So here you are… sweating and stressing because suddenly it’s summer, and you’re simply, not ready. Like at all. Let’s be honest, we are all guilty of letting things go a bit in the midst of the many and varied crisis that have struck of late.
We’re calling it the ‘pandemic spread’, for obvious reasons. But, there is good news. It can be fixed, and before the holidays too.
If you’re into DIY, you can potentially give it a go yourself. Your solutions (according to our totally unbiased panel of experts, AKA us) include the following:
- Take up running. Generally speaking it’s always better to be running toward something. Chocolate cake for instance. But running away from stuff like responsibilities and bad guys is also fairly incentivizing, and to be honest, there is a fair chance this could happen, so prepare now. Just in case.
- Invite everyone to the gun show. Bring your ‘arms’ out and do some strength training.
- Take up Taebo and one-two punch and kick your way to feeling powerful, and not at all uncoordinated compared to the rest of the class (*gasps* I’m not projecting, you’re projecting).
Here’s the twist though. Wait for it…
The thing that is in bad shape here and why you need to employ this list, isn’t you (you look fabulous and we love what you’ve done with your hair).
It’s your house.
We had you going there for a bit didn’t we? Seriously though, you have a potential problem and it probably should be addressed sooner rather then later.
Pandemic Benefits?
The pandemic somehow managed to provide us with one or two benefits. Working from home was a win for a lot of people. It meant rolling out of bed at 7.59am and being at work logging into your first ZOOM meeting by 8 sharp. You got to spend most of the day in your PJ’s and slippers. Don’t even try and deny that. And the easy fridge access, well… like we said ‘pandemic spread’ was a thing, and eating your feelings was definitely a viable lifestyle choice given the circumstances.
But, one of the lesser spoken about benefits of being home for *checks notes* 2 years, was that it meant your house was occupied, and occupied houses tend to be avoided by bad guys if they can help it. This happy chapter has now come to an end for most.
Bad guys are desperate. They need to do their Christmas shopping too. And they are potentially going to choose your unsecured and now unoccupied house as their preferred stockist.
Wait, When Did My House Become ‘Unsecured’ and Decidedly Not ‘Summer Ready?’
While you were home, it was easy to let the little things go, but the problem with that is that they become big things before long – i.e. the problems spread.
The other day you shut off the electric fence because it was making that zap-zap-zap noise (argh, so annoying), but now its 4-months later and you still haven’t bothered to find the source of the issue. Yikes.
You have fallen into lazy and bad habits (yes we’re berating you like finger pointing parents, but it’s for your own good). Windows are left open. Doors are unlocked. Alarms aren’t armed (we bring this one up all the time because it makes us understandably grumpy) and there is lush shrubbery (lovely) growing in front of your garden beams (less lovely).
We would like to humbly suggest a few things to get you to the point where you can comfortably get your home security summer ready and activate Holiday Mode, because while you could attempt to Taebo your way out of a bad situation, we don’t recommend it. Nobody would.
Testing. Testing. Is this thing… armed?
It’s time to get a hold of your security company and let them know that you are going to test your alarm system and the panic button. A good security firm will test the system for you. And some *cough* like us *cough* are happy to come to your premises and provide a full system check, investigating any potential weak spots in your defense, and making recommendations if necessary. FYI we call this our ‘Secure Check,’ so you can ask for it by name.
Fixing for (no) trouble.
This is a no brainer really. Like why are we even here typing this? If it’s broken and you know it, fix it. Stop putting it off. One little passive can make all the difference. So can one branch, one light, one anything. Do what you need to do.
Be powerful.
So, load shedding is back. Wonderful. We can feel your palpable excitement from here. Avoid putting unnecessary strain on your system by making sure you have batteries that are working at capacity, and maybe take some backup too? (Not just us ;)). This way when the power inevitably goes out, while you are away, you don’t have to worry about your alarm system going offline.
Sharing is caring.
It’s true guys. Sharing IS caring. So, please tell your security company that you are going away (*grumbles* we’re not jealous at all. AT ALL.) and provide them with the keyholder details if it’s someone not on the list they hold. This is so they know who to contact in case of an emergency. You’re not really available while you’re backpacking through Budapest (or the Berg). If your security company knows you are away they can also look at potentially upping patrols and security in your area if deemed necessary.
Apparently you need to know things.
Did you know that a lot of the more recent systems can be remotely monitored, armed and deactivated by you, wherever you are in the world? It may be time to consider an upgrade to your system… so that you can keep an eye on things. Literally.
So, it’s nearly time you guys! After two years of ‘ARGH’ and ‘FML’ and ‘WTF’ and ‘OMG’ we have made it to the point where we will potentially be having Christmas, holidays, SUMMER, and we don’t want to get ahead of ourselves but maybe even a ‘happy new year’ too. But to stand the best chance of being summer ready so you can enjoy all of these things, we encourage you to reach out to your security company of choice today to get any little issues addressed ASAP and beat the mad December panic that is bound to happen. Let’s get your house in order and keep your family safe.
If you are thinking of signing up with a security company, or moving away from your current provider to another, you know where to find us. We’ll be patrolling your streets and neighbourhoods, although you can just call us too, In Case of Anything.
