How to keep your home secure on a budget

How to keep your home secure on a budget

Let me tell you a story…

Many years ago now I went out to a party and left a window in my kitchen wide open. Needless to say an hour or two later a neighbour spotted two young lads climbing through my window intending to burgle my home. They called the police and the boys were caught. I was horrified when I found out and felt so vulnerable. I felt my home had been violated and spoilt in a way, despite the fact the boys were caught before they took anything (what a great neighbour I had!)

A few weeks afterwards the youth offending team contacted me and asked me if I would meet with one of the boys to talk the situation over and let him see how it had affected me. I was to bring an elder from my family and he was to bring an elder from his. We both took our mums. It was a scheme based on the Maori system of justice and it was about consequences and accountability.

‘I just want to know why you tried to rob my daughter,’ said my mum with tears in her eyes. ‘She works so hard and doesn’t have much and your mum has said you are well provided for.’ His mum nodded and looked puzzled too. He looked me straight in the eye did this young man and with slight derision said, ‘ well she did leave the window wide open.’

It wasn’t (at all) the sorry I wanted but I changed my ways from that day on. Home security is very important to me now, especially since having a family.

We have an alarm, good secure locks and the phone number for an emergency locksmith (in case we lose our keys) and I feel secure. My home and possessions matter a lot to me. Sentimentally rather than financially in most cases but I don’t want to lose them.

I always encourage my children to be involved in closing windows and double checking door locks so they get into good habits.

Having the right equipment is important but so is doing simple checks and having good security habits and that costs nothing but effort.

Keeping your home secure is so important, don’t leave it to chance. For a simple outlay and a little effort you can save yourself a lot of heartache.

This post has been put together with the help of BM Security who provide a range of home security systems in cluding an extensive, regional network of emergency locksmiths available 24 hours a day, day or night, 7 days a week, cctv solutions, alarms and access control systems.

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Original article and pictures take family-budgeting.co.uk site