Home Security and Safety Tips for Single Women Living Alone

by Susan B

The security at home essay reminded of something that happened to me a few years back. I was having another sleepless night a few months after my husband had passed away, I fell asleep around 3 AM, I woke up 20 or 30 minutes later to my back door being kicked in, a man screaming to let him in.

I was certain he could not gain entry as I’d replaced the door when I first bought the place with a metal door and I had every type of bar and safety feature on this door to make sure it could never be rammed in.

I told him I called 911, my dog was very old and he had hit her hard enough she was hiding from him but still barking. After the longest 15 minutes of yelling and pounding on my door the cops finally arrived and as they were hauling him away he reiterated I should have let him in, he was at a party gone bad and some guys were chasing him, so he said.

I certain as were the officers he was very drugged up. I told him if he’d been able to gain entry I would have had to shoot him with the 12 gauge shotgun I was holding and I certainly would have blown his F&^%ing head off.

My husband always said to keep the shotgun loaded where you can get to it fast, also a handgun, I tried to load the chamber of one of his .45 handguns but I was shaking so bad I couldn’t do it, not that

I relished the idea of using it anyway, thankfully there was a shotgun ready to go and I have used one often enough before to be comfortable with.

I lived at the time in a low crime area in the suburbs, I/we were there 12 years and nothing had ever happened before.

Soon after I went and got my concealed carry and bought a new handgun I was comfortable using, a Glock 19. I have it next to me on my nightstand right now. I put it up if anyone is coming over. I have several hidden in other parts of the house as well. It did get me thinking about home safety. No matter how safe you think your area is you should be prepared.

It is a good idea to take a close look at your home from a viewpoint of how easy it would be for someone to gain entry. I think it is a good idea to make it so people have no way of knowing when your home, cover garage windows.

Don’t answer the door if you don’t know who is standing there, have a way to see who is there without them seeing you. Make sure to have an extra layer of protection at all doors and windows, I had alarms on everything and storm shutters on all windows.

The front door entry was gated. I now live out in the country and am working toward the same level of security here. Sometimes it isn’t someone from outside your area that is your biggest threat but someone living not very far away.

I have a yapper dog that keeps me aware of people pulling down my driveway. I have a gate and I intend to add another further down the driveway, it is a very long driveway.

You’d be surprised how easy the average door is to kick open, get some safety bars or other such gizmos to make it nearly impossible without a ramming bar from a swat team. They don’t cost all that much and are easy to install. Use long screws and make sure you’re attaching to the framing studs and not just the trim.

I have several driveway alarms as well, one for each side of the house; I have the beams set at different angles from the window and a few outside as well at a height that keeps them from going off from small animals. I find the dogs are the better bets as alarms.

The driveway alarms are always on sale at harbor freight and they are very user-friendly. I bought the other items online or at local hardware stores. Even a simple hasp for a back door with a sturdy padlock can help slow down an intruder. I also have door stop alarms.

There are new types of sensor alarms that will call 911 and tell them you have an intruder, these are stand-alone alarms not connected to an alarm company that charges you a monthly fee. They do need a phone line though. There are alarms that go off if someone outside puts their hand on your doorknob or handle. These are but a few of the multitude available these days.

Not many of us will have a well-trained law enforcement man in the house, maybe not even close by, so we need to eliminate as best we can the possibility of an intruder/robber etc by using the means we have available to make our homes less of a target.

There are all kinds of home security products one can utilize and install without the help of professionals these days that can add to our home security. Just as now is the time to prepare with food, water, energy, etc it is also the time to heighten security in our homes.

Learn what guns may be best for your home or person. I gravitated to what I was comfortable and familiar with; it may not be a right fit for others.

To have things in order enough to eliminate concerns over a home intrusion to a significant degree gives me peace of mind.

Make sure to have a neighbor you trust most number on your speed dial in case you need their help.

Often just a drive or walk by can cause a potential intruder to change their plans and leave. Fake or real cameras posted signs of security systems, and neighborhood watch signs all help. But most of all make it one of the most difficult homes to gain entry, without looking like you have much of anything worth stealing or being too obvious.

Here in the south it just looks like I’m more prepared for a hurricane or tornado, even still it makes my home less of an easy target than many of the other homes in the area. I don’t put out adornments to keep up with the Jones that would give anyone a clue to there being anything worth stealing behind my doors. I believe this to be a prudent future trend we’ll all see more of. You want to be as invisible as you can be. No expensive new cars or toys to draw attention to you will be the order of the day.

Why advertise you have anything worth taking you down for?

I love this blog and I really enjoy reading what you all have to say about everything, many of you have an enormous amount of horse sense in a time when it is rarely found.

I’m looking forward to reading all your thoughts and ideas on home security for us women living alone and lay people…


Link to the article: https://mdcreekmore.com/home-security-tips-for-single-women-living-alone/

Related articles: https://homecontrolsblog.com/2017/01/10/simple-home-security-checklist/

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