August 21, 2018 • Page 2 shop online at www.missourivalleyshopper.com Dave Says Communicate and Work Together Dear Dave, My wife and I are not on the same page when it comes to money and our two teenage daughters. I think they should be learning the value of work and money, but she doesn’t want them to work. She regularly hands them spending money and buys them expensive gifts. I want our girls to have some nice things, but this is starting to cause problems in our relationship. Do you have any advice? Stan Dave Dear Stan, Kids should learn to work and make money at an early age. We’ve given nice gifts to our kids, but the difference is they also worked and made money for themselves. The gifts we gave them were for special occasions. Showering our kids with money and expensive toys all the time was not our way of life. In this situation, your wife is allowing them to be nothing but consumers. I know she loves them, but they’re not learning how to work, and they’re not learning how to save or give. This is setting them up for a lifetime of unrealistic expectations. If something doesn’t happen to change things, you’re going to end up with two spoiled little girls, who think they should be given everything their entire lives. Still, I think the biggest problem is you and your wife are experiencing a communication and marital breakdown. If the kids weren’t in the picture, I’ve got a feeling the same problems would exist. The difference is they would manifest themselves in other ways. Obviously, your wife needs to stop being so impulsive where the kids are concerned. Try sitting down with her, and gently explaining your feelings. Let your wife know you love her and how generous she is, but you’re worried this is having a negative impact on your children. Maybe you could try to establish some guidelines as to when really nice gifts are appropriate, too. There’s a middle ground you can reach, but it’s going to take some time and effort. Most of all, it means the two of you are going to have to communicate and work together for the good of your kids. — Dave RAMSEY Impress Them! Dear Dave, I just graduated from college recently. Is it a waste of time to apply for a job if you have a degree in the proper field, but no real work experience? Daniel Dear Daniel, Absolutely not! The only sure-fire way to ensure you’ll miss out on a job is by not applying for the position. Send a copy of your resumé to every job opportunity for which you have a reasonable chance of being hired. Then, when you get an interview, go in there with your head held high. Be articulate, enthusiastic, and carry yourself with purpose. Use your style, intelligence, education, and confidence to sell yourself and your ability to jump in, learn quickly, and get the job done. I’ve met lots of people who say they have 20 years of experience. But in a lot of cases it’s more like one year of experience 20 times. That kind of “experience” is useless. I’ve also met many sharp, educated people without experience, but you can tell they’re the kind who will put their minds to work, think outside the box, and figure out a way to get the job done with excellence. As an employer, if I’ve got a choice between the two, that’s the one I want on my team! — Dave * Dave Ramsey is America’s trusted voice on money and business, and CEO of Ramsey Solutions. He has authored seven bestselling books, including The Total Money Makeover. The Dave Ramsey Show is heard by more than 12 million listeners each week on 575 radio stations and multiple digital platforms. Follow Dave on Twitter at @DaveRamsey and on the web at daveramsey.com. When Jim Kennedy uses his big backhoe, a crowd usually gathers. He’s an artist, you see. At Bud McFarland’s place the other day, he was there to install Bud’s new septic tank. This was to be a massive septic tank. Now and then Jim would just do something to show off his skill. At one point, when Jim’s backhoe cut through a buried tree root, there was about a foot-long section of root lying alone at the bottom of the hole. “Hey Jim,” Bud yelled at Jim, good-naturedly, “firewood!” Jim grinned and reached his long steel arm down into the hole, gently picking up just the one piece of wood, lifting it out of the hole, and delivering it to Bud’s outstretched hand as though it were the crown jewels. As we watched, Jim lifted the massive concrete vault of the septic tank and placed it gently in the hole. Then his helper hooked a chain to the septic tank lid and Jim lifted this into the air and swung it over the hole. But instead of lowering it, Jim stopped the machine in mid stride and hollered at the new septic tank owner. “Hey Bud!” he yelled, “Got any bodies you want to hide?” The perfect place for a murder victim. Agatha Christie didn’t even come up with that one. You have to admire professionalism wherever you may find it. Where Do Babies Come From? By Daris Howard I knew things were going to be interesting in my class of five-year-olds at church when Brittany came in. She looked like a walking storm cloud. “Is something wrong, Brittany?” I asked. She let out an elongated gasp. “Do I look like a baby to you?” she asked. “No,” I replied. “Why do you ask?” “Because my family calls me ‘the baby,’ and I’m sick of it.” “Well, you are the youngest in the family,” I said. “And that’s why I want a baby brother,” Brittany said. “I’ve talked to my mother about it a thousand times, but she won’t listen.” I had played Santa for our community the Christmas before. Brittany had asked me for a baby brother then, and Brittany’s mother scolded her for it. “Have you told your family you don’t like it?” I asked. She nodded. “Mom and Dad try hard to remember not to say it, but my brother says it even more just to make me mad. If I don’t get a baby brother, I’m about ready to run away from home.” Kaylee raised her hand, so I called on her. “Where do babies come from, anyway?” she asked. That’s not a topic I wanted to address, so I said, “Maybe you should ask your parents.” “Daddy, don’t you know?” my little daughter asked. That felt like a strange question coming from my own child, and I didn’t know what to say. “I know, I know,” David said excitedly. “I saw a movie where a stork brought the baby.” “That’s stupid,” Brittany said. “A stork isn’t big enough to carry a baby.” “My daddy told me that you find a wishing star and wish on it,” Leanna said. “Then you have to be patient for nine months until the baby is delivered to the hospital so you can pick it up.” “Kind of like slow shipping on Amazon, huh?” I asked. Leanna nodded. “Really slow shipping.” “I saw a baby horse born,” Tyler said. “It came right out of the momma horse, and it was yucky. I asked my dad how it got in there, and he said the momma horse must have swallowed a baby horse seed.” Brittany snorted with disgust. “Your dad must not know, either. There are no such things as horse seeds, and there definitely aren’t any baby-brother seeds.” I decided it was time to get back to the lesson, but no matter how I tried, everything came back to how a baby is born. David mentioned that he saw a chicken come out of an egg. Susan said her cat had nine kittens all at once. “Why don’t people have nine babies all at once?” Susan asked. “Because the parents would like a little sleep,” I replied. They didn’t realize I was joking, and they continued on about babies while I kept trying to steer the discussion back to the lesson. But one little girl, Maelynn, never said a word. She was very smart and pondered ideas more than the rest. By the look in her eyes, I could see she was deep in thought. Finally, she raised her hand. “I know where babies come from,” Maelynn said. As smart as she was, I was afraid she just might. But I couldn’t stop the train now. Everyone turned to look at Maelynn, knowing that what she said was usually the right answer. “My daddy told me that when two people really love each other, they adopt a baby so they can share even more love together. That’s where I came from.” It was then that I remembered Maelynn was adopted. The rest of the children accepted that as the absolute truth, and I smiled as they all settled down for the lesson, which just happened to be about the importance of families. 4 Ways To Pay Off Your Student Loans Quickly YOUR RADIATOR HEADQUARTERS! • Great Parts • Great Warranty On-Hand & In-Stock! NO WAITING! Cox Auto 1007 Broadway Ave Yankton, SD 605•665•4494 fAll grAzing as you can: 1. Make (and stick to) a budget Yes, a budget! If you have no idea where your money is going every month, then it’s impossible to make sure you’re putting that hard-earned cash toward things that matter — like getting out of debt. 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But if you have other debts like credit cards or a car payment, list all your payments on paper, including the student loans, and pay them off from smallest to largest. By paying off the smaller ones first, you’ll get a couple of quick wins that will help you stay motivated. 3. Consolidate your debts This is the only time I will ever tell you to use debt consolidation. A few guidelines: Make sure you consolidate into an interest rate that’s lower than the one you have now. Also, mentally prepare for Car G ces 750leMnL livet 12 Yr.NSOcotch With Glasses Best Pri Pendelton W 40.99 Canadian Whisk $ ey .9 75 Town! K4h4lua9Co1.ff ML In a ee Liqueur $ you can put toward that debt. 2. Pay your smallest debts first If student loans are Annual ff If you’re between the ages of 25 and 35, chances are you have student loans you’re still paying off. That’s just the sad reality of my generation. As soon as we graduate from college, most of us have Sallie Mae hunting us down for her monthly payments. If you’re in that situation, I want you to do this one thing: Pay off those debts as quickly as possible! Here are some practical ways to get those student loans off your back as fast kO By Rachel Cruze w & Ri b Coo Main Street Menno • 3pm to 6pm • Rain or Shine a larger balance on your one loan. Two $20,000 loans would consolidate into one $40,000 loan. 4. Take an extra Job or work overtime I know, I know. If you’re working a full-time job, the thought of working even more hours might wear you out. But remember, this is just temporary. The faster you get these loans paid off, the faster you can return to a sense of normalcy in your life. Moving forward, I want you to focus as much as possible on getting rid of those loans. All the money you send to Sallie Mae every month is money that could be going toward building your future — emergency savings, a down payment on a house, and retirement. Don’t let student loans hang around any longer. Be intentional, make a plan, and knock them out as quickly as possible! * About Rachel Cruze As a #1 New York Times bestselling author and seasoned communicator, Rachel Cruze helps people learn the proper ways to handle money and stay out of debt. She’s authored three best-selling books, including Love Your Life, Not Theirs and Smart Money Smart Kids, which she co-wrote with her father, Dave Ramsey. You can follow Cruze on Twitter and Instagram at @RachelCruze and online at www.rachelcruze. com, youtube.com/rachelcruze or facebook.com/rachelramseycruze. Serving Ribs, Hotdogs & Pulled Pork ALL ARE WELCOME! All proceeds will be used for new firefighter equiment. Not responsible for accidents Interested in this spot? INTERESTED Call 665-5884 to place your ad here. www.miss Call 665-5884 t