Remember how our grandparents and grand-grandparents used to live in a free and safe environment?
We remember the tales about not having to walk at the street with fear that someone may attack you or not locking up their homes all day. Well, that has changed a lot, especially in the last 30 years or so.
Due to the increased number of thefts, we cannot afford to live in an unsecured home. That’s why most people have installed alarms and cameras in their house or apartment.
You, like many others, have probably considered securing your home. But, not having enough money to install an entire security system and hire a security company to look out for your home have prevented you from taking that step.
Now, here’s the good news – you don’t need high-tech home security systems. You can do it on a budget by making some cheap changes. Let’s have a look at them.
Reinforce The Doors And Windows
One of the cheapest and easiest ways to secure your home is to reinforce the doors and windows.
In fact, this is the first thing you should take care of because they are the most common access point of thieves. In order to do that, you should install reinforcing hardware on your door and jamb.
To do that, you need to buy a single or a double wrap-around door reinforcement plate kit, a doorjamb reinforcement kit, and four 1/1.5-inch-long stainless steel word screws.
By installing a heavy-duty strike plate and very long screws, you will make sure the thieves can’t just break your door and enter your home. You can check out steel-line.com.au for best option available in the market.
When it comes to the windows, you can reinforce them with simple pin locks. In order to install them, you only need to drill one hole or two, if you want to be partially open.
You can use them on sliding doors, as well. Speaking of sliding doors, you can also reinforce them by inserting a wooden rod in the door’s track. That will prevent anyone to open it from the outside.
And don’t forget to close and lock all the windows and doors when leaving your home.
Install A Security Camera
Security cameras don’t have to be very expensive. You can easily find an affordable security camera online or in some local hardware shops.
Although installing a camera in your home won’t guarantee that thieves won’t come in, it will certainly make them think twice before breaking in.
And, even if they do come in, you will have it all on tape and you will be able to see their faces (since most of them aren’t professionals wearing masks) and report them to the police.
Install Alarms
Another way to secure your home without breaking the bank is by installing alarms on your doors and windows. If you live in an apartment you only have one door to secure, which is great.
However, if you live in a house, there is more than one door, so you need to install alarms on all of them.
Alarms are a very efficient way of securing your home because they are so loud.
And, no one likes loud noises, especially thieves, since they don’t want to get caught. You can find wireless alarms in home centres or online.
Although they don’t secure your home as much as home security systems, they can still send the thieves away. So, make sure you install them where no one from the outside can notice them.
Let There Be Light
Leaving the light on is one of the oldest tricks of securing your home. And, although thieves know this, they don’t want to risk to be caught, so the chance of breaking in is lower.
Therefore, make sure your lights are always on, along with your TV or radio, whenever you are not at home.
If you live in a house, you should also have the lights on the porch and in the yard on. In order to save on energy, you can buy cheap plug-in timers for the interior lamps and program them to turn on when you’re not at home or when it’s dark outside.
You can also buy cheap sensors that will trigger the exterior lights to turn on when it’s dark outside. And, you can buy motion-activated lights which you can place around the entrances and exits of your home.
Apart from the things mentioned above, you should also make sure your home isn’t too exposed. That means that you should cover all of your windows, so that no one can see the interior (which helps plan the break-in) or whether or not you are at home.
Although there’s no way to guarantee that your home is 100% thief-safe, these tips will increase your home security.
