The following is a guest post by Rachel from TopHomeAlarms.com.
These days it seems like we’re all making budget cuts here and there, only allowing for small concessions, basically trying to trim the spending fat wherever we can. While having an ever-conscious understanding of your finances and a willingness to control spending are definitely admirable traits, there are certain areas of saving opportunity you should keep your thrifty fingers away from. The most important of these areas is home security.
While most home security systems earn the typical homeowner a break in their insurance and can even pay for itself after a short time, the monthly cost or initial installation fee can still prove to be too much for some owners and renters. But no matter how you slice it, installing security measures or a security system will be less costly than if your home is broken into and burgled. The following tips are designed to provide even the thriftiest residents with the effective means to keep their homes safe and secure without breaking the bank.
- If you don’t have one already, get a new dog – Hold on a second, I don’t mean running out and spending thousands of dollars you don’t have on an attack dog. In this case, simply creating the illusion that a big, mean dog lives at your address can be enough to stop most casual intruders who are casing your home. To achieve the desired effect, buy a cheap large dog bowl and fabricate teeth marks in it by chipping into the plastic with a screwdriver or pair of shears. You can even rub some dirt or mud around the outside rim to simulate aging. After you’re all done, set the bowl outside in plain view of anyone who would be walking by.
- Fake it till you make it – The fact of the matter is that only about 20 to 30 percent of all homes are monitored by a security company. But when driving down an average residential street it looks more like 60 to 80 percent of homes are being monitored, doesn’t it? That’s because these folks have learned that even an illusion of home security can be enough to deter most would-be criminals. In fact, the majority of burglars will pass by your home if they see a security company’s sticker on your window or yard sign stuck in your grass. Even if you can’t afford to have your home actively monitored by a security company you can still make it look like you can by putting a security company’s sticker on your window or posting their sign on your lawn. There exist fake security cameras that look very legitimate for as low as ten dollars, and most fake security signs and stickers can be obtained easily online at an average cost of just twenty dollars!
- Light them up, get them moving – Tall hedges, unkempt trees, and dark corners and doorways are the perfect hiding places for intruders or criminals to lurk before they attempt a break-in or get a better idea of your personal schedule. An easy, but often overlooked, area of opportunity is lighting. A good rule of thumb is to have one light per entrance/exit. Kick your protection up a notch by hooking up your security lights to timers or motion sensors. Motion-activated lights are a great high-visibility way to protect your property from wayward individuals and make them think twice before targeting you.
While the previous tips may have seemed common sense to some readers, many of the best security measures (that are still commonly overlooked) are: keep your doors and windows locked at all times, if you do have a security system installed make sure the keypad cannot be seen from outside, and use a deadbolt lock instead of a sliding chain.
So now that you have a better idea of where to start when it comes to home security, never let yourself and your valuables go unprotected again. After all, it’s easy to stay safe and secure without breaking the bank!
About the author: Rachel is a freelance writer and researcher currently working for tophomealarms.com. Her articles focus mainly on travel, home security, and music, and her views are shared across different forums and websites.
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