With summer in full swing, many people are heading out of town to take vacations before school starts back up again. There is a lot of planning and thought that goes into a vacation, but sometimes it can be easy to forget about preparing your home for the time that you’re away.

Here is our list of things we recommend you do before leaving your home to go on vacation:

1. Set your air conditioner to a temperature closer to the outside temperature so your system doesn’t have to work as hard. If it is summer, bump your thermostat to about 85, and if it is winter, set it to closer to 60 degrees. You don’t want to turn your system off either way – in winter especially you want to prevent frozen pipes by keeping your home warm.
2. Turn off your lights, except for those you want as a security measure. A variable timer on certain lights works well to make your home look lived in without leaving lights on the entire time you are gone. Motion-activated flood lights are an especially good burglar deterrent.
3. Stop by your Post Office and place a hold on any mail, packages, or other deliveries you may get. Or, ask a trusted neighbor to collect your mail for you. A pile of packages or newspapers at your front door is a great way to announce that you aren’t home.
4. Throw away any food items that will spoil in the time you are gone, and don’t forget to take the trash out before you leave! There is nothing worse than coming home to the smell of garbage in your kitchen.
5. Ask a trusted neighbor to keep an eye on your home while you are gone, and make sure to give them your contact information for while you are traveling. They can even periodically park in your driveway to give the appearance of activity.
6. As much fun as it is to tell everyone on social media that you are going on vacation, this might be something to avoid until you are back home. If your accounts aren’t private, you never know who could be viewing your posts and is now aware that your home is empty for the next week.
7. If you have a hidden spare key at your house, you might consider putting this away while you are gone. If a burglar can tell no one is home, they might spend the time it takes to find that fake rock in your flowerbed or lift up the right stepping stone. As sneaky as you may think you are, there are only so many places to hide a spare key and a criminal has probably thought of all of them.
8. Lock your doors and windows. This may seem obvious, but often times there is a door or window we always leave open, like your back door, or the door to your second story porch, and it can be easy to forget to lock them when you leave for an extended time. Before you leave, go around and check every door and window to ensure they are latched shut.
9. Check all outlets and plugs, disconnecting all items that aren’t needed while away. Everyday items like coffee makers, TVs, chargers, lamps, etc. can be unplugged while not in use for the time that you’re not home.
10. Placing cameras around your home that you can view while away may be bring additional peace of mind.

Properly preparing your home before you leave will allow you to focus on making memories and taking time to relax, rather than worrying about what’s going on back at home. It can be a lot to think through, but we think doing so is well worth the effort to keep your home safe and secure, while also saving money on your bills.