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Category: May 2021

Tax Checkup

Posted on by mjsaxton@ksu.edu

If you have filed your federal and state tax return, now is the time to do a tax checkup. Pay necessary taxes but no more. Ideally you should owe nothing and get no refund when your taxes are figured. Why give the government a short-term loan without interest? If you do get a large refund, increase the number of deductions on your W-4 form to reduce the amount of money withheld from your paycheck. Then you can use the money from each paycheck to pay down debt or to increase savings.

Itemize deductions when appropriate and keep adequate records to justify those deductions.

Use tax credits (Earned Income Tax Credit or Dependent Care Credit, for example) if eligible.

Know your marginal tax bracket. Use the information to guide decisions about whether to utilize taxable or tax-exempt investments. Check your bracket each year for changes.  For updated tax bracket information, see: https://www.dinkytown.net/java/marginal-tax-rate-calculator.html  or https://taxfoundation.org/publications/federal-tax-rates-and-tax-brackets/ .

By: Brenda Langdon

Learn Safe Food Preservation Online!

Posted on by mjsaxton@ksu.edu

While we do not have any in-person food preservation workshops scheduled at this time, there are numerous online learning options available! Now is a perfect time to brush up on your knowledge and skills before the harvest. Here are Universities who offer online courses:

Learn at your own pace by watching these videos at Preserve it Fresh, Preserve it Safe.

For more education to preserve food safely at home, see the KSRE website Preserve it Fresh, Preserve it Safe.

By: Ashley Svaty

Food Safety During Power Outages

Posted on by mjsaxton@ksu.edu

Severe weather events like thunderstorms and tornadoes can bring down power lines in a neighborhood or even entire grids of a city. When the power goes out, the clock starts ticking on the viability of perishable foods in the refrigerator and freezer.

According to the USDA, bacteria like E. coli, Salmonella, and Campylobacter can grow within minutes of food entering the “Danger Zone” ­– the range of temperatures between 40 and 140 degrees F. The insulation in freezers and refrigerators are your best allies during a power failure, as long as you don’t subvert them.

Ready.gov provides the following tips to manage food when the power goes out:

  • Keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible.
  • The refrigerator will keep food cold for about four hours if it is unopened.
  • Refrigerated or frozen foods should be kept at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below for proper food storage.
  • Use a refrigerator thermometer to check temperature.
  • Refrigerated food should be safe as long as the power was out for no more than four hours (if refrigerator door remains closed)
  • Discard any perishable food such as meat, poultry, fish, eggs or leftovers that have been above 40 degrees Fahrenheit for two hours or more.

By: Ashley Svaty

Make A Spending Plan Now to Handle Emergency Expenses

Posted on by mjsaxton@ksu.edu

In 2019, nearly a year before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the U.S. Federal Reserve estimated that about 4 in 10 American adults could not cover a $400 unexpected expense.

The pandemic heightened those struggles for many.  The best way to weather tough times is to plan for them in better times. It’s not a matter of ‘if’ you’re going to need emergency money, It’s ‘when’ you are going to need it.

When people aren’t saving money for future uses, they often have to find other means to pay for unexpected bills, sometimes turning to high interest loans.

When we talk about health, a lot of times we are talking about your (physical) well-being, but your financial health is just as important.  Doing a financial checkup will help identify problems and chart progress then outlines some steps to achieve your financial goals.

People are emotionally tied to money and it may be because of the way they were brought up, such as their own family financial situation as kids. We are all to some extent tied emotionally to money, the spending of and saving of, how we spend it and what we do with it.

Spending plan is a fancy term for a budget. You say ‘budget’ and people think you have to tighten down and you can’t spend money. But if you say ‘spending plan,’ then people think, ‘oh I get to spend money.’  The term spending plan is used to indicate that you get to tell your money where it goes rather than coming up short at the end of the month.

By: Brenda Langdon

How to Get Rid of Asparagus Beetles

Posted on by mjsaxton@ksu.edu

If you are growing asparagus, then it is that time of year to be aware of the only insect pest of asparagus; the common asparagus beetle. Adult beetles are only 1/4 inch long. Adults emerge from the soil in early spring and fly to new asparagus shoots where they mate and feed. Females lay up to 30 eggs on the end of spear tips as they emerge from the soil.

Common asparagus beetles overwinter underneath plant debris, loose bark, or hollow stems of old asparagus plants. The life cycle can be completed in eight-weeks. There are two generations in Kansas. The adults and larvae feed on asparagus spears and can defoliate ferns if populations are extensive. Larvae consume leaves and tender buds near the tips, which leaves scars that eventually turn brown. Damage caused by larvae interferes with the plant’s ability to photosynthesize (manufacture food); thus, depleting food reserves for next year’s crop.

To help protect your asparagus patch from beetles: applying insecticides; handpick eggs, adults, and larvae and place into a container with soapy water; and/or remove any plant debris after the growing season to eliminate overwintering sites for adults. Insecticides should be applied as soon as common asparagus beetles are present, and again in late summer through early fall to kill adults before they overwinter.  Thorough coverage of all plant parts is important in suppressing populations.

By: Cassie Homan

COVID-19 Funeral Expense Program

Posted on by mjsaxton@ksu.edu

If you or a member of your community lost a loved one to COVID-19, you may be eligible for a government program that pays for funeral expenses. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will pay up to $9,000 for funeral expenses for loved ones who died of COVID-19. Survivors can apply for benefits by contacting FEMA, toll-free, at 844-684-6333. To find out if you qualify, read FEMA’s https://www.fema.gov/disasters/coronavirus/economic/funeral-assistance/faq

Unfortunately, FEMA reports that scammers are contacting people and pretending to offer to register them for assistance. To avoid those scams, here are some tips:

  • FEMA will not contact you until you call or apply for assistance.
  • The government won’t ask you to pay anything to get this benefit.
  • Don’t give your own or your deceased loved one’s personal or financial information to anyone who contacts you out of the blue.

If you think you got a scam call, hang up and report it to the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362 or the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

By: Brenda Langdon