New Year’s Resolutions

January is a perfect time to reflect on the past and look to the future. Setting resolutions is a kind of mental “reset button” that began 4,000 years ago. Whether you’re committing to improve your home, health, personal finances, or career, we’ve got tips for you.

Home
Guests, festive feasts, and the holiday season have come and gone. It’s time to clean your home and start the year fresh.

 
To avoid pests all year long, it’s important to pest-proof your home, which will help reduce the likelihood of a pest infestation or even long-term damage. Prevention is your best pest defense, and you can minimize the risk by:

• Storing leftover holiday treats in airtight containers.
• Packing seasonal décor and other items in plastic bins instead of cardboard boxes.
• Emptying garbage bins and recycling bins regularly.
• Using caulk to seal any potential entry points.
• Storing firewood at least 20 feet away from your home.
• Cutting back branches and bushes to keep pests away from the roof and sides of your home.

Health
Besides the potential infestation and damage to your home, pests also carry harmful bacteria and can pose significant health risks to you and your family. Household pests like cockroaches are known for triggering asthma and allergy symptoms. Cockroaches are good at hiding in walls, cracks, and behind appliances. Some experts estimate that if you see just one roach in your house, about 800 could be nearby – just out of sight.

HomeTeam can not only help eliminate disgusting pests, but with Taexx, you can target pests more efficiently. Taexx, the pest control system inside the walls of your home, minimizes exposure of pest control treatments to you and your family. Taexx targets common household pests where they live, hide, and breed. Taexx is a hassle-free and smart choice that is already built into more than 1 million homes; you may not even know that your home has the system installed. To find out, look for an external hub on the exterior of your home, or call HomeTeam and give them your address. If you’re building a new home in 2020, you can ask your builder to install Taexx at no cost to you.

Personal finances
Financial wellness has different meanings to different people. To some, it may mean paying off debt; to others it may be a large savings account. Whichever part of financial wellness you’re working on this year, experts agree that following these five steps are important:

• Identify your financial goals.
• Monitor your credit score.
• Make a budget and stick with it.
• Understand and pay down debt.
• Build up your emergency fund.

Pro tip – if you have an annual pest control treatment plan with HomeTeam, you can receive 10% off if you pay for the year in advance. Contact your local branch for more details and start saving!

Career
The start of a new year provides a clean slate for almost everything, including your career. If you spent the past year dreading each workday, it might be time for a career change.

Consider taking the next steps in your career with HomeTeam Pest Defense. A company that puts people first, HomeTeam makes sure its employees have the tools, support, and training they need to grow and succeed, offering competitive salaries, robust benefits, and paid vacations and holidays. For more information on starting a career at HomeTeam Pest Defense or to search and apply for open positions, see our Careers website. You can also follow us on LinkedIn to keep up with what’s happening at our branches and corporate office, and to get the latest in career news and workplace trends.