When it's time to go on vacation...or honestly, just a little weekend getaway, I turn into a "Nester." My own personal definition of a "nester" would be: "person who goes nuts about cleaning and extra nonsense bullshit before a vacation." I am the lunatic who is packed weeks in advance, repacks, and packs again...has every single bit of laundry done, has the house clean, has lists made, and even has clothes laid out for when its time to leave. I never leave trash in the house or dishes. I absolutely hate and loathe coming home to laundry and I hate having a ton of it when I return. I believe it was mentioned in an earlier post, that I look for places with laundry services. Let's get down to it...
How we prepare our home:
*We make sure our water is turned off to the house...Who wants to come home to a flood? I know I certainly don't!
*We unplug all items that don't need to be plugged in, like air fresheners, televisions, even the stove.
*We make sure there are clean linens on all of the beds. There is nothing like coming home to a fresh smelling bed!
*Make sure all laundry is complete, especially if you don't do laundry while on vacation like myself (the nut).
*Turn off the hot water heater. Why waste gas or electricity??
*Make sure you have any bills that you need to pay while on vacation packed with you as well as any passwords written down that you may need.
*Make sure you talk to the neighbors. They are a great asset to help keep an eye on your home, just don't forget to offer to return the favor!
*Give an extra key to someone you trust to peek in on your house.
*Stop your mail.
*We always wash our vehicles and sweep them out, but I really don't know the reasoning if we fly...the car sits in a parking lot all week.
*One area that we didn't think about with our new home is the sump pump. We left it full of water and it should have been drained. Not unplugged, because if there is a flood, you want that bad boy to work. It should be drained because our basement had a funky stale water smell until I got air fresheners going again once home.
*We always have our Will with someone we trust along with any pertinent information.
*Water any plants!
*A week or two before vacation, DO NOT go grocery shopping unless it's for the necessities like milk. Use up that food!
*We have a couple of barns, so we make sure they are locked and that the windows are made so that a person cannot see inside.
*If the kids are going with you, make sure to contact the school. The flight is an excellent time to do all of that homework!
*If kids are staying with someone...pack them up and have a blast! Just kidding! It kills us to be away from ours, but it is nice to be with one another :) Make sure the person they are bunking with has emergency contacts, insurance cards, and all the extra crap your kiddos may need for a week without you. I make a calendar for Grandma with all of their activities. I try to scale down the extra stuff so I don't put her out too much as well. Like cheer twice a week, for example...we may skip a day while we are gone and I just let the instructor know the reasoning. It helps your person out.
*Do not post on all of your social media sites that you are going out of town. Maybe post some pictures after you get somewhere but don't mention when you will be home. I post the majority of my photos after we get back to the states, anyways.
I hope this helps! We probably are a little extreme about how we prepare our home, but at least we are prepared!
XOXO...Becky
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