We packed the bags, loaded the car, double-checked that we had passports and airline tickets. I sent the family to the car as I made one last check of the house. My son, puzzled, asked my husband, “Why does she always close all the doors in the house when we go on vacation?” Another one asked, “Why does she unplug everything all the time?” My husband, a sweet, wonderful man, replied, “Because… well, I don’t know. We’ve just always done it that way.”
A couple minutes later, task complete, I hopped in the front passenger seat and explained my madness. Which, as it turns out, is not so crazy after all! Perhaps, you will appreciate this advice as much as my kids.
I love to travel! Obviously… AND I love to save money! When our family travels, I prepare our house for travel too. Burglar-proofing is important — those vacation joys disappear when you walk in the front door to an empty TV stand and missing computer! Take it a step further and cut your household expenses to save money while you travel!
- Shut the doors. Closed doors slow the spread of fire in a house. Obviously important information for when you’re home. But, if you’re on vacation, those closed doors might slow the spread of fire, giving neighbors a chance to notify the fire department and perhaps save more of your home.
- Adjust the thermostat. Traveling in the heat of summer, turn the thermostat up — we set our house at 78 degrees fahrenheit — and run your air conditioning less while you’re gone. Traveling in winter? Lower your heat and save money that way. We set our heat at 58 degrees during winter travel. NOTE: When traveling in winter, increase the heat 2 degrees at a time to get back up to temperature so that you don’t trigger the expensive emergency heat. According to TLC, the air conditioner/heat pump is the most expensive appliance you own, running at an average cost of $1.50/hour. Adjusting the temperature will help you save money!
- Unplug appliances you don’t need. Obviously, the refrigerator needs to run even during vacation, but most other appliances in your house don’t. Unplug the washer, dryer, unnecessary lamps, toaster, coffee maker, alarm clocks (remove backup batteries as well), TV, entertainment systems, and computer equipment while you’re away. “Vampire power,” when household appliances are plugged in on standby ready for use, accounts for 5-10% of the average homeowner’s electric bill. Unplug during vacation and save a few dollars. Besides, if your home is struck by lightning (as mine was last October), anything not plugged in will survive the surge of electrical current.
- Turn down the water heater. Many water heaters have a vacation mode that make this task simple. If not, just turn the temperature down 20 degrees and save money while you’re gone. Otherwise, the heat cycle runs as if you are home, heating water that isn’t being used.
- Check for vacation holds. Newspaper and magazine subscriptions can be suspended during vacation travel, extending the contract beyond the original end date. Some cable companies offer the same option. All this means you save money on services you don’t need during vacation! One quick call or a couple clicks of the mouse online is all it takes.
Michele says
October 13, 2013 at 12:23 pmWhat absolutely perfect advise! I do not travel but know people who do and will forward this to them!
Pamela R says
October 13, 2013 at 6:45 amI do the temp trick but I never thought about unplugging everything…THANKS for the tips!
Patricia says
October 12, 2013 at 9:14 pmThanks for important reminder.
Rebel Sweetheart says
October 12, 2013 at 8:01 pmGreat, informative post! Thanks for sharing these tips! 🙂
Karen Dawkins says
October 12, 2013 at 8:41 pmYou’re welcome. My family STILL cracks up, but they now shut doors throughout the house….. without being reminded.
Pamela says
June 7, 2012 at 2:42 pmThanks for all the tips Karen, I do some that you have on the list, but I will start implenting the other, thanks so much.
leigh says
June 7, 2012 at 7:19 pmI never knew about the doors stopping the fire from spreading – a great tip!
Leigh
http://www.oneandoneequalstwinfun.com
Shannon Milholland says
June 7, 2012 at 6:49 pmGreat tips! My hubby's big on the air conditioner thing. I usually come back in sweating like crazy…and I'm never hot! lol
Czjai Reyes-Ocampo says
June 7, 2012 at 12:48 pmThanks for sharing these very helpful tips!
Now if only I could go on a much-needed vacation… 🙂
marisa frank says
June 7, 2012 at 2:36 pmOh these are great tips to have. I always remember to hold my mail and newspapers because I didn't want it to be obvious we were gone. But I never thought to shut the doors or unplug applicances to save money. I will remember to do that before my next vacation.
Joy says
June 7, 2012 at 2:35 pmAmazing tips! I never thought about most of these before, and we travel LOTS! Will start putting them into practice!
Warmest regards,
Joy
http://www.PardonMyPoppet.com
Raine says
June 7, 2012 at 2:28 pmWow! These are great tips! I literally didnt know any of them – of course I dont travel as much as I would like
Veronica says
June 7, 2012 at 1:18 pmGreat tips! I hadn't thought about shutting the doors. It never occurred to me. Well written article.
Courtney says
June 7, 2012 at 1:15 pmThanks for the great tips! 🙂 I will definitely use them next time we head away for a few days! 🙂
Familytravelsonabudget says
June 6, 2012 at 5:37 pmThanks, Erin. I sure don't want to be Debbie Downer with these posts, but I can't imagine how much worse it would be to come home as your neighbor did.
On a side note: Leave your emergency contact information with a trusted neighbor.
Karen
Erin says
June 6, 2012 at 1:50 pmYes, yes, yes! These are all important to do. We can never be too careful when leaving the house for long periods of time. The neighbor across the street went out of town and their house burnt down while they were away. She had left the dryer running and something happened. We had no way to get in touch with them. It was AWEFUL!
Take precautions!!
~Erin