As a recently married man or woman, you now have more to think about when it comes to the safety of your home. Is the home really that safe? Can my wife or husband rest easy tonight? Will my future family be safe here? If you’ve recently tied the knot, you can’t afford not to ask those questions but before you start panicking, consider the following.
Below is a list of suggestions to help newlyweds everywhere protect their homes:
1. Get a home security system. You would be surprised how remarkably affordable a good system can be. Check out securitychoice.com and see for yourself. The ones offered by that site in particular offer 24/7 monitoring and are so user-friendly that even children can easily operate them – perfect for any future little ones you add to the family.
2. Draw the shades. Or at least invest in some decent enough curtains. Like most weddings, you are bound to get a lot of gifts and it’s important that you don’t give any potential intruders the opportunity to window shop. Drawing the shades obviously doesn’t guarantee your home’s security, but intruders will certainly think twice before letting themselves in – especially with no apparent incentive.
3. Add a dog to the family. The perfect piece to any blossoming family, the mere presence of a dog, alone, is enough to turn intruders away. Just make sure, if you want this dog to be a guard dog, you get him or her professionally trained. You don’t want the dog mistaking wedding guests and extended family members for intruders.
4. Be careful what you decide to throw away. Make sure you shred up any sensitive materials that you no longer need and always be sure and store your trash in a trash can. It can be tempting to gloss over this step. Maybe you bought a brand-new flat screen television with the gift money your father-in-law gave you and you just want to leave the box at the end of the street. That’s fine – if you want everyone in the neighborhood to know you have something worth stealing.
5. Change the locks. If you have recently moved into a new home with your new husband or bride and you are not the original owners, then change those locks immediately. You might also want to do this if you have had the same locks for over five years. They sell easy-to-install locks and dead bolts in most hardware stores.
If you follow these instructions, you will be taking the necessary steps toward securing a future with your new wife or husband.
And, as a preemptive measure, anyone reading this who hasn’t quite tied the knot – don’t go nuts with those save-the-date cards. Limit them ONLY to people you know and family. A wedding can be an exciting time and you want to tell the world – you just don’t want the wrong people knowing when the wedding is…and when the home will be unoccupied.