DO YOU FEEL DOWN TODAY?

You voted and your candidate may have lost. If you are hanging your head today and feeling that nothing you do really matters, you can do something you have control over... making your home safe.  Remember a man's house is his castle and we need places where we feel safe.


Top 10 Things You Can Do to Make Your Home Safe

1. Install secure doors. A door is the most likely entry point that an intruder will use, so keep your doors locked whether you’re home or away. Solid wood doors or metal-clad doors are effective.
2. Upgrade your locks. Grade 1 or Grade 2 deadbolts, accompanied by heavy-duty brass strike plates, should keep doors from being kicked in.  Use extra long screws  to secure to the door jam and studs.
3. Install secure windows. You don’t want windows that can be manipulated from the outside.
4. Secure the perimeter of your home. Install motion sensor lights all around your home. Fences can be climbed, but having one might be enough to make an intruder choose a different home. Keep shrubbery trimmed to reduce the number of hiding places on your lawn.
5. Install an alarm. The louder the better with an alarm. Even if you don’t have a full-fledged security system in place, the noise itself could scare away an intruder. Make sure your children know how important it is to keep alarm codes confidential.
6. Secure breach points. Take a walk around your home – inside and out – and look for areas where someone could enter without much trouble. 
7. Get to know your neighbors. Neighbors watching out for neighbors can be an effective deterrent against burglaries.
8. Have a dog. Being a dog lover, I think this is a good idea anyway. But if your dog can also make your home safer, all the better. Dogs can be trained in defense, or at least to bark when they hear a noise outside. If you can’t have a dog, you can still post a “Beware of Dog” sign in your yard.
9. Don’t make it obvious you’re away. When you’re out of town, lights on automatic timers are very effective. Make sure newspapers aren’t delivered while you’re gone, and try to keep a car in your driveway. A trusted neighbor is important to have while you’re away.
10. Have a family emergency plan. Every family member should know exactly what to do, in advance, if an intruder enters the house. Getting out of the house quickly is best, but if that’s not possible, a previously designated “safe room” is where they should head. Always keep a pair of tennis shoes, a flashlight and a cell phone by your bed.