I live on a cul-de-sac with a paranoid retired ATF agent who monitors all activity night and day, so I'm in good shape crime-wise
Unless you live in a high-crime area, I wouldn't worry about break-ins. So, prep your place to both save money on utilities and to protect against weather damage.
On the first thing, saving money, some have already been covered. In the winter, I set my heat at 50 degrees. I close all curtains, close and lock all windows and doors and turn off the water at the intake line in my basement. This is more to make sure that none of my toilet tanks run than worried about lines freezing. I don't turn off appliances.
As far as weather, just assume that there will be a snow storm while you're gone in the winter or a thunderstorm if not. Bring in patio furniture, stuff on the deck, trash and recycling bins, stuff like that. You don't want to come home to find that your trashcan got blown down the street 2 weeks earlier.