These simple steps will help keep your home more secure:

Burglars like easy pickings. The window left open. Unlocked doors. Garage doors left open. No lighting. Some burglars will pass your house by just because you have exterior lighting.

Do you have any of those inexpensive ( $5 ) timers that will automatically turn lights or radios on and off at set times? If the bad guys see your house is dark for days at a time they might be tempted to find that easily accessible window in the back yard and Bam - they're in.

Install those cheap little window locks which will prevent anyone from opening a window more than 4 or five inches. Or just install 2 inch screw several inches above the lower window - preventing it from ever raising more than a few inches.

Do you have sturdy deadbolts in your exterior doors? Inexpensive motion detector lights in the rear of your house will discourage just about any criminal. Do it yourself with a  Wireless Camera with Free Bonus!

Clear away any bushes which provide cover for the ass-wipe who wants to break in. Use alarm company decals on ground floor windows. Or those little signs you see in some yards. That makes a burglar think twice. One security expert even suggests having a BIG dog-food bowl outside the back door - with the name Killer written in big letters.

Do you have pictures of your valuables? Or, even better - a video? Have a family member hold and describe each item in your household inventory. Include the date purchased - if you can - and model and serial numbers of big ticket items. Your insurance company loves getting your premium payments every month. They are somewhat skeptical of your claims though. They want proof that you own all those videos and computers you claim were lost. Cover yourself - don't let your friendly insurance company rip you off.

I hope you have never come home and found your home ransacked by burglars. Doors wide open and windows broken. That frightening feeling like you've been violated. Your home left in shambles.

Since we can't realistically hope to change those bad apples who choose to engage in these criminal acts - our only option is to protect ourselves, our loved ones, and our hard earned possessions.

You don't have to suffer the same fate we did. And we were luckier than many - we happened to come home while the burglars were still in the house. While I fumbled with the front door lock they were exiting the house via a broken out window in the rear. They had all our electronics packed up in suitcases ready to pass out the rear window.

We were only out a couple hundred bucks in home repairs. That little sum is nothing compared to the fear which immediately came over us. And the anger and hatred that lingered for way too long. Don't let yourself get caught off-guard. As much as we all would like to trust in the good of mankind - don't. Rest much easier at night knowing you've taken the simple steps to protect your family and your home. Install a good Digital Video Security System

     Maybe if we had home security cameras installed, the bad guys would have moved on to another house to victimize. I suppose I could have put bars in my windows much like the package stores in the wrong side of town. Or maybe if we had a really big dog who hates strangers. Or maybe if I had a pet rattlesnake running loose in our humble little home.

Or, I could have joined the untold numbers of smart homeowners who put in a Do It Yourself home security system.