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Show SECTION m SUNDAY, MAY 25, BUSINESS EDITOR Grace Leong 344-291- 2008 gleongeheraldextra.com Jean Chatzky Talking Money How do I not lose my house to taxes? know from experience that if has a question or I one personthere are thousands MATT ROURKE Associated Press machine packages seeds at W. Atlee Burpee & Co. in Warminster , Pa., on May 15. Burpee & Co., the nation's largest seed company, has sold twice as many seeds this year as it did last year, with half the increase from new customers, company's president George Ball estimates. A r4 L 1 ii rana ! mm p Tfli ?! 1 ' I, ll tj g problem, more behind the scenes who are struggling with a similar situation. And I'm not the least bit surprised: The stock market is up, then way down. Gas prices are soaring. We're now hearing that food prices are on the rise. Add all of these together and you've got a lot of people who are concerned about their bottom line. So I like to dole out the answers and tips in this space whenever possible. Q: We purchased our first home in 2006. We were in a subprime loan, and our mortgage was $4,500 a month. Needless to say, we were not able to pay our house taxes. A few months ago, our new lender refinanced us at a lower rate so we were able to keep our home, but we still owe thousands of dollars in property taxes. Are we going to now lose it because we haven't Charlie, San Francisco, paid? Calif. A: The first thing you need to do is call your local tax office, High gas, ood prices spur more to grow own produce because chances are, they'll be willing to work out a payment plan with you. The caveat? "They usually want this year's taxes paid before next year's come due," says Gail Cunningham, senior director of public relations for the National Foundation for Credit Counseling. To get an idea of what your monthly bill might be, you can split the amount you owe over the number of months you have before next year's due date. If it comes out to be more than you can swing, you need to consider finding another source of income, either by moonlighting or working overtime. Filter all the extra money toward your tax bill, and then start planning ahead for next year so you don't start the cycle all over again. V ( I": Ellen Simon THE ASSOCIATED TT ' PRESS r igh prices at the pump and the produce aisle have sent home gardeners into their yards with a mission: dining. Sales of vegetable seeds, tomato transplants and fruit trees are soaring as enterprising planters grow their own food. W. Atlee Burpee & Co., the nation's largest seed company, has sold twice as many seeds this year as it did last year, with half the increase from new customers, the company's president, George Ball, estimates. "When we saw the gas prices go up, we said, 'Oh boy,' " Ball said. Interest in growing fruits and vegetables picks up during economic downturns, people in the industry say. Seed companies say a dime spent on seeds yields about $1 worth of produce. Bad economic times can also mean more time to garden people who cancel their summer vacations are around to water their tomatoes. The housing crunch also works in favor of vegetable gardens: If you can't sell your home, . f Q: Grow-it-yourse- lf you can replant it. . "Over the past year or two when my boyfriend and I went shopping and started seeing how little we got out of the grocery store for how much, we figured we might as well give it a shot trying our own veggies and take some of the weight off our pockets," said Janet Bedell, who works at a lawn and garden center in Venice, Fla. That kind of thinking is leading to a big year for companies that sell to fruit and vegetable gardeners. Seed Savers Exchange, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving heirloom vegetables, ran out of potatoes this year and mailed 10,000 tomato and pepper transplants to customers in early May, double its usual amount. The organization, based near Decorah, Iowa, sold 34,000 packets of seed in the first third of this year, more than it did all last year. Stark Brothers Nurseries and Orchards Co., a fruit-tre- e nursery based in Louisiana, Mo., has been so busy I make good money, but due to the rising costs of gas, food and everyday goods, things are tight. I'd like to get rid of one of our vehicles, but it's a lease. What should Jennifer, Tulsa, Okla. I'm hearing this again and again these days, especially from people who bought or leased SUVs and are now regretting it because of the absurd amount they're paying for gas. Luckily, you do have some options. The first is to go back to the dealer and explain the situation to see if you can strike a deal that will cost you less than your original payments, preserve your credit and get you out of the car. It will, however, likely cost you something, which is why I like the second option better: swap the lease. In this scenario, you use a lease transfer program tot ind someone else to take over your car lease. These companies are like the match.com of car leases they'll put you in touch with someone who's looking for a short-terlease, then work with you to make an official transfer of the contract. They also screen applicants to make sure their credit and income are sufficient, which takes a load off your shoulders, although John Sternal, a spokesman for LeaseTrader, tells me that once the contract is transferred, you're not liable for any defaults. There's also no black mark on your credit from the transfer, and it's relatively inexpensive. Lease-Tradcharges $79 to post your vehicle online and about $150 to do the transfer. Q: I work as an independent contractor. What steps can I take in saving for my retirement since I don't have a Shawna, Charlotte, NC plan? A: Your first stop should be a Roth IRA, if you fall under the income requirements ($ 1(56.000 if you're married and filing jointly; I do? A: ' y , 9 I MATT Lunardi Lesmana packages seeds at W. Atlee Burpee that "we've had our phones completely staffed and staffed overtime for the past two months," said Lita Eatock, marketing manager. "A lot of wholesalers are really sold out of things," said Michael McConkey, owner of Edible Landscaping, a fruit-tre- e nursery and Web site based in Afton, Va. "I was attempting to get some apple rootstock to graft onto some apples and I really had to work to find some." The learning curve for home gardeners can be steep. Janet Bedell in Florida said her first fights were with bugs and fungus; now she's working on keeping birds and squirrels away. While some vegetables, like salad greens, are nearly effortless, others, like celery, present a challenge. New gardeners often don't what it takes for a plant to survive, said Ryan Schmitt, greenhouse manager at The Flower Bin in Longmont, Colo. "It's not a sculpture. Most people get the water thing, but sun & Co. in ROURKEAssociatefl Press Warminster, Pa. and food, they often forget." New vegetable gardeners are packing classes from Skillins Greenhouses in Falmouth, Maine, to Love Apple Farm in Ben Lomond, Calif. "If I think of a name of a class, I'll give it and people will come," said Cynthia Sandberg, owner of Love Apple Farm. "People will drive three hours for these classes. It's not because of me, it's because they want to learn." horticulturist Burpee's hot line at the company's Warminster, Perm., headquarters has been overwhelmed with calls from gardeners trying to learn the basics of soil acidity and seed starting. Absolute beginners visiting nurseries occasionally ask questions like, "Oh, tomatoes are a plant?" said Schmitt at the Flower Bin. "That's usu" ally followed by, 'Oh, 1 can grow that?' "It's a teaching moment," Schmitt said. "1 can fill them with the right eight-perso- n er company-sponsore- See AVVAV.HuWUiWTRA.COM CALL 375 - 5103 10 SUBSCRIBE , d CHATZKY, E4 |