Whether you’ve been living in your own home for some time or in you’re a new home – you want to feel safe.
A sense of safety is a powerful thing. It’s that peace of mind feeling you get when everything seems okay, nothing bad can happen to you in that moment.
However despite our best efforts we never know if something will go wrong tomorrow or not- but there are ways to take steps towards making yourself feel more safe while also ensuring your physical safety
Being safe in your home by yourself is one thing, but you want to feel safe as well. Many of us spend a lot of time in our homes and it’s important to feel that your domain is a safe place to be in.
With the following tips, you’ll be able to relax those tense muscles, get better quality sleep, and finally enjoy the independence that living alone in your own living space can bring.
1. Get A Home Security System Installed
The very first thing to do is to get some type of home security alarm.
We really can’t stress the importance of a home security system enough for anyone living alone, but especially women. Security systems are a huge deterrent to burglars.
Especially when there are nearly 4 million property crime reports each year, according to the FBI.
Safety.com
Security systems are available at all sorts of price points to suit any budget, and many are one-time fees unless you want a longer-term subscription.
If you rent an apartment and you can’t drill into the walls, look into a wall-mounted, portable security system like SimpliSafe.
For comprehensive protection from danger, your home security system should have a camera, (specifically one that uses encryption to guard against hacking), an alarm, and at least one motion-detection light or sensor.
You might be able to download an accompanying app and watch what’s going on around your house anytime from your smartphone.
Make sure to place sensors in all the entry points to your house, that includes doors and windows. If you decide to use Simplisafe – here are the types of sensors that you can use.
2. Change Your Locks (Or Add Some)
If you’ve moved into a new place, whether it’s an apartment or you have purchased the house of your dreams, remember that somebody else has had keys to that place somewhere along the way.
This is true even if you had your house built from the ground up and you are the first occupant. Contractors and workers had keys so they could work on the home.
For all of these reasons, if at all possible, change your locks as soon as you sign the deed or close on the house. This includes all the entry doors to your home, including back doors.
If this isn’t possible (maybe an apartment landlord retains a master key, for example) install deadbolt locks.
Having a second lock to get through wastes time – something that burglars can’t afford to do.
Don’t forget to install a lock on your sliding door! I like this one from HauSun. It resists 1,000 pounds of force and works on vinyl, wood, or aluminum frames.
A lock like this is “cheap insurance” and you can choose whether to install it on the bottom or top of the sliding door track.
As an alternative, you could get a security bar that fits across the middle of the sliding door. Security bars double as visual deterrents.
If a burglar spots one, they know it won’t be so easy to break in.
A last resort is placing something as simple as a broomstick in the sliding door track. This prevents the door from being lifted high enough to get above the door lock.
3. Make Your Doors More Secure
In addition to changing and/or adding locks to your doors – you can also add a Door Guard like this one!
It’s just a brace placed against the door which helps tremendously from anyone breaking down the door. It’s a great low tech way to feel a bit safer at home.
4. Be Careful With Spare Keys
People always think burglars won’t be able to guess that they’ve hidden a spare key under a rock or the front door mat, but criminals know all the tricks.
The key under the mat, inside the mailbox, beneath a rock everybody hides a house key. Problem is, burglars know your hiding places. Instead, give it to a trusted neighbor.
ConsumerReports.org
Consumer Reports recommends giving your spare key to a trusted neighbor. I’ve given mine to a friend who lives close by.
Another friend has hidden hers in her garage, which is protected by a keyless entry lock. If she gets locked out, she just enters the code to open the garage door so she can retrieve the spare key.
Another option is to install a keyless lock box somewhere outside your home to hide keys in.
5. Befriend Your Neighbors
Okay, you don’t have to be BFFs with your neighbors, but you do want to get to know them at least a little.
Not only is this the kind, neighborly thing to do, but you’ll feel safer knowing that you’re surrounded by good people.
Also – and this is something we talked about in another recent post – your neighbors can look out for you when you’re not home.
For example, if a strange van pulls up to your property and your neighbor sees it, they might send you a text and ask if you know what’s going on.
It’s a little bit of protection against potential intruders.
Another great reason to get to know your neighbors is that you just may need their help at some point.
This is especially true if you live alone and if your friends and family members don’t live nearby.
6. Quiet Down Those Thumps In The Night
When I first started living alone after my husband died, I found that every little noise during the night would wake me up and keep me up.
I don’t think I slept more than 2 hours at a time for 6 years!
Your heart is always in your throat when you hear any thump or creak during the night and it can be very frightening.
The good news is, there are things that you can do to feel safer:
- I installed a battery operated motion sensor alarm at the top of stairs so if anyone were to walk up, the alarm would go off.
- I placed panic buttons that are connected to my security system by my bed and throughout the house.
- I play the sound of White Noise on my Alexa device which helps to hide those little thumps and creaks.
- I placed objects throughout the house, in every room that I could use as a weapon if I needed to. An easy thing is to put pepper spray products throughout your house.
- I put the phone number of my local police department in my contact list and this lets me call them from my phone but also from my Alexa device.
It took me some time to feel safer in my home but doing these 3 simple things made a big difference for me. I’m sure they will for you too.
7. Leave No Dark Areas On Your Property
If you read my last post, you might have remembered the concept of house blind spots, or those vulnerable areas where a potential intruder can hide and surprise you as you try to enter your home.
The fewer of these areas – if any – on your property, the better.
Motion-sensor lights are a great way to illuminate dark areas, and you might even position some outdoor security cameras so these spots have a set of eyes on them.
8. Hold A Fake Burglary
If you want to find out your home’s vulnerabilities, try holding a fake burglary!
To do this, ask a friend you trust to spend 5 minutes “breaking in”, then going through your stuff as if they were robbing you.
They should attempt to get in via doors, windows, and sliding doors, then should rummage around in the house to see if they can find your valuables.
It sounds weird, I know, but this exercise can be eye-opening.
You are used to seeing things in your home, so you may not realize that something precious is sitting out in plain view or that your sliding door can easily be lifted off its track and opened.
Once your friend finds weaknesses like these, you can address them.
Maybe you move your Grandma’s jewelry to a different hiding place or you install a lock on the sliding door. Whatever problems that they find, fixing them will make you that much safer and in turn help to make you feel safer knowing that you’ve done as much as you can do to thwart potential burglars.
Keep in mind that you might think you have found the best way (and places) to hide your valuables, but most burglars already know where homeowners like to hide things.
The first place they head to is the master bedroom, where they start with drawers, nightstands, and the medicine cabinet.
9. Stop Posting On Social Media
I personally don’t post on social media – at all – and I’m constantly teased about that by my friends and family. But truthfully, I don’t care because it makes me feel much safer!
It’s not a good idea to post that you are at the park or enjoying a lunch at a restaurant, etc.
It’s just one more way that potential burglars can find out that you are not at home or worse – when you are getting back home!
As Nancy Reagan used to say – Just Say No!
10. Plan For Emergencies
Many homeowners don’t put much thought into making their home safe from natural disasters and home disasters such as fires.
The very least that you can do to keep yourself, your family and your home safe is to invest in fire extinguishers and implement a fire escape plan.
Check my article on what size and type of fire extinguishers are right for you.
Conclusion
Whether you’re moving into a new house or you’ve been living in your home for years but have never taken the steps to make your home feel safer – I encourage you to take these actions to protect yourself.
With just a few simple steps, you can make your home more secure. And, once you feel like your home is a safe haven, you’ll be better able to relax and enjoy your independence!
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