Secure Your Home for Free
There are no bulletproof ways to secure your home entirely. But there are many ways to make so difficult for the thief, that he will choose another house instead. And the methods are either free of charge or very cheap.
If you hide when you are away, you can avoid many break-ins. You should never have regularly routines. Even if it sounds difficult, try to vary the time of departure and arrival just a little bit every day.
If you are on vacation for a longer time, it is best to stop the delivering of mail and newspaper. If your mail box is filled with post, it is easy for the thief to see, that you are away. You can also arrange with the neighbor, that he will park the car the car in front of your house sometimes. Do also make arrangement about mowing the lawn and removing the snow.
Last but not least do not write on Facebook, Twitter etc. that you are away on vacation, if you have an open profile everybody can read. Thieves are also using computers in their work.
Light is the thieves worst enemy. Good lighting is one of the greatest deterrents to crime. If there are places, where it is obvious to break in, make sure they are lighted well. Do also mount floodlight on the corner of your house. Then the walls are flooded with light in all directions
You can also use light in another way, to protect you from break-ins. Buy a plug-in timers, so you automatically can turn the light on and off. Then the burglar will never know, if you are home or not. Just make sure, that you vary the on and off time, so it is not obvious, that you are doing it with an automatic timer.
Put a large padlock on the shed, and do not leave the ladders outside. Often the thieves do not bring any tools themselves. Instead they use the things, people kindly has left outside their house. Do not be one of the fools, who provide them with the necessary equipment.
Typical entry points for the thieves are windows. So to protect yourself the best way, you can put a simple steal bolt or rod through the window frame. This way you make sure, that the window cannot be opened more than a few inches. And it is still easy to remove, if the window should be opened more.
You can protect yourself even more by investing in security cameras and alarm systems. And then a final obvious advice; remember to lock the door and close the windows, when you are away.