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Solo But Secure: 5 Must-Know Safety Tips for Women Living Alone
Living alone doesn’t mean living unprotected. Here’s how to boost your safety without sacrificing independence.
Spencer Coursen
August 14, 2025
Living alone is empowering — your space, your rules, your peace. But criminals often see women who live alone as easier targets. The good news? With the right strategies, you can flip the script and become a hard target, not an easy one.
Top 5 Tips for Staying Safe
1. Control Your Perimeter
Keep all doors and windows locked – even when you’re inside.
Make your home more entry-resistant by:
Reinforce your door frame, strike plate, and hinges. Replace the short 1 ½ inch screws with 4-inch wood screws to secure the frame to the wall studs and replace the strike plate with a stronger option.
Consider adding a security bar or reinforcement plate for extra protection.
Upgrade to reinforced deadbolts.
Employ security bars on sliding doors and windows;
Use motion-activated lighting outside,
Replace locks that use a physical key with electronic locks.
2. Keep Strangers at the Door — and on Camera
NEVER open the door to someone you don’t know. Use a security camera, phone app, or peephole to screen visitors without giving away your position inside. If someone claims an emergency, offer to call 911 for them, but DO NOT open the door.
3. Keep Your Personal Life as Private as Possible
Privacy is one of your strongest defenses. Avoid posting real-time locations or travel plans. Don’t advertise that you live alone in public profiles or dating apps.
4. Build a Trusted Network
Share your safety plan with close friends/family. This may include things like check-ins, emergency contacts, and a code word or phrase they’ll know means that you are under duress.
5. Know What To Do. Know Where To Go. Know How To Get There.
Prepare yourself to be your own first responder. Get CPR/First-Aid certified. Know how to use a tourniquet. Have a readiness plan for break-ins, medical emergencies, and fire emergencies. Keep a charged phone, flashlight, and self-defense tool in a consistent, accessible place. Practice “what if” scenarios so your response becomes instinct.
Bottom Line:
When you blend independence with preparation, living alone can be both empowering and secure. There is no need to live in fear when you have the confidence to participate in your own protection.
Five Protective Strategies You Can Employ Today:
Audit Your Vulnerabilities
Identify weak points in your daily routine and home security.
Create a Personal Safety Kit
Keep it accessible and tailored to your likely risks.
Rehearse Exit & Defense Plans
Know your routes and how to defend yourself.
Harden Your Digital Security
Unique passwords, MFA, and privacy settings.
Establish Family & Friend Protocols
Code words, safe havens, and communication backups.
Live Smart. Stay Safe.
Did you find this helpful? Why not share it with a friend? You never know when one small shift in awareness could help keep them safe, too.
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