Locking your doors

katiewhompus

I actually wanted to ask this question yesterday but the "What are you afraid of thread' reminded me about it.
Do you lock your doors? What is the extent of locking them? Cars?

When I lived outside DC everything was locked multiple times. Deadbolts, chains, etc. Now that we've moved to a safer area my parents laugh that we put deadbolts on our door, and our neighbors always laugh, in a friendly way, when I lock my car.
My parent's don't even own a key to their house, and haven't locked their door is over 10 years.

kd.joseph

Yes we lock our doors whe we remember. Twice in the last week we have forgotten and found the front door open.
But we have a rather large dog, so I dont think anyone would get too far.

Both our trucks are newer and lock automatically. But years ago I always locked them. Car jacking was a big fear. I also never left my purse on the seat.

tidetravel

I lock the door to the house every night before I go to bed, but DH doesn't and it pisses me off.  Half of the time, he falls asleep on the couch with the door open.  Grrr.

I don't generally lock our car doors though.  My previous car was a convertable, and if someone really wanted to car jack it, they could just cut the top.  I would rather they just open the door, than cut the thing to get into it.

number55

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_snarky-brides_locking-doors?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:17Discussion:c26c02fd-40d5-49fa-9bdd-d63b68ac0c1dPost:3cc52a59-93ef-4078-be81-63f54eb6de2e">Locking your doors</a>:
[QUOTE]My parent's don't even own a key to their house, and haven't locked their door is over 10 years.
Posted by katiewhompus[/QUOTE]

<div>This is what I grew up with in one house/area we lived in (we moved A LOT, I went to 13 different schools in 11 years!).</div><div>
</div><div>I remember one day we were going out all day and my parents put a chair behind the door (angled) to 'lock it' because I don't think either of them could find their keys...we never locked our doors from what I can remember. I think this is why I don't fret about it.</div><div>
</div><div>My car however, I lock all the time. And then I worry that I haven't. It drives FI crazy!</div>

betrothed123

I lock the crap out of my doors.  Our apartment has a deadbolt as well as a handle lock, and we keep them both locked.  I also lock my car everywhere I go.  I've done this most of my life even though I grew up in the middle of East Bumblefuck, Nowhere.  We had kids make the nearly 1/4 mile trek up to my parents house to steal our porch lights so I don't mess around.  Crime happens everywhere.  Why leave yourself open to it?

number55

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_snarky-brides_locking-doors?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:17Discussion:c26c02fd-40d5-49fa-9bdd-d63b68ac0c1dPost:3afa3094-1dc2-4a01-9b8e-913b15d6737f">Re: Locking your doors</a>:
[QUOTE]Yes we lock our doors whe we remember. Twice in the last week we've have forgotten and found the front door open.
Posted by kd.joseph[/QUOTE]

<div>WTF! This would freak me out!</div>

Nebb

Im anal about things being locked. I have driven home afte rbeing halfway to work before because I couldnt remember if I had locked it or not. Car, locker at the gym, house, everything - must be locked.

kd.joseph

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_snarky-brides_locking-doors?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:17Discussion:c26c02fd-40d5-49fa-9bdd-d63b68ac0c1dPost:8a4fafc4-5a1a-493e-a8de-a40304823eac">Re: Locking your doors</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Locking your doors : WTF! This would freak me out!
Posted by number55[/QUOTE]

You cant really see our front door from the street. So someone would actually have to come up the drive and then the sidewalk to see it.

jamiefour

I always lock my house when I leave and when I go to sleep.  FI always falls asleep with it unlocked.  I feel your pain Tide.  I lock our new car doors but the old car's alarm goes off everytime it is locked so we don't lock it.

missy68

I'm bad to leave the backdoor unlocked until it gets dark. Max goes in and out so much, its a PITA otherwise. Front door's always deadbolted mainly because we never use it (handle lock not so much) and when we're in for the night (i.e., when J comes home or I come home if he's working the early shift or away), the inside door to the garage gets locked. Garage is always down.

And Max the gorilla has a ferocious bark. The punks don't jump the fence anymore, especially since J caught them.

My dad's mom never locked her door until about 5 years ago. We'd get there and be able to just walk right in. Only if we were driving someplace out of town did she lock it. The town was just so small, and everyone knew our family and who belonged and who didn't.

megk8oz

I lock everything. I need to lock car doors when I'm in the car (Scared of car-jacking, even though I live in a relatively safe area), when I'm out of the car (Don't want the car getting stolen).

And in the house, I cannot go to bed without making sure all doors and windows are shut and locked. I usually lock up before I shower (I shower at night) ... but on multiple occassions, I've actually gotten into bed and immediately got right back up to just be sure I really locked up.

And l admitted this in the previous thread, but when DH is OOT and I'm alone for the night, I will move the couch in front of the already locked front door, and barricade the already locked slider with chairs and stuff.

AdeleDazeem

I live in the heart of the city.  I'm not a particular scaredy-cat, but I don't think there's a need to be unnecessarily stupid, either.  I've heard some stories that make my skin crawl.

My apartment is always locked whether I'm inside it or outside it.  My fiance locks it if I'm here but doesn't if he's here alone.

At my parent's house in the 'burbs, we leave lots of things unlocked.  It's just a different world out there.

This college girl in my last apartment building left her door open and ajar for the length of her Christmas break.  She was a farking moron. 

JadziaDax

Everything gets locked and we have an alarm system. I don't drive but FI always locks his car door- I even lock the car door if he steps out to buy something in a store and i'm waiting in the car alone.

amylydia23

I lock the door all the time, even when I am home.  I am home alone a lot, sometimes for weeks, and I live in an apartment complex surrounded by single soldiers.  I have just heard so many stories that I am paranoid now.  My dog is no protection either.  She's a teacup beagle she just wants someone to pet her.
 
I lock the car all the time too.  My old car had manual locks and I used to check if it was locked multiple times.  When I was in college I had my car on campus as a freshman and I got so used to locking all the doors I actually locked my keys in the car several times once I came home for the summer. 

skythe

I lock everything; I'm paranoid. I've just heard too many stories of people not locking doors and then paying the price for it. If I'm alone in my apartment overnight I even lock the door to my bedroom! It just makes me feel safer.

TurtlesAllTheWayDown

Definitely. I live in an area where we have iron bars on our front windows. We have a security screen door (steel) and a deadbolt in our front door. FI always double checks before bed, but we always keep them locked anyway.

My dad never locks his cars, and rarely his house. He'll lock the house when he leaves for an extended period of time, I guess. But just walking to the neighbor? No. 

I have had my house robbed before. It was a townhouse and it was locked - they crawled in through the second story window. Took the screen out, etc. 

ricksang

Yes and I keep a gun next to my bed. I am home alone almost every night and Jackson isn't the safest city.

berryholly

I always have the house locked up when I'm home alone. I still like it locked when H is home, but I'm not as obsessive about it. I also always lock all the doors when I leave, but H doesn't. It drives me NUTS because sometimes I get home before he does, and I do not like coming home to an unlocked house. Some crazy person could be in there hiding, waiting to attack me. I am admittedly neurotic, but I just don't think there is any reason to leave yourself open to things like that. 

As for cars - I hardly ever lock mine. I have had my car window broken several times by someone. I am like pp in that I would rather someone just open the door instead of breaking my window if they are really determined to get in there. I just make sure to not leave anything valuable in there.

alixzafiris

Hi Berry!

I lock all doors, all the time. Whether that's my OCD or just how I was raised (you know, South African and all...) I don't know. Drives Jay mental when we're in the car because when he's alone, he never locks them so whenever we're together, he tries to get out and the doors are all locked.

J&K10910

We live in a town of 5000 now.  All doors are double locked and chained, and ground floor windows get closed before I go to bed.  And I always lock my car doors.  And people that don't baffle me.  My friend grew up in a tiny town (tinier) and he leaves his car doors unlocked and the keys in the ignition.  Weirdo.

luckyme502

I lock all my doors all the time.  I am home by myself a lot and always lock the doors to the house.  It's weird, but it makes me feel safer. 

sucrets4

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_snarky-brides_locking-doors?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:17Discussion:c26c02fd-40d5-49fa-9bdd-d63b68ac0c1dPost:3cc52a59-93ef-4078-be81-63f54eb6de2e">Locking your doors</a>:
[QUOTE]I actually wanted to ask this question yesterday but the "What are you afraid of thread' reminded me about it. Do you lock your doors? What is the extent of locking them? Cars? When I lived outside DC everything was locked multiple times. Deadbolts, chains, etc. Now that we've moved to a safer area my parents laugh that we put deadbolts on our door, and our neighbors always laugh, in a friendly way, when I lock my car. <strong>My parent's don't even own a key to their house, and haven't locked their door is over 10 years.</strong>
Posted by katiewhompus[/QUOTE]

Seriously??  Wow!

I guess it's the New Yorker in me, but I always lock everything.  Always,

When my brother was visiting a college in waaay upstate NY in 1989 (I went to the same school as him), he and my mom flew in to the International airport that was the size of my parens' house, and they have a pretty standard house,  They were waiting for a cab and the worker there locked the door and asked them to pull it shut behind them.  To the entire AIRPORT!!  My mom and bro were in shock.

aprovencher21

I grew up in a great neighborhood that mainly was/is secluded farm area so we didn't always lock our cars.  Mainly because to steal one of our cars you'd have to be able to open the two locked electronic gates on the mile long driveway.  My parents always locked the house up tight with an indepth alarm system.  We had panic buttons throughout the house.  Hell when kids were talking about sneaking out at night I'd laugh.  If I wanted to do this I'd first have to disable the house alarm (since it goes off in Stay mode if a window or door is opened).  Secondly, I'd have to disengaged the driveway alarm (lets us know when someone is coming down the driveway) or I wouldn't be able to take a car.  Third, I'd have to open both gates without making too much noise........oh ya and not cause all the dogs to bark.  Needless to say I never sneaked out wayyyyyyy too much work.

FI and I have a townhouse about 10 minutes from my parents.  While a lovely neighborhood I lock up everything.  People are stupid and I don't trust them around my unlocked car.  We also have a deadbolt now that is always locked when we aren't home and when we are.  We also have an alarm system identical to the system at my parent's house except without the driveway functions. 

barbbhoww

I keep doors locked when the door is closed.

I live in a 'burb of Chicago and it isn't always pies and rainbows.

Lenore2010

I always lock my doors, car and house. Personally, I think everyone should no matter how "safe" the place they live in is. Stuff happens everyone and can happen anywhere. Why make it easy for someone to come in?

Now, we live in a house on the North side and we have an alarm system and lower window bars. In a better neighborhood I would skip the window bars but I would probably still have the alarm system.

[Deleted User]

I always lock my car, but DH doesn't at home. The house door is always locked even if we're home. But I hate that we don't have a deadbolt, we just have a bolt that locks only from the inside. We really need to fix that.

K Byte

I always lock everything. My area's pretty safe in terms of major crime, but I live on a busy road in a large apartment complex near other large apartment complexes and there's a lot of car break-ins or just people going into unlocked cars and stealing whatever they can ... CDs, your GPS, any kind of money you might have in your car, etc. I also pay a bit of extra rent each month so I can park my car in one of our carports, that way it's not just out in the open in the parking lot.

LoveBugBaby

Our doors are ALWAYS locked, whether we're home or not.  I'd rather be safe then sorry.  We live in a nice area too, but I have a hard time trusting even the most safe situations anymore.  Too much crap happens and it's not worth it to me to lose that peace of mind!  Our dog would probably scare the hell out of someone anyway, but I consider her the "back-up" haha.

Our cars are always locked.  There have been a couple thefts (like radios, CD's, etc. out of cars) in our area reported by people who left their cars unlocked, so you better bet I'm not going to be as stupid as them!

andyandhillary

I lock everything all the time.  Even my parents who live in the country (but used to live in the city) lock everything, even when they are home.  What does it hurt?

AllAboutTheBenjamin

I grew up in a very small, trusting community and we lived on a farm - we never locked ANYTHING.  But now that I live in a city I lock everything quite neurotically.

On a family vacation with my fiance and his folks when we were teens, someone got into the car while we were at the Mall of America and stole all our luggage.  His dad to this day says he locked the door... but there were no signs of any locks being tampered with.

And last summer, my dad dropped my car off at a local body shop and left the keys in it.  A kid who was strung out on meth stole my car, took it on a joy ride and when cops tried to pull him over for speeding he took off, led them on a high speed chase, and slammed into a traffic pole.  He lived but my car was not so fortunate.




So yeah.  I like locking things.

TurtlesAllTheWayDown

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_snarky-brides_locking-doors?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:17Discussion:c26c02fd-40d5-49fa-9bdd-d63b68ac0c1dPost:b08b8327-c754-4fd3-b2a8-c745ed6c093c">Re: Locking your doors</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Locking your doors : Seriously??  Wow! I guess it's the New Yorker in me, but I always lock everything.  Always, When my brother was visiting a college in waaay upstate NY in 1989 (I went to the same school as him), he and my mom flew in to the International airport that was the size of my parens' house, and they have a pretty standard house,  They were waiting for a cab and the worker there locked the door and asked them to pull it shut behind them.  To the entire AIRPORT!!  My mom and bro were in shock.
Posted by sucrets4[/QUOTE]

I love how all airports in upstate NY are "international" airports because they fly to, like, Kingston, Ontario.