Best Home Security – Low Cost Home Security Tips

Whether you own or rent your home, your personal safety and the safety of your home and property are important to you. However, if you’re on a budget, you may find that there aren’t many options available to improve your home security. However, aside from monthly home security monitoring services and expensive home alarm systems, there are low-cost home security options available to you that won’t cost you an arm and a leg.

Here are some home security options that will not only help protect your home, but also give you peace of mind knowing that you are taking proactive steps to protect yourself, your family, and your property.

Locking your windows

While newer windows tend to offer much better protection than older windows, they are still a weak point for your home’s security. However, there are two steps you can take to better protect this all-too-common home entry point.

• Inexpensive Locking Mechanisms – Most windows have locks, but not all window locks are strong or secure. Using a simple 1″x1″ piece of wood to put on your window when it’s closed, to prevent sliding, will prevent someone from breaking the locks on your window and just opening the window. You just need a spare piece of 1×1 lumber and a saw of some kind to cut it to the correct length.
• Window Alarms: Window alarms can work with the wooden stick window lock method to alert you if someone is trying to enter your home through your window. You can pick up window alarm sensors on sites like Amazon.com for as little as a few dollars, and they’re a great investment if you’re looking to improve your home security.

light up your house at night

One of the best crime deterrents is light: burglars like to lurk in the dark, and they like to attack efficiently when you’re not home. However, even if you’re not home, you can make it look like you are.

Motion-sensor floodlight systems are very inexpensive: you can get an outdoor motion-sensing lighting system for less than $20 in many places, and floodlights cost less than motion sensor kits. Motion sensor units are preferred for a couple of reasons: they don’t run continuously, whose outdoor lighting on all the time will add to your monthly electricity costs, and they turn on when motion is detected; this gives the hint that someone is at home turning on the lights.

If you plan to be away from home overnight, or even for a day or two, security timer switches can help create the hint that someone is home. Time switches plug into electrical outlets in your home and will turn on plugged-in appliances at intervals you select. For example, you can have your TV turn on at 9 pm at night and turn off at 11 pm, or you can schedule one or two lamps to turn on and off at night. If you want, you can even set your home music system to come on for a couple of hours. Since security timers are as cheap as they are, you can choose several of them so you can replicate a night’s activities, even if you’re out of town.

Keep a watchful eye on your property

Another great way to improve home security is through the use of security cameras. Now, security cameras are more expensive than the other security options listed here, but they are an effective addition to the measures already listed. If your home security budget is extremely small, you can go for fake or ‘dummy’ security cameras; imitation security cameras can be as low as $10 each. If you want to have an actual security camera or camera setup in your home, prices start at around $50 per camera, but can cost much more if you want better options.

Along with powerful outdoor lighting, security cameras, whether real or fake, add a lot in terms of perception of your home security measures. Just as using security timer switches can create the hint that you’re home even if you’re not, security cameras create the hint that would-be burglars will be filmed if they venture too far onto your property. Security cameras can be a great crime deterrent if used correctly.

Improving your home security doesn’t have to be difficult or expensive. In fact, even with a budget of just $100 and a few hours of your time, you can increase your home security exponentially. These home security options will not only improve the actual security of your home, but they will also improve your own sense of security, and that is something you cannot put a price on.