Around Athens and Oconee County, November brings full calendars, family gatherings, and a little debate about who makes the best dressing. Whether you’re hosting Thanksgiving dinner or packing the car to visit relatives, a few simple preparations can help keep an unexpected problem from becoming the main event.
Keep an eye on the kitchen
When guests arrive and several dishes are cooking at once, it’s easy to get distracted. Stay in the kitchen while frying, boiling, grilling, or broiling, and stay home while the turkey roasts, checking it regularly. Keep towels, packaging, and oven mitts away from the stovetop, and give children a safe distance from hot cooking surfaces. These are simple precautions recommended by the National Fire Protection Association.
Before the holiday rush, test your smoke alarms. It’s a small task that’s easy to put off when the grocery list is getting longer.
Give your home a guest’s-eye inspection
You know which front step is uneven and where the hallway rug tends to bunch up. Your guests may not.
Walk from the driveway to the front door and through the areas where everyone will gather. Clear away wet leaves, improve lighting around entrances, secure loose rugs, and move cords out of walking paths. If pets get overwhelmed by a crowded house, prepare a quiet place where they can settle away from the activity.
Make a plan if you’re leaving town
Before you pull out of the driveway, check doors and windows, arrange for packages to be collected, and ask someone you trust to keep an eye on the house.
Know where your main water shutoff is, and make sure anyone checking the house knows how to reach you. If freezing weather is in the forecast, leave the heat set appropriately to help protect your plumbing.
Save the vacation photos for after you’re home rather than announcing an empty house on social media.
Put an insurance conversation on the calendar
You don’t have to wait until renewal to ask questions about your coverage. If you’ve renovated, purchased valuable items, or made other changes around the house, let your insurance agent know.
It’s also a good opportunity to ask about your home’s insured value, your deductible, and your personal liability limits. Understanding those details before something happens makes it easier to plan.
A little preparation leaves more room to enjoy the holiday
Thanksgiving should be about the people around your table, not the things you forgot to check.
At Larry Baumwald Insurance, we help our neighbors in Athens, Oconee County, and surrounding communities make sense of their insurance. Contact our team to review your home and auto coverage before the holiday season gets into full swing.
We hope your Thanksgiving is filled with good company, good food, and enough leftovers for Friday.
Call 706-353-8444
Email dustin@baumwald.com
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