21 Cheap and Effective Tricks to Keep Your Home Safe

With the Holidays approaching and gift giving at its best, we need to find ways to help safeguard our homes. BuzzFeed posted this 21 Cheap and Effective Tricks to Keep Your Home Safe.
1. Install some dummy surveillance cameras.
2. Always remember to remove flyers from your doorstep, or if you are gone make sure a neighbor does it for you.
3. Put bumper stickers on your car. This will make your car more identifiable and is a good deterrent and to keep it messy. I personally couldn’t do either of those. But if you have to park on a street, this may be a good idea.
4. Keep your landscaping neat and trimmed. Keep large bushes and shrubs away from windows where intruders could be lurking.
5. Buy light timers for your indoor and outdoor lights.
6. Pretend like you’re saying good-bye to someone inside when you leave your home.
7. Don’t leave your electronics boxes out on the curb. Drive them to the recycling plant yourself or cut them up into smaller pieces and conceal them in trash bins.
8. Don’t leave a ladder just hanging out in your backyard. This makes it much easier for burglars to get into through bedroom windows.
9. Make sure that your mirrors don’t reflect your home alarm. Burglars may be able to see if your alarm is unarmed. So make sure you examine your mirrors from all outside angles.
10. Mow your lawn, or have someone mow when you are on vacation.
11. Don’t leave status updates broadcasting that you’re away.
12. Fake a TV glow. There is a gizmo called FakeTV which makes your home look occupied with a device that looks like your TV is on.
13. If you go out of town, have a neighbor leave tracks in the snow or have someone shovel your driveway and sidewalks too.
14. Buy some fake alarm system decals if you can’t afford a real one.
15. When loading a car with suitcases, keep it quick and hidden if possible.
16. Reinforce your door jambs if you have a weak door frame.
17. Cancel your newspaper subscriptions and ask the post office to hold your mail while out of town.
18. Use a wooden dowel or metal bar for sliding doors and windows so they can’t be pried open.
19. Invest in double glazed or toughened glass windows.
20. Get a motion-sensor home security system that lets you monitor your home with your smartphone.
21. Build a secret hiding place for your valuables.
a. Hidden bathroom tile storage
b. Secret wall outlet hiding place
c. Photo frame secret box
d. Door top Stash
e. DIY Air Vent Vault Kit
These are just some ideas; there are so many helpful ways by just googling what you are looking for. I feel the best deterrent against burglars is always a barking dog.

Enjoy your Holiday

Stress-Less Holiday Entertaining

Set up a Thanksgiving Buffet

  • This is simple to do and leaves more room at your dinner table for family and friends
  • Use levels to display the food, such as wooden or decorative boxes or dishes turned upside down
  • Choosing a color palette is the first step
  • If you have a theme, make sure it is carried from the buffet to the table
  • Have a separate beverage buffet, it will keep things less congested
  • Add organic material such as gourds and pumpkins and greenery
  • If using greenery such as herbs, make sure they complement the food with their aroma
  • Use place cards to describe each dish you are serving
  • Use candles with mismatched candle holders this adds a sense of warmth and comfort
  • Plan ahead and have little to go boxes, so if you have a lot of leftovers, you can send home a plate with those that would like one