AP9 Consumer Gateway Weblog

AP9 Companies Offer Tips on Dorm Essentials for the College Students

Making new friends is one of the cornerstones of the college experience. And a decorative dorm room with the right accessories is the key to popularity for many college students. On the other hand, a boring dorm room can lead to a social disaster. Fortunately, turning a basic dorm room into the campus “hot spot” isn’t as hard as it seems, according to AP9 Companies, a collection of membership programs that offer a valuable and wide selection of exclusive discounts and services for nearly every facet of daily life.

A dorm room isn’t just a place to sleep anymore, note AP9 Companies. Today, a college student’s “home away from home” can serve a variety of different purposes — from dance floor to personal movie theatre. That’s why every dorm room needs to be stylish and equipped with the right accessories. Equally important, the room has to be a comfortable place to relax and unwind. And working in the right environment can also assist students with their studies — helping ideas and innovation flourish.

Decorating a dorm room effectively can be as easy as covering the walls with posters of your favorite bands and movies — from Animal House to Phish — or having the best technology— from an iPhone to Xbox 360. For the future interior decorators out there, who get to show off their decorating skills for the first time, the process can be a little bit more complicated. No matter what the theme of the dorm room, though, AP9 Companies want every college student to keep in mind the following dorm room accessories and decorating ideas.

-- Comfortable places for others to sit. A couch or futon is a valuable asset that every college student’s dorm room should have. Not only will a couch or futon provide friends with a place to sit or even sleep, the right couch can also help improve the room’s vibe.

-- Decor. The wall of a dorm room is the place for college students to express themselves. From cheap posters and collages to vintage memorabilia and wall art, the right decor can make or break the room.

-- Dry erase board. A dry erase board is great for keeping track of assignments, notes, photos and schedules. It can also serve as a valuable message center if it’s placed outside the door.

-- Entertainment. After a long day of classes, watching a movie in the dorm can be the perfect way to relax. That’s why a DVD player and television are necessities for every dorm room. Whether it’s an iHome or a stereo, being able to play loud music is also a must.

-- Stylish rug. A big rug in the middle of the room will make the room look and feel more comfortable and inviting. Considering how hard institutional flooring can be, this can be crucial. A nice rug can also add much-needed style to the room.

Moving into a dorm room is the first time that most college students get to live on their own. As stressful as the process may seem, decorating a dorm room can be an exciting experience because of the new-found freedom involved. All it takes is a little bit of planning, but with the right accessories and decor, any dorm room can turn into one of the popular hangouts on campus, report AP9 Companies.

AP9 Companies Offer A Few Ideas for Memorable Summer Vacations

It’s possible, AP9 Companies report, to create a summer vacation for the ages out of nothing more than a local beach and a week away from the office. All the same, most of us are usually tempted by vacation dreams that involve a little bit more than sunscreen and half a tank of gas.

While the quest for an all-time favorite summer vacation memory often puts a crimp in one’s budget, AP9 Companies members can access savings on a wide variety of travel needs, entertainment interests, seasonal apparel, home furnishings and a whole lot of other items and services that can keep the fun coming throughout the summer.

AP9 Companies know that your ideal summer getaway depends entirely upon who you are. A camping trip in the Pacific northwest, for instance, can be a riveting adventure for a woodsman or an ongoing source of agony for a socialite. Similarly, a tour of the great malls of America can send a serious shopper into spasms of joy while making a cycling enthusiast want to bang his helmet repeatedly against a wall.

Recognizing that one man’s dream vacation is another woman’s journey into the heart of boredom, AP9 Companies nevertheless propose a few destinations that can help make summer 2007 a vacation season to remember:

-- Head to the Hamptons. Everyone who’s anyone in New York social circles tends to summer in the Hamptons — and why not? With sun, sand and surf during the day and pre-planned parties at a wide range of hotspots at night, the glitterati take the concept of “summer hours” to a whole new level. Joining them can be a pricey decision, but finding a time share (or a friend who has one) can make Long Island’s south shore affordable enough to offer you entry into the world of high society, if only for a short time.

-- Get a glimpse of a glacier. As our planet heats up, glaciers are melting away at speeds not usually associated with them. While there’s still time, book a trip to Glacier National Park in Montana, where you can hike over 700 miles of eye-opening trails. From pristine forests to glistening lakes, from rugged terrain to inviting meadows, from grizzly bears to alpine wildflowers, Glacier National Park offers a range of sights and adventures that you can’t find anywhere else on Earth.

-- Make it a Smoky Mountain summer. America’s coolest mountain ranges aren’t all in the north. The Smoky Mountains offer half a million acres of recreational fun, from hiking and fishing to bird-watching, golf, swimming or simply lounging around and enjoying the view. Located in Tennessee and North Carolina, the Smoky Mountains provide an elevated taste of southern hospitality and culture.

-- Leave it to Las Vegas. If the vacation decision is a toss-up between civilization and a natural setting, enjoy the best of both worlds — Las Vegas. Not only does Vegas offer the latest and greatest in man-made entertainment, it’s also within a day’s reach of spectacular natural beauty, including the Grand Canyon, Red Rock, Lake Mead and a host of other sights that have to be seen to be believed.

With summer fast approaching, it’s time to start booking your vacation accommodations before they’re all snapped up. Wherever you end up, be sure to send yourself a “wish you were here” postcard to remind you of the fun you had, suggests AP9 Companies.

AP9 Companies Offer Tips to Get Ready for Swimsuit Season

You wake up one day and realize the birds are chirping outside. You smile. Spring has arrived. Then you see yourself in the mirror and realize how pale and “chubby” you look. You frown. You don’t feel quite ready to show off your figure at the beach. What to do asks AP9 Companies?

First of all, make your own plan of dieting and exercise. AP9 Companies offer a variety of home, shopping, traveling and entertainment savings programs, all of which you can use for each of the steps of your plan for a beach body. Need a treadmill? Want to find the swimsuit that will show off your best features? Is it imperative that you join a gym? Need a new pair of running shoes?

Members of AP9 Companies programs can save on all of these items and services to help anyone get back in shape for the summer. Along with all the savings and benefits, AP9 Companies would also like to offer some useful and healthy tips:

Moderation. If you’ve been a couch potato for more than the winter months, don’t expect to have the body of a swimsuit model. Your plan should integrate steps that will help you lose weight and tone muscles progressively for a period of at least eight weeks. Quick, radical diets will only give you short-term results and flabbier skin.

Eat right. Do it not only because you want to look better when you meet your friends at the beach, but also because it’s good for you. Start this spring by adding fruits and vegetables to your diet, and vary the routine by buying the most popular varieties each season and learning new ways to prepare your favorite meals or salads. Eat seasonal fruits or peanuts as snacks, and cut down on the carbs by eating them only for breakfast or lunch — not for dinner.

30 minutes. That’s the recommended minimum amount of time you should dedicate to any physical activity every day. Stop with the excuses; move around the house while cleaning for the new season, take the running/walking shoes out of the closet and walk around the block after dinner, go outside and play hide-n-seek with the kids, or just get on that treadmill. To make time go by faster, listen to your favorite music or watch a TV show, and use light weights or cans of vegetables to add some toning exercises to the program.

Sweat a little. Those 30 minutes a day are a big help for your heart and body, but if you want a more intense physical activity to look buff at the town swimming pool, get a gym membership and talk to a trainer about your goals. A professional can help you achieve results that will last longer without putting your health at risk.

Commitment is the ultimate key to looking good and also feeling good. Motivation will get you started, so once you get off the couch and enjoy what you’re doing, you’ll like exercising as much as you like the savings you get from the programs offered by AP9 Companies.

AP9 Companies Help Consumers Make the Most of End-of-Season Sales at Top National Retailers

As winter heads into its final stretch and fashion outlets start making way for their spring lines, members of AP9 Companies, which offer many of the nation’s leading discount shopping programs, know that they can track down great deals on apparel for the coming year -- especially next winter.

The change of seasons always brings a change to the shelves of department stores and other clothing retailers, who need to sell off their older inventory to open up space for the coming season’s apparel, reports AP9 Companies. To do so, these outlets drastically reduce the regular retail price -- sometimes by as much as 80 percent -- on brand-name and other items.

Before heading out to take advantage of the various end-of-season sales, be sure to take a look at these handy shopping tips, brought to you by AP9 Companies:

-- Stick with what works. Stock up on those wardrobe staples that never go out of style -- blue jeans, flannel shirts, long-sleeve cotton tops and other basics.

-- Make a solid investment. Solid-color clothes are always easier to mix and match than, say, plaids and stripes are, and solid colors are always in fashion. Dependable color choices include black, dark blue, brown, white, red and gray.

-- Stay off last season’s bandwagon. Fads are notoriously fickle — what’s hip and chic today can be a source of ridicule next year, as the clogs craze of the mid-1980s so amply demonstrates. The best way to stay on the cutting edge of fashion is to buy the trendy togs at the beginning of a season, not at the end of it.

-- Prepare for future growth. Shopping for children can be a crapshoot. One day, they’re a size 6; the next day, a size 8. Be sure to add at least one size when shopping for next winter’s children’s clothing so they’ll have room to grow into them.

-- Timing is everything. Be sure to compare prices between stores, of course, but don’t automatically jump at the first advertised markdown. As the spring season gets closer and closer, stores will try to reduce their winter inventories by dropping their prices more and more, so the deepest discounts often come at the end of the sales season, not at the start.

-- Protect your investments. Keep next winter’s clothes fresh and new by storing them in garment bags or airtight boxes that will safely preserve them until they’re needed.

With a minimum of planning, consumers can boost their end-of-season-sales savings by up to 20 percent when they pre-purchase gift cards and gift certificates to top retailers through the various discount shopping programs offered by AP9 Companies.

AP9 Companies Offer Tips for Poison Safety at Home

The word “home” is usually synonymous with the words “safe place,” but for many families all over the country, this has not been the case. In the United States, poison is the #2 cause of accidental, injury-related deaths in the home, and to create awareness on this issue, the third week of March has been designated as the National Poison Prevention Week.

AP9 Companies, which offer a variety of home, shopping, traveling and entertainment programs, encourage families to take the appropriate steps to create a safer home, virtually free of poisoning hassles. There are many easy precautions that adults should take into consideration to prevent accidents at home, especially — but not exclusively — if small children are living there.

Members of AP9 Companies programs can save on many items and services to help maintain a poison-free home, thanks to members-only benefits and deals at major retailers all over the country. In addition to the savings, AP9 Companies also like to offer some useful tips to help you safeguard your family and decrease the risks presented by common household poisons:

-- Point them out. Because every member of the household should know exactly what products can be poisonous, it’s a good idea to take the family on an educational tour of the house, so everyone can learn which items are potentially harmful and which are not. Of course, never refer to medicines as “candy,” and make sure to keep medications in child-resistant containers.

-- Lock them up. Hazardous substances must always be stored in their own cabinets, either high up, out of the potential grasp of young ones, or down low (e.g., cleaning products) with very efficient childproof locks. Harmful substances should only be used for their intended purposes, so it’s important to keep them in their original container and to store them securely where they belong as soon as you’re done using them.

-- Divide and conquer. As important as locking away hazardous substances is the need to separate edibles from medicines or cleaning agents. If you need to keep any toxic substances in the kitchen area, make sure they are located in a separate cabinet, in part to help keep midnight snackers from having to wake others up for a trip to the emergency room.

-- Have a plan. Post the number for the National Poison Control Hotline (1-800-222-1222) next to every phone and educate yourself and your family about what to do if a poisoning occurs.

Learning regular safety measures can help you and your family enjoy a safer life at home. And if you’re looking for significant savings on home safety needs and other items of importance for you and family, including entertainment and shopping interests, be sure to check out AP9 Companies.

AP9 Companies Put the Heart in Valentine’s Day

Whether it’s time to woo a would-be sweetheart, tell a parent or loved one how important they are or just thank a friend for being there, AP9 Companies can help make Valentine’s Day something special.

While the search for the perfect Valentine’s Day sentiment can be quite thought provoking, AP9 Companies members can easily access DealPass.com, a secure portal that offers members-only savings on a wide variety of entertainment fun, clothing and accessories, floral arrangements and gift baskets, jewelry and so much more, to get great gift-giving ideas that are sure to please just about any Valentine.

AP9 Companies can help make Valentine’s Day a hit. Knowing what pulls the world’s heartstrings is part of our commitment — perhaps even part of what inspired American author Zora Neale Hurston to write: “Love makes your soul crawl out from its hiding place.” With that in mind, AP9 Companies offers the following tips to help make someone’s Valentine’s Day a holiday to remember:

-- Don’t be afraid to take a chance. Life is hard enough without trying to dance around personal feelings. Send that bouquet of roses or that box of chocolates or that special note…before you change your mind! Seize the moment before it’s gone.

-- Plan in advance. The line at the local flower shop on Valentine’s Day can be an organized form of chaos. Much like December’s mad holiday rush, supply and demand tends to collide at the 11th hour. Avoid these hassles by ordering online or calling in gift or flower orders well in advance.

-- Go the extra mile. Even though a significant other may not make a big deal of Valentine’s Day, that doesn’t mean he/she doesn’t care. Make big plans to flatter, show affection and dote on all loved ones on February 14. Don’t be afraid to do too much.

-- Catch the Cupid Bug. If there’s a Valentine’s Day equivalent to “Bah Humbug,” it surely deals with rejecting the “Cupid Bug.” There’s no need to spend a ton on flowers, candy and singing telegrams. Just try adopting a romantic attitude for the day and see what happens.

AP9 Companies 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. Have a happy Valentine’s Day, wishes AP9 Companies.

AP9 Companies Offer Safety Tips To Keep in Mind Around Pools and Beaches This Summer

Now that the expected heat of the summer has come, the AP9 Companies, which offer a variety of entertainment, traveling and shopping savings programs, encourage everybody to safely enjoy their playtime in, on, and around the water.

Whether you swim like a dolphin or need swimming aids to avoid plunging to the bottom like a rock, it’s always important to remember safety procedures when spending time at a pool or at the beach, especially if there are kids around. Members of the AP9 Companies programs can use the benefits available to them through their savings programs to purchase all the items they need to make their watery excursions safer. They log on to the members-only website DealPass.com to access savings on a variety of vacation-related needs, from pool tubes, floats and games to swimming gear, beach balls and even discounts on tickets to water parks and hotel accommodations.

According to the Red Cross, the best thing you can do to stay safe in and around the water is to learn to swim. It’s not necessary to become an Olympic-class swimmer; what matters is that you know the basics: how to float, stroke and paddle, and what to do when someone is in danger. The AP9 Companies not only offer you savings, but also a few important water safety tips:

At the pool:

-- If you’re a homeowner, basic pool-safety measures should be in place before anyone can use the facilities. Put a self-locking, self-closing fence around the pool area to prevent people from using it without your knowledge. The house should not be within the barrier.

-- Check pool surroundings for glass bottles, toys or potential hazards, and keep the water clear of toys that may attract children to reach for them.

-- Let your guests and family members know they should all take care of each other when spending time around the pool. Don’t allow anyone to swim alone, and enforce safety rules based on swimming abilities (experienced swimmers should watch out for those with less experience, etc.).

-- Never leave small children unsupervised, even just for a split second. Don’t let them go in or stay around the water without a personal flotation device (PDF). In case they accidentally fall into the pool, this device could save their life.

-- Those who have been drinking alcohol should stay away from the pool area. Don’t let anybody in if you know they’ve just finished eating or are feeling too tired.

-- Keep a cordless phone nearby, and post CPR instructions and local emergency phone numbers (including 911) close to the pool area. Learn Red Cross CPR, and teach grandparents, babysitters and other members of the family what to do in case of an emergency.

At the beach:

-- Swim in areas supervised by lifeguards and make sure the whole family reads and understands all the rules and posted signs around the area.

-- Just like at the pool, small kids or those who are just learning to swim must wear a personal floatation device when going in the water.

-- Before you let children go into the water, check it for deep and shallow areas, currents or obstructions. Doing so will make you aware of possible hazards and help you determine what safe practices to follow.

-- Pay attention to the lifeguards. They will let you know if there are any signs of danger and inform you about weather conditions and forecast. Stay alert, and stop swimming at the first sign of bad weather.

-- Keep an eye on your children at all times, especially if they are playing water games or playing with other items around the water.

Learning regular safety measures can help you and your family enjoy water fun without worries. And as an informed consumer, you might also know that there are many ways to plan family getaways for less through programs like those provided by the AP9 companies.

AP9 Companies Offer Ideas on Destinations for Spring Getaways

As winter exits and spring moves in, AP9 companies, which offer a variety of travel and entertainment savings programs, wants to encourage us to take a little break from the indoor season.

Whether you’re a sports enthusiast or a beach bum on hiatus, the lure of the great outdoors only increases as the blustery spring winds begin to push aside winter’s chill and replace it with the promise of warmer weather. Members of AP9 companies take great comfort in knowing that they can satisfy their wanderlust -- and their cravings for savings -- by logging in at DealPass.com for members-only deals on travel arrangements, accommodations, accessories and more.

Thing is, if you’re feeling the urge to hit the snow for one last hurrah or the sandy beaches for a little much-needed R&R, you know you’re probably not alone in that desire. “Cabin fever” and its lesser-known cousin, “cabin boredom,” tend to afflict vast numbers of the population as spring moves in. You might therefore want to weigh your need to get away with your interest in sharing your space with others before you make any reservations.

Fortunately, AP9 companies can offer a few tips that might help you find a vacation spot that’s perfect for you:

-- Go west, young shredder (and/or older skiers). While most East Coast ski resorts now cater to the snowboarding crowd, the best amenities and conditions are found out west -- and the options are much more plentiful. Thanks to their higher elevations, ski resorts in the Rockies and the Sierras typically have deeper snow bases, more powdery days and longer ski seasons. From Jackson Hole to Mammoth, from Squaw Valley to Sun Valley, western ski resorts offer something for every age range and every skiing or snowboarding level.

-- Think outside the hill. If all you plan to do is ski, you’ll want to base your choice on which mountain best fits your ability. But if you’re bringing the family, and not all of them share your enthusiasm, look for resorts that offer interesting alternatives, either at the mountain or within easy traveling distance. For instance, Lake Tahoe, which straddles the California-Nevada border, is within driving distance to at least eight different ski resorts but also features a wide range of non-skiing activities, including fine dining, nightclub acts, gambling, golf courses within an hour or two, and much more.

-- Make a (spring) break for it. Fans of warm-weather, spring-break revelry can easily find dozens of destinations to satisfy their love of crowds. Five of the top destinations include: Jamaica; Lake Havasu, Arizona; South Padre Island, Texas; Cancun, Mexico; and Panama City, Florida. If you’re a little late to the booking party, try Key West, Fort Lauderdale, Daytona Beach and other Florida hot spots, or look into beaches around Baja California.

-- Break away. For folks looking to avoid the crowds and carnival atmosphere of spring-break beach spots, some resorts now offer adult-only (i.e., no one under the age of 25) or family vacation packages around the peak of spring break. Among other options, Sandals has 12 couples-only locations in the Caribbean, while Beaches and Breezes both provide family-oriented fun.

Regardless of how you want to spend your spring getaway, you can find whatever you’re looking for with a little bit of research and effort. And there’s never a bad time to take a break from your everyday routine -- especially when you can save on your travel plans through programs like those provided by AP9 companies.

AP9 Companies Reminds Consumers That Mother’s Day Is Just Around the Corner

April showers bring May flowers, as the old saying goes, but what do May flowers bring? According to AP9 companies, they bring smiles to the faces of mothers all across the country. The same can be said about any number of other thoughtful gifts, of course, and with Mother’s Day fast approaching, it’s time to start looking for proper tokens of your affection for your mother.

While flowers are a traditional and appreciated Mother’s Day present, they’re not the only game in town. Members of AP9 companies know they can find great ideas -- and great deals -- when they log in at DealPass.com for members-only offers on clothes, jewelry, travel, personal care items, accessories and much more (including floral arrangements).

So what do you have in mind for your mother this year? If you’re looking for something new and different, AP9 companies have a few possibilities in store for you:

-- Say it with live flowers. Bouquets are beautiful, but live flowers and plants last a lot longer. And if your mother has (or wants to develop) a green thumb, a perennial plant can provide her with a nice centerpiece for her garden while serving as an ongoing reminder of the eternal bond between mother and child.

-- Pack up the memories. Mothers typically beam with pride at their children’s accomplishments. Put together a scrapbook of memories for your mom, from your best report card to a picture of you on prom night to newspaper articles recounting your athletic, academic or business feats. If you can’t find those but do have pictures of your children, an album of photos or even a collage depicting your kids in action will also do nicely.

-- Give her a break. This Mother’s Day, surprise your mom with a prepaid spa visit. As a daughter, you might even want to make a day of it and join your mother at the spa. If you’re a son, on the other hand, you can take great pleasure just from knowing that your mother is being pampered by professionals.

-- Give her a hand. A mother’s work is never done, but with a little effort, you can at least put a dent in it. Whether it’s arranging for someone (which could be you) to give her home a thorough spring cleaning, or getting down and dirty under her car to change the oil, there are probably any number of chores that you can do that would make her life easier.

-- Send her on her merry way. If you’re looking to splurge this Mother’s Day, look into a vacation package that will take your mother to places she’s only dreamed about before. Be it a Caribbean cruise or a visit to her grandparents’ native country, your mother will undoubtedly be thrilled to get away for a while -- and even more thrilled at how thoughtful you are.

Mother’s Day comes once a year, which might seem a little too infrequent, given all that mothers have done for us down through the ages. With a little time and consideration, though, you can find your mother a gift that will last the entire year -- or longer, according to AP9 companies.

AP9 Companies Offer Tips on Kicking Off Your Spring Cleaning Projects

Ahh, springtime, that refreshing season when days lengthen, sleeves shorten, flowers bloom, hearts throb, and our thoughts turn to … spring cleaning? Yes, indeed, it’s time to break out the mops, brooms, dusters and other implements of cleanliness, according to AP9 companies, which offer a variety of home and family savings programs.

For many of us, “March Madness” refers more to the maniacal chores we undertake to get our homes ready for the warm months ahead than it does to a basketball tournament. Members of AP9 companies can also go a little crazy on savings, simply by logging in at DealPass.com for members-only deals on home maintenance services, furnishings, supplies, accessories and other home-related needs.

While we’ve all heard that “cleanliness is next to godliness,” the act of achieving cleanliness in your home isn’t exactly a popular task. Who among us wouldn’t rather spend a weekend day in the spring on a golf course, getting a jump-start on your tan, or just kicking back with a book in a lawn chair?

Unfortunately, no home has yet been invented that will clean itself. The good news is that AP9 companies have a few tips for making your spring cleaning chores a little bit more tolerable than, say, a root canal:

-- Take inventory. Before you break out the cleaning utensils, make sure you have everything you need. A lack of essential supplies is one of the easiest excuses for not doing something that man has ever concocted. From dusters, paper towels and cleansers to mops, buckets, brooms and more, figure out what you have and what you need, then stock up before diving in.

-- Work downhill. Plan your project so you start with the biggest, dirtiest task, then move on to the second-dirtiest and so on. Your energy level will be at its highest for the toughest chores, and you’ll have easier tasks ahead as you work your way down the list.

-- Make it a family affair. Many hands make light work, and if you’re blessed with children, you might want to point out that they’re blessed to have a roof over their heads. Whether it’s dusting all the windowsills or cleaning their own bedrooms, there are any number of chores that even pre-teens are capable of doing.

-- Reward yourself (and your fellow workers). While working toward a state close to godliness is a good goal, it’s not always an effective pick-me-up when fatigue sets in. Schedule breaks after large pieces of the project have been completed, and reward everyone with a pizza lunch, extra cookies for dessert or some other treat that will both encourage and reward their efforts.

-- Rock on. Cleaning is often a mindless chore, so there’s usually plenty of room in your head for other thoughts. Crank up a favorite radio station, or take turns choosing CDs for the stereo. Not only can a good backbeat help you clean, you might even discover why your children listen to certain artists. (Okay, probably not, but it does offer you a chance to show your children the respect they tend to want.)

Very few people mark the change from winter to spring by crying out, “Yippee! Spring cleaning time!” Still, the sooner you start, the sooner you’ll likely be done, and you can even save on your efforts as a member of one of the savings programs provided by AP9 companies.