<p>We don’t have an alarm. If someone wants to get in, a lock isn’t going to stop them. It’s more likely that we’ll just be locking ourselves out when (not if) we forget our keys and someone has moved the spare. Plus, my dog would have something to say and her bark is much worse than her bite but an intruder wouldn’t know that.</p>
<p>I don’t think it’s the right answer for every family, house, or neighborhood. We’ve had our cars stolen right out of our driveway (a few houses ago) which were all locked tight. Meh</p>
<p>I once read a story where an adult son talked his dad into getting a cell phone. Then, the son called his dad on the cell phone and the dad didn’t answer. The son finally stopped by dad’s house and asked him why he didn’t answer the phone.</p>
<p>The dad said, “I pay for this phone. It is MY phone. It is for MY convenience. Not anyone else’s, including yours.”</p>
<p>I think that attitude could carry over to our doors. We pay the rent/mortgage/property taxes on that door. We should be able to answer it at our convenience, not other people’s convenience.</p>
<p>I do not like answering my door, or phone for that matter, unless I am expecting someone. </p>
<p>A couple of months ago, someone selling jewelry knocked on my door. It was actually a kid I know, and I ended up buying from him. If it was a random stranger, nope. Wouldn’t have done it. </p>
<p>First, these kinds of things are budget busters for me. I do not need or want more subscriptions. Most if the ones that knock are representing charities that seem to not exist and if I am going to use my small available disposable income, I want to use it in ways that I decide. My local animal shelter, disaster relief, local schools, etc. </p>
<p>I hate guilt and last minute just make a small donation requests. Do the people soliciting money outside the stores actually give the money to homeless shelters? I am skeptical. </p>
<p>Also, I do keep my doors locked. Opening a door could be to someone that isn’t just trying to sell something. </p>
<p>My D had a situation a couple of months ago where a random stranger thought he was coming into his own house - so drunk - and came into their house nd ended up in one if the girl’s bedrooms. Nobody knew him. Someone accidentally left the door unlocked. . It could have been a very bad situation. Glad it wasn’t.</p>
<p>My old house, which I lived in for 15 years, didn’t have keys. The previous owners never locked it and we didn’t either. Alarm…I don’t know ANYONE who has one here. </p>
<p>limabeans and I live in the same sort of town, I think.</p>
<p>SamuraiLandshark, when I read your username posting in this thread I giggled. Still smiling, actually. Talk about a good reason not to open the door ;)</p>
<p>Rarely answer the door. If I’m not expecting you, sorry, you are not coming in. Friends have called from the front door because they knew I was home but not answering. They didn’t get to stay long. I’m a planner.</p>
<p>SLS, when I get requests for donations, I ask for the name of the organization and donate directly to the org if I feel that it is worth my money. </p>
<p>There’s a really creepy mega church a few miles from me that is constantly sending out people to recruit souls and money. My parents and I (and many others) are convinced it’s a cult. I used to just close the door, but they’ll keep knocking. I’ve asked them several times not to come to my house. They ignore it. I started just making up really odd things to say to them in hopes that one would terrify them enough not to come back. One time I told them I had to go because I was in the middle of slaughtering my goat as sacrifice to the goddesses of war. That was the one that did the trick- which surprised me as I almost thought they might become MORE determined to “save” me… or call the cops (which is what I would’ve done if I had been them… check on the sanity of the person and the welfare of any animals… even if I knew there was only a 1% chance that someone could’ve actually had an animal they was at risk of being harmed)</p>
<p>Best experience opening a door to stranger was when an unknown neighbor twenty-something came to apologize for smashing our mailbox 3 years before. He explained that he was doing his Step program for Alcoholics Anonymous, and was Taking Responsibility. We talked awhile. Impressive.</p>
<p>Now we’re in a 60-unit apartment building with a confusing panel of buzzer labels to open the building door at street level. We get other peoples’ pizza delivery men, which is tempting, and a classic fantasy. But we ask them to try again.</p>
<p>It truly does show the difference of area. In my town the houses are locked tight, many gated houses, alarms, surveillance systems, and the like. </p>
<p>That’s why for me, and many others, unlocking the door takes too much time (and energy) to hear something I don’t want to hear or don’t care about. </p>
<p>romani, with that story you just shared gives me a better understandin on why you react the way you do to religious stuff.</p>
<p>Usually yes. I like to buy from the neighborhood kids when they come around. But if my sick, elderly kitty cat is on my lap (which is often), then no. I would always want to help a neighbor in need.</p>
<p>No, I react the way I do to religious stuff because of years of bullying, a non-religious upbringing, and my area of work. You have it backwards. </p>
<p>I do not do this with most religious people. We also have a Jehovah’s Witnesses church a few miles away that comes by on occasion but when I ask them to stop, they do until the next year. When I respectfully ask them to stop again, they do! It’s wonderful and they have my utmost respect.</p>
<p>The creepy cult church comes several times a week and now I see them out with children passing out fliers and knocking on doors. It bothers me when people use kids to campaign or recruit people to a church/cause.</p>
<p>“We don’t have an alarm. If someone wants to get in, a lock isn’t going to stop them.”</p>
<p>??? Of course it would. Or at least delay them. Why would you make it easy for people? Do you lock your car when you are out and about? Do you lock hotel rooms? Did you lock your dorm room?</p>
<p>"There’s a really creepy mega church a few miles from me that is constantly sending out people to recruit souls and money. My parents and I (and many others) are convinced it’s a cult. I used to just close the door, but they’ll keep knocking. I’ve asked them several times not to come to my house. They ignore it. "</p>
<p>But your door is unlocked, so they could walk right in and you don’t see the purpose of locking it. Ooooooo-Kay.</p>
<p>I admit, unless I have something in the car (like if I’m shopping at multiple stores in one day), I don’t lock the car. I’ve decided that I’d rather have someone open the door and rifle through everything deciding if they want to take my ice scrapers and car repair receipts than have them break the window to rifle through. If they break the window, my car can’t be driven. I don’t keep anything of value in the car so if they want to take stuff, they can. If they take the car, I have OnStar which can track it.</p>
<p>Many people fail to realize that the purpose of an alarm or a lock is to be a deterrent. The whole “It doesn’t stop them” argument sort of falls apart. It is yet another step they have to overcome to gain access to whatever they are seeking. The harder you make it for them, the lower the chances they will spend the time required to get through.</p>
<p>2016, the good ol’ OnStar. I want to put a tracker on my car. It’d be a comfort to have…although I’d still lock it. There are lip glosses and sprays that are valuable to me that I’d prefer not to be taken. ;)</p>
<p>For those who don’t have OnStar…locking the car doesn’t seem like a good choice. That is if they have a car that they consider worth locking. I have family members who have multiple cars and some thy don’t bother locking because they don’t care if they’re with it or with out.</p>
<p>PG, you are free to disagree with me. I don’t criticize your choices. What we do works for us :)</p>
<p>We don’t have an alarm so the alarm is not part of the equation anyway. Even if we wanted one (we don’t), we probably couldn’t afford one.</p>
<p>When we have kids or anything of real value, I’m sure our views will change. Living in one of the safest towns in the country probably gives me a false sense of security but meh. I’ll take that risk ;)</p>
<p>I keep my doors locked on my car because I do not want to be surprised by someone sitting in it. </p>
<p>My H’s coworker never locked her car. One day, in a parking lot, as she was getting in, realized there were people in it. She was carjacked. Fortunately was able to get out of the car. </p>
<p>I suppose that’s valid at night, I can’t imagine anyone being able to hide in my (quite compact) car during the day. Still, the town I live in is the sort where the crime section of the newspaper highlight is a lost wallet with cash turned into the police station for pickup.</p>