1) Use your locks
Remember to lock your doors at night and when you leave your home. You would be surprised at how many burglars simply give up and move to a different house when they find that the door is locked shut.
2) Enhance your lock system
Replace the short screws that are in your locks and door frames with longer screws that are much more difficult to compromise. This will reinforce your existing locks and make the door much more difficult to open by way of force.
3) Leave the light on
If you leave the light on in your front yard, would-be thieves won’t be able to hide in the shadows and you will find it much easier to spot them before they try breaking in.
4) Limit your social media use
Many thieves use social media to obtain information on their targets, including when they will be leaving their home. Refrain from posting updates on your location and other personal information on social media sites.
5) Security system warning sign
This might not do much to deter thieves in a SHTF situation, but up until then, it will be effective to drive would-be criminals away from your home.
6) Home automation
Connect things like lightbulbs and curtains to your smartphone so that you can activate them and make it look like you are home, even when you aren’t.
7) Maintain a clear line of sight
Trim bushes and hedges around your house so that you will be able to easily spot people who are approaching your house and intervene before they attempt to break in.
8) Take advantage of technology
Installing cameras around the exterior of your home will allow you to spot burglars that are creeping around your lawn, all from the safety of your own living room. As explained by SurvivalistPrepper.net, you may not even need to purchase a real, functional camera to deter intruders. A dummy cam (or a camera that looks real but isn’t) can be purchased for a relatively small amount of money, and will likely make a burglar think twice before breaking in.
9) Reinforce all doors and entryways
Reinforce all sliding glass doors in your house and other entryways to make it as difficult as possible for them to get inside.
10) Establish a network
You don’t necessarily have to be best friends with all of your neighbors, but if you establish a friendly relationship with them, they will be more likely to have your back if someone ever tries approaching your home to break in.
11) Use dogs as a deterrent
Many people have Cynophobia, or a fear of canines. Put up signs around your home that say “beware of dog” or maybe even leave some dog toys in the front yard to increase the chances that a potential intruder will turn away.
12) Install a driveway gate
This will make it so that people won’t be able to get onto your property unless you are able to properly identify them.
13) Hang something noisy over doorways
This is particularly important for the nighttime hours. Putting noisy objects like bells on top of your doors will wake you up when an intruder is in your home, thus giving you a chance to react.
14) Use a secure indoor safe
Use this to store important items like personal documents and weapons.
15) Use solar powered lights and motion sensors
Using solar powered devices will ensure that the lights and motion sensors you have outside of your home will still work when the power is out.
16) Take advantage of plant life
If you put thorny bushes or impenetrable hedges around your yard, it will make it extremely difficult for intruders to reach your home and break in. Your goal should be to make their task as challenging as you possibly can.
17) Pick a good hiding spot for your spare key
Don’t hide your spare house key under the welcome mat or underneath a fake rock, because these will be the first spots intruders check when they are looking to get inside your home. Make sure you hide your spare key in a good spot that won’t be easily found.
18) Have your mail sent to a P.O. Box
Keep your mail safe by having it sent to a P.O. Box rather than your home address.
19) Minimize the number of hiding places around your home
Cut back trees, shrubs and hedges under your windows and around your doors to make it difficult for would-be burglars to hide as they approach your home.
20) Establish a safe room
If an intruder does somehow get inside your home, make sure that you have a fortified safe room you can retreat to for safety.
21) Use decoy supplies and weapons
If you leave a fake gun and fake documents out on the table, it may lead the intruder to believe that that’s all there is in the home. With any luck, they won’t look any further.
22) Email yourself a list of serial numbers and valuables every three months
If some of your items get stolen during non-SHTF times, having a list of serial numbers and photographs of your valuables will make replacing them that much easier.
23) Keep your garage door closed
If you keep your garage open during the daytime hours, you give everyone in the area a glimpse at all your possessions, which may include lawn mowers, power tools, toys, or anything else that would be of interest to thieves. Keep your garage closed and hide your possessions from the outside world.
24) Keep your vehicles locked up
Whether it’s a car, motorcycle, ATV, boat or an RV, make sure you keep your vehicles locked to help deter burglars. Even if they decide to smash the windows, at least that will make a loud sound and potentially alert you to the scene.
25) Learn self-defense
Learning self-defense will increase your chances of surviving an encounter with someone who breaks into your home, and may very well mean the difference between life and death.
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