Are you heading south during the winter season? As a snowbird, there are some tips that you should know, including:
Pay Your Bills Online
Credit cards, rent, mortgages, and utilities will not pay themselves while you are away. You should pay online as many bills as you can to avoid problems when you go back home after the winter season ends. This way, when you get bills while being away, you can use your online checking account to pay them. If you cannot pay a bill online, you should put a friend or family member in charge of paying it.
Arrange for Mail Forwarding
Depending on how much time you plan to be away, you should arrange for mail forwarding or a mail hold. The USPS can collect your mail for you and send it your way at a small fee. However, you should know that financial documents such as credit card statements are not usually forwarded. But, you can arrange with your bank to use a seasonal address while you are away.
Arrange for a Caretaker
You can pay someone or ask a friend or relative to look after your property in your absence. For emergency purposes, you should give your neighbor your contact number. You can also ask your neighbor to occasionally go through your whole house – if you trust them – to catch any odd things that could happen.
Moreover, if someone is at your house frequently, thieves will stay away from it. You should check with your local police department to see if they offer a vacation check program. If they have the program, you need to find out the specifics.
Empty the Fridge
You should take this chance to clean out your refrigerator. If you have any food that is close to expiring, you should give it to your friends and neighbors instead of throwing it away. If you have many things in the freezer and do not want to toss them out, you should ask a friend to keep them in his or her freezer while you are away.
To avoid this altogether, you should stop buying food items and use the ones you have until you finish them. That way, you will not have to bother anyone or throw food away. If you are unplugging your fridge, make sure that you leave its door open to prevent bad odors and mold.
Shut off Your Water Supply
Make sure that you open all the drains to allow water to flow out and leave the lowest one open. Even if you plan to leave the heat on low, your pipes might still burst and cause extensive water damage, which is expensive to repair. Moreover, draining your pipes will prevent water from sitting still for long and stinking up your house.
Can you imagine if a water pipe burst in your absence? What kind of damage would it cause and how long would it take you to find out about it? To avoid this, you should shut off your water supply.
Leave Your Car in a Safe Place
The last thing you want is to come back to is an empty garage. Thieves usually know the homes that are empty and prey on them. You should leave your car at your friend’s house if you do not want it stolen. However, if you want to use it in your Florida residence, you can use snowbird car transport to bring your car on holiday with you.
When you do this, you will not have to rent a car when you get to Florida. Moreover, it will save you plenty of money that you can use to have fun during your holiday.
