Page 32 Fall Home & Garden | September 2024 Lincoln Daily News damage, roof damage, to avoid pests and potential fire hazards in your house. • Make sure all your doors and windows are completely closed and locked. • Make sure you seal up all openings to prevent unwelcome pests. • Call your doctor's offices and make sure you all are up to date on your appointments, med checks, and testing. • Talk to your pharmacy about your medicines. You can use a mail service (may have delays), get enough of a supply to cover your trip, or get established with a national chain to get your monthly supply filled. • Arrange all bills by autopay, for easier monitoring and so a payment is not missed. • Call your bank and credit card companies to let them know that you will be at such-in-such place on these dates so that you do not get shut off. • Make sure you have all your important documents either with you or in a safe or in a bank deposit box. Keep copies of all things in multiple secure places. • Alert your local police department that your home will be unoccupied. This will allow them to keep an occasional eye on your property. This could result in a small fee, so make sure you inquire as to if there are any costs involved. • If you have a trusted neighbor or relative ask them to stop by and check the house every so often, especially if there has been a recent storm. You will want to make sure power is still on, especially to your sump pump, furnace, or freezers. You may need this person to water your plants or take them to someone to babysit while you are gone. • Dishonest-preying people are everywhere, especially on social media. By all means…. DO NOT post that you are gone, going, a snowbird, looking forward to your trip or time away, or pictures of your current location while away. That is a sure sign that it is more than likely your house is or will be unoccupied. • Clean your house before you leave, dust, vacuum, put on clean sheets, and clean out the frig and garbage disposal. It will make coming home much more enjoyable. We all hope to have many, many, many years in retirement and one of the best ways to keep active is to explore other cultures, areas and make new friends. Preparation is the best and most rewarding key to any good plan, so for those that desire this type of lifestyle, enjoy, relax and roll on!! [JA Hodgdon-Ruppel]
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