Don’t Leave Home Without Doing These Things!

Are you planning on going away on a trip for an extended period of time? Many people do. They can go to another area of the country for the season or even take a trip overseas and experience some of the other parts of the world. Here is a look at some of the things that you should do to protect your home while you are away.

Insure It

It doesn’t matter if you own your home or if you are renting it, you need to always have it insured… both when you are there and when you are away. Renters insurance is important, especially while you are traveling because you can rest assured that you will be compensated if a burglar breaks into your home and steals some of your possessions. Renters insurance will cover all of the items that you have worked so hard to get.

Yes, your landlord might have the building insured, but what about all of your stuff? In the event of a windstorm, tornado, smoke damage, fire, or anything else of this nature, your belongings will only be covered if you have renters insurance to cover them.

Air Conditioner

In prepping your home for your trip, you might not have a minute to consider your air conditioner. Are you aware that your AC is responsible for nearly half of your power bill on an annual basis? Each degree you turn it up while you are gone will save you 2% when it comes to your cooling costs. If you will only be gone for a short period of time, it would be ideal to set the thermostat at around 85 degrees. Doing this will ensure that your plants, furniture, and the rest of your possessions will be protected while your bill isn’t run up. The same thing holds true for longer trips, just make sure to ask a friend or family member to come in once in a while and water your plants.

Refrigerator

You don’t want to come home from a lovely trip to find that all of your food has spoiled while you were away. For this reason, you should throw out any perishables that are due to expire while you are away. Then, you have a few options.

·  Clean out your refrigerator by either tossing what is in it or giving your food to a neighbor. You can unplug the fridge and leave it open so that it won’t mildew or mold and start to smell. You might also choose to leave it plugged in and running. If you do this, don’t leave it empty, put a few bottles of water in it so that it will be running with efficiency.

·  If you decide to leave your frozen items in it, you will need to know how to tell if there was a power outage and the items spoiled. Fill a coffee mug with water and freeze it. Put a quarter on top of the ice in the mug and leave it in the freezer. When you return, look at the mug. If the quarter hasn’t moved, your freezer and food are fine. If the quarter is at the bottom of the mug, the power went out long enough for all of the ice to have melted and you should throw your frozen items out.

Don’t Forget the Tech!

Whether you are a fan of tech or not, you should never leave home without at least a bit of it. Cell phones are essential for staying in touch with friends and family members so they know that you are alright. Another thing tech is good for is so that you have something to do when you aren’t busy with everything else. You might use that time to play games, listen to music, or even catch up on your social media accounts. Your tech devices can also make your trip more enjoyable. Consider this, you are in a new place and are looking for a great place nearby to get a bite to eat, or a museum, or anything. Simply use your cell phone to do a quick search to find exactly what you are looking for in a jiffy. You might even decide to use your tech to make a bit of money while on your travels. Maybe you have a blog, maybe you are an affiliate marketer, there are tons of things that will allow for you to earn money online.

These are just a few things that you can do to get ready for that trip. What can you think of?