It’s that time of year again. November is quickly approaching. The weather is changing, and families are thinking about the holiday shopping season. I have one friend that continually announces the number of days left until Christmas on Facebook. Whether we are ready or not, Thanksgiving will be here before we know it. And with the holidays approaching, home safety is a huge concern.
Right now I’m specifically thinking about home safety as it relates to the holidays, planning family travel, and having a home full of gifts. It is a fact that theft is more prominent during the holidays. Thieves count on the fact that families are spending a lot of time away from home, and that their homes may be full of new electronics.
Homes become more vulnerable as thieves anticipate new presents being under trees. It is important to up your home security concerns during the holidays. And since thieves also count on more people shopping online, it is also equally important to protect yourself from identity theft and financial hacking.
Personal Safety
While you are out shopping, beware of pickpockets. Be sure to keep your purse, wallet, laptop bag, and other personal items secure and close to you. Teach your children to keep their new gadgets secured and hidden away. Also teach them to be wary of letting their gadgets out of their sight by loaning them to friends or classmates. If you are traveling, use the the Master Lock SafeSpace. Read my previous post for more information for the SafeSpace.
Household Safety
No matter what time of year, I strongly suggest having a great home alarm system. Most of them do much more now than just sound an alarm! Newer systems provide monitoring of windows, doors, garage doors, smoke detectors, and carbon monoxide detectors. You can even get a system that allows you to turn your home into a smarthome. When you leave your home, or go to bed at night, always arm your alarm system. If you have a patio door, keep it locked, be sure that there is an alarm sensor attached, and use a security bar like the Master Lock Door Security Bar (265DCCSEN).
Safety at School
Make sure that your kids have a reliable lock like the Master Lock 4400D which not only allows ease of use by easily entering a direction based combination, it also connects to your phone via Bluetooth. You can then use the Master Lock Vault eLocks app to quickly and easy open your lock. How cool is that?
Of course this can also be used to secure a shed or storage unit around the house. I actually have one installed on the storage unit where majority of my household items are being kept right now. It’s very convenient to just walk up to it, hit a button, and watch it flash green to open. When I previously reviewed the Master Lock 4400D, I was very impressed with it’s use. There were only a couple of kinks, but overall it’s a great lock.
Online Shopping Safety
If you are doing a lot of online shopping leading up to the holidays, do what you can to protect your identity. Make sure that your passwords for all of your various online accounts are not super easy. Here are some great tips for setting up a secure online password. I have shared these tips before, but they are still important.
DON’T
- Never make your password your name
- Never make your password or PIN number your birthday
- Never make your password too short
- Never make your password something that those close to you can guess easily
- Never carry your passwords with you
DO
- Do make your password very secure
- Do mix letters and numbers to create an effective password
- If you do want to use a play on names, make sure to mix it up with a play on numbers as letters, etc.
- Do have different passwords for very important things like your bank account and your utility bills.
- Do use separate passwords for things work related versus personal
If you think that you will have a hard time remember all of your passwords, use Master Lock Vault to securely store them online and on your mobile device.
No matter what you do this holiday season, keep safety in mind.
The Giveaway
Master Lock would like to give two of my readers their very own Master Lock 5900D SafeSpace. I have 2 of these and they are so useful! Use it when you travel, or to store personal items during events.
Disclosure: This post is part of my involvement in the Master Lock Live Secure Squad program. All opinions are my own.
You May Also Like:
Master Lock Speed Dial 1500iD For Back to School
Early Back to School Protection Planning from Master Lock
5 Tips For Fall Family Safety
Securing Your Belongings During Your Honeymoon and Beyond
Tips For Being Safe When Moving Into a New Home
We do everything we can… but our neighborhood isnt the best so we are always trying to improve. This would be handy to keep small valuables in. I actually am more concerned when hubby is having procedures done and we have valuables he has to take off or we have to keep track of.
ellen beck on the form
I think I am doing everything I can to keep my family safe but I know I could do so much more.
We take all of the basic precautions but I am sure there is more to do
I know that there is so much more that I can do to keep my family safe.
I would like to be able to do more.
Keep all doors locked when we leave the house & at night
I am sure there is always something more that we can do to secure our property.
Im always looking for diff ways to secure my home . I feel like I could do much more.
We definitely don’t do enough. There is always more that can be done.
I feel I have done a decent job
Honestly I never feel like I am doing enough to keep my home safe.
I think i’m doing okay but can be doing more.
We keep certain items in a safe and try to not make it obvious that we are out of town when we leave for vacation.
We try to make sure we lock our doors all the time and that we have lights on so that it looks like there are people in the house. We also leave the radio on loud enough depending on how long we’re gone.
I never feel as though we are doing enough for safety in our home especially when we go on vacation. We try to double check doors and have a timer on the light but that’s as far as we go.
I feel better knowing my valuables are in a vault! As for home & my Mother I got her a small home safe with fire protection.
I always feel there is more I can do and I am always looking for ways to improve the security of my home.
No I don’t feel like I’m doing enough, but having one of these will help! 🙂
I feel like there is always something you can do better to make your home safe, but you do the best you can.
I can always do more to make things safer!
I feel like it’s more I need to do around my home to feel safe.
we’re trying our best
Probably not. I try my best. Thank you for the giveaway.
I think there are more ways that I could keep my home safer
I’m sure I haven’t. It’s a miracle we haven’t been robbed; a child could do it.
I do as much as I can, keep the doors locked even when home, don’t leave items out in sight, but I also know I could do more.
Probably not. Determined thieves can bypass almost any system.
I could do more, but overall I think I’m pretty secure. Thanks for the chance.
I do not feel like I’m doing enough to keep safe. I need better locks on my doors and a security system would be great but right now is impossible for me to afford.
I know I should get a security system but the reliable ones must be pretty expensive
I haven’t done anything to improve the security of my parents’ home and now it makes me feel like I should!
No, I don’t feel like we are doing enough to keep us safe. It seems the world gets crazier by the day.
I do not feel like I am doing enough to keep my home safe. Thanks for the article!
To be honest, I don’t always feel like I am doing enough to keep our home safe. We try to, but it’s such a scary world out there.