Holidays are often an exciting time of the year. However, the holidays can come with lots of stress, so the Family and Consumer Sciences agents in the Quicksand Area decided to focus on Savvy Online Shopping and What to do With Your Holiday Leftovers.  According to https://www.alliantcreditunion.org/ average holiday spending varies significantly based on household income, however, Americans planned to spend an average of $832.84 (2021).  Our overall goal has been to help participants change this statistic by not only saving money but save food, waste, and time. Along with the lessons, the agents provide 2-3 gift/decoration ideas and a healthy recipe. All these items can help individuals to reduce not only financial stress but also mental and physical stress.  

The Quicksand Area FCS Agents traveled four days to eight different counties to show each county thrifty ways to make holiday decorations and gifts along with sampling Plate it Up, KY Proud recipes and Plan Eat Move recipes. The host county agent spends the first 30 minutes reviewing the lesson Savvy Online Shopping and What to do With Your Holiday Leftovers, then each agent goes through how to make the craft items they made giving participants financial saving and spending tips and the recipes for the participants to try.

We had 222 participants attend the Holiday Road show with 319 booklets distributed, 173 Qualtrics evaluations completed and we had 88,000 TV show viewers. 

Evaluations showed as a result of this program:

1. $1,970 was saved from this program, 
2. 155 Positive financial decisions were made
3. 158 money saving strategies were implemented
4. 154 participants learned a new way to store leftovers
5. 340 recipes were projected to be made
6. 1,180 craft items were projected to be made