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N e w s October 2013

W h a t ’s U p

COME PRAY FOR THOSE IN NEED OF ADEQUATE SHELTER! Habitat for Humanity of Utah County will be holding its annual International Day of Prayer and Action for Human Habitat event this Sunday, October 6, 2013, at 6:00 p.m. at St. Mary’s Epis-copal Church at 50 West 200 North in Provo. Judge Lynn Davis and various religious leaders throughout the community will be participating. Well known soloist, Serena Benish, and her students will be providing the music. Members of the community are encouraged to attend this uplifting event. Refreshments will be served. The International Day of Prayer and Action, being held this year as part of World Habitat Day festivities, is a time when the entire Habitat for Humanity community is urged to come together in prayer for those in need of shelter. Through prayer, Habitat for Humanity continues to make a dramatic difference in the lives of people around the world. Many volunteers are drawn to this ministry after hearing God’s call and seeking God’s guidance through prayer. Other prayers are answered when families and communities grow in the shelter of God’s grace. The hurdles of funding and building homes are overcome through the miracles of prayer.

Habitat for Humanity of Utah County advocates for stronger communities through decent, affordable housing on World Habitat Day 2013 In recognition of WORLD HABITAT DAY 2013, Habitat for Humanity is plan-ning a number of events to address the need for decent housing around the world. This year, World Habitat Day falls on Monday, Oct. 7, 2013. Habitat for Humanity International is joining the United Nations-designated day to recognize the basic need for adequate shelter around the world. Habitat’s observances will begin with the International Day of Prayer on Sunday, Oct. 6, to place in the hearts and minds of people everywhere the idea that poverty housing is unacceptable, and to keep faith at the center of a call to justice. Adequate shelter is a critical foundation for breaking the cycle of poverty. In addition, to commemorate World Habitat Day, Habitat’s 30th annual Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project will be held Oct. 6-12 in Oakland and San Jose, Calif., Denver; New York City, and Union Beach, N.J. Locally, Habitat for Humanity of Utah County will be holding its annual Interna-tional Day of Prayer and Action event on October 6th at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Provo, will be launching its new website at www.habitatuc.org, and holding a big sale at its ReStore Home Improvement Outlets in Orem and Spanish Fork on October 7th. Local community members are also encouraged to sign the World Habitat Day pledge to end poverty housing at www.habitat.org/whd.

• The Habitat ReStores in Orem and Spanish Fork will be having a BIG SALE this coming Monday (October 7th) in celebration of World Habitat Day. 50 percent off se-lected items. Details and locations at www.habitatuc.org/donate/restore/. • Whether it be RVs, SUVs, or automobiles, Habitat’s Cars for Homes program ac-cepts all types of vehicles, running or not! The proceeds from every vehicle donated will go toward helping a family reach their dream of affordable, decent, home ownership. Details at www.habitatuc.org/habitat_car_donations.html.

2 • AMERICORPS Members Sought- Habitat for Humanity of Utah County is looking for some Ameri-Corps* Direct members to serve as crew leaders and NRI coordinators full-time over the next year. Monthly stipend, health insurance, and education award (can be given to child or grandchild) at the end of service year. For more information, please contact Jayne at janderton@habitatuc.org.

• Turn Cans into Keys! Recycle aluminum cans with Habitat and help provide families in need with safe and affordable housing in our community. Details and drop off locations at www.habitatuc.org/donate/gogreen.html

• Stay up to date with all the local Habitat happenings! Habitat for Humanity of Utah County has adopted a new texting platform called txtCloud that will allow our local Habitat affiliate to keep you up to date on what is happening at the organization - including volunteer opportunities, events, ReStore inventory arrivals, and much more! We would like to invite you to join Habitat’s Cloud. Using your phone, text UCHabitat to CLOUD or 25683. You will be asked three questions - your zip code, your gender and the year you were born. You are now ready to keep up to date with what is happening at your local Habitat affiliate. We know your phone is sacred space. Spam is not allowed. Check it out and see how it works - you may opt out anytime!

• Check out Habitat’s FUNSAVER Site! Habitat for Humanity has partnered with VP Deals to get all the latest bargains on local products/venues. Check out this week’s FUNSAVER specials at www.habitatucdeals.info. A portion of your “fun” purchases will help Habitat further its housing mis-sion in the community.

• Have you tested your home for radon yet? – Habitat is working with the Utah Cancer Action Net-work, Utah County Health Department, and the Utah Department of Environmental Quality to encour-age community members to test their homes for radon. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer, causing an estimated 22,000 deaths of year in the United States. Habitat offers test kits at the Orem ReStore or online for just $6.00! Learn more at www.habitatuc.org/radon_awareness.html.

• Need tools for your fall projects? Stop by Habitat for Humanity of Utah County’s tool lending library and “check out” needed tools and lawn care items for free. New tools have been added recently. The lending library, located inside the Habitat ReStore at 340 South Orem Blvd., Orem, is open Monday through Saturday from 10-6. An application and proof of residency are required. Look online at www.habitatuc.org for more information.

P h o t o G a l l e r y

Golfing for a Cause! Habitat for Humanity of Utah County was once again the sponsored charity at IM Flash's Employee Golf Tournament at Thanksgiving Point in September. Employees purchased mulligans, raffle tickets, Clover hats, and much more during the two day event, helping to raise thousands of dollars for the Limon Habitat home in Pleasant Grove. We appreciate IM Flash and their employees for their continued generosity and service.

HOUSEHOLD HINT (www.hints-n-tips) Scratches on Furniture: Rubbing a Brazil nut on a scratch can disguise some surface damage in wooden furniture.

P h o t o G a l l ery 3

TD Ameritrade/Limon Family Break Ground on PG Home – Employees from TD Ameritrade joined Adonica Limon and her three sons as she broke ground on her new Habitat home in Pleasant Grove on September 16th. This is the fifth local Habi-tat home that the Draper based Investment Company has spon-sored and assisted with.

Benefits of Homeownership – Freedom and Privacy One of the greatest benefits of owning your own home is the freedom it can give you. If you live in an apartment, you have to deal with thin walls and noisy neighbors, and the task of keeping

your own household relatively noise free. Your landlord may come and go, and there are many rules that limit everything from whether you can have pets to the color of your walls. For many people, the privacy and freedom that come with home ownership are a strong incentive to purchase, and for good reason. If you own your home, you can do whatever you want with it. You can hang pictures or paint the walls as you please. You're free to make permanent renovations, and you don't have to worry as much about disturbing the neighbors when you do.

OCTOBER VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES • Work in the ReStore Monday through Saturday from 10-6 • Assist with Habitat Recycling efforts • Man booth at the Good Life Expo in Spanish Fork October 25th and 26th VOLUNTEERS SOUGHT TO SERVE ON COMMITTEES Volunteers are needed to serve on all of Habi-tat’s local committees. Monthly meetings, lim-ited time commitment, no experience necessary, varying interests and skills. Look online at www.habitatuc.org/volunteer/committees.html for more information and meeting times.

V o l u n t e e r O p p o r t u n i t i e s

For more information, look online at www.habitatuc.org or contact LeAnn at (801) 368-2250 or leann@habitatuc.org. You can also sign up online at www.habitat.org/volunteer.

OCTOBER BUILD DAYS Volunteers are currently being sought to help with construction, renovation, revitalization, and land-scaping projects. Build days are now held Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Sign up online at www.habitatuc.org/volunteer.

CREW LEADERS AND SITE HOSTS NEEDED TO HELP GUIDE CONSTRUCTION Volunteers with construction experience or those wanting to improve their construction skills are be-ing sought to participate in the affiliate's Crew Leader and Site Host Programs. Orientations are monthly. The next orientation will be on Saturday, October 12, 2013, at the Habitat office in Orem. For information, contact LeAnn at the number or email below.

H o m e M a in t en a n c e

Check out Habitat & Community Action’s Free Home Maintenance Course. The next class will be Wednesday, October 30, 2013. The topics are: Interior Painting and Interior Wall Repair, Leaky Roof Repair. Classes begin at 6:30 p.m. and are held at the Habitat office at 340 South Orem Blvd., Orem.

At HOME DEPOT – Registration is necessary. Call store or register online. Look online for the Octo-ber clinic schedule at www.homedepot.com. At LOWE'S - you must sign up for How-To Clinics by calling 229-1485 or stopping by their store at 140 West University Parkway in Orem. Look online for October clinic schedule at www.lowes.com. At CENTRAL UTAH GARDENS – Registration is necessary. Look online for upcoming classes at www.centralutahgardens.org/classes_events_concerts.aspx

SAVING TIP (www.grocerysavingtips.com) Water down your children's juice cups with 1/3 - 1/2 water. Not only does this save money, but it also saves the amount of grams of sugar going into our children, and on their teeth!

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Nothing on Earth so beautiful as the final haul on Halloween night. - Steve Almond

H o m e M a in t en a n c e T ip s (www.landscapingideasonline.com) 5

Avoid Common Landscaping Mistakes We live in a do-it-yourself culture. The upside to that reality is that many of us get tremendous opportuni-ties to try our hands and new skills and to learn interesting things while saving money. The downside is that we sometimes trade expertise and quality for that experience and cost-effectiveness. Landscaping is a perfect example of this. Everyone wants to take care of the job without calling the professionals, but their lack of expertise can create problems. Professional landscapers know the business inside and out. They understand composition, they know which plants will compliment others. They understand the soil, the elements and what things will actually compliment the design of your home. You might think you have a “great eye” and you may be a quick study. However, the average do-it-yourselfer is not an expert landscaper. As such, several common mistakes are repeated over and over again across the nation’s lawns. Let’s look at four common landscaping mistakes. By understanding the errors of others, you might be able to avoid doing the same things! Ruling With A Ruler - Errors Of Linearity Many self-styled landscapers approach their projects as if the world functioned exclusively along the rigid lines of grid. The natural world, however, isn’t flat or square. It’s bumpy and curvy. It undulates and sways. Professionals understand that and they try to work within natural lines and to use the “imperfections” of nature to heighten aesthetic appeal. Amateurs, on the other hand, often have a preoccupation with trying to make everything square and straight. When everything is straightened, it tends to create an uninviting and severe atmosphere. Play with nature as much as you play against it. Neglecting The Front - Forgetting to Put Your Face On Most of us prefer some degree of privacy. Thus, we tend to spend the bulk of our time in our back yards instead of in front of the house. As a result of that preference, we also tend to have much larger areas with which to work behind our house. Thus, it does make sense that most landscaping work will occur in the back. However, too many amateurs focus on the back yard to the near-exclusion of the front. There is no “harm” in that, per se, but it does represent a wasted opportunity to improve the value and attractive-ness of your home. Make sure you plot a course of landscaping success in the front yard, too. Living In The Moment - Ignoring Future Developments Those shrubs you plan on planting right under the bay window will look great this year. And the next. After that, though, you had better plan on a weekly trimming. You have three feet of clearance between ground and window, and those cute little shrubs will grow ten feet high if not held in check. You get the idea, right? That’s just an example of a common problem experienced by do-it-yourself landscapers. They aren’t for-ward thinking enough and that can cause problems. You need to understand your plants, how they will look now and how they will grow in the future. That kind of knowledge can help you create better look and can save you tons of work in the end. It’s Your Lawn - Neglecting The Rest Of The Family A common amateur error is to design a landscaping plan without taking the usage patterns and desires of other family members into consideration. That wonderful winding path to the garden might cut right across the kids’ favorite place to play ball. That five-foot retaining wall may create an attractive vista, but it may not be attractive to a potential buyer with three small children a few years from now. Consider what others will appreciate and don’t assume your amateur vision is perfect. You can do your own landscaping. If you work hard enough you may even produce some professional results. Your odds of getting the job done right will improve considerably if you learn to avoid some of the common errors of do-it-yourselfers. Make Your House a Healthy Home & More Environmentally-Friendly Too! (EPA) Use caulk or weather stripping to seal your home’s outer walls and gaps around windows and doors.

S a v in g s S t ra t eg ies (The Simple Dollar) 6

365 Ways to Live Cheap – Handle a Raise Intelligently A raise is something well worth being proud about. You’ve worked hard and your employer is recognizing that in the clearest way they can – with their cash. The challenge is that when you get a raise, there’s a strong temptation to raise your spending right alongside it. First, there’s the temptation to celebrate and reward yourself. You’ll tell yourself that you earned a goodie thanks to your hard work and you’ll pick out a nice splurge for yourself. However, that splurge takes away from other goals you might have and a big splurge often comes with costs – insurance, a data plan, and so on. After that, there’s the temptation to live “a lifestyle matching your income.” You raise your expecta-tions in terms of the places you eat, the vehicle you drive, and perhaps even the place you live. The result? You find yourself right back in the same financial rut you were in before that raise, just with slightly shinier baubles around you. There’s a much better approach to this situation, one that can turn a raise into a lifeline to a better life. The plan is simple. Figure out how much your raise increases your monthly take-home pay, then set up an automatic transfer to take that much out of your checking account each month. In other words, you just continue to live on what you made before the raise. Meanwhile, the money from your raise is moved out of sight and out of mind, to be used at a later time for a well-considered purpose. Don’t touch that money for a few months, then use it to take a big swipe at one of your debts. Don’t touch that money for a year, then use it to make an extra mortgage payment. Don’t touch that money for five years, then use it to make a large chunk of a down payment on a house. Doing this changes nothing about your life. You’re still living exactly the same way you were before the raise. The only difference is now that raise is quietly working for you, building up and waiting for a chance to bring about permanent positive change to your life. If you’ve just received a raise, walk away from the temptation of lifestyle inflation. Instead, look at a raise as an opportunity to genuinely improve your life over the long haul, because a raise can certainly do that if you give it that chance. We talked about the challenges of getting a raise. It’s always a good thing to increase your in-come, but if you make poor financial decisions with that extra income, it will go to waste and you’ll find yourself right back in the same difficult financial boat you were in before the raise. The same phenomenon is perhaps even truer when it comes to a big windfall. If you don’t use it wisely, you’ll quickly find yourself right back where you started. We’ve all heard the stories of lottery winners who took a big windfall and then found themselves bankrupt in a few years. People ask themselves how such a thing could possibly happen, but it makes sense when you think about human nature. Think about what you’ve done whenever you’ve received a windfall. The initial impulse is to celebrate and to use the money to indulge in something you wouldn’t otherwise afford.

You win $50 in a raffle and it’s tempting to go out for dinner. You get $1,000 as an inheritance and it seems like a great time to replace that old television. Inherit $10,000 and it’s suddenly time to build a swimming pool. I’ve known people who have done all of those things. The impulse to splurge exists no matter how big or how small the windfall is. Let’s look at a different approach, though. A person who finds $50 uses it to buy groceries instead of going out on the town. A few weeks later, they’re able to easily make that insurance payment they forgot about without going into debt for it and they’re able to continue their forward financial progress.

BE GOOD TO YOUR HEALTH (SelectHealth Total Fitness) Get Fit Ten Minutes at a Time Getting in shape doesn’t require a big investment of time – especially if you break activities into ten-minute blocks spread throughout your day. Before you know it, you’re on your way to feeling better, having more energy, and maintaining your health. ABOUT THOSE TEN MINUTES To achieve and maintain all-around fitness, you will need to engage in four basic types of activity: Aerobic or endurance. Brisk walking, cycling, and swimming are good choices. You’ll need a least 150 minutes of moderately intense activities a week. You can achieve that goal in ten-minute increments – such as three times, five days per week. If you prefer, you can get the same benefits from 75 minutes of vigorous activity, such as jogging or running, throughout the week. Strengthening. Lifting weights or stretching resistance bands are two options. Aim to do a least one set (eight to twelve repetitions) of strengthening exercises on two or more days a week. Work all major muscle groups. Balance. Standing from a seated position and walking backwards are two examples to increase your balance. Try to do these activities at least three days per week.

Flexibility. Move through some stretches when you muscles are warmed up. Doing more than the minimum amounts can bring even more health benefits. Start slowly and build gradually. One final tip for staying on the path to a healthier life: choose activities you enjoy. That way, you’ll will be motivated to keep them up – and you might even look forward to your exercise breaks.

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R E S O U R C E S Community Action Services offers Home Buyer Education Classes on a monthly basis. Classes in October will be held October 2 and 3, 2013 from 6:00-9:00 p.m. or October 19, 2013 from 9:00-4:00 p.m. To register, please call (801) 691-5200 or go online to www.communityactionuc.org. Habitat for Humanity of Utah County is working with various community agencies and Utah Valley Uni-versity (UVU) to hold the third Annual Women Resources and Job Expo on Wednesday, October 9, 2013, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the UVU Sorenson Student Center Ballroom. The Expo was started to help local single mothers and others to gain access to employer and resource information. There will be a wide range of local employers and community organizations on hand to provide information and take applications. There will also be workshops, sponsored by Wells Fargo, on Money Management, etc. All interested community members are invited to attend. Refreshments will be served.

A person who finds $1,000 immediately pays off a credit card that was charging them 20% interest on the balance. Not having to make that payment every month makes it that much easier to make ends meet an not fall into further debt. A person who finds $10,000 puts it in the bank and in a year or so buys a late model used car by writing a check instead of getting a loan. There’s no monthly payments for that car at all, enabling that person to keep accelerating through paying off their other debts and reaching financial independence. A person who wins a $10 million lottery pays off every debt he or she owes and puts the rest into invest-ments, choosing to live off of the investment returns while re-investing 20% of those returns automati-cally. Their annual income is somewhere in the range of $300,000 for the rest of their lives and they have a massive amount to leave to their heirs. But what about rewarding yourself after a windfall? The best reward is less worry. If you reward your-self with some big spontaneous reward, you don’t do much at all to get rid of the financial concerns in your life. Use the windfall correctly and you chip away at or even eliminate the financial stresses that hold you back.

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Shadows of a thousand years rise again unseen, Voices whisper in the trees, "Tonight is Halloween!"

- Dexter Kozen

B e C a reful (Costco Consumer Connection)

Tip-offs to Rip Offs Understand all business agreements before you enter into them. If you don’t understand an agree-ment, contact a lawyer. You can find a referral from your state bar association. Thoroughly read terms and conditions of any free offer before you agree to it. Be wary of businesses that don’t have a street address or direct phone number or operate out of a PO Box. Watch written correspondence that contains spelling and grammatical mistakes or awkward wording. Look at an unknown individual’s email address. If a “special offer” or “official correspondence” comes from a free email account such as Yahoo, Hotmail or Gmail, it’s probably a scam. Make a practice not to give out your personal or banking information unless it’s to a trusted source. Stay away from pyramid schemes and multi-level sales schemes. Don’t agree to deposit a check that’s been written for more than the purchase price and wire money back to the issuer. Only donate money to reputable charities. Don’t wire money to someone you don’t know. Don’t give money to someone whom you only know from the Web. Always keep in mind that only legitimate entities don’t ask you to provide or verify sensitive information through non-secure means, such as email. Don’t respond to requests for personal or financial information via email, mail or phone. Never deposit or transfer funds for someone you don’t know or trust. Be careful when signing non-disclosure or non-circumvention agreements. Scam artists use them to threaten victims with a lawsuit if they report their experiences to law enforcement.

When black cats prowl and pumpkins gleam, May luck be yours on Halloween.

- Author Unknown

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Orem Owlz Outlets at Traverse Mountain Response Marketing Group Sharmell and Paul Wittsell Starbucks Lehi Utah County Sheriff’s Office & Work Diversion Crew Utah Trading Company Utah Valley Convention Center Vivint

Thank You TD Ameritrade, IM Flash

Outlets at Traverse Mountain

Adobe Ashton Family Foundation BMC West BYU Chapter BYU Service & Learning Center Digicert GE Capital IM Flash Technologies Jasen Axlegard Melanie and Chad Haws

Development Services October 1st Noon Office Site Selection October 3rd Noon Office Executive Committee October 4th 7:30 a.m. Office Annual Day of Prayer October 6th 6:00 p.m. St. Mary’s World Habitat Day October 7th Building Committee October 8th 2:00 p.m. Central Bank NRI Committee October 8th 3:00 p.m. Office Family Partnership October 10th 6:30 p.m. Office Building Resources October 15th 7:00 a.m. Office Board Meeting October 16th 7:00 a.m. Office ReStore October 28th Noon Office Home Maintenance October 30th 6:30 p.m. Office Happy Halloween October 31st

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Of Utah County

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1—

Development Services Committee

2 3—Site Selection 4—

Executive Committee

5

6—Annual Day of Prayer

7—World Habitat Day 8—Building

Committee NRI Commit-tee

9 10—Family Partnership 11 12

13 14 15—Building Resources

16—Board Meeting 17 18 19

20 21 22 23 24 25 26

27 28—ReStore 29 30—Home

Maintenance 31—Happy Halloween