit? 

Counsel? Giving of yourself will grow your soul.

It’s not your title, your car, your designer whatnot 

that makes you whole. 

Knowing you are your own person who can take 

care of yourself and your community has great benefits.

 

Proposition 19 California

 

Proposition 19 Boomerang On The Backside of the Head?

Or is it to be litigated to grinding halt?

The Advertisements sold us on helping those families 

from Paradise displaced by wildfires. 

Remember Kristy, “Our homes were burned to the ground. 

We couldn’t move because of taxes… vote yes.”  

And the ads from The California Association of Realtors 

backed the bill because, ‘geeze it will open up all those listings… 

the market will become open again, 

and a chicken in every pot for every Realtor…

However now numerous county Assessors and 

Tax Collectors are stumped at the loopholes 

and work left for them to litigate.

Prop 19 builds more tax revenue for California.

 It does not protect homeowners. 

The previous law allowed parents (and some grandparents) 

to transfer their primary residence, of any value, 

to their children and the assessed value for

 tax purposes would remain unchanged. 

Wealth could be passed to your heirs in the form 

of your primary residence and one investment property 

with the investment property not to exceed a million dollars. 

Children or grandchildren were not required to 

live in the property to keep the basis.

Under Proposition 19 homeowners who are over age 55, 

disabled, or victims of natural disasters 

may transfer their property tax base 

(current assessed value) when they sell their home

 and purchase a new one anywhere within the state. 

They can also transfer that tax base to a home of greater value. 

Under the old law (Prop’s 60/90), 

homeowners could transfer their property tax rate 

to a home of equal or lesser value in certain counties. 

Only twelve of the fifty eight counties in California in the past 

“cooperated” in transfers (mostly the richer higher cost counties). 

The new law allows homeowners to transfer their property tax 

assessment up to three times, where previous law allowed them to 

transfer it once. Prop. 19 goes into effect on April 1st, 2021, 

just weeks from today.

The piece that is still unclear is how family transfers 

and inheritance will be handled. 

The real estate is required to be the primary residence of the parent, 

and the child inheriting the property must move into the home as their 

primary residence within one year of the transfer in order to avoid a 

reassessment.

Who is going to check and verify owner occupancy?

Counties with reduced revenues don’t have investigators who can door 

knock to check. 

They can only check where the bill is mailed (often to the lender for 

impounds).

 

Parts of the Bill are under repeal, and the courts 

will decide all the ins and outs which were 

left open to interpretation. 

The suits win.