Newspaper Page Text
Page 4C, The Lee County Ledger, Wednesday, August 14,2019
Submitted Photos
Lee County
Elementary School
teachers love their
gift baskets from
Mission Change!
Smart Strategies to
Help Pay Off Debt
(StatePoint) From car
loans to student loans,
credit card balances and
other revolving debt,
U.S. consumer debt is
higher today than ever
before.
Indeed, that figure now
exceeds $4 trillion for
the first time, accord
ing to CNBC.com 2019
estimates. To reduce and
eliminate your own debt,
consider the following
tips:
• Review where your
money is being spent.
Create a budget for
monthly expenses and
stick to it.
• Get inspired by
expert-touted financial
strategies and pick one
to follow. One popu
lar example is the debt
snowball plan, whereby
you pay off bills smallest
to largest, no matter the
interest rates. Or, use the
debt avalanche method,
paying off highest inter
est rate debts first, or
balancing transfers to
credit cards with the
lowest interest rate.
• Fifty-eight percent
of Americans report
less than $1,000 in total
savings, according to a
2018 GOBankingRates
survey. Without an
emergency fund, un
expected expenses can
quickly become a crisis,
throwing you off track.
Work toward growing a
savings fund, even if it’s
just $500 to $1,000.
• If a retirement sav
ings program is offered
Pimento cheese is finally
spreading across America?
Well, it’s about time.
Lee County Elementary School teachers were so surprised and
grateful for their treats from Mission Change.
(BPT) - One of the
South’s best-kept secrets
for years, pimento
cheese is finally catching
on with the rest of the
country. While pimento
cheese and things made
with it are still only on
4% of U.S. restaurant
menus, according to
www.datassential.com,
that’s an increase of 65%
in the last four years.
Still, people in the
South know to expect
puzzled looks when the
subject comes up. It’s
just so simple: Grated
cheese (preferably the
sharpest cheddar you
can find), diced pimen
tos and mayonnaise.
That’s it.
There’s still room for
debate in those three
basic ingredients: How
coarse to grate the
cheese, what kind of
Dave,
From page 2C
or have to leave your
place of work because
you’re diagnosed with a
major medical condition.
Both of you need 10
to 12 times your yearly
incomes in good, level
term life insurance. If
you make $50,000 a
year, that means you
need $500,000 to
$600,000 in coverage.
Remember, the idea of
life insurance is to take
the place of income.
If one of you died, the
other could invest the
insurance money, make
10 percent on that money
over time with good mu
tual funds, and replace
any lost income.
Term life insurance is
very affordable. For just
a few dollars a month
you can leave your loved
ones in great financial
shape after you die!
—Dave
* Dave Ramsey is CEO
of Ramsey Solutions. He
has authored seven best
selling books, including
The Total Money Make
over. The Dave Ramsey
Show is heard by more
than 16 million listeners
each week on 600 radio
stations and multiple
digital platforms. Fol
low Dave on the web at
daveramsey.com and
on Twitter at @Dav-
eRamsey.
Submitted Photo
Lee County Elementary School is so
appreciative of Carl Plowden, State Farm
Agent of Leesburg, for his donation of back
to school lunch totes and supplies.
mayonnaise and whether
it’s OK to substitute
roasted red peppers for
the pimentos. Additions
like hot sauce, cayenne
pepper, paprika or
cream cheese are all oc
casions for arguments.
Kathleen Purvis, North
Carolina-based food
writer and author of two
“Savor the South” cook
books, calls pimento
cheese “the duct tape of
party foods.
“You can nuke it,
spread it, mix it with
something else or slap it
on a tray surrounded by
crackers.”
If you’re just encoun
tering pimento cheese,
there really are endless
things you can do with
it. Stir it into hot pasta
for a shortcut macaroni
& cheese, stir it into
cornbread batter before
baking, put it between
two flour tortillas to
make fast quesadillas.
Or try these:
* Hot cheese dip: To
make a Southern twist
on queso, just bake or
microwave a small bowl
of pimento cheese. If
you want something
more substantial, stir in
cooked black-eyed peas
first.
* On a biscuit: There
is nothing more perfect
than spicy pimento
cheese on a warm bis
cuit. Well, actually there
is something “perfect-
er”: Boj angles’, the
nationally loved chicken
and biscuits chain,
has debuted pimento
cheese on its signature
Cajun Filet Biscuit. Pro
tip: You can also add
the pimento cheese on
anything you order, like
ham biscuits and Bo
Rounds, the little hash
brown bites. To find a
location near you, go to
Bojangles.com.
* Fried bites: Take an
idea from a popular bar
snack. Roll very thick
pimento cheese into
balls, coat them in flour,
then beaten egg and
finally in Japanese-style
panko crumbs. Freeze
them before dropping
them in hot oil, so they
don’t fall apart before
the outside browns.
* PC. deviled eggs:
Beat the cooked egg
yolks with pimento
cheese, then pipe it
into cooked egg-white
halves. Garnish with a
small slice of pickled
jalapeno if you want.
* Instant appetizer: Fill
frozen phyllo cups with
a dab of pepper jelly, top
with pimento cheese and
bake just until bubbly.
* Grilled cheese: If
you want to elevate a
simple hot sandwich, use
pimento cheese instead
of sliced cheese. If you
really want to make it
special, try spreading
a little raspberry jam
or pepper jelly on the
bread before you add the
pimento cheese.
You get the idea: If
you’re just getting to
know pimento cheese,
the most important thing
to do with it is ... every
thing.
by your employer,
participate. Of Ameri
cans 55 and older, 48
percent have nothing
put away in a 401K-
style contribution plan
or individual retirement
account, according to
the U.S. Government
Accountability Office.
Many employers offer
matching programs,
which is essentially free
money. Don’t leave it on
the table!
• If your company
offers an employee pur
chase program, consider
enrolling, as this can of
fer you greater financial
flexibility. One example
is Purchasing Power, one
of the fastest-growing
voluntary benefit provid
ers, which gives work
ers the option to pay for
consumer goods and ser
vices over the course of
six or 12 months through
automatic payroll deduc
tion. With no interest
on the purchase, no fees
and no credit check, this
a viable way to break the
cycle of predatory lend
ing options.
“Those high-interest
credit cards, payday
loans, pawn, title pawn
and rent-to-own con
tracts might all look like
lifelines when you’re
faced with a necessary
expense you can’t im
mediately afford, but
they can be traps leading
to compounding interest
rates and hidden fees,”
says Richard Carrano,
Purchasing Power CEO.
For more information,
visit purchasingpower.
com.
• Leverage any other
financial wellness
benefits offered by your
employer, like budgeting
tools, financial coun
seling and automated
savings and bill-paying
services.
• Engage family
members in your efforts.
Together, celebrate small
wins achieved each
week or month. Remem
ber, don’t be too hard on
yourself. It’s a marathon,
not a sprint.
U.S. Consumer debt
may be at an all-time
high, but it doesn’t need
to be for you personally.
Get inspired to gain a
solid financial footing.