Rather watch? Here’s my video on this ↓
Hi, I’m Courtney. Have you ever locked yourself out of the house or the car? It’s happened to me, and to friends of mine. Now flip it around: what if you were inside, needed help, and every door was locked?
The problem
People fall at home. If you have your phone, you can call for help. But we lock our deadbolts, our doors and our windows, because we believe in safety. So how does help get in?
The same thing works the other way. Your car auto-locks while it’s warming up. The dog bumps the door shut behind you. Your purse is inside. Now you’re the one locked out.
The fix: a combination key lockbox
Get a key lockbox with a combination, the kind that hangs on a door handle or mounts on the wall, and put a house key inside. (I’m not sponsored by anybody. This is just what I use.)
- Choose a code you’ll remember, and don’t use something obvious like your birthday or house number.
- Share the code only with people you trust: a family member, a close neighbor, your caregiver.
- If you call 911, you can give them the code so they don’t have to break your door down.
- Change the code if someone who knew it isn’t in your life anymore.
Write it down where it counts
Put who has the code, and who to call, in your Living Legacy Planner or on your emergency list on the fridge. And keep your phone on you. In your pocket, not on the kitchen counter.
It’s a small thing that can make a big difference. Stay safe, Saltines.