Picking a neighborhood to live in can be difficult. You want to pick an inexpensive location, but you also want to live in a safe area. If you decide to move into a less safe neighborhood, you may enjoy it as long as you protect yourself. Here are some tips on how to stay safe when moving to an unsafe neighborhood.

Don’t Go Out at Night

Many crimes happen under the cover of night. Don’t put yourself in that position to begin with. When it starts to get dark out, stay in for the night. Naturally, there will be times you need to come home late or go out for an emergency, but limit your nighttime ventures as much as possible. Stock up on food, drinks, and home supplies during the day to avoid unnecessary trips to the store.

This may be tricky during the winter as sunlight goes down very early. However, it should be smart for you to be able to make plans. When you have to take the bus or walk you need to think safety.

Keep Things Locked

Your apartment doors and your windows should all be locked. You don’t want to invite any intruders in by leaving your home open. If you want to be especially safe with your locks, call a locksmith. He can offer locksmith services that will include an additional lock on your door or changing the locks.

Be Careful of Who You Befriend

You want to have friends in your neighborhood, but you don’t want to have the wrong friends. Get to know people before you start to let people into your home. Even if you do bring people into your home, you should keep your expensive items locked away and out of temptation. Flaunting the things you have will only create envy and a desire to have what you have.

Get Mace

You should not be walking around town without some sort of weapon to help protect you. One of the easiest weapons to use and carry is mace. You can attach the mace to a keychain and hold onto it when you walk to the store or your car. If someone tries to attack you, use your mace right away and run. Mace might not be able to handle every situation. Talk to your friends and family about getting a gun or carrying a knife with you.

Embrace the Area

Even bad neighborhoods have something beautiful about them. Use this time to learn about an area you wouldn’t normally get to experience. Look for local food deals, beautiful locations, and different cultural hot spots.

Security

Security technology has become more accessible today than it used to be in generations past. You don’t have to get an expensive home security system to be able secure your home. You can get automatic lights that have motion sensors. This way you can scare away people that are creeping into your property. This will scare away people and animals that are looking for a dark place to misbehave. These lights are accessible and found in any big box store.

You can also get a doorbell that has a camera. This can be something that is automated so that it records. If you are afraid of vandalism you should be able to get the perpetrator on video to utilize with the authorities. When people are casing a house they often avoid the ones with cameras because it makes their jobs more difficult.

Some neighborhoods known for being unsafe have plenty of hidden treasures. If you are here, make the best of it. And stay safe.