Peninsula Park Apartments • 4855 West Fuqua • Houston, TX 77045

Manager’s Message: CoronavirusI know this is a very stressful and uncertain time for everyone. We are working hard to

make sure all of our residents have the latest information and guidelines to stay healthyduring this time. Here are some suggestions:

• Stay home if you can and avoid gatherings of more than ten people.• Practice social distancing by keeping a distance of about six feet from others if you must

go out in public.• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after being

in a public place, or after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing. If soap and water arenot readily available, use a hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.

• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands.• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.• Stay home if you are sick, except to get medical care.• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when coughing or sneezing; throw used tissues

in the trash. If a tissue isn‘t available, cough or sneeze into your elbow or sleeve, not yourhands.

• Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces daily. This includes tables, doorknobs,light switches, handles, desks, computers, phones, keyboards, sinks, toilets, faucets andcountertops.

• If surfaces are dirty, clean them - use detergent or soap and water prior to disinfection. • Wear a face mask if you are sick. You should wear a face mask when you are around other

people (e.g., sharing a room or vehicle) and before you enter a healthcare provider‘s office.According to the CDC, COVID-19 symptoms include fever, shortness of breath and a

cough. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure. Call your doctor for medical adviceif you think you have been exposed to COVID-19 and develop symptoms.

Additional resources and information can be found at www.Coronavirus.gov.

Coronavirus NotesOffice Hours. We are limiting our Office Hours and will staffed by essential personnel only

and the doors to our Offices may be locked. If you need to reach our Staff, pleasecommunicate via phone or email.

Parcel Package Acceptance. As a reminder, packages will not be accepted in the Office.Please advise the retailer and/or the shipping company that they may leave packages byyour front door.

Resident Activities. All community activities have been cancelled until further notice. Maintenance Requests. Work orders should be requested via our website or via phone.

Only emergency work orders will be fulfilled. NOTE: if you or anyone in your family has flu-like symptoms please do not ask us to enter your apartment. Our Maintenance Technicianswill not enter your apartment unless there is an emergency.

IMPORTANT! Due to toilet paper shortages, alternatives may be necessary. If you do usethese products, please do not flush them down your apartment toilets. Doing so will causeissues with the sewage lines.

May 2020Inside this issue

Crisis budgetingGrocery shopping safety

Work from home tips and more!

Your ManageMent teaM

tracy ParkerCommunity ManagerDeandra LancasterAssistant Manager

amanda LopezLeasing Consultant

roberto HernandezLead Maintenance

Carlos CruzAssistant Maintenance

rufus CyrusMaintenance Technician

Maria ColinHousekeeper

Cearena oliver, tarsha MarcellusResident Activity Coordinators

offiCe Hours

Monday thru friday8:30 am–5:30 pm

saturday10:00 am–4:00 pm

sundayClosed

ContaCt DireCtorY

Management office(713) 434-8275

office fax(713) 433-3131

after Hours Maintenance(866) 363-9872

Courtesy Patrol(866) 363-9872

Manager’s e-Mailpeninsula@allied-orion.com

Community Websitewww.peninsulaparkapts.com

facebook Keywordwww.facebook.com/peninsulaparkapts

© 2020 ApartmentNewsletters.com a service of Multifamily Media Group, LLC (866) 607-3088 Printed on Recycled Paper.

Sweet & SpicyHoney Popcorn

Here’s a great snack idea forfamily movie and game nights.This recipe is sure to satisfy yoursweet tooth while providing anice zing of spice.

INGREDIENTS10 cups plain popped popcorn

2 tablespoons butter2 tablespoons honey

1 pinch cayenne pepper1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon sea salt(more or less to taste)

DIRECTIONS1. Pop the popcorn according

to the instructions.2. Mix the butter, honey,

cayenne, and cinnamon togetherin a bowl. Microwave for 20seconds at a time until it willeasily combine.

3. While the popcorn is stillfresh and hot, sprinkle with seasalt and drizzle the honey mixtureon top.

4. Toss everything together,ensuring an even coat. Enjoy!

Someone at your workplace no doubt makes surethe networks are secure and safeguards are in place toblock bad guys.And who does that at home? Right. You or no one.During the current crisis, with employees working

at home, many companies have issued employeesguidance on how to establish home internet security.It’s guidance worth following.• Change the locks. That means update your soft-

ware. You might have noticed that software fre-quently has security updates. That’s because smarthackers figured out how to break the software. Butwhat you may not know is that there is a second waveof dumb hackers who just read the security updatefor tips on how to get the folks who don’t update.

It’s like they have a key. Your mission is to change thelocks and update.• Use a secret code. Implement two-factor identi-

fication. Yes, it is a second step. You will have to putin a new secret code every time you do certain tasks.But it is better than a hacker walking out with yourbriefcase.• Use a mask.Meaning, mask your internet activ-

ity with a personal Virtual Private Network. It pro-tects your privacy. It doesn’t protect you fromphishing, malicious software, or digital viruses, but atleast you aren’t accessing your company website incyber-public. Check out services like ExpressVPN,NordVPN or Surfshark.

Working from home? Protect yourself from hackers.

Crisis Budgeting:What to Focus on First

Crisis Budgeting:What to Focus on First

W hen unforeseen circum-stances arise, many ofus go into panic mode.

Paying the bills becomes a bur-den, and budgeting can be confus-ing. Financially speaking,uncertain times can force us totake a long, hard look at howwe’re spending our money.

Here are a few suggestions: Reach for relief. If you’ve lost

your job, apply for unemploymentinsurance as soon as possible. Al-though it’s not a permanent solu-tion, it does provide a bit ofbreathing room.

Cut the fat. You may think allof your bills and everything youbuy is equally important, but arethey all “musts?” Not likely—atleast not always.Look at the things you have on

autopay that you might not needor haven’t used in five years andget rid of them. Focus on such ne-cessities as your rent, car pay-ment, utilities, phone and food.

Get organized. Once you’vecut out non-essentials, it’s time towork with what you’ve got and getyourself straightened out. Searchonline for budgeting advice andtools that provide guidance onhow to spend and save responsi-bly. Some favorites: Mint.com,Clarity Money, and Quicken.

The more you cut from yourspending, the more streamlinedthis process will be. If you find youhave more left over than ex-pected, either save it for futureemergencies, or bring back one ortwo extras you miss the most.

Defer payments whenpossible. Credit cards and carpayments are usually substantialsums you owe monthly. You mayhave to spend a chunk of time onthe phone to defer these paymentsfor now, but you’ll be pleased whenmany of these lenders are able tolighten your load. If they can’tdefer, a reduced monthly paymentmay be possible.

If you have federal studentloans, you can delay your pay-ments without penalty until Sept.30, as part of the recently passedcoronavirus stimulus package.

Pursue a side hustle. If you’reworking from home, you are onleave or you have lost your job,you might find yourself with timeto spare. Instead of watching TVall day, you can use this time tolook for a remote gig online. Skillssuch as writing, editing, video andphoto editing, graphic design andproof-reading have a huge de-mand online. If you have the rightskills, you might also want to lookfor part-time jobs as a virtual as-sistant.

Try not to panic. Keeping yourcool will allow you to think clearlyand take on this challenge. Timesof crisis are never easy, but whenyour budget is less of a burden,you can tend to your family,health, and getting through thestorm. Use this as a turning pointto save sensibly from here on out.

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The views expressed herein are not necessarily those of Multifamily Media Group, LLC or its staff. Multifamily Media Group, LLC assumes no responsibility for any text or illustrations submitted for publication. Personssubmitting same agree to do so voluntarily and have proper written consent for their use. Multifamily Media Group, LLC is indemnified and held harmless from any and all liability arising out of such publication.

C ontactless delivery is the preferredmethod of acquiring your groceriesthese days, but it’s becoming in-

creasingly di+cult to score a delivery time.So, if you must venture out to the store dur-ing the COVID-19 pandemic, here are a fewsmart tips to get you in and out with theleast amount of risk.

Make a list. Knowing exactly what youneed before you get inside will ensure youcan get out as quickly as possible.

Gear up. Be sure to wear a face mask orcloth covering over your nose and mouth,and keep hand sanitizer at the ready. Youmay want to use a disinfectant wipe on theshopping cart or basket too, as long as youcan dispose of it hygienically. If you chooseto also wear gloves, be sure to remove thembefore touching your personal belongings oryour face, and dispose of them in a trash re-ceptacle before touching your car, if youdrove.

Shop when it’s least crowded. Withmost people working remotely, it can be alittle more di+cult to predict a store’s peakhours these days. However, try to go early in

the morning or later at night, and keep sixfeet of distance between yourself and othershoppers or store employees.

Shop with your eyes, not your hands.Remember: The more you touch, the higheryour chance of contracting or transmittingthe virus. Try to only touch the items you in-tend to buy, because you can still unknow-ingly spread the virus to others if you’reasymptomatic, and vice versa.

Don’t touch your face. Keep your handsaway from your nose, mouth, and eyesthroughout your entire shopping trip, andonly cough or sneeze into your elbow. Onceyou finish checking out, use a hand sanitiz-ing wipe or gel with at least 60 percent al-cohol to kill o) as many germs as possibleuntil you can properly wash your hands.

Onto the home stretch. Once you bringyour groceries home, give your hands agood, thorough washing. Next, wipe downall non-porous packaging—that’s plastic,metal, glass, etc.—with a disinfectant wipeor homemade bleach solution. (The CDCsuggests 4 teaspoons of bleach per quart ofwater.) Set cardboard boxes aside without

touching them for 24 hours if they don’tneed refrigeration, or carefully transfer theircontents to a clean container and dispose ofthe outer packaging. As for produce, there’sno need to use soap—a good scrub withclean hands under a running faucet shoulddo the trick.

The cleanup after the cleanup. Onceyour groceries are cleaned and put away, besure to dispose of the bags you broughtthem home in, or give your reusable bags agood wash. Then, disinfect any surfaces orcounters that the grocery bags or their con-tents touched. You’ll want to do the samefor any door knobs, cabinets, and refrigera-tor handles you touched, as well as yourphone, keys, credit card, and anything elseyou brought with you into the store.

Wash your hands…yes, again. Giveyour hands one last scrub, dry them well,and be sure to use a bit of lotion to keepyour skin from getting dry and cracked.Then you can sit back, relax, and hopefullynot have to go through this tiresomeprocess again any time soon.

Shopping safety tips

HOW TO MAKE MONEY ON THE SIDE Shelter-in-placeorders and business closures across the country have many

people wondering about the future of the economy andtheir own personal finances. Whether you’re working from

home or your hours have been reduced, you can stillmake some extra money on the side—and from thesafety and comfort of your home in most cases.Tutor kids online. With parents’ demands split

between their own work and homeschooling theirchildren, many could use an extra (albeit virtual) hand.

Search job boards to work with a family directly, apply to aservice such as Tutor.com, or teach English through VIPkid.Perform “micro” jobs. If you’re the parent working remotely and

homeschooling your kids, these types of gigs are perfect for earning

supplemental income on your terms. You complete tasks whenever youhave spare time, such as audio transcription through Rev, UI testing viaTryMyUI, or creative tasks on Fiverr.Give someone a lift. Help the car-less get to the stores to buy their

essential goods by becoming a ride-share driver. Just be sure to sanitizeafter each passenger to keep everyone safe!Shop for others. Instead of toting someone around, you can do the

heavy lifting for them as a Shipt or Instacart shopper and deliver theirgroceries right to their doorstep.Essential industries are still hiring. Most major supermarket chains,

Healthfirst and UnitedHealth insurance companies, and financial serviceproviders like Charles Schwab, Deutsche Bank, and Prudential are allcurrently looking for fresh faces.

HOW TO MAKE MONEY ON THE SIDE Shelter-in-placeorders and business closures across the country have many

people wondering about the future of the economy andtheir own personal finances. Whether you’re working from

home or your hours have been reduced, you can stillmake some extra money on the side—and from thesafety and comfort of your home in most cases.Tutor kids online. With parents’ demands split

between their own work and homeschooling theirchildren, many could use an extra (albeit virtual) hand.

Search job boards to work with a family directly, apply to aservice such as Tutor.com, or teach English through VIPkid.Perform “micro” jobs. If you’re the parent working remotely and

homeschooling your kids, these types of gigs are perfect for earning

supplemental income on your terms. You complete tasks whenever youhave spare time, such as audio transcription through Rev, UI testing viaTryMyUI, or creative tasks on Fiverr.Give someone a lift. Help the car-less get to the stores to buy their

essential goods by becoming a ride-share driver. Just be sure to sanitizeafter each passenger to keep everyone safe!Shop for others. Instead of toting someone around, you can do the

heavy lifting for them as a Shipt or Instacart shopper and deliver theirgroceries right to their doorstep.Essential industries are still hiring. Most major supermarket chains,

Healthfirst and UnitedHealth insurance companies, and financial serviceproviders like Charles Schwab, Deutsche Bank, and Prudential are allcurrently looking for fresh faces.

rent Due.Drop Box andonline service

available.

Brothers andSisters Day

Lemonade Day rent Late! Cinco de MayoNational

NursesDay

Military SpouseAppreciation Day

NativeAmerican

Day

Happy Mother’s Day!

Eat WhatYou Want Day Tulip Day May is National

Salsa MonthPeace OfficersMemorial Day

Love aTree Day

Stepmother’s DayInternational

Jazz Day

Turn BeautyInside Out

Day

I Need at Patchfor That Day Solitaire Day

We Honor ThoseWho Made the

Ultimate Sacrifice

PaperAirplane

Day

Senior Health &Fitness Day

NationalHamburger

Day

May is MilitaryAppreciation

MonthMint Julep Day

Neighbor Day

NationalSmile Day