Mason County Family & Consumer Science Newsletter February 2017 From Your FCS Agent

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1 Family & Consumer Science Mason County Family & Consumer Science Newsletter February 2017 From Your FCS Agent Cooperative Extension Service Mason County 800 US Highway 68 Maysville, KY (606) Fax: (606) extension.ca.uky.edu I hope everyone enjoyed the little bit of snow we got in January along with the warmer days! Hopefully February will have very few snow days as well. Happy Valentine s Day! I jumped right back into the swing of things during January! The first Live, Laugh, and Learn Playdate was held. I met with the other FCS Agents in District 1 at the Morgan County Extension Office. We had a very successful first session of Cooking through the Calendar where we prepared and sampled Garlic Pork. I spent a few days with the Golden Needles quilting club where they started teaching me how to quilt. I also had a few trainings to learn more about KEHA and FCS programming. I look forward to seeing what February holds. Thank you to everyone who helped with collecting plastic caps and lids for the 4-H project. They were able to get 5 benches for the community. The Mayslick Night Owls won the contest between homemakers clubs to see who could collect the most. Congratulations, Mayslick Night Owls! Heather Cheek County Extension Agent for Family and Consumer Sciences

2 Recipe Corner Squash is low in calories and is naturally free of fat and cholesterol. It contains vitamin C, potassium, and calcium. Spaghetti Squash can be stored at room temperature for up to one month. Do not wash before storing. Remember to buy Kentucky Proud products at your local grocery store or farmers market!

3 Important Dates to Remember Wednesday, February 1: The first class in Keys to Great Parenting will take place at the Mason County Extension Office from 5:30 pm until 7:00 pm. Wednesday, February 8: The Golden Needles Quilting Club will meet for the entire day at the Mason County Extension Office. Thursday, February 9: Live, Laugh, and Learn Playdate will take place at the Mason County Extension Office from 10:00 am until 12:00 pm. Thursday, February 9: The basket club will meet from 2:00 pm until 4:00 pm at the Mason County Extension Office. Wednesday, February 15: The Golden Needles Quilting Club will meet for the entire day at the Mason County Extension Office. Thursday, February 16: The Silver Pages Book Club will meet from 1:30 pm until 3:00 pm at the Mason County Extension Office. Tuesday, February 21: Cooking through the Calendar will take place at the Mason County Extension Office from 11:00 am until 1:00 pm. We will be making and sampling Easy Italian Ziti. Thursday, February 23: The basket club will meet from 2:00 pm until 4:00 pm at the Mason County Extension Office.

4 When: 1st Wednesday of every month Keys To Great Time: 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm Parenting Where: Mason County Extension Office 800 US Highway 68 Maysville, KY To reserve your seat, call the Mason County Extension Office at (606) For more information regarding the classes, contact Heather Cheek, Mason County Family and Consumer Sciences Agent, at heather.cheek@uky.edu or (606) Parents, grandparents, and expecting parents are invited to join the Mason County Extension Office in an 8-week course on parenting. Keys to Great Parenting gives educational support with UK based research materials to help parents learn new ways to help their children grow and thrive. This is a free class that covers many subjects to help with successful parenting.

5 Join us at the Mason County Extension Office from 11 am to 1 pm on the 3rd Tuesday of every month starting on January 17th for a FREE class where everyone attending will learn to cook and sample the recipe of the month from the 2017 KYNEP Food and Nutrition calendar. Registration is necessary. Please call (606) or visit us at 800 US Highway 68 Maysville, KY to sign up in advance. For more information contact Heather Cheek, Mason County Family and Consumer Sciences Agent.

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7 Mason County Extension Office 800 US 68 Maysville, KY (606)

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9 Jennifer Hunter, Ph.D. Associate Extension Professor Family Financial Management (859) AUGUST 2016 FEBRUARY 2017 THIS MONTH S TOPIC: AUTOMATING YOUR FINANCES Do you find it difficult to keep track of your monthly banking activity? If so, you may want to consider automating your finances. Over the past several years, financial institutions have introduced services that allow for you to pay bills and transfer money between accounts automatically after a one-time set up of your preferences. Automating your finances is an easy way to guarantee that your bills are paid on time and that you are on track to meeting your financial goals. Below are some considerations that you should keep in mind when automating your finances: Direct deposit. Why make a trip to the bank on payday when you can have your paycheck automatically deposited to your account? Setting up direct deposit gives your employer permission to deposit funds into your bank account. In addition to its convenience, there are other advantages as well. Many financial institutions offer perks to customers who are enrolled in direct deposit such as waived monthly checking fees. Bill payment. Setting up automatic bill payment is easy to do and will guarantee that all of your bills are paid on time. You will need to provide your financial institution with the account number and address of the vendor to which you are making the payment. For bills that vary from month to month, such as a utility bill, you will need to sign into your account each month, enter the amount of the payment, and schedule the payment date. Most financial institutions do not charge for automatic bill payment; however, if your institution does charge, you can set up automatic bill payment directly through the vendor s website at no cost.

10 Savings accounts. If your company offers a retirement savings program, chances are there is an option that will allow for you to automatically deposit a portion of your paycheck into the savings account. Enroll in or text alerts. If you are concerned about your account balances, consider enrolling in or text alerts. Your financial institution will send an or text alert if your account balance drops below a certain amount. Receiving these alerts can help you remain aware of how much money you are spending as well as avoid overdraft fees. Automating your finances is a great way to cut down on the stress that you may experience when managing your finances. Additionally, it s a great way to save money that is potentially lost to late fees, overdraft fees, and missed payments. Setting up automatic payments and transfers only requires a one-time set up in many cases. For that reason, it is important to be vigilant about your finances and take the time to periodically look at your accounts to ensure that your payments and transfers are occurring as scheduled. Automatic transfer. If you regularly transfer funds between banking accounts, consider setting up automatic transfers. Some financial institutions even allow you to automatically transfer to accounts at other financial institutions. Budgeting. If you use a budgeting software program or website, consider linking your checking and credit card accounts so that you are able to keep track of your spending. Many of these programs and websites will categorize your spending and alert you to overspending, according to limits that you have set for your budget. Become a fan of MoneyWi$e on Facebook! Facebook.com/MoneyWise Kristyn Jackson, LMFT, Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Family Sciences, University of Kentucky Jennifer Hunter, Ph.D., Associate Extension Professor Family Financial Management, University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service, (859) ; jhunter@uky.edu Stock images: 123RF.com

11 Mason County 800 US 68 Maysville, KY NONPROFIT ORG US POSTAGE PAID CITY, KY PERMIT 10 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED