If you don't have the budget for it or aren't comfortable with high-tech gadgets, you don't need to rely on an upgraded, high-tech alarm system alone to keep your home safe. In many cases, some old-fashioned and basic tips and tricks you can apply around your home can mean increased security for your property and your valuables. Note a few of those tips here.
Deadbolts
You may know to upgrade deadbolts on entryway doors, but what about windows, the inside of the garage door, and the patio door wall? Install deadbolts, crossbars, and padlocks, and even more than one, on all these entryways and not just the front and back doors, and make sure they're thick and durable and not easy for anyone to pry open.
Think crunchy
To alert you or neighbours that there is a prowler, use crunchy surface materials around the home; this would mean crushed gravel or another material that makes a crunching sound when walked on. Put this under the home's windows in place of soft mulch or around the perimeter fence and it can be an early warning that someone it outside, even scaring them off because of the sound.
Vegetation and shrubbery
Thieves love to hide behind the shrubbery around your house while waiting for the right moment to enter. Either remove this shrubbery or replace it with stinging nettle or another variety that is downright painful to the touch, to discourage anyone from lingering under your windows.
The sock drawer
Thieves know that people hide their valuables in sock drawers, fake soda cans, behind fake electrical outlets, and the like. They also know about artificial rocks you can keep by the entryway to hide a key, and that many people tape a spare key under the mailbox, doorframe, and other such places. Avoid using these outdated tricks to hide your keys and valuables; invest in a lockbox at your local bank if you need a secure place to hide jewellery and cash, and leave a spare key with a trusted friend or family member rather than on the property.
Pet doors
A thief may actually be able to squeeze through a pet door, or reach something through it in order to unlock the door itself. Opt for a locked pet door that works with a computer chip on your pet's collar; when they approach, the door unlocks and lets them through. Once they're out of range, the door locks, keeping out thieves as well as racoons and other four-legged intruders.
