SALISBURY POST
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2010 • 3B
E N T E R TA I N M E N T
Chronic antsy feeling Cheapskate: How to have more money means timing is off
Dear Amy: Your response to “Trapped,” the young adult who needs to escape from an abusive home environment, struck a chord with me. I’m now in my 60s, but I can’t forget the struggle I waged to escape similar conditions more than 40 years ago. I ran away from home the night I graduated from high school. I then spent four difficult years adrift and five more years working full time and going to school at night before I graduated (summa cum laude) from college. It would have been helpful to have a counselor, adviser or mentor to give me moral support, perspective on my situa-
TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES
George Michael released from jail LONDON (AP) — George Michael has regained his freedom. The wayward singer was released from jail Monday after serving almost four weeks for driving under the influence of drugs. Michael thanked those who had supported him while he was jailed and said outside his north London home: “I just want to start again.” The former Wham! singer received an eight-week sentence on Sept. 14 for crashing his car into a London photo shop in July while high on prescription drugs and marijuana. The judge ordered Michael to serve four weeks of the sentence in prison and the rest on parole.
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that in a way that does not require giving up your style and your quality of life. Don’t worry that you’re going to lose your dignity. In fact, no one needs to know about your new resolve to find ways to drastically cut your expenses. You don’t have to print “I’m Cheap!” on your forehead. A better option is to engrave this motto on your mind: Wherever I am, whatever I do, there is a way to do it for less. Mary Hunt is the founder of www.DebtProofLiving. com and author of 18 books, including her latest, “Can I Pay My Credit Card Bill With a Credit Card?” You can email her at mary@everydaycheapskate.com, or write to Everyday Cheapskate, P.O. Box 2135, Paramount, CA 90723. To find out more about Mary Hunt and read her past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators. com. CREATORS.COM
Morgan Freeman to receive American Film Institute honor LOS ANGELES (AP) — The American Film Institute is honoring Morgan Freeman with its Life Achievement Award. AFI says the 73-yearold Oscar winner will receive the award in June. A F I chair Sir Howard FREEMAN Stringer calls Freeman “an American treasure” who brings a calm authority
“The Best Insulated”
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to reduce it a little bit. It all adds up! • Instantaneous. When you reduce your expenses, the effect is instantaneous. The money you don’t spend remains in your pocket. It is your money and has been taxed already. Every expense you have is a candidate for some type of systematic reduction. • Less stress. Reducing your expenses forces you to focus on what really matters. You begin to notice unneeded “baggage”; you’re more willing to acknowledge what brings you joy, what needs to go and how to create the life you love. • More contentment. Throwing conspicuous consumption into reverse has a calming effect on adults and kids, too. Overindulging in stuff complicates life and causes a lot of stress. The key to achieving financial freedom is to live below your means. It takes desire and commitment to do
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to his roles, “whether playing a prisoner, a president or God.” Freeman has received many awards throughout his career, including the Kennedy Center Honor in 2008. He was
nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for his portrayal of Nelson Mandela in 2009’s “Invictus.” Freeman can next been seen in the thriller “Red.”
He is the 39th recipient of the AFI Life Achievement Award. Others include Alfred Hitchcock, Bette Davis, Jack Nicholson, Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese.
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Dear Aunt: You should speak to your brother. Tell him you’d like to invite the whole family, as always, but ask him to advise you about what he thinks would be best for the children. Thanksgiving can be very hard on split (or splitting) families because it is such a family-oriented holiday, without the distraction of gift giving. Your sister-in-law’s presence at this gathering is not going to be best for the kids if she is bitter or antagonistic, but you shouldn’t assume she’ll behave badly — or presume to make this decision for them. The most you can do is to convey to them that you will try your hardest to be there for all of them.
Send questions via e-mail to askamy@tribune.com or by mail to Ask Amy, Chicago Tribune, TT500, 435 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60611. Amy Dickinson’s memoir, “The Mighty Queens of Freeville: A Mother, a Daughter and the Town that Raised Them” (Hyperion), is available in bookstores.
boat or another asset you own is another option for increasing your income. Those are ways for you to increase your income and to improve your financial picture, but let’s get real. If you could do any of those things, you would have done them already and we wouldn’t be having this conversation. Though, in theory, increasing your income is a way to change your financial picture, it is not always easy or effective. More income means higher taxes and increased work-related expenses. More income does nothing to address old habits of overspending and incurring too much debt. Your second option to change your financial situation is to reduce spending. Unless you are living below the poverty line, I am confident you can reduce your outgo without compromising your standard of living. The secret is to look at every area of spending and
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Dear Amy: I am hosting Thanksgiving dinner this year, and I want to invite my brother’s family. My brother and his wife are still living together but are getting a separation that will eventually lead to a divorce. The split has not been easy; my sister-in-law is very bitter and can be antagonistic. I prefer not to invite her for that reason, but I really want my brother and nephews to be here. Should I invite her so that my nephews can be with their mom on Thanksgiving, even though it might be very uncomfortable for the rest of us? Or should I just invite my brother to bring his sons and let them decide if they want to come without her? Until now she has always been at every family event, even when my brother couldn’t be with us, so we are very close. I don’t know how to handle this situation in the current climate. — Torn Aunt
Dear Linda: I agree; “Trapped” would feel less trapped with support.
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Dear Overwhelmed: You might be mature enough for a committed relationship, but the relationship you’re currently in might not be the right relationship for you right now. Commitment is like good comedy: It’s all about the timing. Your guy might be the best guy in the world. He might be perfect for you. But if you can’t tame your restlessness, then you should take a break. The only way to bring this up is the old-fashioned way: one word at a time. You start with: “Honey, we need to talk.”
tion and advice on my options. The young person who wrote to you could probably use that kind of help for quite a few years to come. — Linda
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Dear Amy: I’m 23 years old and have been dating my boyfriend for just over two years. I love him, and I love spending time with him. He’s everything I’ve always wanted in a long-term partner: caring, intelligent, thoughtful and hardworking. But lately, I can’t seem to shake this “antsy” feeling. I find that when I go somewhere with my friends and meet other ASK men (as a AMY “ w i n g woman,” I’m not actively searching out a new partner), I wonder what it would be like to date someone else. I find myself jealous of my friends who are still dating and not in a committed relationship. Maybe I’m not mature enough for a committed relationship? I’ve been thinking maybe it would be good for us to take a break so I could clear my head and figure out what I really want. Is that a disastrous idea? How do I bring up something like that? — Overwhelmed in WA
You need more money. You need it now. So what are your choices? You have two: You can increase your income, or you can reduce your spending. There are several ways you can increase your income: • Get a bigger paycheck. Ask for a raise; land a new job that pays MARY a lot more HUNT than your current job; or get a second (or third) job to supplement your current income. • Win the lottery. Do keep in mind when considering this option that your chances of being struck by lightning are much better than your chances of winning a lottery. • Sell assets. Finding a cash buyer for your grandmother’s sterling silver, the