Inexpensive Home Security Tips

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It's a tough economy out there and we're all looking for ways to save money without sacrificing quality. That's particularly important in home security where the quality of your protection really is a black and white issue. You're either safe from your average burglar or you aren't. The good news is you don't have to break the bank to be safe.

Securing your home on a budget basically means making it less attractive to a potential criminal than neighboring houses. Crooks are lazy (else they'd apply those creative juices to real jobs). They don't want a challenge, they don't want to work hard for the prize, and they certainly want to do everything possible to minimize the risk of getting caught. Your job is to make your home too much of an effort and too much of a risk to be worth their while. So let's get started with some simple tips.

Deadbolt your door. My wife's illusion of safety was shattered recently when she locked us out on accident while we were walking the dogs. Fortunately, I had my wallet on me. I pulled out a credit card and slipped open the lock in under 5 seconds. Her wide-eyed shock was priceless. "No point in bothering to lock the thing at all if you aren't using the deadbolt," I admonished her. She now refuses to leave the house without key in hand and deadbolt locked. This one simple act deprives a burglar of a quick and quiet entry option through the front door. You've just added to his workload and increased his exposure.

While you're at it, ensure your patio door and the interior door connecting your home to your garage all have deadbolt locks as well. These areas are prime entry points because they often allow a criminal to hide from prying eyes while they work to gain entry. That makes them a far more likely point of assault and worthy of just as much security as you want on your front door.

If you're away, leave your yard lit. Porch and patio lights are a simple and inexpensive deterrent. No crook wants to work in a spotlight. In and of it self, a light isn't a great crime prevention tool as they can easily be extinguished. But, in combination with everything else you're learning here, it's just one more hurdle for a criminal to overcome which slows him down and increases the possibility of his being caught in the act.

Keep a neatly trimmed bush (mind out of the gutter, folks). My own home was burglarized when I was a child while we were asleep upstairs. The criminals entered through a ground floor window. Evidence suggested they took their time about it because the overgrown azaleas in front of the window gave them all the cover they needed. The police could have driven by and shone a spotlight right on the front of our house and the crooks wouldn't be seen. So the message is to keep bushes and hedges near entry points to your house neatly trimmed and short.

Speaking of breaking in through windows, I can jimmy a regular window crescent latch with a credit card just as fast as I can jimmy the lock on my front door. This is one area that you can protect without spending a lot by purchasing security latches for your windows for around $3-$5 each. You don't need them on every window of the house, just those that are easy to reach from the ground or your deck/patio.

If you are the forgetful type like me, you might have a hide-a-key stashed. If you're a criminal, the first thing you look for is a hide-a-key under the mat, above the door or under a flower pot. Failing to find it there, you might do a quick spot check for a fake rock that is blatantly out of place. Crooks aren't stupid, folks, they're just lazy. So play to that weakness and make your hide-a-key as challenging an objective as possible. Hide it far from your door and don't put it in something obvious. If you were to hunt for my hide-a-key, you'd have to enjoy dirt, bugs, worms and spiders. It's a small inconvenience for the rare times I lock myself out and a small price to pay to keep my valuables safe (spiders yuck!)

Never leave tools outside in your yard. Secure them. You'd be surprised how often criminals go after a house and find they are unable to enter with the tools they brought along. A quick search of the back yard often presents them with exactly what they need to break in. That includes ladders, pry-bars and any number of other tools they can use to access upper windows or pry open a door.

Get to know your neighbors and watch out for one another. Let them know you'll never go out of town and designate a house-sitter without informing them in advance. It wouldn't be the first time a charismatic crook has convinced a good Samaritan that they were just watching the house for the owner while they were away. Consider forming a neighborhood watch and help each other out and remind everybody never to reveal personal information to strangers such as work hours, travel schedules or vacation plans.

If you elect to protect your home with an inexpensive wireless surveillance camera, ensure that there is some sign or indicator to criminals that it is present. Ideally, you want them to be dissuaded from entering your home entirely rather than hope the video evidence is enough for cops to catch them. Also, make sure the footage from your camera is stored off-site. All too many people have dealt with the stomach turning frustration of finding their home burglarized and the computer on which they were recording their wireless video was taken along with everything else.

If CCT or wireless surveillance cameras are too pricey for your budget, you might want to consider a fake security camera or two. The link I've provided will give you some important tips on how to setup a fake security camera properly and what you should look for. These devices are relatively inexpensive, ranging from $20-70. They won't record a blessed thing, but if you follow my advice in the link, they can be a great deterrent.

Be thankful for your dog, but don't depend on him alone. Dogs aren't perfect crime deterrents. In fact, some criminals actively look for dogs to steal (purebred dogs they can sell). As cute as they are, I don't recommend a feisty little dog as a crime deterrent. Yes, the barking and yapping may be something a crook wants to avoid but they can end that noise very quickly with one fatal kick. A large dog will give a criminal much more pause. You should know that all dogs won't protect your property. Some will gleefully give a crook a tour of your home. If your dog is welcoming of strangers, do not count on him. My dog has bitten a person (my boss from many years ago) who mistakenly walked into our home uninvited (he though we said "come in" when we'd actually said "one minute").

What's important to note about dogs is that, while they won't deter all criminals, we are playing a numbers game. If there are 100 burglars in your county and 50% of them fear dogs, you've just halved your odds of being robbed. Every little bit helps. Add in all the other tips you've read so far and you further improve your safety. I'll have to write another article on how to determine if your dog is a protector or a home-invasion-tour-guide at some point and will link this to it.

Finally, get some security signs. Some legitimate security companies will sell you yard signs and window stickers for a very reasonable rate. If they require you let them do an appraisal to offer you a full service system, accept it. The few minutes you spend will be worth it if they'll let you buy a couple signs and stickers for it afterwards. If they balk at the idea, point out that they'll be getting free advertising and possibly more business as a result of you having the sign posted in your yard. Obviously, a complete security system would be the better option, but as this is about saving money, consider this one more inexpensive item in your crime-deterrent arsenal.

My hope is you've taken away two messages from this. The first is that you can do a lot to protect your property without spending a lot of money. The second is that you shouldn't do just one of the suggestions listed and expect results. Security is a package deal. Doing all of the things above gives you some very good odds. Those odds diminish as you get lazy and drop things off the security to-do list. Given how little all of these steps would cost you (other than buying a new dog if you don't already have one) there's absolutely no reason you shouldn't get started implementing them into your life today. Good luck and stay safe.