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o ecommistsunrihbuhe eamilies sdturdayno 27 1999 avoid postchristmas money meltdown l by bruce stapley correspondent hile the coming of the christmas season is marked by lights orna ments and socializing there is another ritual which can serve to take away much of the good cheer associated with the holiday season it involves the ungoverned use of credit cards as people set out on shopping sprees to purchase pre sents supplies and travel packages to help celebrate a growing num ber of canadians including york region residents are finding they cant cope with their post- christmas financial meltdown with 542 million credit cards in active use across canada an aver age of 23 cards for every person above the age of 18 debt load diffi culties are oh the rise and at no time of the year aref those woes more pronounced than the months following the holiday season its easy to get caught up in the holiday spirit and buy buy buy said cathy may senior credit coun selor with family and credit counseling services ofyork region but its the grinch who appears after jan 1 when youre facing a stack of bills you cant pay according to may racking up an unserviceable debt load at christmas is part of a trend that finds canadians facing increasingly high debt levels 1 she cited statistics from a recent report from the canadian council on social development pointing out that average canadian house hold debt levels are at a record high as a result those seeking assistance in dealing with their burden of debt is on the increase as well there were 18000 cases treated by the 27 agencies of the ontario association of credit counseling services oaccs in 199697 noted may whose organization is a member of theoaccs thats an increase of 21 per cent over the previous year may said her agencys case load volume always peaks in february and march the bills come in at the end of january then they book an appointment while credit payments shouldnt exceed 15 to 20 per cent of net income may said shes seeing more and more cases where payments due are equal to ones entire pay cheque it sneaks up on families they come to us when they realize they can no longer take from peter to pay paul some reach the point where they are going without the necessi ties may said while her nonprofit organization is available to help people with their credit difficulties at reasonable or no cost theyd rather see them before ifs too late we like to see people before christmas so they can talk to a counselor and formulate a plan- may said only two per cent of people who come to her agency for help fall back into their old ways many people on a budget fail to take into account the extra financial requirements of gift giving so if youre spending 1200 a year for christmas birthdays and what have you thats 100 a month that isnt being budgeted for may said to those whose job involves helping people manage their money avoiding the post holiday season debtload blues is a matter of advance planning and discipline ive run into cases where its so bad people have had to cash in their rrsps to pay off their christmas debts said tony geraci its easy to get caught up in the holiday spirit and buy buy buy but ifs the grinch who appears after jan 1 when youre facing a stack of bills you cant pay a markhambased financial advi sor geraci believes one bad experi ence involving maxing out credit cards over christmas should be enough to set a person on the right track when a client comes to me in the new year and says 1 overspent on my credit cards itell them we have to do something so it doesnt happen again next year he recommends putting money aside monthly in a special fund for next holiday season as soon as christmas debts have been dealt with many people plan to put so much money towards vtheir rrsp each month but yhat i tell people to do is to put money into a non- registered lowrisk mutual fund or segregated fund for christmas spending each month he said that way the individual gets the added benefit of interest on his or her money but geraci added the amount saved must take into account the persons other financial obligations set realistic goals geraci said that by using such a plan credit card use is avoided however credit cards can be used as part of an overall strategy or when incentives such as air miles points are used the balances on the cards can be paid by using money from the special fund that way you get an extra month of growth on your money may suggested having the bank automatically put a set amount of money into a savings account for christmas and other gift purchases on pay days that way you dont have to have the discipline of going to the bank to put the money aside geraci suggested a leading con tributor to christmas debt load is the anxiety that comes with believ ing people may thinkless of an indi vidual if they dont buy an expensive gift for a family member or friend dont buy into that he warned slow down christmas is a time for enjoying people being together with family and friends is what counts hesaid people who are worried about their image at christmas should give themselves a reality check go downtown in toronto arid look at the people who are on the streets he said families on strict bud gets can have a gratifying christmas if they put the proper meaning into the lmted number of gifts pur- chased what should a person do if the new year does find them in a severe debt load crisis the first thing to do is make a trip to the hank dont hide said cathy turner manager of the bank of montreal in stouffville come into the bank to work out a pay ment schedule that will be within your means just the fact youre owning up to your predicament will put the bank in your corner she said we appre ciate people coming in to say they cant make a payment it doesnt mean they are bad people theyre just embarrassed may agreed that shame often prevents people from seeking help with their debt spiral for some people its very difficult but theres no stigma attached to asking for assistance in the end may said credit cards are a necessity but they must be used wisely especially during the holiday season credit is a fact of life but its all how you manage it tips for avoiding overspending this holiday season get a plan develop a workable holiday budget listing all expenses including gifts decorations postage extra meals charita ble donations and travel evaluate your gift list limit gifts to family and close friends depending on your bud get send a personal holiday card or note to others remember the most thoughtful meaningful gifts can cost nothing ie babysitting or handcrafts shopsmart never shop in a rush or under pressure with extra time you can compari son shop ask yourself before purchasing each gift if ifs within your spending limit use credit wisely limit credit purchases to one or two cards with the lowest interest rates keep track of purchases and clip receipts together dont charge rriore than you can afford to repay within three months dont tempt yourself avoid that one little extra gift that breaks the budget dont be a social shopper just avoiding the mall can keep you from making unnec essary purchases plan other outings for an appointment with family and credit counseling services of york region call 8849140 or 18005000003 let other eiiltoesm by jennifer brown staff writer christmas fare need not be all i turkey and stuffing yams and ham if your family goes through the motions of the traditional holiday dinner but doesnt necessarily have a passion for- the big bird and mashed potatoes try experiment- tag vwth the flavours and traditions of other cultures suggests chef gianni ceschia of culinary studio 2000 in woodbridge drawing from bis roots in trieste italy ceschia says christmas dinner can still be based around some of the traditional foods but with a little flare a scrumptious and varied menu can evolve into new traditional family recipes for christmas day you can stay on poultry because other regions use poultry such as capon duck or geese while the regions in the south may use lamb or baby goat explains ceschia who remembers a treat at christmastime was always tortellini soup served along with a large capon turkey is an expensive bird to feed so if you didnt have a lot of grain you could choose to grow five chickens instead of one turkey he said in north america turkey is typical because we have a lot of grain the owner of a cooking school in woodbridge ceschia teaches two courses designed to show people how to create a new and different christmas menu in ceschias planning for christmas eve course dec 1 from 7 to 10 pm students learn to create an interesting menu of ricotta and spinach lasagna catfish fillet coated with commeal and stewed cuttle- fish with peas cuttlefish is a mem ber of the squid family but pro duces a more round and meatier meat if thatsstiaytag too much from tradition consider something fun and staiple for vvhat can be a busy night cheese fondue with dip pers served with a tossed green salad perfect for a crowd v i brew up a tangy cranberry san gria to serve to visitors and put out a selection of christmas goodies in lieu of a fancy dessert if you prefer a dish that will stand up to time consider a seafood ichowder kept warm in a crock pot dropin visitors can sam ple a warm mug of chowder with a hot roll on the side before moving oh home to await santa claus for those preparing a sitdown feast for christmas eve consider a whole roasted salmon or other fish dish that provides alight alternative to holiday eating arid for a side dish consider a german holiday favourite f chilled potato salad with hardcooked eggs and diced gherkin pickles when it comes to the big christmas day meal alternative side dishes can make all the differ ence in putting life into your other wise typical dinner consider cheesy brussel sprouts as a green side dish or a sweet pota to and carrot mixture in his planning for christmas day cooking course dec 8 from 7 to 10 pm cheschia includes recipes such as marinated fillet of sole with steamed asparagus tim- ballo dlasagnotti stuffed boneless chicken leg and ah amarettq cus tard with a coulis of strawberry timbaiio ttarislated means any thing in a container and turned upside down this can be egg plant or pasta created in a mould for more information oh cheschias christmas cooking courses contact the culinary studio in woodbridge at 905 265- 2665 or visit the web site at wwwailinary200bcom use eyedrops gorrectly 1 look at the ceiling by standing or sitting and tilting your bottle to your eye to prevent contamination head backwards you could even he dovm on a bed or any 4 0 flatsurface closed eye with your index fmger for about three minutes to 2 gently pull the lower eyelid between your thumb and very important with some medications so dohot skip it if your doctor index finger to create a pockef for thedrop has specified it v 3 look up away from the bottle and slowly release a drop 5 blot your dosed eye with a tissue to wipe away any excess drops into the pocket of your eye do not touch any part of the dr hafiz h walji hobsfios optometrist 905 471eyes 3937 6633 highway 7markham w v i wi tyi mowhf nam ftwiimiff mtrryon e ifirstb the iaiasgbbb2bs cbubs s fci xjsrk zizrit to vziz a va t 3i ck j1ivsh ctt it 3j sci hm st 3 f hta2s jmr- tsw m