When we were kids, the milkman delivered milk to our back door. A produce truck stopped in front of our house twice a week loaded with farm-fresh fruit and vegetables. And, we never locked our doors.

Things have changed. Americans now have a greater need for home security than ever before. Last year alone over 3 million residences were burglarized. And, according to Sheila Blake of Honeywell Electronics, folks with a home security system are 15 times less likely to be burglarized than a family without one.

It doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg to thwart a thief. According to Blake, doors are the first place that burglars will try. So, first and foremost, invest in strong doors with strong locks. Don't invest in a door lock that can be opened with a knife or credit card.

To secure sliding windows use keylocks or trackstops. Drilling a hole through both middle frames and inserting a steel pin is an effective means of securing double-hung windows. A broomstick in the sliding door track is an inexpensive locking method.

When you're away from home for a while don't rely on leaving one or two lights on. Burglars case neighborhoods and can tell when lights stay on. Purchase small timers and connect them to several lights and set them to turn on and off at irregular intervals. This gives the house a lived-in look. Be sure to have ample exterior lighting as burglars use the dark to cloak their activities.

When you're away from home for an extended period of time, your neighbors can be helpful. Encourage them to report irregularities to the police. Point out your special concerns to them. Some homes give crooks better opportunities for entry than others. A second story deck, a walk-out basement and windows or doors behind shrubs are examples. Have them pick up your mail, newspapers and other parcels left at your door, or have the post office hold your mail and have your newspapers held by the carrier.

This is not to say you shouldn't look into an electronic security system. But with or without, these precautions will help to reduce the chance of burglary. Both of our homes have perimeter and internal systems including window and door sensors, motion detectors, pad detectors, smoke detectors and heat detectors. Remote controls are also available that activate the alarm with the push of a button.

If you are considering an alarm system, there are two basic guidelines that will help you decide on a configuration. If protection while you are home is critical, then monitoring the perimeter is essential. If protection while you are away is the primary concern, interior motion detectors are adequate.

Pad and motion detectors can be activated by small animals. So, pets need to be a consideration as well when designing the system that's right for your home.