As they say, your home is your castle, and you want to defend your castle against burglars. Protecting our homes, our families and our belongings is paramount. It's impossible to know everyone who comes into your neighborhood. Many of us don't even know who are neighbors are. In addition to alarms and surveillance video cameras, here are some helpful tips on how to effectively protect your home.

Burglars rarely strike when people are home. It's too much of a risk for them. Knowing that, it's smart to make it look like you're at home when you're not. If a potential burglar truly believes the house is occupied, he will move on to another house. Also, try not to leave and return to your house the exact same times every day. Burglars look for routines when they're scouting a home.

Some More Helpful Tips

If you absolutely cannot afford surveillance video cameras or an alarm system, use signs that suggest your house is under surveillance by the posted security company. A sticker or a sign might give a burglar second thoughts about entering your home. In addition, if you like animals, get a dog that's not afraid to bark at strangers. You can train your dog to bark at whatever you want, but the bark alone is effective at deterring possible thieves.

Put a note on your door that reads "We Don't Answer the Door for Solicitors." If someone you don't know comes to your door, knocks, and nobody answers, they could very well assume that you aren't answering because you don't know them. Finally, if you have a front yard, put a huge dog bone in the yard even if you don't have a dog. Just the thought of a huge dog is enough to scare away many burglars.