use it or lose it

If your home is equipped with an alarm system, use it! Friends of ours in Oak Cliff were robbed of all their expensive electronic equipment, including televisions, stereos and computers. They have a home alarm system -- but they didn't have it set and they weren't paying to have it monitored. Now that they're facing big deductibles to replace their lost property, they're regretting that they didn't take the extra step and pay the relatively low cost of alarming their home. Would a loud alarm have made a difference? Probably so. Burglars may still "grab and go," but chances are they wouldn't have grabbed as much because they wouldn't have known how long it would take for police -- or a notified homeowner -- to show up. When it comes to home alarms, the old saying rings true, "Use it or lose it."