Call your local police station, and ask officers to put your home on vacation watch. If your town or city offers this service, an officer will drive by your home periodically while you are away to make sure that all is well.
Contact your local post office and newspaper, and ask them to stop mail and newspaper delivery while you are gone. The U.S. Postal Service has an "Authorization to Hold Mail" form on its website that you fill out and give to your mail carrier, or you can also fill it out at the post office.
Give your house key to a trusted friend, and ask him to walk through your home every few days to make sure everything is fine. Some insurance companies will not cover loss or damage if this precaution is not taken. While doing the walk-through, ask your friend to change the position of your blinds to make it look like someone is home. If you have house plants, place them in one room of the house so he can easily water them.
Make appropriate care arrangements for your pets. For example, take them to a kennel or to stay with family or friends, or hire a house-sitter.
Make your home look lived in. If snow is predicted, hire a teenager in your neighborhood to shovel your sidewalk, or ask a friend to make tire marks in your driveway. During the summer, keep your grass the same length as when you are at home. This might mean hiring a teenager or paying for professional lawn service. Don't forget to have a friend water your outside plants.
Turn off and unplug all electronics, such as computers, radios, toasters, lamps, microwaves and printers. A study by the U.S. Department of Energy found that unplugging electric appliances can save up to three-quarters of the energy consumed by a household. Turn down the water heater, and set the thermostat higher in the summer and lower in the winter to save even more energy.
Set timer lights, which can be found at your local hardware store, to go on in the evening. Place them where they can project light out the windows but are not visible to someone looking in.
Turn on your home alarm system before leaving. Tell anyone who will be coming into your house how to disable and to reset the alarm. Let your alarm provider know how to contact you while you are away.
Purchase an alarm system sign from your local hardware store to put on your front lawn, even if you do not have an alarm system. According to the FBI, simply having this sign decreases your chances of being burgled from 1 in 10 to 1 in 60.
Lock your doors, windows and garage.
