| |
How to Keep Your Home Secure Without Spending a Dime
By Search For Classes
Your home is your castle, and your family your greatest asset, so you want to keep everything safe. But if you've priced home security systems lately, you might have felt your bank book cringe.
I'm not going to tell you not to buy an alarm system, but if you're not at a point where you can invest thousands of dollars, and you just want to do a few things to make your home safer, this article is for you.
I'm going to give you a list of tips you can use to make your home safer without spending any money.
The most important thing to keep in mind is that burglars are lazy. Like most people, they want the highest reward with the least possible risk and effort. The more challenging you can make your house appear, the more likely the burglar is to pass on by and pick on somebody else (or--let's hope--go away altogether). So, how do you make your home appear secure without screeching alarms, video surveillance cameras, barbed wire fences, and a yard full of Dobermans?
Here are your tips:
Trim shrubs back from doors and walkways (this ensures would-be thieves don't have any shadowy nooks to hide in).
Lock your storage shed and don't leave tools out in the yard (burglars can use ladders, shovels, etc. to gain access to your home).
Keep the lawn mowed and the exterior of the house maintained (a downtrodden appearance can suggest you are away from home a lot or that you just don't care enough to worry about your house).
Plant thorny shrubs beneath first-story windows (if you wouldn't want to climb through a tangle of thorns to reach an open window, chances are a burglar won't either).
If an outdoor light burns out, change it right away.
Don't display your valuables conspicuously (i.e. huge plasma TV on a living room wall that is visible from the street), as this only tempts thieves.
When you make new purchases (such as said plasma TV), don't leave the boxes by the curb to announce your valuable acquisitions--break boxes down and stuff them in your recycling bin.
Don't store house keys under the doormat, a rock, etc. (thieves are wise to all the tricks--if you always lose your keys, consider a fingerprint activated lock instead).
Keep tree branches trimmed back from windows and your roof.
Make sure the garage doors are sturdy (no loose panels or damaged corners), especially if the garage is attached to the house.
Check your garage door opener if you haven't changed it from the factory setting. There's usually a row of 10-12 switches. If all except one is pointing the same direction, the combination is easy to break (the thief has a 1 in 10 or 1 in 12 chance of getting it).
Always shut and lock your doors when you leave the house.
Hopefully these tips will help you make your home less of a target. Remember, home security is as much a matter of employing common sense as it is a bunch of expensive gadgets and gizmos.
About the Author
TC Thorn is the author of many articles on home security and home improvement. You can get more information on keeping your home safe at http://www.homesecurityinformation.com
Article Source: http://www.simplysearch4it.com/article/31946.html
| If you wish to add the above article to your website or newsletters then please include the "Article Source: http://www.simplysearch4it.com/article/31946.html" as shown above and make it hyperlinked. |
| Some other articles by Search For Classes | Homeland Security Means Big Business for Many Graduates
The term "Homeland Security" has become a part of our collective vocabulary, thanks in large part to media coverage of government policies related to terrorist threats that endanger our nation. Not only ...
A Changing of the Guard in Automotive Repair
As someone who has always purchased used, low mileage cars in an attempt to offset the expense of driving a ...
The Benefits and Detriments to Earning a Doctorate Degree
There is no question that earning a doctorate degree creates more career opportunities both in terms of salary eligibility and type of employment. ...
Health Care Worker's, Salaries on the Rise
The employment outlook for health care workers as well as salaries for almost all health care related positions is on the rise, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
"Job ...
Information Technology Majors in High Demand
IT departments for some of the largest corporations in the world, in an effort to keep up with increased demand for database administrators, computer support specialists, computer scientists, computer engineers and systems ...
Culinary School Graduates in Demand
In uncertain economic times, there a few things that will always remain constant. One of the constants, without question, is a person's need to eat. ...
|
|
| |
|
|
|
