Cooperative Extension Service

Montgomery County

106 East Locust Street

Mt. Sterling, KY 40353

(859) 498-8741 Fax: (859)498-8712

extension.ca.uky.edu October 2017

Family and Consumer Sciences Extension News

Hannah Mayrand

Montgomery County Extension

Agent for Family & Consumer

Sciences Education

Inside this Issue: Socializing Is Important for

Your Health

Try This

How To Save Money on

Halloween

Homemaker Council

Tips to Minimize Mess

When Cooking

LRA Annual Meeting

Registration

October Health Bulletin

October MoneyWi$e

Montgomery County

Thank you to everyone who was involved with our first

Annual Homemaker Vendor Fair in September! This was a

great fundraiser for the county and individual clubs so we can

continue serving the citizens and community of Montgomery

County!

Congratulations to the winners of the beautiful UK

Afghan and quilt and a special thank you to the talented ladies

who made and donated the items, Janice Miller and Caroline

Helton.

Enclosed is the registration for the LRA Homemaker

Annual meeting on October 24th. Registration is $15 and due

October 17th. There are still a few more seats available if you

would like to ride in the van to Lewis County. Please call or

stop by the office to sign up!

Just a reminder with the Court Day activities, our office

doors will be closed on Friday October 13th and Monday

October 16th. We will reopen on Tuesday the 17th at 8:00am.

As always, if there are any questions, please do not

hesitate to contact me!

Socializing is important for your health

Just as we need food and water to survive, we also need meaningful social relationships and

connections. Because we are wired for social contact, going without it increases the risks to jeopard-

ize our overall health, well-being and life quality. While it is okay to feel lonely and to be alone at

times, chronic loneliness can cause serious health concerns. Researchers continue to demonstrate

how important meaningful relationships with others are to our mental, emotional and physical health.

Loneliness, if not addressed, can lead to social isolation, physical and mental decline and de-

pression. Recent studies have shown that social isolation can also lead to a number of negative

health impacts, including poor sleeping patterns, a disrupted immune system, poor nutrition, destruc-

tion of arteries and high blood pressure. When the need for socialization is not met, it can also nega-

tively affect learning, memory and motivation.

Loneliness can occur at any age and can be a normal feeling—especially after a break-up, a

move to a new location, loss of a loved one or exclusion from a group. But chronic loneliness—

feeling lonely, isolated or not to close to people for an extended period of time, can bring about dis-

comfort and distress, including feeling sad, empty, isolated, distanced from others, deprived and

filled with longing. These feelings lead to many problems. Children and teens, for example, are more

likely to adopt an outcast status, have problems in or drop out of school or even become delinquent.

Lonely adults are at greater risk of alcoholism and depression. Those living alone are at greater risk

of suicide.

Loneliness is particularly prevalent among older adults. As we age, our social circle shrinks,

which makes it more difficult to have meaningful interactions with others. According to a 2013 AARP

study, the percentage of adults who say they are lonely has doubled since the 1980s from 20 to 40

percent. About 30 percent of adults older than 65 live alone. That number jumps to 50 percent in

adults over 85.

If you are experiencing loneliness, you are not alone, and you don’t have to be as there are

many ways to increase your social interactions.

Find a cause to be passionate about and donate your time. Chances are there are many com-

munity organizations in your area in need of volunteers. Not only will you get to interact with others,

but you will also get satisfaction from giving back.

Don’t miss opportunities to interact with your family. Attend family events, such as reunions and

weddings. If you have grandkids who live close, consider attending one of their extracurricular activi-

ties, such as a ballgame or a dance recital.

Take up a hobby. Find something you are passionate about or learn more about something you

already enjoy.

Homemaker Council Meeting

Tuesday October 10th at 10:00am

at the Extension office

Light refreshments will be provided

How to Save Money on Halloween According to the National Retail Federation, Americans spent $8.4 bil-lion on Halloween in 2016. It is estimated that 117 million Americans will spend nearly $83 per person in 2017. Halloween is the third most expensive holiday, following Christmas and Valentine’s Day. Use the following tips for a more budget friendly Halloween experience. Costumes

Consider re-using or re-purposing old costumes. If you (or the kids) insist on new costumes, take last year’s costumes to a consign-ment shop or sell them online to offset the cost of the new ones.

Swap costumes with friends so that you can have something new without spending money.

Get crafty and make your own! You can find lots of ideas online for fun and inexpensive do-it-yourself Halloween costumes.

Candy

Wait to buy your candy. Stores will often start to lower prices on candy a few days before Halloween.

Candy is often cheaper to buy at a warehouse club where items are sold in bulk.

Instead of candy, consider buying inexpensive non-candy items such as erasers or spider rings.

Decorations

Check dollar stores, consignment shops and thrift stores before purchasing new decorations.

Craft your own decorations. You can still have great decorations if you make them yourself. Get the kids or friends involved and have some fun!

Wait to buy a pumpkin until a couple days before Halloween when many pumpkin patches will have reduced their prices.

Resource: https://nrf.com/, National Retail Federation Source: Jennifer L. Hunter, Extension Specialist for Family Financial Management and Caitlin Grasson, Masters Student, Department of Family Sciences, University of Ken-tucky; College of Agriculture, Food and Environment

Tips to Minimize Mess When Cooking Most people can agree that cleanup is the least fun part of cooking. While you may dream of having no cleanup after cooking, you can at least have less cleanup after cooking. Start by working in a clean kitchen to begin with to save time in the long run. Once pre-pared to cook, cleaning as you go is probably the most helpful way to reduce piling up a huge mess. Even if it’s not possible to clean a used item with soap and water, at least rinse it off and keep it in the sink. Another tip is to be strategic while cooking. If a recipe calls for chopped tomatoes and chopped pepper; chop the pepper first so you don’t have to spend time cleaning the cutting board after the watery mess tomatoes often make. Another example would be if a recipe calls for melted butter; first melt the butter in the microwave and then use that bowl to add the other ingredients to avoid dirtying two bowls. Next time you set out to cook a meal, think about these tips to make things easier for you and your family. Source: Jean Najor, Extension Associate, University of Kentucky; College of Agriculture, Food and Environment

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