Quicksand Area: Holiday Roadshow

Holidays are often an exciting time of the year. However, the holidays in 2020 came with lots of stress: holiday spending, Covid-19 quarantines, Covid-19 mental, physical and financial stress. With the normal no holiday spending budgets, limited visits or no visits with families and friend’s families were stressed to the max. To assist individuals in understanding and responding to stress resulting from holiday expenses and Covid-19 related issues the Quicksand Area Family and Consumer Science agents (counties were – Breathitt, Lee, Owsley, Wolfe, Knott, Letcher, Leslie and Perry counties) hosted a grab and go “Holiday Roadshow” program to address Covid-19 related stresses. Emphasis was placed on understanding how implementing holiday budgeting and other cost-saving strategies including preparing gifts, decorations and foods that are homemade, can help individuals to reduce not only financial stress but also mental and physical stress. Programs were distributed throughout all eight counties. Programs included financial saving and spending tips, recipes and easy crafts to do as a family.

Follow up surveys concluded: Program evaluations showed one thousand one hundred eighty crafts were made, three hundred three recipes were tried, ninety six percent indicated they had had made at least one positive financial decision, while 91% of participants implemented one money saving strategy. A total of four thousand seven hundred dollars was saved. “The annual holiday showcase provides me with new healthy recipes that are tasty and cost efficient”. “Each year I come away with new craft ideas that I can make and sale to supplement my income”. “My kids looked forward to the crafts in the grab and go bags”