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(NAPSA)—This holiday shop- ping season, there could be good news for those Americans who hold the estimated 1.8 billion memberships in customer rewards programs. Redeeming points and miles earned in loyalty reward pro- grams saves money and lets you take advantage of early discounts, get a better selection and avoid the last-minute crowds. Just in time for the 2010 holi- day shopping season, North Amer- ican loyalty-marketing expert Loy- altyOne offers the following 10 tips for saving money on gifts and entertainment this year. 1. One-stop shop: To maxi- mize rewards earning, consolidate holiday shopping to one retailer with a great rewards program. 2. Double dip to accumulate points: Use a rewards credit card at merchants that also have their own loyalty programs. 3. Combat high travel expenses: Frequent-flier miles are an excellent way to bring the family together without breaking the bank. 4. Remember, reward points can be unexpected gifts: You can use this secret stash instead of cash to buy gifts. Research by COLLOQUY magazine found some loyalty program participants report zero redemptions over the course of a year, suggesting that people have points sitting in accounts ready to be redeemed. 5. Get in the spirit of giving: Many rewards programs let you use points as gifts to pro-environmental causes and as donations to other charitable organizations. 6. See about side benefits: Take advantage of a rewards program’s side benefits, such as members-only extended shopping hours and reduced shipping costs. 7. Have a not-so-silent night: Treat the family to a night on the town. Many rewards pro- grams offer great entertainment options, such as concerts and plays, for redemption. 8. Open a store credit card: They often have a great rewards program that will provide instant savings and extra perks for your holiday season. Then there’s that card you opened and forgot about. Take it back out of the drawer; there may be some unused points you can redeem for a great stock- ing stuffer. 9. Be aware that time is money: Save them both. Many retailers let you earn no matter how you shop. These multifac- eted programs give points not only for in-store purchases but for time-saving shopping meth- ods, such as catalogs and online stores. 10. Treat yourself: Use points to select that “from me, to me” gift, such as spa packages or a new set of golf clubs. You won’t be alone. LoyaltyOne reports that COLLOQUY research found nine out of 10 U.S. redeemers reported themselves as the primary benefi- Ten Tips To Help You Save Holiday Green

The Cold Truth About Cold Sores Ten Tips To Help … · men and women are choosing Tru Face Essence Ultra, Nu Skin’s clinically proven “Firming Spe - cialist.” For more skin

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(NAPSA)—This holiday shop-ping season, there could be goodnews for those Americans whohold the estimated 1.8 billionmemberships in customer rewardsprograms.Redeeming points and miles

earned in loyalty reward pro-grams saves money and lets youtake advantage of early discounts,get a better selection and avoidthe last-minute crowds. Just in time for the 2010 holi-

day shopping season, North Amer-ican loyalty-marketing expert Loy-altyOne offers the following 10tips for saving money on gifts andentertainment this year.

1. One-stop shop: To maxi-mize rewards earning, consolidateholiday shopping to one retailerwith a great rewards program.

2. Double dip to accumulatepoints: Use a rewards credit cardat merchants that also have theirown loyalty programs.

3. Combat high travelexpenses: Frequent-flier miles arean excellent way to bring the familytogether without breaking the bank.

4. Remember, reward pointscan be unexpected gifts: Youcan use this secret stash insteadof cash to buy gifts. Research byCOLLOQUY magazine foundsome loyalty program participantsreport zero redemptions over thecourse of a year, suggesting thatpeople have points sitting inaccounts ready to be redeemed.

5. Get in the spirit of giving:Many rewards programs let you use

points as gifts to pro-environmentalcauses and as donations to othercharitable organizations.

6. See about side benefits:Take advantage of a rewards program’s side benefits, such asmembers-only extended shoppinghours and reduced shippingcosts.

7. Have a not-so-silentnight: Treat the family to a nighton the town. Many rewards pro-grams offer great entertainmentoptions, such as concerts andplays, for redemption.

8. Open a store credit card:They often have a great rewardsprogram that will provide instantsavings and extra perks for yourholiday season. Then there’s thatcard you opened and forgot about.Take it back out of the drawer;there may be some unused pointsyou can redeem for a great stock-ing stuffer.

9. Be aware that time ismoney: Save them both. Manyretailers let you earn no matterhow you shop. These multifac-eted programs give points notonly for in-store purchases butfor time-saving shopping meth-ods, such as catalogs and onlinestores.

10. Treat yourself: Use pointsto select that “from me, to me”gift, such as spa packages or anew set of golf clubs. You won’t bealone. LoyaltyOne reports thatCOLLOQUY research found nineout of 10 U.S. redeemers reportedthemselves as the primary benefi-

Ten Tips To Help You Save Holiday Green

by John Addison(NAPSA)—Too often, con-

sumers find that it doesn’t takemuch to damage good credit. For-tunately, there are some very com-mon mistakes that, in reality, arenot that hard to avoid. Steeringclear of them can help to protectyour credit.1. Not valuing your credit.

Good credit is a valuable commod-ity in today’s economy. Bad credit,including a bad cre dit record, late

payments and so on,can create a nega-tive financial profilewhen you have alegitimate need toborrow. Abusingshort-term creditobligations cancause a mortgagelender to reject your

application for a home mortgage.2. Allowing a need for sta-

tus to overrule common sense.Most credit card companies nowoffer a “status” card targeted to aconsumer’s desire to have the bestof everything. While status cardstend to have higher limits andmore frills, they also carry thehighest annual fees—from $75 to$100. The basic card from thesame company will likely offer thesame basic features and a muchlower annual cost.3. Raising credit card lim-

its. If you use credit cards, avoidraising your limit. An increased

limit is merely an increased temp-tation to buy. If your companynotifies you that it’s raising yourlimit, you can refuse. Simply callor write to say thanks but nothanks.4. Not monitoring your

credit. Lenders get a snapshot ofyour debt repayment history withyour credit report and it’s impor-tant you know what they’re see-ing. You can review your creditreport once a year, free. Knowwhere you stand.5. Not knowing your inter-

est rate and fees. Fees can varywidely among cards. Always makesure you know what the rate andannual fees are before you acceptthe card. If you have existingcards, check the rate you’re pay-ing and if it is high, shop aroundfor a card with a lower rate.These common mistakes could

end up costing you hundreds ofdollars and affect how lendersview you.

Learn MoreFinancial professionals at

Primerica have created a guidethat can show you how to takecontrol of your financial life. To geta copy of “How Money Works,”write to Primerica, 3120 Breckin-ridge Blvd., Duluth, GA 30099.ATTN: Corporate Relations, or call(770) 564-6329. For more informa-tion, visit www.primerica.com.

• John Addison is co-CEO ofPrimerica.

Common Credit Mistakes You Need To Avoid

Addison

Control The ActionWith Your Guitar

(NAPSA)—An electrifying newgame is striking a chord withmusic lovers—as it uses a six-string guitar that functions as awireless game controller. Featuring the music of Eric

Clapton, Dave Matthews and KidRock, “Power Gig: Rise of the

SixString” for Xbox 360 orPlayStation 3 has been called thetrue evolution of band videogames.Through an exclusive deal, the

music of these artists will onlyappear here and not in any othergames. The game integrates real gui-

tar playing into entertaininggameplay. The video game canrecognize gamers’ input alongthe guitar, making the guitar aseasy to pick up and play as otherband-game button controllers. Outside of the game world, the

SixString can also be used as afully functional electric guitar. Anyone can play, even with-

out guitar experience. If you likeyour existing button controllers,have at it as the software iscross-compatible with existingband games. For more informa-tion, visit www.powergig.com.

A new video game puts an elec-tric guitar in your hands and letsyou control the game while amp-ing up your guitar skills.

(NAPSA)—Although peoplehave long given lip service to somemyths about cold sores, learningthe truth may be a relief to many.Here’s a cold hard look at the fic-tion and the facts about cold sores:Myth: If you have never had a

cold sore, you don’t carry the virusthat causes them. Fact: The fact is that 80 to 90

percent of adults have beenexposed to the cold sore virus but,for unknown reasons, only 20 to40 percent of people who get thevirus actually experience out-breaks. Still, that means some 80million Americans will experienceat least one outbreak a year. Myth: Pricking the blisters with

sterilized needles and applying rub-bing alcohol, witch hazel, tea bagsor ice can speed up healing. Fact: Home remedies have not

been clinically proven to heal coldsores or lessen healing time.Though they may ease the discom-fort, they could in some casesmake it worse or cause the out-break to last longer than it shouldaccording to experts.Myth: There’s nothing you can

do about cold sores.Fact: Cold sores can occur due

to cold weather, sun exposure,stress, sickness, injury to themouth or lack of sleep; under-standing and avoiding these trig-gers can help you prevent orshorten an outbreak. Althoughthere’s no cure for cold sores, it ispossible to reduce the frequency ofoutbreaks or speed up healingtime and the duration of symp-toms when you get them. Here are a few hints on how:

1. It’s important not to sharepersonal items or kiss for theentire cold sore life cycle. 2. Get plenty of rest. A worn

down body is more likely to getsick and find it hard to keep thevirus inactive.3. Ask your medical provider

about over-the-counter treat-ments, including the No. 1 phar-macist-recommended cold sorebrand, Abreva. Only Abreva isFDA approved, and it has medi-cine in it that helps block thevirus from entering healthy cellsto speed healing.4. Use sunscreen to avoid over-

exposure to the sun.5. Learn more about cold sore

treatment and prevention atwww.coldsore.com or www.MedicineNotMyth.com. There, you canalso play a new interactive andinformative trivia game about coldsores and their treatment. Thosewho clear the board can also enterfor a chance to win $500. A newwinner is announced monthlythrough March.

The Cold Truth About Cold Sores

Understanding just what cancause and how to treat a coldsore may help millions of Ameri-cans feel better faster.

(NAPSA)—Pets can get stressed,so many pet owners turn to helpfulholistic flower remedies such asRescue Remedy Pet to reduce behav-ior problems. Learn more atwww.rescueremedy.com/pets and(800) 319-9151.

** ** **“America is going broke paying

for somebody else’s retirement,”said Robert Enlow, president andCEO of The Foundation for Edu-cational Choice, the legacy foun-dation of Milton and Rose Fried-man. To learn more access TheFoundation for EducationalChoice–Manhattan Institutestudy at www.edchoice.org/ Teacher-Pensions-PR.

** ** **Ice.com now offers a selection

of diamond and gemstone jewelrythat’s based on over 8,000 reviewsof the items customers reportreceiving compliments on. Tolearn more about what’s hot, visitwww.ice.com or call 1-800-539-3580

** ** **To address sagging skin, many

men and women are choosing TruFace Essence Ultra, Nu Skin’sclinically proven “Firming Spe-cialist.” For more skin care infor-mation or to order the product,call (800) 487-1000 or go towww.nuskinusa.com.

** ** **Parents can begin a new tradi-

tion with The Elf on the Shelf. Giftsets come with a magical scout elfand book. Or alleviate bedtimestresses with A Light in the Nightbook and plush doll with a night-light in its tummy. Published byCCA and B, they can be found atgift stores and at www.ccaandb.comor (877) 919-4105.

** ** **When using social media such

as Facebook or Twitter protectyour privacy and security. Readand understand all privacy poli-cies. HUB International offerstips on how to reduce your risk ofidentity theft. Visit www.hubID secure.com.

** ** **Hot holiday stocking stuffers

from KIWI Shoe Care can helpyou and yours put your best footforward. For more information,visit www.kiwicare.com.

***Choose rather to be strong ofsoul than strong of body.

—Pythagoras***

***I am convinced that life in aphysical body is meant to be anecstatic experience.

—Shakti Gawain***

***Our bodies communicate to usclearly and specifically, if weare willing to listen to them.

—Shakti Gawain***

***The body is a marvelousmachine: a chemical laboratory,a powerhouse. Every movement,voluntary or involuntary, is fullof secrets and marvels!

—Theodor Herzl***