Prepare for Time Change This Weekend By Doing These Things Around the House

You've probably noticed it's staying darker later in the morning and getting darker earlier in the evening. Less daylight signals the impending end of the archaic ritual we call Daylight Saving Time.

Yes, it’s that time of the season.

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At 2 a.m. this Sunday, November 7, we go back in time and 2 a.m. magically becomes 1 a.m. again resulting in the mythical “extra hour of sleep” we supposedly get the first morning we “fall back.”

Of course, in real life it doesn’t work that way. At least not for me. It’s simply an hour earlier according to the clock, but I get up around the same time I was waking up before the time change.

Well, at least I don’t have to go from room to room physically changing clocks, as my fancy smart phone that I use to do everything but actually talk to people automatically adjusts itself.

Daylight Saving To-Do

But changing the microwave and wall clocks around the house that don’t isn’t the only thing you should do this time of the year. There are a few other household chores Real Simple insists belong on your Daylight-Saving Time to-do list.

Flip your mattress - Flipping or rotating it extends its life and assures all sides of the mattress wear evenly and you don’t create an indentation that you sink into every time you get into bed.

Clean your AC vents and change furnace filters – Because we live in the desert, whenever we get high winds blowing through here you can expect dust and sand to cover everything in its path. Fall is a good time to change out the furnace filter and dust and/or vacuum the heating/air conditioner vents – especially for those of us who still have an evaporative.

Take stock of your medicine cabinet - Before cold and flu season arrives in full force is a good time to stock up on basics you may need -- tissues, cough medicine, decongestants, disinfectant spray, for example -- and throw out all the expired meds you’ve been hanging onto.

New Batteries - Replace the batteries in your smoke alarms, carbon monoxide detectors, and love toys. Okay, maybe not the last one -- but then again, I don't know you.