Recently there has been a spate of minor burglaries in my apartment complex, which prompted my wife and I to consider getting an alarm system for our apartment. We looked into this via various on-line sites and calls to security companies in our local area and found that the costs would be about $500 to install/wire the system, and then $60 dollars per month to have back to base monitoring. Total cost for the year would be around $1220. Ouch. Given the break-ins were relatively minor and as we had home insurance I got around to thinking that there must be cheaper (frugal) ways to protect ones home. Here is a list I came up with, and am already using some of these precautions. Best of all, the cost is significantly less than a full fledged alarm system.

- Buy Patio door bars. These simple security devices are available as a rod or bar lock. Very effective from both a cost (less than $20) and security perspective. I use a security bar lock for my patio door.

- Get Deadbolt locks for your front door - these are better than normal locks as they have a double locking system making them harder to pick than a regular lock. We already had this installed and it is almost impossible to break without heavy duty tools. (Cost = $50 - $100)

- Turn down the ringer on your phone when you are out. It is a clear sign that someone is away when the phone rings loudly multiple times and no one picks up. (Cost = $0)

- Beam 'em. Get a motion sensor light for your back or front yard so that anyone approaching gets "beamed". This will make your home a less likely target for nighttime break-ins. (Cost = $75 - $100)

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