How To Protect Your Home While You Travel

Let’s face it – being broken into SUCKS.

While we were in Florida this year, our house was broken into. Luckily we aren’t so fancy that there was tons to steal, but things like watches, family jewelry, cash, small electronics (cameras, iPod, laptops) were easy for a grab-and-go. 

The truth is, we feel safe in our little neighborhood & never thought it could happen to us. We even had a house sitter at that time, but those jerks had been watching our home and waiting for him to leave for church on Sunday morning. Rude (and creepy).

Unfortunately, since this “big” break in, we’ve had 2 other incidents – a broken car window (with some stolen tools) & an attempt to break into our home again. SO. ANNOYING. 

We’re so thankful nobody was hurt, because “things” can be replaced – it’s just such a pain to go through the whole process. This could have been a WHOLE lot worse for us, and we’re thankful it wasn’t too bad – but we’ve learned a ton through our experience & I thought I’d share so hopefully you can avoid this! Just incase you aren’t as resourceful as Kevin McCallister.

GET A SAFE
This might sound stupid or paranoid, but it’s completely worth your time. The thieves TRIED To drag our safe out, but it was 3oolbs & upstairs – just too heavy for them. We had cash from a recent car sale, ALL of our important docs (marriage license, SS card, birth certificate, etc), and a few other valuables. What I wish was in there was my few pieces of special jewelry. A safe can really be a game changer if you’re broken into, have a fire, or natural disaster strikes! You’ll want one that is heavy, as well as fire/water proof. If they can carry it out of your house, you’re not doing yourself any favors. Now, before we go on a trip I put any extra cash, expensive jewelry, or small valuables in there.

INSURANCE
This might sound like a no-brainer…. but how many of you are renters without renters insurance? Renters insurance is extremely cheap – mine was $120 for the YEAR (aka $10 a month) for $25k in goods. You might not think you have $25k in belongings, but add up every electronic, piece of clothing, furniture, jewelry… even if they were gifts! It adds up quickly. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE get renter’s insurance. Skip eating out once or 2 lattes a month to prioritize the protection of the assets that you have! If you’re robbed without renters insurance, you will get nothing. 

If you own a home, you already have insurance – but take a few minutes to meet or chat with your agent to see what is covered. For us, knowing that watches count as jewelry, and we only had a $1,000 jewelry limit, would have been helpful. Matt had about 10 watches he’s collected over the last 15 years, and they blew our jewelry budget quickly. The 2 pieces I had stolen were valuable, but unfortunately were not covered because of this budget. KNOW YOUR LIMITS and have special jewelry (i.e., engagement rings, family heirlooms) insured separately, as they’re likely not to be covered. Also, know what your deductibles are & how you’ll be compensated. Our insurance covered the broken window, cleaning of our rug that was covered with dirt & gave us cash to replace our items. We are lucky we have a good insurance plan, but I’m glad to know now what we’re covered for. Your agent will gladly take a half hour meeting to explain it all to you & make sure you have what you need. 

CARS
Your car itself is covered by your car insurance – but your belongings in your car are not covered by car insurance. If your purse, stereo, or anything else is stolen out of your car, it will only be covered by your home owners/renters insurance. Keep anything valuable OUT of your car, especially while you’re away. It’s so easy to break a window & take what you want. Likewise, keep cars visible by neighbors or in a garage if possible. 

NEXTDOOR.COM
We signed up for Nextdoor.com & didn’t really think twice about it. Once we were broken into, we were able to post to our neighbors that it had happened, and learned that we weren’t the only ones! It’s basically a Facebook group for your neighborhood only. Check it out in your area. You could potentially help catch criminals or just protect yourself from being the next victim!