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Gary Lipton Media Relations Manager Phone: 1-(800)-222-5551 Fax: 1-(800)-990-4329 Web site: www. napsnet .com e-mail: printmedia@napsnet.com #2660 North American Precis Syndicate, Inc., 415 Madison Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10017 What Others Are Doing, How You Can Help Keep It Simple This Holiday Season Tips To Help Focus On What’s Really Important During The Holidays (NAPSA)—The holidays should be a time to reconnect with our loved ones, not exhaust our energy and financial resources. If the season has become more stressful than joyful, it’s time to get back to holiday basics. The experts at Grocery Outlet Bargain Market can help you stay focused on what’s really important this year with tips to prevent you from overstressing and overspending. How To Simplify The Holiday Season Get ready. Take inventory of your supplies early on. Buy items such as wrapping paper, tape, ribbons, stamps, boxes and pantry staples (sugar, flour) well in advance of the holidays. You can look for discounted items when you’re not rushed. Revisit your family traditions. Think through holidays from years past. Which activities caused you anxiety, stress and precious time? Focus on what makes you happy and eliminate what stresses you out. Don’t overcommit. Don’t say “yes” to every invitation. Save room in your schedule for things that might pop up at the last minute. Evaluate your gift list. Limit gifts to children only. Pick names or host a gift exchange. Focus on gifts from the heart. Give gifts that show your love—not the size of your wallet. Grandparents will likely value a photo album or a framed piece of children’s art far more than expensive presents. Stay home. A holiday staycation eliminates the numerous stresses and expenses that come from travel. Shop strategically. Sometimes, the places that will save you the most money might not be your go-to store for certain items. For example, extreme discount retailer Grocery Outlet also sells personal care products, toys, decorations and kitchen supplies—at prices up to 50 percent less than traditional stores’. Simple Roast Turkey Serves 8–12 93 per serving A spectacular turkey dinner can be easier and less expensive to achieve than many people realize. Tips For The Big Holiday Meal Make it potluck. Ask your guests to contribute an appetizer, side or dessert. Ask visiting relatives to make breakfast, so you can focus on the turkey. Prep ahead. Chop, measure and prepare as much as you possibly can in the days leading up to a big holiday meal. Fake it. Not everything needs to be made from scratch. Grocery store bakeries can provide delicious pies, cakes and cookies—just add a fresh garnish. Don’t overspend. Shop at places that offer you the most value. For example, Grocery Outlet purchases overstocks and closeouts directly from brand-name manufacturers. That means prices that are up to 50 percent cheaper than regular grocery stores. Quality over quantity. You don’t need seven vegetables and six pies. Keep it simple. Grocery Outlet’s Simple Holiday Menu can feed a family of six for less than $20. For other cost-saving recipes, visit www.groceryoutlet.com/ holidays. $3 Holiday Menu Cost Per Serving Simple Roast Turkey Harvest Apple Stuffing Green Bean Casserole Cranberries Rolls Pie Total $0.93 $0.45 $0.50 $0.11 $0.13 $0.50 $2.62 1 12–18-pound turkey 1 stick butter, room temperature 1 lemon, thinly sliced Salt and freshly ground pepper Preheat oven to 325F. Remove neck and giblets from inside the turkey. Refrigerate for other use or discard. Rinse and drain juices from turkey. Pat dry with paper towels. Slice butter into 8 slices. Slide two slices butter under skin of the breast and one slice on each drumstick, also under the skin. Place t u r k e y, b r e a s t u p , o n a roasting rack in a shallow roasting pan. Sprinkle turkey cavity generously with salt and pepper. Place three butter slices and lemon slices in main cavity. Tuck w i n g t i p s u n d e r. T i e l e g s together loosely. Rub the last slice of butter on the outside breast skin. Sprinkle outside of turkey generously with salt and pepper. Transfer turkey to the oven. Cover breast and top of drumsticks with aluminum foil once they begin to brown to prevent them from drying out. The turkey is done when a meat thermometer reaches 180F when inserted into the deepest part of the thigh and 170F in the breast. Let stand 15 minutes before carving. For specific roasting times, additional recipes, shopping lists and money-saving tips, visit www.groceryoutlet.com/ holidays. (NAPSA)—Here’s a story that will warm your heart: During this season of giving—and beyond— many travelers are helping sick children feel just a little better. Real Giving TownePlace Suites by Marriott started a wonderful tradition a few years back, making hand-tied blankets and delivering them to various hospitals across the U.S. and Canada through Children’s Miracle Network. Children’s Miracle Network, now helping 170 nonprofit hospitals treating children, was founded with two simple goals: 1. Help as many children as possible by raising funds for children’s hospitals. 2. Keep funds in the community in which they were raised to help local children. TownePlace Suites guests, owners, associates and volunteers spend hours knotting together thousands of warm, fleece blankets every year. A donation in any amount can help purchase the supplies needed to create the blankets for these young patients—kids who need a little extra comfort, security, love and care. I n ad d ition to the annual year-end blanket-making program, TownePlace Suites believes in serving the communitie s in which its hotel s are located throughout the year. Earlie r this year, hundreds o f TownePlace Suites took part in a nationwide effort to end childhood hunger by providing breakfast to children in need through an organization called Action for Healthy Kids. During one week, nearly 10,000 guests ate Kellogg’s cereal and signed posters that allowed for breakfast to be donated to children. Giving on the go: Travelers can participate in a program to provide the comforting warmth of new blankets to sick children. Real Living Just as TownePlace Suites helps children in need, the brand also helps travelers who are on the road for long periods of time. More than a place to stay, the all-suite, extendedstay TownePlace Suites is a place to live, offering studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom suites with fully equipped kitchens, as well as thoughtful spaces for both working and relaxing. Helping guests settle in by acclimating them to the neighborhood, TownePlace Suites has its own TowneMap in every property, displaying local favorite restaurants, services and attractions. In addition, the brand offers rates based on length of stay, 25 percent more space than traditional hotel rooms, a 24/7 food and beverage pantry, complimentary breakfast and 24-hour coffee, on-site business services, laundry facilities, complimentary Wi-Fi and many other extended-stay amenities. Now in its 15th year, TownePlace Suites by Marriott was ranked No.1 for mid-price extended stays by Business Travel News’ Hotel Chain Survey in 2011 and 2012. The brand is part of the Marriott Rewards award-winning guest loyalty program. For further information on TownePlace Suites, visit www.towneplace.com.
