October 2, 2018 • Page 2 Dave Says shop online at www.missourivalleyshopper.com Stick With The Plan Dear Dave, I follow your advice and live on a budget, but it’s really hard to save up for a down payment on a house because property is so expensive here in New York. My family in Indiana says I should buy a cheap property there, then fix it up and sell it to get the money I need. I’m not sure how I feel about this idea. What do you think? Adam Dear Adam, I think you’d be smart to back away from their idea. Your family loves you and wants to help, but this is a bad plan. Fixing and flipping properties is a hands-on business. There’s no way I’d try something like that from 700 miles away. It would be a nightmare! When you take on that kind of work you need to oversee every single step of the process. You’re also keeping an eye on the help you hire to make sure they’re doing things right. Think about this, too. You can’t just find a house and expect to get a good deal. Professionals who flip houses for a living often look at dozens of different properties to buy just one. It’s not an easy way to make money, and it’s not something I would advise doing from a distance. I know it can take a while to save up cash for a down payment on a home. But don’t let a case of house fever push you into making a bad financial decision. Have you considered getting a part-time job for a while to bring in some extra cash? A house should be a blessing, not a burden. Trust me, waiting a while and saving up is a lot smarter than fixing and flipping houses three states away! — Dave Dave RAMSEY By Daris Howard Get A Fresh Start Dear Dave, I got laid off a couple of months ago, and I’m behind on the payments for a rental property. I found a full-time job recently, but it doesn’t provide enough income to cover my other bills and the mortgage on this property. The other day, I received an offer from someone who is willing to buy it for what’s owed on the property. I’m not sure that’s the best thing, because I owe $70,000 and it’s worth around $150,000. What do you think? Travis Dear Travis, You’ve got one thing right. You definitely need to get rid of the rental property. I’m not sure I’d jump at the offer you just received, but if I were in your shoes I’d slash the price way below value and sell the place. Right now you’re broke, and you’re still trying to play real estate investor. That’s not a good plan. I’d put a price tag of $100,000 on it, so you can move it fast and still see some equity in the deal. But sell it today! By doing this, you’ll have a nice chunk of cash in your pocket, and you can get something of a financial fresh start — one that includes living on a written, monthly budget and staying out of debt! — 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. The Classifieds: Your Ticket to Local Finds Dud had been sitting there looking at his computer for 20 minutes and he hadn’t gotten any more done on the book. You know the one. Dud calls it “Murder in the Soggy Bottoms,” and the rest of us call it “The Duchess and the Truck Driver” because the two main characters are …. yeah, you understand. The rest of us have only been able to look on while our pal Dudley has been going through this agony for the past several years. If we’re asked to explain the book to those not in the literary loop around here, we generally hem and haw and say something like, “I think the duchess and the truck driver love each other, and there’s some murders in it, too.” At least, that tends to be a summation of the main theme, because we can’t see the book from Dud’s perspective. To Dud, this is the next “War and Peace” but he doesn’t want it to be that long. Also, to Dud, sitting there at his computer now for 26 minutes, he has no idea what his characters would do for 800 pages. He is still trying to figure out how to keep them busy for 300, and that hasn’t come easily. You see, the truck driver (he’s a handsome guy, of course) is on special assignment to the European country where the duchess (naturally drop-dead gorgeous) lives. Dud hasn’t figured out the special assignment yet, either, but it beats having his hero haul groceries in the middle of the United States. And the duchess, well, turns out she had a love child by the truck driver when he was over there 20-some years ago on his last special assignment. And the truck driver doesn’t know he has a European son, but the duchess knows. Well, of course the duchess knows. I mean, she was there as the dukelet’s mom all those years, right? So how do we reconnect them? Well, maybe his truck could accidently crash into her castle? Or she could open a truck wash down at the truck stop … no, that doesn’t seem duchess-like. But Dud’s been sitting here looking at his computer for half an hour now. Know what? There’s a football game coming on television. Later on, maybe ... Call or go online to browse, buy or sell! In Print and Online! 665-5884 • www.missourivalleyshopper.com Sidewalk & Street Tree Trimming Low hanging branches over sidewalks and streets create hazards to the community by obstructing sidewalks, reducing driver visibility, hampering the ability to clear streets effectively, and damaging snowplows and school buses. City ordinance requires a tree branch clearance of 10 feet over sidewalks and 12 feet over streets and alleys. Please take a few minutes today to measure trees overhanging sidewalks, streets, and alleys adjacent to your property, Year-round free disposal of tree trimmings at Transfer Station (1200 W. 23rd St). Use main entrance 8:00a.m.-3:45p.m. Mon-Sat and any other time use the after hours disposal area. 12 ft For more information visit www.cityofyankton.org or call 605-668-5251. Save 10¢ Off A Gallon Of Gas When You Use Your Sinclair Card T Prices Witino’s Vodka $29.99 1.75 ML st Be dsor Whiskey $1 Jim Bean Whisk $ 5.99 1.75 ML ! y 5.9 In Town Bota Box Wines e$162.99 39LT1.75 ML R Al l Flavors Cork N Bottle 1500 Broadway, 665-3881 We’ll Match All Local Advertising Prices! EEDvEeD S RIERpersNn be deli er d R CA ca and Shop ouri Valleyen Tuesday mornings Miss twe anytime beys by 6:00pm. Wednesda XTRA E XTRA E g money? e spendin Need som or tunity! erfect opp p le This is the w availab routes no Yankton The right job is just one click away. www.missourivalleyshopper.com In Print and Online! Call 665-5884 Indoor Plumbing Goren and Lilly had been married for just over a year, and Lilly was growing annoyed with Goren. He had promised that he would put indoor plumbing into the house after they were married, but he hadn’t. Lilly was tired of bathing at the hand pump in the summer and dragging water into the house to bathe in the winter. Goren didn’t seem to mind, but then, he didn’t wash as much as he should, anyway. Working with cattle was dirty work, and he always came home smelling like cows. “Goren,” Lilly said one night, “things have got to change. We’ve been married a year, and you still haven’t put in the indoor plumbing.” “I haven’t had time,” Goren replied. “It needs to be a priority,” Lilly said. “And you need to make sure you bathe every time you come home at night. It’s really hard to keep the house smelling nice for when people come to visit.” “But no one comes to visit,” Goren replied. That was true. They lived on a cattle ranch, and the nearest neighbor lived about ten miles away. “Well, they might,” Lilly said. “And we still live here and should have it nice. I want you to promise me that when you come home each night, you will strip off your clothes for me to wash, and then go bathe at the pump before you come into the house.” Goren reluctantly promised, and also said he would get the plumbing done. But another six months passed, and nothing changed. He kept coming into the house smelling like he’d been dragged through a barnyard. Then one fall evening, Goren drove into the yard. Lilly had just done the wash and was airing out the house. Goren had been branding cattle and smelled worse than ever. The smell wafted through the windows. By the time he reached the door, Lilly was there to meet him. “You are not setting foot in my nice clean house until you have had a bath,” she said. “Strip off your clothes and go to the pump.” Goren sighed, but did as instructed. He went to the pump while Lilly picked up the clothes using a couple of sticks, hauled them around behind the house, and dumped them into the barrel of wash water. She had just entered the house when she saw a dust cloud about a mile away. It was a telltale sign that someone was coming down the old dirt road. Goren had seen it too, and he streaked toward the house to get some clothes. Lilly saw him coming, and she was not about to have him come in and stink up the house when visitors were coming. She beat him to the door and locked it. Goren pounded on the door, but Lilly was not inclined to unlock it until he finished his bath. Goren must have realized it, and with the pickup approaching quickly, he dashed around to the back of the house. But Lilly had already locked that door. Goren was desperate as a pickup pulled to a stop in the yard. He decided to hide in the outhouse. He peeked out and saw two ministers from the church step from the pickup. Lilly unlocked the front door and invited the men in. As they entered the house, they said they had come to visit with Goren. “Um, he’s indisposed right now,” Lilly said. “We’ll be on our way, then,” one of the men replied. “But it’s a long way back. May I use your outhouse first?” Lilly didn’t know Goren was in there and said yes. Goren panicked. But hearing the men’s voices from inside the house, Goren realized the windows were still open. He slipped out of the outhouse and dashed for the opposite side of the house as Lilly and the two men came back outside. Goren climbed on an old milk can and had just stuck one foot through the window when the window crashed down on him, causing him to slip and trapping his foot. The falling window had broken out some glass, and the noise brought Lilly running back in, with the two men close behind. And there Goren hung, upside down, in his compromised state. And within a week, Lilly had indoor plumbing, because Goren suddenly felt it was a priority. BOA Releases FY2018 Obligation Recovery Center Annual Report Pierre, S.D. – The debt recovered by the Obligation Recovery Center nearly doubled in its second year of collections, according to a report released by the Bureau of Administration today. The Bureau oversees the state Obligation Recovery Center program which Dining & Entertainment Open To The Public Pancakeast Breakf Pancakes, Eggs, Bacon, Sausage, Biscuits & Gravy, French Toast 7.00 All You Can Eat $ Children 6-10 $4.00 • 5 & Under Free Sunday, Oct. 7th • 8 - 12:30 VFW Post 791 209 Cedar, Yankton • 665-3562 Fall Festival Saturday, Oct. 6 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. – Springfield Community Center 30+ vendors, baked goods, crafts, misc. SD Yankton, ut Street, 319 Waln 884 605-665-5 at Call Steve Coffee, rolls and lunch served by Springfield Dakota Senior Meals Drawings on the hour plus Jeff Rueb and his exotic animals NEW FEATURE: Fall pictures taken by Kellie Pickner 4x6 for $7.00 just ended its second year. The annual report covers Fiscal Year 2018 and shows a total of $3.5 million in collections, up from $1.8 the previous year. In addition 4,347 debtors are currently entered into payment agreements valued at just under $11.4 million. “We have seen continual increases in the past year,” said Commissioner Scott Bollinger of the Bureau of Administration, “which has resulted in more state agencies participating in the debt referral program with the Center.” The entire report can be found on the Obligation Recover Center webpage at https://boa.sd.gov/obligation-recovery/default.aspx. Click on the FY2018 Annual Report link. For more information, please contact Leah Svendsen at 605.773.3688. If you read this you know... advertising pays! Call the Missouri Valley Shopper at 665-5884 or stop by to place your ad today! 319 Walnut St. • Yankton MV Shopper M I S S O U R I VA L L E Y M I S S O U R I VA L L E Y