Lock Down Your Lair-Practical Home Security, Part 1

A woman was asked recently if she would prefer to be in the woods alone with a bear or a man, and she answered the bear. Other women who were asked this question overwhelmingly chose the bear. 

An upcoming podcast of mine, “Men with Microphones,” delves into why this topic continues to rage online like wildfire. Another upcoming special podcast will address the #teambear convo in more detail. Sadly, regarding the “man or bear” conversation, too many men were offended, got defensive, and spewed nonsense. Their comments proved why women felt safer with a wild animal. Only a few men understood or tried to understand why, asking what they could do to make women feel safer around them. In the meantime, while this conversation continues, we ladies must do our best to keep ourselves and any children or animals we may have safe from our biggest threat – people. Especially men.

This relates to prepping in a very important way regarding SMSFs – personal security. One common denominator for many women when it comes to finding a man attractive is whether or not we feel safe with him. If you were once part of a couple and felt that with them, being alone and not having that person who has your back, that strong man who would protect you, can be lonely and a little scary. You should not give in to fear and loneliness. Don’t run out and get into any old relationship to try and get that feeling back – it may backfire horribly. You can be a SMSF and proactive regarding your personal safety. You have to be your guardian, especially if you also have children to protect.  

Making your home feel and look more secure doesn’t take much. Starting at the baseline of ensuring your doors and windows are locked at night, you can start making small improvements to make you feel more confident that your home is a safe haven. If an alarm system is financially out of reach or you’re not allowed to install one because you’re renting, you can get window and door alarms that self-stick and will sound an alarm if one is opened*. A couple of cameras, one for the front of your house and one for wherever you park your car or enter most frequently. Even if you can’t afford monthly monitoring, at least you can keep an eye on things. Cameras can be inexpensive*; you can sleep better knowing that if someone prowls around, there’s a camera to catch them and, hopefully, even better – video.

Often, the appearance of a security system will be enough to get a potential intruder to leave your place alone*. If you have a friend with an alarm system, ask them if you can pay for a sign for your yard or some stickers for your windows. Three things an intruder wants to avoid: being caught on camera (you can get a realistic fake one – yes, they make those), a place with an alarm system, or dealing with a dog. If you don’t have or can’t have a dog, put a “beware of dog” sign where it can be seen, a large dog dish on the porch, or one of those cheery flags that indicate you love your canine companion. Between the presence of a camera (whether real or not) and even the smallest indication you have an alarm and a dog, most lurkers are happy to lurk elsewhere*. 

Knowing that windows and doors are your weakest points, consider getting a door brace when you lock up for the night. The average door is easier to breach than we would like to acknowledge; one of these braces will help prevent the door from being kicked in. There are a few different types to choose from. There are door braces that pressure lock a steel bar under the doorknob or a security bar that crosses the entire door. The braces can often be used for windows and sliding glass doors as well.