AP9 Articles

AP9 TodaysEscapes Offers Advice on Surviving the Holiday-Guests Season

The holidays are fast approaching, which means the arrival of holiday guests can’t be far behind. AP9 Todays Escapes, a premier travel and entertainment savings program offered by Adaptive Marketing LLC^®, notes that there are a few steps you can take to make sure your guests -- and you -- have an enjoyable holiday stay.

The holiday season is hectic enough, even before you factor in a long visit from your in-laws or a weekend stopover by your long-lost college roommate and his family. From worrying about their comfort and accommodations to wondering how to entertain them, concerns have a tendency to mount as the arrival date gets closer. However, members of AP9 Todays Escapes know that they can save up to 20% on a variety of useful and entertaining items and services, thereby relieving at least some of their holiday-hosting angst.

AP9 TodaysEscapes offers a few suggestions on how to reduce the stress brought on by holiday guests:

-- Prepare for safe landings. Nothing can dampen the holiday cheer quite so quickly as an injury or accident involving a houseguest. If you live in a cold-weather clime, be sure you have an adequate supply of shovels, rock salt and other snow- and ice-removal needs on hand to ensure safe trips to and from the driveway. If your guests include young children, do a full sweep of your home beforehand to make sure any potentially dangerous (or simply valuable but fragile) items are placed out of harm’s way.

-- Stock up on … everything. Overnight (or longer) stays don’t just mean more mouths to feed. Those mouths are attached to bodies that have other needs as well. From common household items like toiletries, fresh towels and linens to often-overlooked travel essentials like alarm clocks and aspirin, try to anticipate your guests’ needs in your pre-arrival shopping.

-- Communicate beforehand. Every family has its own holiday ideas and traditions, e.g., opening presents on Christmas Eve, attending midnight church services, or caroling around the neighborhood. If you have specific traditions, be sure to share them with your guests before they arrive. This will give you both enough lead time to prepare for the event(s) or to find other things for your guests to do while you’re otherwise occupied. It will also give you both a chance to firm up or eliminate some ideas on amusing pastimes and other plans.

-- Share tasks -- and decisions. Not only do “many hands make light work,” but sharing chores can also make people feel useful -- and wanted. If they ask to do so, let your guests prepare dishes, clear tables, walk dogs and help out in other ways. And be sure to include them in decisions about group activities, particularly entertainment choices, just in case your idea of a rollicking good time turns out to be their idea of a cure for insomnia.

-- Smile, smile, smile. It’s the holiday season, after all, a time when goodwill fills the air. A sunny disposition can go a long way toward soothing any ruffled feathers, even your own. And if that fails, remember what your third-grade teacher said about your classmate’s book report on Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: This too shall pass.

In addition to savings of up to 20% on home interests, books, videos, music and more, members enjoy discounts of up to 20% at popular restaurants across the United States, great deals on movie tickets, and significant savings on airfare, hotels, car rentals and other travel needs – all through AP9 TodaysEscapes.

AP9 Privacy Matters Offers Safety Tips for Shopping Online During the Holidays

For millions of consumers, the Internet has become the ultimate shopping destination. The hours are great (24/7), you can leave the car in the driveway, and you don’t have to wait in line for a price check. Instead, web-savvy consumers can cruise from one e-tailer to the next with a mere click of the mouse. But while the Internet provides convenient shopping, AP9 PrivacyMatters, a leading security and privacy membership program, warns that it might not always be safe shopping.

The holidays are quickly approaching. Gift lists need to be created and presents need to be purchased – so much to do in what seems like so little time. With busy work and school schedules mixed with bad weather conditions, it’s no wonder why people all over the world turn to the Internet for shopping. And while the vast majority of identity theft crimes take place outside of the virtual world, there are still millions of consumers who get their personal and private information stolen online every year, reports AP9 Privacy Matters.

Before you make another online purchase, AP9 Privacy Matters suggests following these basic steps to help make certain that your shopping experience is not only convenient, but safe:

--Make sure your online transaction is secure. Reputable companies will encrypt your credit card information with security software, such as Secure Sockets Layer (SSL). During secure transactions, Netscape NavigatorTM and Microsoft Internet Explorer both display icons of a lock or padlock.

--You can verify that your transaction is going through a secure server by checking the web page that’s requesting your credit card information -- the web address should begin with “https” rather than “http.” The “s” stands for secure.

--Know who the e-tailer is. Before shopping from an unfamiliar company, do your homework by checking trusted business sources. Another simple way to verify that the company is truly an established business is to ask whether they have a retail location or a catalog you can receive. If they are solely an online company, exercise greater caution.

--Read the privacy, shipping and handling and refund policies. You should do this for every company you transact with, even if it’s a well-known retailer. These policies will tell you how they may use or share information about you, and will explain your recourse if you wish to make a return or lodge a complaint. If you don’t find these policies on their website, send them an email requesting it.

--Keep a record of your transaction. Print out your order confirmation, the terms and conditions and even the description of your purchase. You should also know that unless a company states otherwise, they must ship your order within 30 days. If there are delays, they are required to notify you.

--Approach online auctions with caution. You can find great bargains through online auctions. Before you bid, though, you need to make sure you know the rules and policies of the auction site as well as the seller’s terms for items that you wish to bid on, including warranties, the refund policy and shipping policy.

Members of AP9 Privacy Matters have access to unlimited, online credit reports, a credit monitoring service and many more tools to help protect what they have worked so hard to achieve. They can do this easily and conveniently at privacymatters.com.

This article was brought to you by AP9 PrivacyMatters.

AP9 PassportToFun Prepares Shoppers for the Upcoming Holiday Season

“Dashing through the snow on a one-horse open sleigh. Over the fields we go, laughing all the way!” Yes, ‘tis that magical time of year when retailers and toy stores send out thick catalogs filled with this season’s trendiest fashions, the latest high-tech gadgets, and the hottest toys for children of all ages. As stores, catalogers and Internet retailers prepare for the biggest shopping extravaganza of the year, so are AP9 Passport to Fun members. AP9 Passport to Fun, a leading membership discount program offered by Adaptive Marketing LLC^®, offers members a wide variety of gift-giving ideas that will fit any budget as well as under the biggest of trees and inside the smallest of stockings.

While children write out their wish lists and adults plan out their holiday budgets, AP9 PassportToFun is gearing up to make sure that each program member’s holiday shopping experience is affordable, fun and full of good cheer. AP9 PassportToFun members can find savings for almost everything on their shopping list, from gifts to home décor, simply by logging on to DealPass – all in the comfort of their own home while roasting chestnuts on an open fire.

AP9 Passport to Fun offers a few ideas on how to help you plan for the upcoming holiday season.

-- Making a list and checking it twice. Does this sound familiar? Driving around in search of a parking place for 20 minutes, standing in lines that seem endless or finding the perfect gift for that hard-to-buy-for person only to discover it’s the wrong size. Before battling the shopping malls this holiday season, shoppers need to make sure they are properly armed and organized by creating a holiday checklist. First, write down all the items that need to be purchased, indicate color, make and model, size and budgeted price next to each item. Second, jot down the store where each item is available. By creating a checklist, consumers should find themselves completing their shopping in a timely manner while staying within their holiday budget.

-- Silver and Gold. Once the presents have been purchased, it is time to wrap them! It is a good idea to keep all the wrapping paper, tape, and scissors all together in an organizer. This way all the needed materials can be found in one place. Please also keep in mind that wrapping paper does not have to be expensive. Using plain paper and a rubber stamp for embellishment can make a present look like it was professionally wrapped, but at a fraction of the price. Plus, it is a fun project that kids can get involved in.

-- Deck the halls with boughs of holly. Not all of us get as carried away with outdoor holiday lighting as Chevy Chase did in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, but for those who enjoy adding a little sparkle to the neighborhood, be sure to buy lighting that is made for outdoor use. And remember to test and untangle the lights before hanging them.

-- The weather outside is frightful. By the time the holiday season arrives, much of the country is experiencing a drop in temperature. Take the time now to add to your holiday music, book, and movie collections, before they are sold out. Then get into the holiday spirit by roasting marshmallows by the fire, drinking a nice cup of hot cocoa and curling up with loved ones while listening to holiday tunes or watching a holiday classic on DVD.

In addition to offering discounts on gift cards for nationally-known retail stores across the country, AP9 PassportToFun also offers deeply discounted movie tickets, up to 15% off admissions to popular theme parks, 20% off gift cards for well-known restaurant chains and much more. Wishing everyone a happy and safe holiday season, concludes AP9 PassportToFun.

AP9 HomeWorksPlus Provides Tips for Toy Storage

Picture this…it’s midnight. Awakened by thirst, you make your way to the kitchen. Not to disturb anyone, you forgo turning on the lights and decide to slowly feel your way towards the sink. Tiptoeing ever so carefully…OUCH! CRASH! BANG! Yup, you find yourself on your backside because you stepped on a stray Lego piece that stuck to the bottom of your foot, and as you were trying to remove it, you lost your balance and fell on top of a Lego castle that your children built the day before. Does any of this sound familiar? While AP9 HomeWorks Plus, a leading membership discount program offered by Adaptive Marketing LLC^®, can’t help with the bruises, it can help members save on purchases for their home…like toy storage.

AP9 HomeWorks Plus reports that with the holidays are just around the corner it may be a good time to clear out some of the existing toy clutter in preparation of new items. Donate toys that are no longer “age appropriate” and organize the toys that are used most often. This is a win-win situation. Donating toys during the holidays (or anytime) will help the less fortunate while providing you with a clutter-free (and accident-free) home.

Members of AP9 HomeWorksPlus can access a wide variety of discounts and savings by logging on to DealPass.com. Members receive up to 20% off at nationally-known home improvement and retail stores on hundreds of items that are purchased for everyday use or even gifts for special occasions.

AP9 HomeWorksPlus provides a few easy, inexpensive, fun and creative toy storage tips:

--Recycled boxes. Don’t throw out those big boxes that toys come in. Reuse them for storing toys. Worried about the appearance? Don’t fret. Cover the boxes with scraps of lively wrapping paper or use plain poster paper – the kids can have fun creating their own colorful masterpiece on the outside of the box.

--Trash cans. Garbage cans come in vibrant colors (perfect for children’s rooms) with a large amount of space for storing anything from books to balls. As an added bonus they come with a lid to prevent “toy spillage.”

--Clothes hampers. Clothes hampers provide an inexpensive and unique way to store toys. Hampers come in so many materials, patterns, sizes and designs that it would be difficult not to find one that fits your needs. From the pop-up hamper to the wicker hamper, an organized house can be easy and affordable.

--Shoe boxes. Shoe boxes are great for storing art-related items like crayons, markers, scissors and erasers. Kids can decorate the outside as part of a fun rainy or snowy day project. And they are stackable. If all the shoe boxes are in use, empty coffee containers also work wonders in the storage arena.

These money-saving toy storage tips were brought to you by AP9 HomeWorks Plus.

AP9 Privacy Matters 1-2-3 Advises Consumers to Take Inventory of Their Wallets

If your wallet has been labeled the “George Costanza Wallet” from the hit series Seinfeld, you may just be an identity thief’s ideal target. AP9 Privacy Matters 1-2-3 reports that according to the Federal Trade Commission, of the estimated 10 million Americans victimized by identity theft each year, the majority of the victims’ personal information was stolen not via the World Wide Web, but by non-computer related crimes such as purse and/or wallet snatching.

AP9 PrivacyMatters1-2-3, a leading security and privacy membership program offered by Adaptive Marketing LLC^®, assists consumers with staying on top of their personal information by providing instant access to their triple credit reports and scores as well as members-only access to weekly credit monitoring alerts. And for those consumers who have not checked their credit report in over a year, many top governmental agencies highly suggest obtaining a copy of your credit report once a year if not more. Knowledge is key when dealing with ID theft criminals.

Since many Americans have a misconceived notion that ID theft crimes only happen over the Internet, AP9 PrivacyMatters1-2-3 suggests that it is a good time to take inventory of what is in your wallet and to clean it out as much as possible -- the less personal information you carry, the less chance ID thieves will have to damage your good name. AP9 Privacy Matters 1-2-3 offers a few helpful suggestions to get you started:

-- Social Security Card. If you find your Social Security card in your wallet or purse, remove it promptly. If stolen, ID thieves will be able to apply for credit cards and bank loans easily, which will result in nothing but months of stress trying to clean up the mess. Only take your Social Security card with you when you need it – applying for a job, making financial transactions, or going to see your accountant during tax season.

-- Extra Credit Cards. Remove all of your credit cards except for 1 or 2. We also suggest making photo copies of all your credit cards -- front and back -- but don’t carry them with you. Leave the copies at home or somewhere they are safe and secure. In case your wallet or purse is stolen, you will have copies of your credit card numbers and the toll-free telephone numbers where you can call to report your cards stolen.

-- Receipts. It might be a good idea to clear out some of your receipts as they may contain your credit card number. If you need them for tax purposes, start a filing system at home. This way you won’t have to carry so much around with you.

In addition to receiving instant access to your credit report and score along with credit monitoring alerts, the security and privacy membership program also offers a discount on Internet security software and anti-virus software – all through AP9 PrivacyMatters1-2-3.

AP9 Connections Offers Ideas for Family Fun During the Holidays

During the holidays, in the midst of all the shopping, the gift-wrapping and the cooking, families also have a great opportunity to spend more time together. College students come back for a couple of days, cousins, uncles and aunts come to visit, and schools are closed. Members of AP9 Connections, a premier recreation and entertainment savings program by Adaptive Marketing LLC^®, don’t have to struggle to find ways to spend some quality -- and fun -- time together with relatives and siblings. All they have to do is use their benefits to access an ample selection of entertainment options, and each time they do, they save money!

Members log on to DealPass.com to access benefits like movie rentals and movie tickets, and gift cards to toy stores, restaurants, retail stores and many others. AP9 Connections offers all these fun resources to open up more entertainment options for families. While the stories Uncle Joe has been telling for the past 10 years are compelling, there’s also a world of games and activities that can engage the family and perhaps create new holiday traditions.

AP9 Connections offers some ideas for enjoying the holidays with the whole family:

-- Winter Olympics. If weather permits, play outside during the day or at night, and create the family Olympics. Set up a volleyball net, toss around a Frisbee, see who lasts longer jumping rope or flies higher on the trampoline. Team up cousins against uncles, create categories by age, and offer some rewards to encourage fair play, team spirit and fun time.   

-- Broadway show. Talent runs in every family, in all sorts of ways. Organize a concert with those who play instruments, let the poet of the family read a couple of sonnets, get the wanna-be stars to sing their favorite songs, or have a mini-play recreating an event that is now part of the family’s history.

-- Red carpet event. Take a vote for movie theme night -- comedy, horror, animation or famous classics. You can rent the movie, buy a new DVD or make a short family trip to the movies. To keep the fun rolling, don’t close the curtain after the credits; ask everyone what scene they liked best, which characters were most convincing or what parts they would change if they made the movie themselves.

-- Hand-made creations. Visit your local craft store for ideas and supplies to spend an artistic evening together. Work on one large project, separating in teams and giving each one a responsibility. At the end of the night, all the parts will come together for a big creation made by the whole family. You can do the same by inviting the kids to cook. Some will take care of the salad, others the main course, and others can add a touch of sugar with a yummy dessert. 

Board games are always a great alternative as well. Have out-of-town relatives bring some of theirs, and play a different one every night. AP9 Connections offers savings on all of these resources and much more, so every member of the family can offer up their two cents of family fun before, during and after the holidays. Happy holidays, wishes AP9 Connections.