I set up my house such that when I unlock the front door using my code, the downstairs lights come on if it's after sundown. I also have a camera capture the first few minutes of the door changing state. I get alerts if the door is opened outside of normal away hours (8-4 on weekdays). I also have a vacation mode that will control various lights in the house to simulate occupancy. I also set up a nightlight mode that will detect motion after dark and turn lights on and off as you pass through the house. This was all done with off-the-shelf components and minimal Lua scripting. Admittedly not life-changing, but more useful than moving blinds up and down!
I used a Schlage Z-wave compatible door lock, a VeraLite smart home controller, and a handful of generic Z-wave devices (sensors, outlets, switches). I also have a Nest thermostat. The package cost me about $200 bucks (not counting the Nest).
