- 202 large-print pages
- 80 fixes, 2 pages each
- 6 house maps
- 8 shopping trips with totals
- 3 printable extras
- Every fact sourced
- views on my channel
Look inside the book
Real pages, exactly as they appear in the PDF. Tap a page to see it larger.
The honest math
Professional monitoring runs about $20 to $50 a month. This book is , once.
A basic monitored alarm, first year
$440 to $1,150
Equipment and installation plus 12 months of professional monitoring, at recent list prices from major providers, before promotions.
This book plus its first shopping trip
+ $43 to $103
"The $50 Saturday" on page 182: long screws for the door frame and hinges, contact alarms, a slider bar and window pins.
An alarm does things this book can't, like calling for help when you're away, and some people want one. The book is about the cheap things that make any home harder to get into, alarm or not. Alarm figures: Security.org and NerdWallet pricing reviews of ADT, Ring, SimpliSafe and Vivint, 2025 to 2026. Your numbers will differ.
Get the bookFrom my YouTube channel
These are comments on my videos, not reviews of the book.
Why I made this
No alarms to sell. No monthly plans. Just what works.
I make videos for women who live alone and would rather handle things themselves. I don't sell alarms, cameras or monitoring plans, and nobody pays me to recommend anything. That leaves me free to tell you what actually works.
So when someone tells a woman living alone she needs a $50-a-month system to sleep at night, I go looking for what really keeps a door shut, a phone scam short and a dark hallway lit. Usually it's a $5 box of screws, a $15 light, or a habit that costs nothing at all.
For this book I went to the people who deal with the aftermath every day: police departments, fire services, the CDC and the FTC. Every fix and every price in it comes from them and from current store shelves, and every source is listed at the back, so you never have to take my word for anything.
My rule for all of it is simple: does it actually work, can a woman do it herself, and is it worth the money? If the answer isn't yes three times, it isn't in this book.
Why this book
- Written for the woman who lives alone and would rather do it herself.
- Large print, short sentences, one fix per spread.
- Nothing needs a ladder. Fixes that need a drill say so, and say "ask a handyman."
- Every fix says whether it suits renters.
- Every fact checked against police, fire-service and government sources. All listed at the back.
- No business paid to be included. No affiliate links. No fear-selling.
What you'll find in its 202 pages
- p. 19 The few-dollar door fix police departments recommend: three-inch screws in the strike plate.
- p. 17 Why the free fix comes first: more than a third of burglaries involve no forced entry.
- p. 71 How to turn the room you sleep in into the room you can wait in.
- p. 85 The built-in phone setting that calls 911 with a few quick button presses.
- p. 46 The wooden-dowel trick for sliding patio doors, and the store-bought bar that's even easier.
- p. 129 The one habit that stops most phone scams.
- p. 133 A family code word, now that a voice can be copied from a few seconds of sound.
- p. 141 How to freeze your credit at all three bureaus, free.
- p. 172 Smoke alarms you'll never have to climb up to change a battery in.
- p. 176 What the U.S. Fire Administration says older adults should do about a kitchen fire. It isn't the extinguisher.
- p. 180 The one sheet of paper paramedics look for on your fridge.
- p. 182 Eight shopping trips, each with its total, from "The renter's kit" to "Before you travel."
How it works
- You pay on a secure checkout page.
- The book opens on the next screen, ready to download.
- The link stays in your email, so you can download it again any time.
Nothing ships. No account. No subscription.
Get Safe at Home After 60
- The 202-page large-print book (PDF)
- Bonus 1: a fridge sheet for paramedics
- Bonus 2: a room-by-room walk-through checklist
- Bonus 3: scam script cards for beside the phone
- Free updates when I re-check the book each year
The launch price ends on .
Get the bookSecure checkout by Gumroad, protected by 256-bit encryption. Pay by credit or debit card. Your download opens right after you pay, and the link is emailed to you.
What readers say
Questions buyers ask
Is there a printed copy?
Not yet. The book is a PDF, so you can read it on a computer or tablet, or print it at home or at any print shop. It's letter size and large print, so it prints well.
How current is it?
Every fact and price was checked in October 2026. I re-check the book once a year, and you get the updated copy free.
I'm not handy. Is this still for me?
Yes. Many fixes need no tools at all, and the chart on page 13 shows which ones. When a fix needs a drill, the book says so and suggests asking a handyman.
I rent. Can I use it?
Yes. Every fix says whether it suits renters, and "The renter's kit" on page 182 lists the ones that come with you when you move.
I'm not good with computers.
If you can open an email attachment, you can read this book. After you pay, the download appears on screen and a link arrives in your email. If anything goes wrong, use the question form below and I'll help.
Will I be charged again?
No. It's a single payment. There's no subscription and no account.
Did any business pay to be in the book?
No. Products are described by type, not by brand, and there are no affiliate links.
Is this professional advice?
No. It's general information, carefully sourced. Laws about locks and self-defense products vary by state, and the book tells you when to check yours.
Questions before you buy?
Write to me. I read every message.
Coming next: Scam-Proof After 60
The calls, knocks and emails aimed at women who live alone, and the one sentence that ends each of them. Leave your email and I'll send one message when it's ready.