2 Broadcaster Press February 4, 2020 www.broadcasteronline.com I Can Do My Own Yard, Thank You Dave Says Learning To Say No Dear Dave, We’re debt-free except for our home, and we’ll have our fully-funded emergency fund of three to six months of expenses, we’ve agreed on six months’ worth, saved up by the end of February. We’re also setting aside a little each month to buy a newer car with cash later. We’re about $5,000 from our car fund goal, but my husband is getting impatient. He wants us to go ahead a finance the remainder, since it’s Dave a relatively small amount. He has tried to justify this by mentioning that you don’t seem to have a problem with people borrowing money to buy a house. Could you explain the difference? Lana RAMSEY Dear Lana, Okay, first things first. I don’t like debt of any kind. I don’t really like borrowing for a house, but I’m not unreasonable. I tolerate mortgage loans, as long as people use a 15-year, fixed rate mortgage, with payments that are no more than a fourth of their monthly take-home pay. A house is often the largest purchase in a person’s life, and one most people can’t achieve based solely on saving. I still recommend, however, setting aside as much as possible for a down payment before taking out a mortgage. Dud sat quietly this morning at the daily meeting of the World Dilemma Think Tank … that’s Dud and the guys, of course. Herb had brought some new jokes with him as a way of pumping new adrenaline into our winter conversational doldrums. They weren’t all THAT good, but we all laughed, and Dud smiled a little. “You’re quiet this morning, Dud,” said Steve. “Everything okay?” “Oh sure,” he said, smil- ing. “Just wondering about what goes on in a guy’s mind when he’s on special assignment.” “You’re on special assignment for who now?” “Not me, Doc,” Dud said. “I was just wondering what thoughts a man might have if he volunteered to be a truck driver on special assignment in eastern Europe.” Ahhhh….. the book again. The oft-rewritten, oft-rejected novel. “That’s right. So what Here’s the thing. Cars go down in value, while traditional homes generally increase in value substantially over the years. Plus, you can get an absolutely great, pre-owned car for $10,000 to $15,000 dollars. This is an amount which, in my mind, is doable over the course of several months through determined saving and living on a budget. Depending on where you live, a good home can cost 10 to 20 times that much. The best way to build wealth and have a secure financial life is to stay away from debt. This means getting out of mortgage debt as quickly as possible, too. You’re never going to win with money if you can’t learn to delay pleasure. Everyone has that little kid inside them, and that little kid wants everything he or she wants right now. Your husband is asking a normal question, but he’s dangerously close to letting that immature little kid out. It happens to all of us once in a while, but we have to grow to a point as adults where we tell that little kid no! —Dave * Dave Ramsey is America’s trusted voice on money and business, and CEO of Ramsey Solutions. He has authored seven best-selling books, including The Total Money Makeover. The Dave Ramsey Show is heard by more than 12 million listeners each week on 575 radio stations and multiple digital platforms. Follow Dave on Twitter at @DaveRamsey and on the web at daveramsey.com. would make a guy take his 18 wheeler to somewhere Dracula used to live and drive it around on government orders until the assignment is complete?” “What’s the assignment?” “I don’t know yet. The truck driver is still waiting for his assignment to come through.” “So …” Doc tries to be kind …”the truck driver takes his own 18-wheeler to eastern Europe and drives around with an old girlfriend who happens to be a duchess and lives in a castle, but he doesn’t know why he’s there?” “Well … pretty much. Sounds strange when you put it like that.” “In this book you’re writing,” Steve asked, “is the government buying the diesel for him to drive around?” “Haven’t worked that out yet, either, Steve.” Writing a book can be a real chore. Tourism Industry Professionals Honored At Annual Banquet PIERRE, S.D. - Two South Dakota communities, five individuals, and two businesses were honored at the 2020 Governor’s Conference on Tourism’s annual awards banquet on Thursday, January 23. The South Dakota Department of Tourism presented the following awards to tourism industry members: The Ben Black Elk Award honors an individual who makes outstanding contributions to the state’s visitor industry. This year’s award was presented to Teri Schmidt with the Sioux Falls Convention and Visitors Bureau. For 36 years, Schmidt has served the city of Sioux Falls as the executive direc- tor of the CVB, leading strategies, strengthening partnerships and paving the way to make Sioux Falls the tourism destination it is today. 605 Magazine was the recipient of this year’s A.H. Pankow Award. This award recognizes a representative of the media for showing superior interest and coverage of the South Dakota tourism industry. 605 Magazine’s articles take a deep dive and a unique look at communities across the state. Their support plays a key role in destination awareness for towns across South Dakota. The Excellence in Tourism Innovation Award is given to an industry partner for their innovative think- Valentine’s Day Friday, February 14th ing in making their destination, business or attraction appealing to visitors. The award was presented to Historic Deadwood. In 2019, Historic Deadwood welcomed more than 100,000 guests to their new visitor center, opened a new year-round, family-friendly gathering space called Outlaw Square, and worked collaboratively to host a successful showing of HBO’s Deadwood: The Movie. The 3rd Annual Ruth Ziolkowski Outstanding Hospitality & Customer Service Award is presented to four individuals — one from each of the state’s four regions — for outstanding hospitality and customer service to the tourism industry. This year's recipients are Dan Miller with Bramble Park Zoo in Watertown; Kasi Haberman with Yankton Convention and Visitors Bureau; Kathi Anderson with Arrowwood Boxed Candies & Other Great Gifts for your Sweetie PRECISION PAINTING •Interior •Exterior •Commercial •Residential Quality Workmanship, Reasonable Rates 5 W. Cherry St., Vermillion • 605-624-4444 • M-F 8-8, Sat 8-5:30 Since 1983 CLINT TUCKER 624-4621 Resort & Conference Center at Cedar Shore; and Shirley Wetz with Sturgis Buffalo Chip. The George S. Mickelson Great Service Award honors businesses, communities or organizations that have done an exemplary job of serving customers and exceeding visitor expectations. This year's award was presented to The Howard Johnson Inn and Suites in Rapid City. Lastly, The Rooster Rush Cacklin’ Community Award went to the community of Watertown for its efforts to welcome pheasant hunters to the state. From the decoration of storefronts to event coverage by local radio, Watertown displayed a remarkable level of community involvement in welcoming hunters to the area. The community showed particular creativity in 2019 by transforming a mechanical bull into a rideable pheasant. The South Dakota Department of Tourism is comprised of Tourism and the South Dakota Arts Council. The Department is led by Secretary James D. Hagen. By Daris Howard It seemed the minute I had shoulder surgery and had my arm in a sling, the snow started coming and never let up. We didn’t worry too much about it during Christmas break, but in the first part of January, after work and school started again, the snow needed to be shoveled. A lot of the burden fell on my wife, Donna, but I learned how to shovel snow with one arm. I would grab the shovel below the handle and wrap the handle under my forearm. I found I could shovel snow quite efficiently, though I did have to do smaller scoops. However, it seemed like we would just finish shoveling from one snowstorm only to have another one hit. I was trying to help all I could, and Donna was concerned that I was not being careful enough with the arm I had surgery on. It was during one of these snow shoveling sessions that she suggested we should get a four-wheeler to push the snow. “We aren’t getting any younger,” she said. “And this issue is just going to come back year after year and be more vexing to us.” “Our neighbors have been kind to help us out while my arm heals,” I replied. “And a four-wheeler is a lot of money.” She nodded. “I understand all of that. But these types of health challenges are going to happen more and more. I know how independent you are, and you definitely don’t want to have to rely on someone to always do it for us.” I had to agree with her, so we started looking for a fourwheeler. We had never purchased one before, so we talked to all of our neighbors and friends who owned one. They helped us know what to look for in our search. Finally, we narrowed it down to a few, and after some test runs, we bought one. We had no sooner got it home, then my wife and daughters were vying for who got to clean the driveway. I, unfortunately, was not even in the running. I can’t run the machine with one hand. I didn’t even get to try it out before we bought it. It wasn’t long before our driveway was scraped clean, with the snow pushed into big piles at the side. Areas we don’t usually use in the winter were even scraped clean. When Donna came in, I complimented her. “It really looks good. You are really getting the hang of running that machine.” She let out a disgusted sigh. “Yeah, well, the neighbors did half of it before I even had a chance.” She paused a moment, and her eyes lit up. “I wonder if there are any neighbors that need me to clear their driveways.” We talked about it further and came to the agreement that she should get some more practice before she did it for someone else. “But that’s the problem,” she said. “If someone keeps clearing our driveway before I can, how am I supposed to get any practice?” Sunday came, and quite a few people had heard about our new machine and were happy for us. One lady told us she had just sold her four-wheeler. Before Donna could offer to come to help clean her yard, the lady continued. “In its place, my husband bought me a little tractor with a scraper and a loader.” “How do you like it?” I asked. “How should I know?” she replied. “I haven’t got to use it all winter. Before I can, some neighbor comes and scrapes my driveway. I’m dying to try out my tractor, but there is nothing left to try it on after the neighbors finish. I want to run out there and say, ‘I can do my own yard, thank you,’ but they have it done before I even get a chance to tell them. I keep wondering if there is anyone who needs to have their yard cleaned so I can try out my tractor.” I looked at Donna and smiled. She gave me a look that told me not to even say what I was thinking. But we both knew she probably wasn’t going to get any extra practice with our new four-wheeler. 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