One Hundred Dollars a Month

Now that we have a house on each coast, I have had to really think about keeping each of them safe and secure while we aren’t there.  Usually, the HH and Monkey Boy stay behind to sit in their under-roos and play video games while The Girl and I travel, so our main house is secure, but as we move toward being empty nesters, I may actually take the HH along on a couple of my adventures ;).

I have a couple of things I try to always do to keep the house in one piece whenever we all travel.  They give me peace of mind, and really aren’t all that difficult.

1. Stop your mail and paper.  Nothing says “nobody is home” like a pile of uncollected newspapers on the front stoop.
2. Turn off the water to your house.  No one ever anticipates a pipe breaking, so just turn off the water and avoid coming home a swamp in your living room.
3. Don’t announce that you are on vacation over social media.  Believe it or not, some criminals are saavy, and scour social media to find out who is out of town.  I usually delay sharing my vacation for about a week {yep, the secret is out, you are not always getting it in real time, unless the HH and Monkey Boy are home.} You can find some more social media strategies to deter burglary while you are on vacation on the Allstate Blog.
4. Ask friends/family/neighbors to pop in and check the place out a time or two while you are gone.  It’s just a precaution that will give you peace of mind.
5. Consider a timer for a lamp or two in the house.  That way, it will have that lived in look, but lights won’t be blazing all night long {which is pretty much a dead giveaway that no on is home.}
6. Lock everything.  I know this seems like a no-brainer, but a lot of people have windows that are unlocked when they are home.  Make sure to double check and lock everything down.  At least make people have to work to get in your house.
7. Unplug unused appliance/electronics.  There’s no reason to have power going to the computer, television, coffee maker and toaster.  Unplug them and save some cash.
8. Hide your valuables.  If you have jewelry, deeds, or otherwise valuable paperwork, consider hiding them someplace safe while you are gone.  In the event that someone does break in, you may be able to avoid losing those things at least.
9. Even if you don’t have a neighbor do a walk through, make sure to let them know you will be gone {assuming you like and trust your neighbors}, that way, they might take note anyone coming and going.
10. Remove the spare/hidden key.  If you have a key hidden for emergency purposes, make sure to bring it in while you are away.

None of these take a ton of time, but in my opinion, they are all totally worth doing.  How do you make sure your home is secure when you are out of town?

~Mavis

This post was written as part of the Allstate Influencer Program and sponsored by Allstate. All opinions are mine. As the nation’s largest publicly held insurance company, Allstate is dedicated not only to protecting what matters most–but to guiding people to live the Good Life, every day.