CSA Online Bills and other mail An over owing mailbox is a sure sign that no one is home. Maybe you’ve got a neighbour who’s willing to take the mail in and water the plants every few days in your absence. Still, the less mail coming in, the better. Bank statements, tax-related documents, utility bills. All of these things and more can be sent digitally as opposed to in their physical form. Just look for the option for “paperless billing” or “e-statements” in your online account tools or, failing that, call the service provider in question. e bene ts of going paperless are many. For one, and most on topic for the subject of this column, is the fact that digital bills, statements and other communications don’t clog up your physical mailbox. Aside from that, with electronic bills and statements delivered to your e-mail and available online any time you want them, it’s much easier to keep up on nances and household maintenance when you’re away. Another bene t of going paperless is that it’s better for the entity you’re dealing with too, which means that they’ll sometimes o er small incentives to switch to paperless billing. ings such as a waived account fee or some other small discount. In some cases, the company will o er more stick and less carrot; some companies will tack a buck or two on as an admin charge if you haven’t gone paperless. Whatever the case, it’s worth considering for all of these reasons and more. One more thing… Even when you escape the snow, you can’t entirely escape the snow. If you’re in a condo, a town home or an apartment, maintenance may well take care of your snow removal. If keeping the driveways and walkways clear falls to you, however, be sure that you have made arrangements for snow removal before you leave. All of the precautions in the world amount to nothing if a blanket of snow sits undisturbed in front of the house, alerting would-be burglars to the fact that no one is coming or going from the home. Safe travels! Fake TV FTV10 $29.99 Any time you’re out for an evening walk, you’ll see TVs ickering in bedrooms and living rooms across the neighbourhood. e telltale TV colour pulsing is an unmistakable sign that someone is home. Or is it? Turns out that you can get the TV ickering in the window e ect without the TV. ere’s a little cottage industry of devices that are designed to make it look like someone’s home, watching the old goggle box. Fake TV uses an array of bright red, green and blue LEDs in random patterns to simulate a TV screen to outside observers. Because it uses LEDs as its light source, it barely uses any power. Nothing even close to the TV’s power draw. It’s pretty simple, as gadgets go. Just plug it in, turn it on and stash it out of sight and facing toward the window. Choose whether you want it on all the time or whether you want the “TV” to come on a er dark and stay on for four or eight hours. If you want more granularity, you could pair it with one of the aforementioned smart outlets and you’ll get a lot more say regarding how o en and for how long your fake TV is on. CSANews | FALL 2019 | 53
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