Month or 2 away? How do you manage bill-paying? Water?
Mar 15th, 2012, 05:11 AM
#21
Because we are gone 6 months, we do a temporary change of address for much of our mail. It can be done online, simply. For all else, we have the PO forward it, but that's not always reliable we have found. Oh, some bills are deducted from our accounts automatically too. This is our first year away and we are still learning.
A neighbor checks the house periodically and the police walk our property too. (cd...do you give them something when you come back? I'm thinking I should) Our heat is set in the low 60s but the house is in south central TX so never gets too cold. I've turned off water at all faucets, washer etc.
My parents, whose house was in cold cold Western MA used to go to FL all winter, and would drain their pipes and turn off the heat. The furnace was old and Dad worried about it. Well, they found that they had cracks in some of their plaster walls when they got home, so that may not be the best idea if you too have plaster!
It is difficult walking away from a house, you are going to worry about it, and sooner or later we are going to have to make some changes.
A neighbor checks the house periodically and the police walk our property too. (cd...do you give them something when you come back? I'm thinking I should) Our heat is set in the low 60s but the house is in south central TX so never gets too cold. I've turned off water at all faucets, washer etc.
My parents, whose house was in cold cold Western MA used to go to FL all winter, and would drain their pipes and turn off the heat. The furnace was old and Dad worried about it. Well, they found that they had cracks in some of their plaster walls when they got home, so that may not be the best idea if you too have plaster!
It is difficult walking away from a house, you are going to worry about it, and sooner or later we are going to have to make some changes.
Mar 15th, 2012, 05:11 AM
#22
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 29,599
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Glad to help, tomfuller!
ackislander, that's great information, plumbing especially helpful. Dukey, I hope you are still reading this thread.
Oh, emalloy, the voice of experience? Thanks.
ackislander, that's great information, plumbing especially helpful. Dukey, I hope you are still reading this thread.
Oh, emalloy, the voice of experience? Thanks.
Mar 15th, 2012, 05:26 AM
#23
One more thing to think about. Certain things cannot be forwarded, such a car registration renewals. Fortunately ours will be due shortly after we get back. Our boat has always been registered in FL as we used to live here full time. They refused to renew it when we were transferred from FL had a TX address, so although the boat is not and never will be in TX, we were going to have to reregister it in TX AND pay a tax on its value. DH found a way around it by doing it online, fortunately. We were concerned that some of the info we need for income taxes couldn't be forwarded either, and made certain we did changes of address for those, just in case.
Mar 15th, 2012, 05:26 AM
#24
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 57
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
It is so easy to set up online banking. It prompts you to enter the info needed, step by step. You simply enter name of account, example Macys then address, phone number and of course account number. You enter all of your bills that you want to pay online, you can do all of them or just 2 or 3. Also you can notify company you only want to receive an e-bill and you will receive it online at your e-mail address. I find it is great when going away. You can actually schedule your bills to be paid before you leave, this is what I do right before I go away. No worries at all while on vacation, everything is paid and you have easy access to your account.
Mar 15th, 2012, 05:43 AM
#25
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 61,981
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
People did this before online banking, so surely possible, TDudette.
I would have all mail forwarded if you are going to one place and make sure about car registration and drivers license renewal before I went.
The plumber can certainly deal with pipes etc. I however, would not leave the house without any heat at all simply because unless you are returning completely after heating season the house will get very very cold and cost a lot to warm up, and it makes more sense to me to keep it very minimally heated for your return.
I would also ask a friend to walk through every few weeks just to make sure everything ok, no animals got inside, etc.
What areas of Fl are you considering< btw?
I would have all mail forwarded if you are going to one place and make sure about car registration and drivers license renewal before I went.
The plumber can certainly deal with pipes etc. I however, would not leave the house without any heat at all simply because unless you are returning completely after heating season the house will get very very cold and cost a lot to warm up, and it makes more sense to me to keep it very minimally heated for your return.
I would also ask a friend to walk through every few weeks just to make sure everything ok, no animals got inside, etc.
What areas of Fl are you considering< btw?
Mar 15th, 2012, 06:23 AM
#27
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 8,981
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Gretchen, We have all our bills automatically withdrawn from our checking.
OO
We always make a yearly donation to the FOP
Also wanted to tell you our uncle came home from vacation to find his home flooded as a pipe had burst. Ever since that happened We have always shut our water off at the main valve and the hot water heater even when going away for the weekend.
OO
We always make a yearly donation to the FOP
Also wanted to tell you our uncle came home from vacation to find his home flooded as a pipe had burst. Ever since that happened We have always shut our water off at the main valve and the hot water heater even when going away for the weekend.
Mar 15th, 2012, 06:25 AM
#28
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 651
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Please be aware that the post office will only hold mail for 30 days. (They use to hold it longer but have cut it back to a month.) Anything longer and you will need to ether have a neighbor collect it or have it forwarded.
Last summer we tried forwarding it and it worked well. I do have to say that we do all our bills online, some auto withdrawal and those I can get miles for paid via credit card. Basically all we get via mail now is the occasional personal correspondence.
Our experience with holding mail on shorter trips has been spotty. Once I put in the request online only to be told by the post office when I returned "we don't always get those online requests". Another time like the person above, we got our hold request delivered with the mail in our jammed mailbox. And the winner is... once while gone a hurricane shut down mail delivery for a couple days and on our return they could not find our mail. Not to worry, it did turn up... 6 months later!
Last summer we tried forwarding it and it worked well. I do have to say that we do all our bills online, some auto withdrawal and those I can get miles for paid via credit card. Basically all we get via mail now is the occasional personal correspondence.
Our experience with holding mail on shorter trips has been spotty. Once I put in the request online only to be told by the post office when I returned "we don't always get those online requests". Another time like the person above, we got our hold request delivered with the mail in our jammed mailbox. And the winner is... once while gone a hurricane shut down mail delivery for a couple days and on our return they could not find our mail. Not to worry, it did turn up... 6 months later!
Mar 15th, 2012, 10:09 AM
#29
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 4,859
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Barblab -- those cards for holding mail from the PO do say they will only hold it for 30 days, however, by speaking to our Postmaster, I have been able to have our mail held much longer. It seems to be a very flexible rule.
We are gone from a MN home in winter. I pay all the bills in advance on-line and can monitor the payments through my computer if needed. I would never consider imposing on a neighbor to sort my mail and forward the import stuff. How would they know what to forward without opening most? What if they missort and something important is left out?
We turn off the water main, but leave the house heated to 55 so the furniture and walls don't crack. We have fire, temperature and burglar alarms that are on a monitoring system. I pour a bit of bleach in the toilet bowls so that red gunk doesn't grow in them. I have someone clear our drive and walk if it snows so the place looks lived-in. We leave a few inside and outside lights on timers. I notify our alarm company and the local police that the house will be empty. I have neighbors watch the front door for any deliveries that might come from Fed Ex or UPS - or those door handle adverts that always scream "no on is home" when left for weeks at a time.
We are gone from a MN home in winter. I pay all the bills in advance on-line and can monitor the payments through my computer if needed. I would never consider imposing on a neighbor to sort my mail and forward the import stuff. How would they know what to forward without opening most? What if they missort and something important is left out?
We turn off the water main, but leave the house heated to 55 so the furniture and walls don't crack. We have fire, temperature and burglar alarms that are on a monitoring system. I pour a bit of bleach in the toilet bowls so that red gunk doesn't grow in them. I have someone clear our drive and walk if it snows so the place looks lived-in. We leave a few inside and outside lights on timers. I notify our alarm company and the local police that the house will be empty. I have neighbors watch the front door for any deliveries that might come from Fed Ex or UPS - or those door handle adverts that always scream "no on is home" when left for weeks at a time.
Mar 15th, 2012, 01:10 PM
#30
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 29,599
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
My neighbor and I trade cat feeding, plant watering and mail/papers collecting. We have never done bills for each other.
I wouldn't feel comfotable asking her to write bills, but know she wouldn't have a problem sticking them in an envelope and forwarding them. Every other week would probably keep anything from being late.
I wouldn't feel comfotable asking her to write bills, but know she wouldn't have a problem sticking them in an envelope and forwarding them. Every other week would probably keep anything from being late.
Mar 15th, 2012, 07:21 PM
#33
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 861
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
When we have our mail and newspaper stopped during a vacation, we always start that a day in advance so that we know that it actually took effect. I would do the same thing if I were forwarding it.
Mar 16th, 2012, 01:07 AM
#34
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 418
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Know you don't want to hear it but we do most of our bills online and have other, less important mail forwarded. Used to do paper bills and try to have everything forwarded but found it to be unreliable bcs of human error. Hadn't received any mail for weeks one time, had a neighbor check our mailbox and there were 42 pieces of mail crammed into it! We had to pay many late fees bcs of it. Never again. Online is simple, reliable, secure and takes the worry out of the process. I don't do automatic payments, just receive bills online, which saves paper, and authorize payments for each. In terms of the house, we keep the heat on 60 (cheaper than dealing with pipe or wall cracks) and have a house checker 2x/wk in winter and 1x/wk in warmer weather.
Mar 16th, 2012, 04:42 AM
#35
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 36,842
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
This reminds me of a post "where can I buy gas for my car, but please don't suggest gas stations as I don't like them".
Sure you don't want to hear it, but the BEST way to do what you ask is to join the 21st Century! I've been traveling for up to 5 months at a time for the past 16 years, and I can't imagine not being able to do with the help of online and prearranged bill pay. It just makes no sense to struggle to do it other ways.
Sure you don't want to hear it, but the BEST way to do what you ask is to join the 21st Century! I've been traveling for up to 5 months at a time for the past 16 years, and I can't imagine not being able to do with the help of online and prearranged bill pay. It just makes no sense to struggle to do it other ways.
Mar 16th, 2012, 07:20 AM
#36
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 4,859
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I added this to TDuddetts post on the Europe board, but will post it here for those reading on U.S.
We were on holiday in Mexico a few of years ago. We go for a month at a time. While sitting on the beach a woman told the story of how a small water valve under her powder room sink had failed during a week-end trip. In the two days they were gone, her entire finished basement filled with water nearly to the ceiling! It was a major disaster. I kept thinking and thinking about her story -- we had never shut off our water supply. I finally sent an email to my neighbor and asked her to go to our house and shut down the main water supply. Which she did. Returning home, I turned the main supply back on and about 5 minutes later we noticed water dripping from the ceiling in our finished basement. Turns out that we had a pin hole in one of the pipes! If we hadn't had the neighbor turn our water off, our house would have floated away in the month we were gone.
The lady on the beach, had to have all the walls in her lower level removed and rebuilt after the water damage. In addition, her nasty home insurance company was sticky about the fact that the house was "left empty without sufficient care". (For a weekend!.... Really!) They balked at paying her claim. She finally won out, but it was a hassle. You know insurance companies, they will look for any way to keep from paying a claim.
I live in Minnesota and we are away in the dead of winter, so watering the lawn isn't an issue. However, I would rather have dead landscaping than a flooded home. For those in warm climates or traveling in summer, I would consider a way to keep the lawn water active, while shutting down the interior water.
I still thank that stranger on the beach for making me paranoid enough to take precautions. We never leave home without shutting down the water main now.
We were on holiday in Mexico a few of years ago. We go for a month at a time. While sitting on the beach a woman told the story of how a small water valve under her powder room sink had failed during a week-end trip. In the two days they were gone, her entire finished basement filled with water nearly to the ceiling! It was a major disaster. I kept thinking and thinking about her story -- we had never shut off our water supply. I finally sent an email to my neighbor and asked her to go to our house and shut down the main water supply. Which she did. Returning home, I turned the main supply back on and about 5 minutes later we noticed water dripping from the ceiling in our finished basement. Turns out that we had a pin hole in one of the pipes! If we hadn't had the neighbor turn our water off, our house would have floated away in the month we were gone.
The lady on the beach, had to have all the walls in her lower level removed and rebuilt after the water damage. In addition, her nasty home insurance company was sticky about the fact that the house was "left empty without sufficient care". (For a weekend!.... Really!) They balked at paying her claim. She finally won out, but it was a hassle. You know insurance companies, they will look for any way to keep from paying a claim.
I live in Minnesota and we are away in the dead of winter, so watering the lawn isn't an issue. However, I would rather have dead landscaping than a flooded home. For those in warm climates or traveling in summer, I would consider a way to keep the lawn water active, while shutting down the interior water.
I still thank that stranger on the beach for making me paranoid enough to take precautions. We never leave home without shutting down the water main now.
Mar 16th, 2012, 08:11 AM
#37
Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 5,142
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I still think if you are really 'anal' about bill paying then a forwarding service of any form (including a neighbor) won't work for you. You'll still worry that bills are late or possibly lost in transit.
BTW, I didn't advise you to pay online but you asked how others 'manage bill paying' when away for a month or two.
Good luck and do post a trip report after your extended vacation!
BTW, I didn't advise you to pay online but you asked how others 'manage bill paying' when away for a month or two.
Good luck and do post a trip report after your extended vacation!
Mar 17th, 2012, 05:30 AM
#39
Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 5,904
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
TDudette, You are not alone there are some of us who are even farther back in history. DH still uses a typewriter and has his cell phone set up so that it will not get text messages. In his defense, after he gave his phone number to a car rental place, he started getting texts telling him "your $10,000 college loan has been approved", then "would you like another $3000?" and up to 10 texts a day. He knew not to respond than blocked texts so he wouldn't have to pay for them.
Some of us like to hear a human voice.
Some of us like to hear a human voice.
Mar 17th, 2012, 06:36 AM
#40
TC,
A friend of mine had a similar experience. She went away for a week and the hose in her refrigerator's ice make sprung a leak. Her entire first floor and basement was flooded and the walls had mold in them. She had to have the walls torn down and basically gut her house. I turn off the water when I leave home.
A friend of mine had a similar experience. She went away for a week and the hose in her refrigerator's ice make sprung a leak. Her entire first floor and basement was flooded and the walls had mold in them. She had to have the walls torn down and basically gut her house. I turn off the water when I leave home.
