Low Cost Home Security Devices

The Frugal Homeowner's Guide to Home Security

If you want to keep your home safe but are put off by the cost of alarm systems, don’t despair. There are other devices you can use to keep your family and your property safe and secure and you don’t have to spend a lot. Here's how:

Determine your vulnerable points
Before you set out to buy anything, check your house first. Go outside and look around, test your doors and windows for any weaknesses (old hinges, rusted locks, weak frames, etc.). Sometimes it's as simple as replacing a few of your old hardware to keep your home safe.

Next, put yourself in the shoes of a potential thief. Imagine how you could enter your house unnoticed. Identify the most vulnerable points in your house - your front door, rear and patio doors and your windows. Another point of vulnerability is your garage or shed.

Install alarms
First things first. There ARE low-cost home security devices available on the market. These are usually the wireless systems which are easy to install and set up. Wireless systems are very popular because they provide the peace of mind that homeowners want at an affordable price.

You might also want to buy one of those small door-installed alarms that cost about $20 or less. Powered by cell batteries, once it's turned on and the door is opened, the alarm emits a sharp warning to alert you. It's cheap, unobtrusive and it works.

Bolts and locks
For doors and windows, you can install bolts and locks to reinforce an existing lock. As long as the bolt is solid and the hinges are properly screwed in place, you will have little worry.

If you have sliding doors that don’t have an anti-lift device, it would be a good idea to install one. Or, you could install two door locks – one on top and another at the bottom – to reinforce the hook lock.

The garage is a common point of entry for most burglars, so keep the door padlocked and the garage windows closed before you enter the house.

Keep the light on
Illuminate your porch, back door and garage. If you're willing to spend a little, invest in dusk-to-dawn lighting powered by photoelectric cells. These save a lot of energy and will be cheaper to use than electric-powered lights.

Keep things thorny
If you don’t have a fence or wall, keep thorny plants and shrubs around. Plants like roses, holly and hawthorn have spiny leaves and thorny stems are great deterrents because they can produce punctures and tear at the skin. They not only provide you with security, they are also great ornamentals.