Understanding Credit

*Thanks to all who could make it and for those who were able to bring cookies! Check out the notes (put together by our one and only, Megan Whitmer) below for a few tips, facts and myth busters on credit.

This was presented by Josh Heckathorn, the owner of creditnet.com.

There are thousands of credit scores out there but only FICO scores are real. FICO scores are the numbers used by companies to determine if you are worth the risk of loaning money too. You can find your FICO score at myfico.com

It may seem unfair that if you paid cash for everything your whole life and had no credit score that companies wouldn’t give you a good rating. But before a company lends you $200,000 to buy a home they need reliable documented proof that you can borrow money and pay it back. Credit cards are not bad, Credit dept is bad.

Here is the break down of your credit score. If you improve these things your score will go up.

35% of the score is due to past payment history. Have you paid your credit card bills on time? If you have had some problems in the past it could take up to 7 years to get that off your record. It is also important to put something on your credit cards and then pay it off every month. The payment history portion does not require you to put a certain amount on your credit card, any amount will do. The important thing is that you are never late or delinquent on the payments.

35% of the score is based on credit utilization. Take all your credit cards/lines of credit etc. Add up the total amount that you could charge to all these accounts if you maxed them all out. If that amount equals $30,000 then spending $3000 that month (on any mix of credit cards) will mean that your credit utilization is 10%.

Another example. If you have only 1 credit card and the max limit on it is $1000. If you put $500 on it every month then your credit utilization is 50%.

Once you cross the 30% credit utilization by using cards too much, it begins to decrease your FICO score.

If you are one who never uses a certain credit or any credit cards, keep in mind that you need to keep up a payment history and that a credit card company can just cancel it with or without your approval.

If you have a low credit limit see if you bank will increase it based on your good payment behavior. Over several months this will improve your credit utilization number.

There could also be a slightly bad mark against you if you have too high of a credit limit (ex: $150,000) they would be concerned that at any moment you might take out that amount and then be in super big trouble.

15% of your credit score is length of credit history. Remember that credit card that you opened up when you were 18 years old? If you still have that credit card open you are lucky. The longer history you have with a credit card the better. Even if you’ve had some bumps on the road. Pay it off, but keep it. If you have a history of opening and closing credit card accounts then stop doing it and keep the ones you have open.

10% of your credit score is based on new credit inquiries. For example if you want to buy a home, the lenders will do a “hard” check on your credit. This will affect your credit score negatively and yet is necessary. The more “hard” checks that are done the more they hurt your score. So before a company checks your credit ask them if they are doing a “soft” check (this will not hurt your credit) or a “hard” check. Be frugal with the amount of hard checks you authorize.

10% The final 10% of your score comes from having a credit mix. This means that your score will improve as your credit sources become more varied. Credit cards are one type, store credit accounts add to the mix as do home loans.

Piggybacking-- If your older children have no credit and cannot build it easily you can add them as authorized users to your own credit accounts and they will then start gaining credit based on your good decisions. Just be careful about giving them an actual card. J

Myth buster. This is the truth

-Never leave a balance on your card. Pay it in full every month. There is a rumor out there sometimes backed by banks themselves that says you need to leave money on the card and pay interest on it every month to increase your credit score. This is FALSE. PAY IN FULL. PAY IN FULL.

-Income has nothing to do with credit scores

Finance activity coming up

We want to welcome all members of Relief Society and Elder's Quorem and their spouses to this fun informative activity.

It will be on May 17th at 7pm at the church.

We will be having Joshua Heckathorn from the Seattle 1st Ward speak about:

Consumer Credit & Debt

This is a very important topic in our world today and we invite couples to attend together if possible to learn how to stay self reliant in our changing economy.

Babysitting is provided by the University 1st ward's Relief Society sisters.

Cinderella Kitchen Cleaning Ball

We are so glad that all of our local Cinderellas hurried to the church in their enchanted pumpkins before the clock struck seven!  Your cleaning gowns were beautiful.  Rowena our wonderful fairy godmother showed all the queens to be, her magic tips and tricks to cleaning effortlessly.  Everyone's kitchen will be sparkling in no time, and of course all the beauties met a handsome refreshment or two.  Learning how to make dazzling organic cleaning products, and how to enchant our castles with cleanliness was never so much fun.  

And thank you to everyone for not bringing any glass slippers, mice or imposter fairy godmothers, it really made the evening go much smoother.

Here is a short update about what we learned.  

Liz Bohon, The Spiritual Importance of a Clean Home

* Our homes are compared to the temple in sacredness, shouldn't they be kept as clean?

* Benefits of a clean home include: less stress, easier to keep the Sabbath Day holy (everything is already clean and ready!), more peace

Rowena Ard, The Nuts and Bolts of Clean Living

* Resource: flylady.net

* A few acronyms to remember: FLY (Finally Loving Yourself), and CHAOS (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome).

* It is easier to keep a home clean when it is tidy and organized.

* Clutter decreases energy and increases stress.

* You cannot organize clutter--you must get rid of it! Some of what we keep someone else would appreciate finding (at the Bishops' Storehouse or Goodwill). Ask yourself: will someone else enjoy this more than I and my family do?

* Starting Steps:

   - De-clutter a room/dresser/pile at a time. Set a timer for 15 minutes and stop cleaning when the timer goes off. This helps to keep from getting overwhelmed.

   - Clean in sprints during commercials of your favorite TV show.

   - Organize your week and make a plan. This helps to avoid guilt; no thinking, "Gee, I really should vacuum today," instead, you can relax knowing that Thursday is vacuum day!

Here are some pictures of the Cinderellas working hard.  

Everyone was moving so fast it was like a magical blur......

Scrubbing on our hands and knees. The dedication to dirt never ends

Just making sure that the ovens sparkle as much as our tiaras 

A shining sink could never out-dazzel our happy smiles

Young princes also learn how to work in our castles.

Our wonderful fairy Godmother herself.  She teaches by example. 

A clean fridge full of food makes all Prince Charmings very happy

Here are the recipes for organic homemade cleaners that you can make at home.  

WINDOW CLEANER

1/4-1/2 teaspoon liquid detergent

3 tablespoons vinegar

2 cups water

Spray bottle

Put all the ingredients into a spray bottle, shake it up a bit, and use as you would a commercial brand. The soap in this recipe is important. It cuts the wax residue from the commercial brands you might have used in the past.

OVEN CLEANER
1 cup or more baking soda
Water
A squirt or two of liquid detergent
Sprinkle water generously over the bottom of the oven, then cover the grime with enough baking soda that the surface is totally white. Sprinkle some more water over the top. Let the mixture set overnight. You can easily wipe up the grease the next morning because the grime will have loosened. When you have cleaned up the worst of the mess, dab a bit of liquid detergent or soap on a sponge, and wash the remaining residue from the oven. If this recipe doesn’t work for you it is probably because you didn’t use enough baking soda and/or water.

ALL-PURPOSE SPRAY CLEANER
1/2 teaspoon washing soda
A dab of liquid soap
2 cups hot tap water
Combine the ingredients in a spray bottle and shake until the washing soda has dissolved. Apply and wipe off with a sponge or rag.

FURNITURE POLISH
1/2 teaspoon oil, such as olive (or jojoba, a liquid wax)
1/4 cup vinegar or fresh lemon juice
Mix the ingredients in a glass jar. Dab a soft rag into the solution and wipe onto wood surfaces. Cover the glass jar and store indefinitely.

VINEGAR DEODORIZER
Keep a clean spray bottle filled with straight 5 percent vinegar in your kitchen near your cutting board and in your bathroom and use them for cleaning. I often spray the vinegar on our cutting board before going to bed at night, and don’t even rinse but let it set overnight. The smell of vinegar dissipates within a few hours. Straight vinegar is also great for cleaning the toilet rim. Just spray it on and wipe off.

MOLD KILLERS:

2 teaspoons tea tree oil
2 cups water
Combine in a spray bottle, shake to blend, and spray on problem areas. Do not rinse. Makes two cups.


Vinegar Spray
Straight vinegar reportedly kills 82 percent of mold. Pour some white distilled vinegar straight into a spray bottle, spray on the moldy area, and let set without rinsing if you can put up with the smell. It will dissipate in a few hours.

Emergency Preparedness Workshop

Emergency Preparedness Workshop

Thanks to everyone who came and helped!
This event was a wonderful opportunity for the members of 5th and 3rd wards to become better prepared in case of a disaster.  We had between 250 and 300 people attend with 280 Seventy two hour kits made.
Our activity was even featured on the local news program KOMO  4 and everyone who was interviewed did a great job.  We were so proud of all of you.  

We are including here some photos of the event as well as a few check lists.  If you are interested in receiving more information simply e-mail thirdwardrs@gmail.com and request it. We will send it right to you.

Documents to

have or keep copies of in a Disaster kit.  

Keep them water proof.

Put in a Gallon ziploc bag in your 72 hour kit

Consider keeping copies at a relatives house and in safe deposit boxes

birth certificates
□ passports
□ social security cards
□ copies of your credit cards front and back
□ homeowners insurance policy
□ auto insurance policy
□ life insurance policy
□ bank statements
□ retirement statements
□ *internet passwords (banking, personal, work etc)
□ immunization records
□ utility statements
□ work/tax documents that would be difficult to replace
□ CASH – keep a variety of small bills on hand

Car Kit

 

In case you need to leave in a hurry, (or get stuck in your car) a main focus on being prepared for “evacuation” is to have a well stocked car.

□ Water (a case of bottles would be excellent)

□ 72 hour kit food, high calorie meal bars, or other snacks

□ Cash ($20-30 in small bills and include some change)

□ Diapers/Wipes if you have kids

□ Emergency blankets/hand warmers (or an old spare comforter)

□ Jumper cables

□ Car shovel/pick

□ Pocket knife

□ First aid kit

□ Radio

□ Package of batteries (for flashlight and radio)

□ Toilet paper roll

□ Spare clothes for small children

□ Coffee can heater

Grab List

The last thing you want to be thinking about in an emergency where you might not come back to “home” as you know it are the important keepsakes. Compile a list of items you would want to grab if you had the room and time.

□ Photos

□ Journals

□ As this list is personal, keep compiling as you think of things

Under Bed

72-Second Disaster Kit 

Keep items in a Bag/backpack (this will prevent glass and other debris from getting in your shoes)

-Sturdy Shoes

-Pair of Socks

-Emergency contact list

-Whistle (to attract the attention of emergency personnel)

-Dust mask (Useful in fires -and earthquakes)

-Work gloves (To protect your hands when moving glass or debris)

-Several bottles of water

-Flashlight (Don’t use if you smell gas)

-Light stick on a lanyard

-Pry bar

-Portable radio with spare batteries

On Bedside Night Stand Keep:

Extra car keys

Cell phone and charger

Glasses

Wallet

Example of another 72 hour kit menu

This kit has items that need to be heated.

(2)Tang (1/4 cup each)

(2)Instant oatmeal

(2)Granola bars

(2)Cocoa mix (1/4 cup each)

(1)single serving stew or pasta with pop top lid

(10 sticks)gum

(9 pieces) jolly rancher candy

(1) beanie weenies with "pop top" lid

(3).5 oz fruit roll-ups

(2) single serving lipton noodles

(1) 1 oz package raisins

(2)1 oz package beef jerky

(3) plastic spoons

matches

wing stove

fuel pellets

What can you heat with?

Wing Stove $8 (approx)

http://www.shelfreliance.com/wing-stove-w-fuel-tablet.html

The wing stove is one of the lightest and most compact fuel tablet holders on the market. This lightweight stove can fit into the palm of a hand, yet it can hold up to a gallon size pot. The fold out wings improve heat output by directing the flame upward.  Now includes six fuel tablets

* Lightweight and extremely compact 
* Can hold up to a gallon size pot 
* Fold out wings improve heat output 
* Includes six fuel tablets

One of the lightest, most compact stoves on the market.

* Tablets can be easily lighted with ordinary wooden matches, and can be extinguished and saved for reuse

Or....

Free Version

  "POP CAN STOVE"

2 Tbsp of denatured alcohol which can be found in hardware/paint stores.  (rubbing alcohol does not work great (trust me I tried it)  and you can boil water or heat canned food.

Google it or Go to the following website to learn how to make a pop can stove. 

http://www.wonderhowto.com/how-to-make-soda-can-stove-189957/

Party: The Relief Society Birthday

"Relief Society. . . . gives [women] opportunity for growth and development. It gives them status as queens in their own households. It gives them place and position, where they grow as they exercise their talents. It gives them pride and direction in family life. It gives them added appreciation for good, eternal companions and children.

"What a glorious organization Relief Society is. There is nothing to compare with it in all the world."

-Gordon B. Hinckley

Thanks to all who came to celebrate 169 years of this wonderful organization!! We are especially grateful for the organization of Relief Society and focused on the gifts that we've received from Relief Society.

 Past Relief Society generations have given us the gift of faith and great examples of following the prophets; supporting progressive causes for women; and the gift of frugality and craftiness.

To learn about the early roots of the organization, we played a wonderful game of Jeopardy, LDS style (on-your-honor points!)

  As a tribute to the "gifts" Relief Society has given us, we practiced unique and thrifty wrapping and then exchanged our gifts with other sisters.

Thrifty wrapping ideas:

Thank you to all who came to celebrate the birth of this wonderful organization! 

Relief Society Birthday Celebration!

Come celebrate the gifts of Relief Society at this fun fun event!

(and the second "fun" was not a type- the fun is going to be double!)

Family History

Russell M. Nelson said that family history work can "elevate the spirit of [our] ward, strengthen the spiritual roots of new converts, and bless the lives of all members."

Our latest Relief Society meeting focused on Family History work. Brother Rogers, our stake family history consultant, took us on a tour of the family history center and showed us how to access our genealogies online in a couple simple steps:

1. Visit http://new.familysearch.org, create a username and password [if you have an LDS.org account, then use that]
2. Click on See Me & My Ancestors

On that website, you're able to add family information, see temple work that's been done for your ancestors and prepare names for the temple.

Marinda Misra gave a wonderful presentation on how to introduce a child to family history work. (You can find a fun printable guide when you click on the link)

Whitey Thompson gave us these Easy steps to indexing!

And we had WONDERFUL family desserts! Find the recipes below: 

Custard Pie (Grandma Benton's recipe)- Cheri Weaver's recipe

3 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 cups scalded milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Beat eggs until light and fluffy. Then beat in rest of ingredients. Pour into pastry lined pie pan. Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes. Lower the heat to 350 degrees and continue cooking for an additional 20 to 25 minutes. Watch carefully and check to see if done by inserting knife in center of pie. If it comes out clean, the pie is done. Serve warm.

Fudgey Pudding Cake (serves 4-6)- Sarah Evan's recipe

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 6-cup casserole dish (something like an 8-inch round and 4-inch deep would work).  
2. Sift or mix thoroughly: 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour, 2 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp salt, 2/3 cups sugar, 2 Tbsp cocoa
3. Combine in separate bowl: 1/2 cup milk, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 2 Tbsp melted butter. Add to dry ingredients, beat until smooth and spread into casserole dish.
4. Mix 1 cup brown sugar, 2 Tbsp cocoa. Sprinkle onto batter
5. Pour 1-1/2 cups boiling water over entire cake. DO NOT MIX
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, uncovered

Serve warm or at room temperature with whipped cream, whipped topping or ice cream.