How To Protect Your Home When You’re Away 0 1013

Whenever you leave your home for an extended period of time, you want to make sure it’s protected. Of course, this protection can be from anything ranging from break-ins to natural disasters. Before you leave, take some time to make a plan to protect your home.  

Have a Trusted Friend House Sit

When you’re gone, according to Mind My House, you should consider getting a house sitter. Now, this is different from asking a neighbor to keep an eye on things. Your house sitter should be someone you trust who will stay at your home to make sure everything is ok. Your house sitter can help take care of pets or plants.  They can also be available to manage any other needs around the house. If there is some kind of emergency, including a storm that causes damage, your house sitter can be available to arrange for repairs. When selecting a house sitter, make sure you choose a friend or family member who is reliable and responsible.

Make It Look Like You Are Home

If your primary concern is someone breaking in, then all you need to do is make it look like someone is still home. There are several precautions you can take before you leave to deter someone from breaking in. First, leave your blinds and curtains closed to make it harder for someone to look inside. You can also leave a car in the driveway to make it look like someone is home. Put a pause on your mail. An overflowing mailbox is a clear sign that no one is there. According to AMP Smart Home, the right lighting can make it look like someone is home even when you’re out of town. You can use smart home lighting to turn on lights in the evening to make it look like someone is still there. There are even devices that mimic a TV being on. Both the sound and the light from the “TV” will make it appear as if someone is home.

Address Your Home’s Energy

You never know what could happen while you’re away. According to Kazar’s Electric, protection from power surges is important to address because it can lead to serious problems while you’re gone. Before leaving, unplug major appliances and any other electrical devices. You can also make sure they’re plugged into a surge protector. To save on energy bills, you should also consider setting your HVAC system to a moderate temperature.

When you leave, you don’t want to have to worry about what’s going on at home. Take measures to protect your house while you’re away. This will ensure that you can come home without any new problems.

Read this next: How to Approach Different Aspects of a Luxury Vacation

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This App Will Pay YOU to Eat Out More Often 0 1825

nevernotamazing.com seat app

It used to be that you had to know a guy, who knew a guy, whose cousin was friends with some dude who could maybe hook you up with a table at a super-hot restaurant. These days, though, apps like OpenTable or Resy make it stupidly easy to book a reservation last-minute at a ton of top-notch spots. But it turns out there’s an app that helps you do that and pays you for showing up for your reservation. 

Seated, which makes it easy to book tables at top restaurants in a number of cities, actually incentivizes you to eat out more by paying you back when you do. It helps you can earn up to 30% of what you pay for your meal (at participating restaurants) in gift cards and credits to a variety of stores, brands, and services. Essentially, it’s like using a great rewards credit card without having to sign up for one.

It works like this: Download the app, search for a restaurant, and book a table. Then, when you’ve finished your meal, snap a pic of the receipt, upload it to the app, and within 24 hours, your reward will be digitally deposited into your account.

Since Seated has been around for a couple years now, the rewards offerings are pretty robust, and include gift cards and redeemable credits to the likes of Amazon, Lyft, J. Crew, Apple, Starbucks, Lululemon, and more. So, for example, if you spend $100 on a meal out at a participating restaurant that’s offering a 30% reward, it could potentially earn you a $30 Amazon gift card or Lyft credit. 

The app currently lets you book a reservation for restaurants in New York, San Francisco, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Atlanta, and has plans to launch in five other cities around the country soon. Also, it exclusively lists eateries with a four star or higher Yelp rating, and based on browsing its New York offerings, many are popular spots.

There is some fine print to consider, though. It’s worth noting that 30% is the maximum reward you can receive, and that the percentage fluctuates according to a number of factors related to how full or empty the restaurant expects to be on a particular day/time. Also, each establishment has a minimum that must be met in your total itemized bill in order to qualify for a reward (so double check that you’ve ordered enough to meet it). 

But, hey, if you’ve been looking for a reason to try out some hot new spot in town, this may be it.

H/T Thrillist and Esquire.

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