Any time spent away from home feels like a vacation but what if you were planning on staying away for longer than a few days? What if it was a month or two? There are plenty of things around the house and home that you need to fix or do before you can take off. Here’s a list for those planning a getaway.
Arrange for Caring
If you have grandparents or parents living with you who require serious looking after (and you don’t have any friends or family who can take them in) then arrange for respite care with a home. There are plenty of places that offer temporary housing with all the normal facilities so make use of that and don’t worry too much about your grand/parents not having things to do. Call every few days (or every day) and inquire after them but know that these services are professional and will serve you well.
On a related note, the same goes for pets and plants. Make sure that your pets are with someone who can give them everything or put them into a pet hotel. As for plants, the best thing would be to move them to whichever friends who volunteered to water them, or give them access to your home so that they can come in every few days.
Shut off the Services
If your parents are in aged care facilities and the house is all shut up, then you don’t need things like electricity, gas or water. These generate monthly rental bills every month that will be a drag on your expenditure, especially since you are not using them. Call up your utilities providers and inform them of your intending departure. See if you can have them temporarily stopped. The same goes for newspaper subscriptions if you get it. Make sure you stop it or there will be a pile on your doorstep when you get back.
Dust-Proof the House
Unless you are living in the Arctic, there is going to be dust in your house. Even sealed apartments have this problem. The longer you stay away, the more dust accumulates on every available surface. In order to solve this problem, most people resort to dust sheets, where you cover all major pieces of furniture with large sheets in order to keep out the dust. Then, it’s a matter of washing the dust sheets when you get back and doing a spot of light cleaning.
Empty the Fridge
This one should be obvious to anyone. In the week leading up to your departure, try not to cook at home and instead, eat everything in the fridge that you know can’t handle an extended absence. For instance, milk and bread have to go but cornflakes can survive. Spoiled food is difficult to clean out and it smells horrible, so make sure that you clear everything out.