To add to to haertig's post, one size does not fit all. If you look at urban areas, solid Medeco locks, and even multiple locks are common. If you look at a small Midwestern town, the doors can easily be kicked down, and some people don't even lock their doors. Why is that? Those expensive locks actually serve a purpose. You can strengthen the residence against opportunistic and low-skill burglars/robbers, and in urban areas there are a lot of those "plying their trade." No, these defenses won't work against determined thieves with enough time, but there are a lot of thieves in urban areas who aren't as determined or prepared.

Insurance itself isn't quite enough for opportunistic thieves. Your premium is going to shoot up if you get robbed three times a month because you don't have a good lock on your door. (Some of you are perhaps imagining big bad guys with guns. How about a small fast 12-year-old who sneaks into your house, grabs the closest electronics, and runs like hell? I've seen this sort of stuff happen to people who relocated to the city from a more rural area. They didn't get what they were in for.)

But armed home invasion is a completely different ball game. Yeah, I'd agree that you'd better be ready to repel the invasion.

I tell the story about the well-fortified house (see earlier in the thread) to people who think having some weapons in the house is good enough. There are skilled burglars who can get through serious defenses and steal your stuff without waking you, without using weapons. By the way, some people do live in fortresses, and these can be decent, comfortable, and even luxurious places to live in. But you pay a price for security, especially if you like a lot of natural lighting, windows with a nice view, fresh air, and not having to stick with a security routine every night. But it's really not a big deal if you're used to it.

Should you invest in locks for the door, iron bars for the window, and bricks in place of sidings? Should you get a watch dog? That depends on where you live and the threats you face. I think we need some good ideas about doing risk assessment and figuring out how much to invest in security.

Right now my only guideline is to make my place less attractive than my neighbors, in the hope that the bad guys will be encouraged to move on to the next target.