MEXICO — Anyone looking to save money in day-to-day living will have a chance to learn a variety of ways at Stretch a Dollar Day on Saturday, Jan. 7. It will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the cafeteria of the Region 9 School of Applied Technology on Route 2.

There will be more than a dozen workshops and vendors showing how to cut costs for feeding a family, finding inexpensive clothing, using coupons and other methods of saving money. The event is free and open to everyone.

Dori Fellman, director of the Partnership for Success from the University of Maine at Farmington, is heading up the event with help from the River Valley Healthy Communities Council and the Regional School Unit 10 after-school program.

Fellman said the grant money is usually used to promote college saving, but with the economy still in the doldrums and money tight for nearly everyone, funds were used for this community event.

“People have really been careful over the holidays and are now taking advantage of sales. This seems to fit right in with it,” she said.

“Right now we want to promote financial literacy,” she said.

Event attendees will have a chance to learn how financially literate they are through a University of Maine Cooperative Extension presentation, find out how to buy and prepare foods less expensively, and in general, learn other ways to cut costs in every aspect of everyday living.

Representatives from the United Way will show how to winterize windows, Western Maine Community Action will take applications for fuel assistance, and an expert from Medicare will explain the various options in the program. The Region 9 adult and community education program will promote its free income tax service scheduled for February and March. The Finance Authority of Maine will lead a workshop in college savings plans and a life coach will present alternate ideas. Other workshops or vendors include Community Concepts, Oxford Federal Credit Union and U.S. Cellular.

The RSU 10 after-school program will offer a low-cost lunch, and everyone who attends will be entered in a drawing for a door prize.

Noelle James, program assistant for Partnership for Success, said the program is similar to an open house. People may pick up a listing of times for the workshops and visit each vendor as time allows.

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