What’s the use of DIYing yourself silly and upgrading every inch of your house if you’re not going to protect it from bad guys and natural disasters? And there are so many simple ways that you can do just that. So here’s how we do our best to protect our precious home sweet home.
1. Opt for a safe deposit box. Ever since I was a young child and we got robbed (the bad guys stole all my Christmas money and a necklace that was handed down to me from my grandma) my mom has ingrained in me that you’ll never be sorry that you have a safe deposit box. It’s just a small fee each month but the peace of mind that it can provide- and the unyielding protection that it can offer to your most prized possessions- is well worth the investment. Plus it’s amazing how freeing it feels to know that all of our important papers are in one place. No more frantically searching for my social security card or the title to the Altima. I recently had to do a name change social security, since I recently just got married. 2. Get an alarm (or install deadbolts, get a guard dog, etc). We live in one of those areas where people leave their front doors unlocked when they run out to the store. In fact our neighborhood hasn’t had a single break-in throughout the entire four year span that we’ve lived here. But that’s not a reason not to protect our house just in case- especially since we share so much of our life (and our house) with the world thanks to this ol’ blog. So getting an alarm felt like a smart move for us (we even scored a break on our homeowner’s insurance for the purchase). And not only do we feel a lot more secure with a whole-house alarm, we also have motion sensor lights, deadbolts on all of our exterior doors, and a nice little yappy dog with a surprisingly loud bark to alert the neighbors of any funny business. We like to think of it as a few layers of protection.
So even if you don’t have the money or the desire to get a full blown alarm system, even taking a few simple precautions like installing deadbolts, adding a few motion sensor lights, or even remembering to lock your windows can really lower the likelihood of a break-in.
3. Befriend your neighbors. There are about a million reasons to get to know your neighbors (when our driveway was paved one of them kindly offered up the use of theirs, when we needed a cup of sugar another one lent a hand). And “house safety” is definitely on that list. We’re very close with a handful of people who live nearby, which is great because we can always let them know when we’ll be out of town so they can keep an eye on things for us. And they do! One eagle-eyed neighbor actually called us when John’s sister stopped by- even though she was there with our blessing- just to be sure. It’s like your own personal neighborhood watch. And of course they can also alert you to a fire or if a tree happens to land on your roof (that actually happened to a family member, and thanks to her neighbor they knew right away and got it taken care of before they even returned home). Gotta love that.
4. Make sure your landscaping isn’t doing the bad guys any favors. When we moved into our house it would have been easy for anyone to sneak up to our front door without any of our neighbors noticing…
But ever since we’ve cut back all the overgrown trees and bushes and created a more open landscaping plan, there’s a lot less “cover” for anyone who might want to sneak around under the cover of shrubbery. So break out those clippers and get down to business- it’s just one more super easy way to protect your place.
5. Resist the urge to announce your location to the world. Celebrities and normal people alike are using sites like Twitter, Facebook, and Foursquare to broadcast whenever they’re on vacation or visiting faraway family members… and then coming home to find their home completely stripped of all valuables. Eeks. We do our best to be safe by avoiding the urge to share when we’re traveling (on Facebook, Twitter, and even here on the blog) so you’ll always notice that we only reveal that we’ve been away after we’re back home again. You just never know who could be waiting to hear that you’ll be out of town.
6. Bring home a fire and waterproof safe. Ours was actually given to us as a wedding gift but we love how practical and easy it is to use. Of course we have all of our “true” valuables (like jewelry, titles, deeds, and other government paperwork) stored in our safe deposit box, but for sentimental items that we just couldn’t bear to lose in a fire or a flood (like a CD full of wedding photos from our photographer and all the videos we’ve made of Clara and Burger) there’s nothing like the peace of mind that a small waterproof and fireproof safe can bring. And it can easily slip into any closet or corner (we keep ours in the hall closet under the vacuum cleaner).
7. Snag a few carbon monoxide/smoke detectors. You don’t really need us to explain why this is a good idea, but it’s definitely nice now that they sell those two-in-one detectors that can do it all. We were sure to place enough around the house so that each “zone” is adequately protected, and we change the batteries two times a year when we change the clocks forward and back for daylight savings time (it’s easier to remember to do it that way).
8. Don’t forget to test for radon. We did and the results were staggeringly dangerous (read more about that here). Thank goodness, for the health of Clara, Burger and ourselves, we opted to test our house pretty much right away (instead of living here for years without knowing that our casa was trying to kill us). Mitigation wasn’t cheap, but it was definitely the key to making our home about 100 times safer for us and our growing family. And the fact that we went from an almost unheard of amount of radon to nearly none at all (even less than the air we breathe outside!) was the icing on the cake.
9. Own at least one fire extinguisher for each floor of your home. We have just one since we have a one-level ranch, and we keep it under the sink in the kitchen since most fires start in that room. We’ve never had to use it but it’s always nice to know that it’s there. It’s just another smidge of assurance that we’re prepared in case anything unexpected threatens the house that we love so much.
10. Don’t forget to get a shredder. We picked one up a few years ago and were surprised how easy it has been to make a little pile of things “to be shredded” and get ’em done all at once at the end of each week. Not only does it protect our identities, it also cuts down on the bulking bags of garbage that used to fill our trash bin since it really does condense things nicely while making it impossible for anyone to find out your bank account number. Oh and on that subject, we’ve heard that dropping bills and tax info directly into a public mailbox or even taking it to the post office is a lot safer than leaving that stuff in your own mailbox with the flag up. Because although it’s illegal for people to dig around in your mail, it would be pretty easy for a criminal to zip by, open your mailbox, and steal something like your tax stuff (complete with your social security number, bank info, income, etc). Yikes!
11. Be sure your tap water is safe. With crazy toxins like lead and even arsenic showing up in drinking water, it’s always smart to look at how your h2o stacks up. And luckily it’s your municipalities responsibility to test the water each year and send out a statement to you, so knowing what you’re drinking is free thanks to their annually published reports. For extra credit you can even install a water filter (like we did here) for more assurance. We drink water like it’s going out of style so it was a must-have for us.
12. Stay up to date with house-related check-ups. From annual termite inspections to HVAC servicing to ensure that everything’s in working order, there’s nothing better than staying on top of home maintenance so your water heater doesn’t flood your basement and you don’t have to deal with a major (and costly) insect infestation. We actually have just one piece of paper with every service person’s info on it (from our oil-heat guy to our termite inspector’s info) so it’s easy to pull that one sheet of paper out from time to time and see what we’re due to have serviced, replaced, renewed, or checked. And building a relationship with these companies by using them consistently and being organized about scheduling maintenance calls really helps build a nice relationship (more than a few of them have billed us less, offered up free labor, and even saved us a ton of money by whispering what we really can do something ourselves in return for our loyalty).
So that’s how we do our best to keep Casa Petersik safe and sound. Because nothing would be more heartbreaking than to see something that we worked so hard to spruce up somehow get damaged or vandalized- especially if it was an occurrence that we could have easily avoided. What about you guys? Do you do other things to keep your house protected? We’d love to hear your tips! Share and share alike.
jbhat says
Such good suggestions. I’m loving the shot of the water flowing out of the faucet.
jbhat
Krista says
When testing your home for radon, it is really best to use a long term (3 month- 1 year) test, since the levels are constantly changing throughout the year. I bought mine from http://rssi.us/shop/… the cost of the long term kit included mailing, analysis and report where with other places they charge you for analysis… just a little fyi. Love your blog!
YoungHouseLove says
Good tip Krista! It’s also great to do it in the winter since most people have the house more closed up (and you want to observe closed window conditions so you’re not airing anything out to effect the reading). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
michelle says
what a great post! it makes me happy to know i’m doing some of these things, and helps me to focus on those things that i can implement into my own home.
Jennifer says
My sister taught me this tip. If your doors have windows in or near them, replace your deadbolts with the kind that need a key to lock from the inside. And don’t leave the key in the lock! Her house has windows alongside the front door, and it would be so easy for someone to smash a window, reach in, and unlock the door. Then they can just walk right in.
Also, windows have that safety latch these days. It’s for child safety, so no kid opens the window and falls out. But it would also prevent someone from fully opening an ajar window and then climbing in.
Great tips. :-)
Tamisha says
We throught of getting a whole house security system, but opted not to as it felt too invasive. When contemplating it, it made us feel more vunerable than less so. Given that my partner is a cop, we have some inside info that have helped us make good decisions regarding security.
We did change all the locks and have deadbolts on the gates. The best way to avoid a break in is to make your house unattractive to theives. Having a dog (even one that is a pushover) is a great deterent (and wonderful company!). Lighting is very important as well. Having light or movement sensitive lights in strategic places decreases your odds of intruders. Getting to know your neighbors is an excellent way of adding security. When we did the renovations, we had to file a plan with the city that included hard wired smoke detectors. Our upstairs has 5 of them, and the downstairs has two.
angela says
I just want to ask something though – if you use a safety deposit box and you need your Social security cards or whatever documentation, don’t you have to wait until banking hours? And God forbid something happen to that bank. I go back and forth, but in the end I want to have access to that stuff at 3 am if I need it. If that stuff is stored in your home deposit box (or elsewhere) what is the advantage? I’m honestly wondering as I’m thinking maybe i should switch to using a safety deposit box but I do worry about if there was ever a need to leave at 3 am (national disaster and so on)
I’d love to hear any thoughts or suggestions. Thanks!!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Angela,
We figure that our bank is a lot more monitored and protected than our home and in the event that we have to leave in a moment’s notice (like in a national disaster) I think whether those items were at home or in a safety deposit box we’d probably leave without them (I was in NYC for September 11th and everyone just ran without grabbing a thing). Hope it helps! Anyone else want to weigh in for Angela?
xo,
s
Laura @ youngDCliving says
These are really great ideas! Definitely really important to have a safe place to put valuables, aside from your own home. And of course, not advertising to the world that you’re leaving your house for a few days is totally true. I think a lot of people forget that the cyberworld is available for ALL to see.
Kim says
We bought our first home last year and had Radon testing done as part of our home owners inspection (ours is normal so far). However, certain parts of the country don’t even do radon testing b/c they don’t have radon problems. Each area has its own problems I guess, but I never even heard about radon until I moved to Ohio.
Zoe Feast says
What a great list! A friend of mine recently came home to a huge flood, the connection to her washer had failed and water was spilling everywhere. Since then I have fitted my washed with flood proof connectors ( you can get them in Home depot) so if the worst happens I will have some sort of backup.
Kim says
I was going to add that we leave our front and back porch lights on all night long. We also leave our cars parked in the garage but on the rare occasion we have to park outside (like when I’m painting on hubby’s side of the garage :)) we take his garage door opener out of his car. It’s really easy for thieves to break into your car and steal your garage door opener to gain entrance into your home.
cris says
One thing that people should be aware of is that doing these safety precautions can actually help decrease their insurance premimums. We’re doing some remodeling and mentioned it to our insurance company. They offered to come out and evaluate our home for possible investments that could help our decrease our insurnace rates! So cool.
Jessica @ How Sweet says
Great suggestions. I need a major overhaul in this area!
Ash says
I noticed you mention you have both a safety deposit box and a safe at home. Which docs do you keep where? I really need to get our important documents organized and it sounds like you guys have already done the research, so I’d love to know your thoughts! Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Ash,
Things that bad guys could use against us (like our social security cards, passports, tax records, house deed, car title, etc) all go in the safe deposit box. Sentimental things (videos, photos, awards, etc) that we wouldn’t want to be ruined in a flood or fire but would be of no use to robbers go in the safe at home. And we’re sure to leave the key right in the safe so if anyone got past our eagle-eyed neighbors, our alarm, our dog, our motion detecting lights and our deadbolts they would open it and realize that there’s nothing in there of value to them (if you don’t leave the key in the safe you risk that they’ll take the whole safe with them). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
liz @ bon temps beignet says
This reminded me of a skit on SNL years and years ago that was a ‘commercial’ for a car that was supposed to deter criminals. It looked like an old, tore up POS on the outside but was filled with high end luxuries on the inside.
We haven’t done any reno or decorating to the outside of our house yet so, while the exterior might not look exactly like an old, tore up, POS, it certainly doesn’t reflect what’s on the inside AT ALL. Maybe when we paint & landscape well get an alarm system. In the mean time we have a psycho dog that barks at ANY and EVERY single thing he hears.
Julie says
Our neighbors always let us know when they were going to be out of town. Last summer while they were away we saw a pick-up back into their driveway, two people go into their backyard, get something, load it into the truck, and drive away. We’d called the police, but the people were gone before they got there. The next morning as I was enjoying my coffee, I looked over and there was the same truck and a young girl watering their flowers. They’d left something in the backyard for people to pick up! Oops – we all had a good laugh when they got back!
Lindsay says
Here are a few more important tips from the daughter of an insurance agent:
1) When you leave town, be sure your neighbors will watch your back by picking up any packages dropped on your doorstep – a would-be burglar could use that as a sign to know you’re not home!
2) If you have to park your car outside (even at work during the day), never, EVER leave anything for people to see (including mail, papers, etc.). If possible, stash it in the trunk or just do yourself a favor and bring it inside.
3) Do yourself a favor and call your insurance agent to discuss your fire protection plan. A lot of people don’t realize just how much it costs to replace all of the items in your house. Most things that aren’t destroyed by the fire become unusable via the smoke damage. Think about things like your electronics, your underwear, your clothes – most of those will need to be replaced and when you add up all of those things, it becomes very expensive and most plans don’t cover *all* of that. Call your agent and have a heart-to-heart ’cause you just never know!
Great post, Sher!
xoxo,
Lindsay
Amanda says
I listened to an episode of This American Life about break-ins- they interviewed one of the crooks (who sadly was also a murderer) and he said that anytime they heard a dog, they would immediately leave the house they had been considering. Just another plug for man’s best friend. :-)
Kevin M says
@angela – I prefer a fireproof safe over a safe deposit box just so I don’t have to deal with the bank hours and pay a monthly/annual fee. We’ve hidden it in our home so it’s difficult to find should a break-in occur.
@Sherry – What’s the point of hiding Christmas money and family heirlooms offsite in a safe deposit box? It makes them pretty difficult to enjoy. To each their own I guess.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Kevin,
Christmas money goes straight to the bank ever since that childhood robbery, and I wear my favorite jewelry everyday (my wedding and engagement ring) so the safe deposit box holds other items like deeds, titles, social security cards, passports, etc. You know, the things they say that should never fall into enemy hands…
xo,
s
Lauren @ chezerbey says
Good timing! We recently invested in a security system since we’re in the midst of a big remodel and all the walls are opened up. The install cost and monthly fee was actually less than I was expecting. Plus, we opted for a monitored smoke and carbon monoxide detector (in addition to the combo ones we’ll install). Since we have a dog that is by himself a lot of the time, it was peace of mind knowing that if there was a fire or gas leak, someone would be alerted and know that there was a dog that needed to be rescued!
Amanda says
Great post I must second “getting to know your neighbors” and “having a fire extingisher” from personal experience. In my old apartment my neighbors’ guests caught the porch on fire from a cigarette. Obviously not intentional but it had been hot and dry out for days. Fortunately the extingisher saved the day and no one was hurt. My neighbors in my current house have helped me several times with packages left on my back porch for anyone to see. In exchange I look out for the cat and shovel the snow.
Superartsy says
on the topic of security system, just wanted to add a tip here. you can save yourself a lot of $$$ by buying and setting up an alarm system yourself.it is very easy, if you can program your tv you can do this. websites like safemart.com sell the same systems that Brinks etc use(ex GE system) for less the price .Also you can customize your purchase(get the number of door and window devices you want). Even if you were to add an additional monitoring plan to it, you will save a lot more over 2 yrs (which is usual home security contract) doing it yourself.We even got a fancy cellular model on ours so there is no need of a home phone line and it sends texts to our cell. and get this, there is even an iphone app that we can use to turn our system on and off remotely. :))
Abby says
Good suggestions but it is SAFE deposit box NOT safety.
heatherk says
As to the commenter who suggested keyed deadbolts on doors with windows, this is a fire safety hazard when the key is stored apart from the deadbolt–you have to go get the key before getting out of the door. This has to be weighed with the smashed window thing, as I agree it would be easy for someone to reach in. I don’t really have any advice one way or another on this, but people who are considering this should be aware of it. We have a whole house security system and I love knowing whenever a door or window is opened.
heatherk says
Also we have two good-sized dogs :-)
Pam says
This is slightly off-topic, but a good tip for women who live alone. If you park your car in close proximity to your bedroom, you should sleep with your car’s keyless remote on your night table. If someone tries to break in to your house, you can activate your car alarm. That and a barking dog would chase anyone away!
Jennie says
YHL…Just started reading your blog and love, love, love it! You’ve inspired our very own back yard wedding and might I add, decreased our wedding budget to the tune of 8K….can we say yaaay, that means more funds for DIY reno work on our “happy place”(our new home)this way:)
Just wanted to say a huge thank you for operation “keep happy place safe!” We’d never heard of radon!?! and thanks for the other great tips!
Barbara says
How did you get rid of the radon in your house?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Barbara,
Just follow the link in the post to get the scoop!
xo,
s
Jocelyn Stott says
Great tips. My husband and I also got a waterproof/fireproof safe and it gives us great peace of mind.
Gretchen says
These tips are great. I just wanted to add a bit of an anecdote. Before I met my husband, the Marine (who is a pretty good security guard when necessary!), I heard a knock at the door late at night on a Tuesday. When I opened my inner door – I have an old bungalow with a paned glass enclosed front porch – with my two huge Golden Retrievers (who were silhouetted and just looked like hulking beasts), the person knocking just started running towards the street yelling “I’m sorry wrong house, please don’t sic the dogs on me.” Had I “sicced” them on the trespasser, his greatest danger would have been drowning from all the drool, but they certainly were an effective deterrent.
Kate says
Just another little tip….when going on holiday, some people put baggage tags on their luggage, stating destination and return address. It seems so obvious but don’t put your return address on. So many people do it and come home to find they have been broken into. Lots of people handle your bags when you travel…don’t tell them where your home is and that you’re not going to be there!
tarynkay says
I agree so much about the lack of privacy online- if you wouldn’t publish it on the front page of the newspaper, don’t say it online. You briefly mentioned natural disasters- what about a post on disaster preparedness? Do you keep emergency supplies around? I love your befriending the neighbors tip. That is really the most valuable thing.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Tarynkay,
Here’s a post all about that: https://www.younghouselove.com/in-case-of-emergency/
xo,
s
Katie @ The NOC says
Knowing your neighbors is so important! Like a lot of people, my husband and I work outside of the home. One weekday, we took the day off to tackle some projects (and celebrate our anniversary!) and were wearing baseball hats in the garage/borrowing a family member’s car because ours was at the garage getting fixed. A neighbor saw “suspicious looking people” and called the police. We then had to explain that yes, we live here, and no, we’re not usually home during the day. It’s a funny story, but it’s good to know we have neighbors who care!
Lisa says
What a thoughtful, helpful post this is!
My tip for household security: use key-deadbolt lock in your exterior doors if the door has a window. When we bought our home, our front door, which has a window taking up about 1/3 of its size, could have easily had a naughty person punch through the window and flip the lock on the other side. And that would be bad news! We immediately replaced it (which is a good idea in a new-to-you house anyway) with a deadbolt that locks from the inside, easy as pie!
Also, our front screen door squeaks loudly when we open it, and we can hear it all the way upstairs in our townhouse; we’ve had people joke that we should get out the WD-40, but I actually consider it another layer of security, like a free alarm system!
Jennifer says
Good call about the luggage tags! We just put a phone number (cell phone). Do you think that is ok?
Ginger says
I know this is WAY after the fact… just discovered this blog and reading through a few things, but still… just in time for summer vacations, a great tip is to put your work address on the tag. This way, if someone finds luggage and wants to return it, it would still get to you, but if a theif shows up at a business location, thinking the owner is not at home, they’ll find a host of people hard at work (or at least an empty office at night with hopefully no one there but lots of security).
YoungHouseLove says
Great tip!
xo,
s
Sonya says
Thanks for a great post, especially the radon thing, which I had NO IDEA about and now am going to look into (scary!). The thing I’ve had the most confusion with as a new homeowner is knowing what’s best as far as termite inspections- so many of the big companies want to sell you a monthly maintenance plan, which is expensive and I feel like I’d be getting ripped off. I can’t seem to find any solid (or honest) info on what’s best- just a yearly inspection or the monthly bait station checks. Right now I’m doing nothing, which is probably not the best option either! If anyone can divulge tips on the subject of termites, I’m all ears!
YoungHouseLove says
Anyone have tips for Jennifer or Sonya?
xo,
s
Sarah @ The Ugly Duckling House says
I have no tip contributions, but I can attest to tip #5. When I read it, it reminded me of a website I’d heard about called Please Rob Me which uses sites like twitter and foursquare to show people just exactly what it is that they are really doing. Excellent post, and I completely agree with liz @ bon temps beignet regarding my own house. It doesn’t look like much on the outside just yet, which is probably a great deterrent. Our giant dog Colby also helps.
steph says
like you, i only talk about trips upon our return from them, but we get a house-sitter to stay home with the dogs anyway, so the house is in use. also, we have a waterproof/fire-safe box in the bottom of our closet, except my handy hubby actually drilled it to the floor, so a burglar couldnt make off with it and our most important documents. something to consider.
Tiffini S. says
One comment to folks who have a living alarm system like we do (a 100 pound German Shepherd): If your dog is crate trained and you crate him while you are not home, make sure that the crate is not visible from windows or doors.
I had some creepy magazine salesmen on my porch once, and my crated dog was barking like crazy back in the kitchen. They had WAY too many questions about the dog, why wasn’t he coming to the door, was he nice, etc. I quickly brushed them off, but made it clear that my dog was a free-roamer. When I called the police, they said that it was smart to not disclose our crating habits. They said that home intruders are picking up on the crate training trend and will attempt to investigate the source of the barking before giving up on a dog protected house.
Apparently they are still afraid of a dog bite, but will waltz right past a dog that is kenneled.
Kasey says
Just a tip for those of you in the South. Get a ‘Wind Mitigation Inspection’ done on your home to see if it is equipped with Hurricane Straps.
We had a Mitigation inspection done when we bought our house and because we did in fact have the Hurricane Straps [among other details, which I don’t remember off the top of my head] we saved $850.00 on our Homeowners Insurance [yearly]!
the 7msn ranch says
A friend was robbed and learned this lesson the hard way…
One of the most likely things a robber will steal from your home is your computer. Keep a backup of all your files on a hard drive in a separate location!
Lisa says
…Oh and also, our front door key is in a drawer in a table right next to the door all the time, so we’d be able to get out easily in case of emergency.
Traci G says
We were a victim of a house robbery a few years ago. Our deadbolted back door was kicked in. When we had it repaired the carpenter said when putting in the switchplate on the door frame to make sure you use really long screws-like three inches. The stardard screws make it really easy for your door to be kicked in because they are not really holding on to much wood. He said that it doesn’t make it worry free, but that if someone was trying to kick in the door it would take more time and make a whole lot more noise to do it. Its a simple fix, but something I plan to do in any home I own from now on.
Deb says
Speaking from personal experience ,the most wonderful x-mas gift ever given to my husband and myself was a sentry fire box safe, my dads idea ,he got tired of watching me file stuff in shoe boxes ,they are lifetime guarenteed replacement ,and unfortunatly we lost our home and a 5 year old twin daughter to a house fire but the safe was a blessing ,it saved all our insurance policys ,bonds ,birth certificates etc.,the safe was unreconizable but the real interesting thing was I knew it was not fully shut closed but the weight of all the falling house structure fell on it and it sealed shut ,the warrenty to the safe was even inside so all we had to do was take a picture of it and send to the company and they sent us a new one ,I wish I would have saved a copy of the picture of the safe but at the time there was too much going on so if you ever need a gift idea for that one person that has everything this would be the one !!!
GreenInOC says
I have a neighbor that is a retired fireman. He told me the most common cause of house fires was the dryer vent not kept clean. He also said that the metal vent hoses were not the best and to check it periodically to make sure it’s attached properly. I keep my dryer vent SUPER clean and went and bought a better hose since that conversation!
I never leave my house or go to sleep with the washer or dryer running. I worry that I will sleep through a flood or that a fire will start & I’ll sleep through it!
People who have more than one story should keep an emergency ladder near each escape route.
Living in California, you should have at least a good pair of sneakers by the bed. If you have a regular frame, I’ve heard that tying them to the frame under the bed is a good tip because then they’ll stay in that same place.
MaryGene says
A friend of mine had her house broken into this past Christmas (they are away a lot and the guy that robbed them was pretty aware of it) and the person stole all of their Christmas presents from under the tree (except he unwrapped them and threw all of the paper into the trash–so odd!) her two huge trash bags of beanie babies (I know, kind of dorky, but she collected them in high school and was planning on saving them until they became worth a lot and then selling them on ebay to cash out) and the lock box with priceless family heirlooms (like her deceased father’s wedding ring and college ring, home videos of him and letters from him) and some other jewelry. They caught the guy (he had broken into a bunch of other houses in the same area) and got the tapes and letters back but he had already pawned the jewelry. Very sad. Needless to say, they beefed up their security system and alert neighbors and friends when they go out of town now.
Linda says
I’m happy to report that we’ve done ALL these things to our home! :) It gives me such peace of mind because of my husband’s job he’s not home everyday and it makes me feel safe when I’m all alone or come home to an empty house. :)
Ris says
I don’t own a home but I do rent and let me tell you: renter’s insurance is the best peace of mind money can buy. I also insured my laptop separately in case I’m out of the house with the laptop and it gets stolen. Entire cost for my one bedroom apartment: about 100 bucks. For the laptop it was $30 for a whole year.
Stefanie says
Just a weird/funny/horrifying story (depending on your view of life!)… a neighbor of one of my co-workers had their grill stolen from their back porch. A couple of days later, it was returned with a note on it stating the regret the thieves felt over their act of larceny. To “make up” for the theft, they included 2 tickets to a Detroit Pistons game. The couple came home after the game to a house completely stripped of all valuables! I sometimes laugh and I sometimes gasp when I think about this story. It’s completely genius and unnerving, all at once!
But I guess the gall of some of the thieves out there makes it so you have to be serious about home safety, no matter where you are!
YoungHouseLove says
Holy cow- that’s a crazy story Stefanie!
xo,
s
Jason says
Excellent post!!!
One of the best parts of my new home is the neighbors, and besides turning out to be great friends I know they watch out for me especially that I live alone and work a lot and travel to see family some.
I did get a new alarm installed as soon as I bought the house, even though I didn’t move in for 6 months of repair and renovation (still doing that just living there:). I wanted the fire protection and the burglar protection. I chose to get a new system and company then the old system the house had, it’s a local company with their own monitoring, check out places like this. My employer uses them and I got a good deal for that, sometimes the local places you think are for businesses only, but they do homes as well. Usually at a good price overall compared to chain alarm companies.
If you have an alarm, turn on your door chimes so you know if someone comes in, even if the system is off you’ll hear that. The “home” feature is good too.
Also, I know by profession – if there was a disaster at your bank, the vault and your safe deposit box in it, would not be damaged on the inside – rest assured.
To get around banking hour issues, you should keep copies of what is in there, in case you need to reference them from home or after hours, but it takes no time to get there and ask someone to help you go in to retrieve them. Some banks offer less secured boxes that have 24 hour access for more common items.
So – A I need to open my own box and stop using the familes and B I better get out that radon test kit I just had to buy right away last year:) It’s not testing much on a shelf!
DE – J
Tracy says
@Jennifer, an interior deadbolt that requires a key is not something you want to deal with when you’re trying to escape a burning house. We had one in a rented house and I hated it with a fiery passion. No pun intended. Anyway, if you’re going to do this, keep the key someplace close, and somewhere it can be found in the dark – maybe hanging on the wall.
@GreeninOC – you said metal dryer vents are NOT the best? Is that what you meant to say? I always heard they were superior to the more flexible types.
Knowing your neighbors is great. A few years ago, someone was borrowing (with my permission) some patio furniture while we were away. My neighbors came over and interrogated him. It’s great to know someone has your back.
This isn’t a safety thing, but it’s a peace of mind thing. We have a sticker on our front door, provided by our vet’s office, that says “please rescue our pets in case of fire” and tells how many dogs and cats we have. Obviously no firefighter is going to risk their life to save my cat, but I’ve seen it happen often enough to know that they will save a pet if they can do so safely.