Anonymous wrote:The people who think it’s paranoid to turn off the water have never come home to a flooded house. I have, and I know multiple other people who have done so, as well. It’s not that rare.

Anonymous wrote:I have nothing burglars would want- no cash, valuable art, jewelry etc except for some musical instruments but most people won't realize their value. And sadly my place is often a mess so it looks like it has already been ramshackled and burglarized. My neighborhood is pretty good though. Large packages have been left on my porch over the weekend in plain sight and not been stolen.

And I keep weird hours so it wouldn't be unusual for my lights to be on at night. I do tend to leave a hallway light on upstairs if away for 1 week or more. I used to have lights on and off with timers but I don't bother anymore.

However that's my situation. Best practices like stopping mail and timed lights are good. Coin on ice, stopping water - that seems excessive to me. Maybe if you're away for month but for 1-2 weeks, that seems like overkill.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Put an ice cube in a tupperware container in the freezer. If it's still solid when you come back, that means the power stayed on. If it's flat, the power went out and it melted and refroze.

Alternatively, just check to see whether the time is flashing on the microwave.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't get why people leave lights on. isn't this an indication that you're not home? When you turn off all the lights every night except when you aren't there?

You do not just "leave them on."

You put a lamp or a couple of lamps on timers so they are only on during the hours for which you set on the timer. Staggering times is useful to make a house look lived-in: Maybe a living room light goes on at 6 and stays on until 11 or 12 and then switches off. Maybe in addition, a bedroom light goes on at 11 and stays on until 1 a.m. or whatever. The point is NOT to have the whole house blazing away with light from inside ALL night long.

I'm kind of amazed that several posters do not seem to get this. Someone also posted how it's a fire hazard to leave lights on all the time. That's not what anyone with sense is doing! And yes, lights on all night every night does advertise that no one's home, but lights going on and off in rooms people would usually use in the evenings looks realistic. Before someone decides to say, but but but...burglars will figure out the timings: If any burglars are THAT determined that they're sitting outside a house monitoring various lights' on and off times over a couple of nights to see if the times are the same...hell, they're welcome to come on in. /s

Timers are maybe $18-$30 at any home store and many grocery stores and drugstores. Easy to use. We use them and mix up the times in a couple of rooms, when away even overnight and especially on longer trips. Set it and forget it. By the way -- our local cops (suburban DC) advise residents to use lights on timers when away from home. So it's not just crazy old me, it's the cops saying a house with lights is one that looks lived in.

Anonymous wrote:Freezing some milk is a really good idea! That would've been so handy when my kids were little and I came home exhausted.

Anonymous wrote:I just can't believe the level of paranoia that some people carry through life.

Here's what I do when I leave for a long trip:

1. Throw out anything from the refrigerator and kitchen that will go bad and stink.
2. Empty the trash.
3. Pick up my suitcase and lock the door behind me.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've seen lots of people who can't handle the basics of life on DCUM, but "How do I leave the house" really takes the cake.

Geez, you sound nice. Asking people what precautions they take when leaving for an extended period of time is not strange.

I guess it’s not strange if you weren’t raised by responsible adults. Most of us learned this from our parents.

Anonymous wrote:I don't get why people leave lights on. isn't this an indication that you're not home? When you turn off all the lights every night except when you aren't there?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've seen lots of people who can't handle the basics of life on DCUM, but "How do I leave the house" really takes the cake.

Geez, you sound nice. Asking people what precautions they take when leaving for an extended period of time is not strange.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Buy a half gallon or quart of milk and freeze it so you don't have to run to the store immediately when you get back.

Oh, this is a good suggestion. I always insist that we stop in at the grocery store just before we get home so we can have some basic groceries available once we are home. The family whines about it though. I never thought about buying some milk /bread / lunchmeat to freeze for use as soon as we get home.

Huh. I didn't know you could freeze milk without it tasting weird.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Buy a half gallon or quart of milk and freeze it so you don't have to run to the store immediately when you get back.

Oh, this is a good suggestion. I always insist that we stop in at the grocery store just before we get home so we can have some basic groceries available once we are home. The family whines about it though. I never thought about buying some milk /bread / lunchmeat to freeze for use as soon as we get home.

Anonymous wrote:Put an ice cube in a tupperware container in the freezer. If it's still solid when you come back, that means the power stayed on. If it's flat, the power went out and it melted and refroze.