10 ways to burglar proof your home on a budget

If you are looking to burglar proof your home on a budget, you might not have all that many options. Usually, installing a home security system or having one of the top home security companies install it for you, is an expensive endeavor. But there are also things that you can do to make the whole process much cheaper and still burglar-proof your home. And that is what this article is going to be all about, we are going to provide you with 10 cheap ways of burglar-proofing your home!

Burglar proof your home on a budget with some of these cheap options

Every home is unique and will benefit more from certain security options. That being said, here are the top 10 things that you might want to consider when burglar proofing your home on a budget:

• Door replacement
• Loud alarms
• Additional lights
• A visible entrance
• Invest in a small safe
• Keyless door locks
• Brace your windows and sliding doors
• Patio door pin lock
• Longer screws
• Impact-resistant sheets

You may also want to consider talking to a home security professional before investing in your home security system to get some expert advice. Talking to one is usually free and it can provide you with some insight that you would not be able to get on your lonesome. Or you might want to jump into cheap ways to burglar proof your home on a budget straight away!

Door replacement

Doors are the most common entry point to every home. This works for residents, guests, as well as burglars. Almost every break-in will start with the burglar opening a door in some fashion (usually by kicking it in). The issue with many homes is that some exterior doors have a hollow core, meaning that they are much easier to break down. The first thing that you will want to do is replace these doors with their metal or solid wood counterparts.

Metal doors are preferable for this, as they are much cheaper than solid wood. Solid wood doors can be really expensive in today’s economy. While you are changing the doors, pay attention to the hinges as well. You will want to avoid exposing them to the outside, as that will make it easier for burglars to enter your home. If you are planning on changing the doors on your own, be mindful that damaging the doors is one of the main risks of DIY home security installation. If unsure, it is always better to hire a professional.

Loud alarms

As professional home monitoring is usually prohibitively expensive, homeowners usually decide to make their system more affordable. One great option to do so is to purchase loud alarms for your home, ones that can be placed on any door or window in your home. These alarms are extremely cheap and easy to place. They are also quite loud, as some of them can reach almost 120 decibels! At the very least, they will provide the burglar with a small heart attack as well as wake you up from even the tightest sleep.

The con of these alarms is the fact that they can be triggered by other things than burglars. But you can’t have great convenience at such a low price, that is simply something that you will need to live with. You can, of course, disable the alarm whenever you are entering the home.

Additional lights

Many homes do not have adequate lighting “built-in”. Not for the purposes of home security, that is. What you want to do is install additional lighting outdoors, and perhaps add a few lightbulbs near the entrances to your home. A well-lit home may look like an impregnable fortress to a prospective burglar. The main area that you want to light up is the entrance to your home. This is quite cheap to accomplish and will dissuade most burglars from even coming close. If you are concerned about privacy and want to improve the privacy of your own home, you can combine them with additional lighting.

People who break into other people’s houses do not like to be seen. That is why they avoid the light and operate in the shadows. The more light you have around your home, the more secure it will be. And lightbulbs are quite cheap to install, too.

A visible entrance

Speaking of the entrance, you will want to consider automatic lighting for it. The reason for doing so is that you can set the lights to go on and off at regular intervals, creating an illusion of movement within the house. This simple tactic is one of the best when it comes to dissuading burglars from entering your home, as they simply cannot know if you are up and about.

Invest in a small safe

So far we’ve been providing you with ways to burglar proof your home on a budget coming from an “entry” perspective. But what happens if a burglar manages to get into your home? While you can’t protect all of your belongings if that happens, what you can do is protect the most valuable ones. And for this, a home safe is the best option. A safe will not set you back all that much, as you can get a decently large safe for as low as $99. You can, of course, get a larger and stronger safe with additional investment but the medium-sized one should do the trick.

After that, you will want to bolt the safe in a hidden place or position it inside one of the walls before covering it with a piece of decor. You can stash your jewelry and other valuables inside, fully knowing that they will be safe and sound.

Keyless door locks

Bashing in your front/back door is not the only way a burglar can gain access to your home. They can also find your lost keys and simply waltz inside without a care in the world. To prevent this, you may want to install smart locks that utilize a fingerprint scan or a passcode from your mobile phone.

The beauty of this approach is that the locks themselves are not that expensive and are very easy to install. There is no need for any hardwiring or drilling, either. The cheapest locks are the ones that utilize an electronic keypad but the other options are not all that expensive either.

Brace your windows and sliding doors

Some burglars are very adept at picking locks. That is why you may want to consider bracing your doors as well as locking them. By utilizing a “door reinforcement” gadget, you will make it more difficult for anyone to gain unauthorized entry to your home. Depending on the situation, you can opt for portable door jammers or permanent horizontal door security bars.

But what you should do nonetheless is bracing a sliding door and most of the windows. You don’t need anything else than a piece of wood but you can get ready-made solutions as well. It all depends on your budget.

Patio door pin lock

To make sure that your patio doors are burglarproof, you will want to install a simple pin lock. The cheapest locks go for less than $5 and are well worth your money. This lock will prevent the doors from being opened from the outside, even if the burglar manages to unlock them. As far as ways to burglar proof your home on a budget go, this one is just about the most cost-efficient there is. Cheap, easy to install, and works as advertised!

Longer screws

You may also want to consider installing longer screws for your doors and perhaps replace the hinges. This approach is extremely cheap if you are doing the screw/hinge replacement on your own. Most homes come with rather good locks but the quality of the screws and hinges is usually very questionable. The regular screws can usually withstand about two strong kicks, whereas the 3″ screws can withstand all of them. It may sound like a very small and insignificant change but it is much more than that.

While the screws and hinges themselves do not have almost any cost associated with them (a pack of screws goes under two dollars), the labor might cost quite a bit should you choose to employ someone else to do your screwing for you. Ideally, you should replace the hinges on your own, as that is the most cost-effective way.

Impact-resistant sheets

Lastly, you can also place some impact-resistant sheets over your windows. This is something that many jewelry stores are employing in their windows, as it provides additional security. The glass itself will break when hit with sufficient force but the sheets will prevent it from shattering. This fact can dissuade a potential burglar on its own.

Aside from these ways to burglar proof your home on a budget, there are many other things that you can do. But to truly stay on budget, you will want to learn to do most of the modifications on your own. If you don’t have sufficient experience, you can always start small. And if you want to know more about DIY home security, professional home security systems, as well as the best home security companies, simply browse and explore the Consumer Opinion Guide. We will provide you with all the necessary information and make it easier for you to install a perfect home security system!