Money for the Rest of Us

This is the seventh post of the series “15 Tips for Cheap Travel.” You can navigate the rest of the series by going to the 15 Tips for Cheap Travel Index.

While you’re traveling you aren’t just spending money on food/lodging/etc in the place you’re visiting, you’re also spending money at home. You’re still paying your rent/mortgage, electricity, gas, and more. Most people don’t realize this.

Luckily, there are a number of things you can do to cut down on at home expenses while you’re away:

1. Suspend your newspaper subscription. The newspaper will credit your account for the days you will be away.
2. Unplug unnecessary appliances. When your computer, television, microwave, washer/dryer and other appliances plugged in they still draw electricity. Unplugging the appliances this will not just save electricity, it will protect the appliances against power surges. If you will be gone several weeks empty the refrigerator/freezer. (It uses a lot of electricity). Another option is to use up quickly spoiling foods (like milk) and turn the temperature up a few degrees.
3. Adjust your water heater. Don’t turn your water heater all the way off (if you have a gas heater), but it may have a vacation setting or you can just turn the temperature all the way down. (Just be sure to let the water heat all the way back up before you use it.)
4. Adjust your thermostat. If it’s the summer you can turn your thermostat off (or if you have a window unit, unplug it). If it’s the winter turn your thermostat down to around 55 degrees Fahrenheit.
5. Get a timer for your lights. You will want to have a light on in your home while you’re gone for security reasons. There’s no reason to leave the light on all the time (plus, burglars will probably figure this out). So, get a timer for your lights and have them automatically turn on and off and normal times (night and morning).
6. Eat up the food in your refrigerator. There’s nothing more wasteful than throwing out a bunch of spoiled food when you’ve come home (or preventing the spoiling by throwing it out before you leave.) Think about it: if you just throw out milk ($3), eggs ($1.5), yogurt ($3), lettuce ($2), tomatoes ($3), apples ($2), and oranges ($3) you are throwing out $17.5 worth of food!
7. Rent out your house. That’s right– some people rent out their home while they go on vacation (go to craigslist to find these short-term rentals). If you rent out your house for $500/week this is likely a great deal for the renter and it’s a good deal for you. Make sure you have a good feeling about the people you rent to and check a few references.

Two things you don’t want to skimp on. Their safety is worth the extra cost:

1. Pet sitting. You can kennel your pets, you can have someone stay with them in your house, or you can bring them to a pet-sitter’s house. Only let someone you trust take care of your animals. If you are choosing a kennel find one that you can tour before hand. Sometimes it’s worth it to pay a little more to make sure your pets are in good hands. However, by good hands I don’t mean outrageously expensive hands (see here and here. $120/night for a dog??? Come on people!)
2. Baby sitting. If you aren’t bringing your kids with you while you’re traveling, see if a relative or friend will watch your children. A trusted nanny is also an option. But, (and hopefully this doesn’t need to be said) babysitting is not something you should be cheap about.

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