My neighbors have those little lawn signs that say "protected by ________ alarm system."

I have one that says "protected by Smith & Wesson".

Hey that's a GREAT idea! Spend 30 minutes trapsing through my house unplugging appliances that have virtually ZERO risk of catching on fire when they're not in use, then spend another 30 minutes when I get home plugging them all back up! Brilliant!

I have an alarm system that I can arm and disarm remotely. The system uses a cell phone to transmit an alarm. There are no phone lines to be cut. When we are home, we arm the system to only respond to a door or window opening. Only the interior motion detectors are disabled. The alarm is so laud, it will definitely wake us  As my wife calls the cops, I get one of two well hidden pistols. One is a .357 Magnum. It is loaded with low flash, full load rounds. The other is a 9mm with a laser sight. It is loaded with one in the chamber and a 13 round magazine. It is loaded with high velocity hollow points. I have won many trophies for pistol shooting. If I have to shoot an intruder, I am aiming for his medulla. (That is, shoot at his lower teeth)  He will be dead and incapacitated before he hits the deck. If armed, he will not get a shot off.  I have no compunction about killing an intruder advancing toward us.

I have to disagree with the idea of unplugging ALL the appliances in your house, particularly those that draw no current when not in use, like toasters, blenders, etc. Also, if you tend to pull on the wire when unplugging something, as many people do, this will likely eventually lead to a short in the wire which is a thousand times more likely to case a fire than the appliance itself otherwise would if just left alone. And if you want to unplug things which draw current when not in use like computers and TV then its best to just turn off the power strip rather than unplugging them.

And to Bill in Phoenix – you CAN keep people out of your house but its not cheap. First you need to replace your doors and frames with ones that cant be kicked in. Then replace all the first story glass with unbreakable lexan. You can also get a security system that allows you to view video feed from in and around your house on your smart phone when you are away. Of course if they are really entering your house "every time you leave" I would have a friend hide in your house while your gone with a sawed off shotgun. And if they’re just unarmed kids you could load it with rock salt and give them both barrels right in the **** cheeks. Nothing says "don’t come back around here" quite like rock salt in the ****.

With regards to #6:

I disagree with the lights being kept on all night especially when someone goes away & does this. I do middle of the night deliveries & see certain people leave lights on all the time (some entire home), trying to give the appearance that someone is home. All that does is make it look the opposite. In the early darkness & your house is all lit up then a would be prowler must be thinking that you are home. Given that logic, and he sees that everyone elses houses are dark, then they must all be away during the night rather than being asleep! Very poor judgement. Whenever I see lights on all night, I immediately know those people aren't home. Smarter move would be to put a lamp or two (or TV) on a random timer. Better method to give the illusion of someone being home & better protect your home.