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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask if a burglar would bother with you?

178 replies

justhadenoughofitall · 13/01/2024 19:38

Caveat this with I know burglaries are awful and this is a lighthearted take so don't read on if it could be upsetting.

Was on our way out and DH fussing about the double lock on the door and mumbling about not making it easy for burglars to get in, and it just struck me with 'WTAF would they take"?

We have an old TV, sofa is battered, no fancy kitchen devices, only good jewellery is my engagement ring that's permanently on me, everything is digitised and on iPhones which are with us, old laptop, no cash. I had this image of a burglar standing bewildered, shaking their heads feeling sorry for us.

Am I alone in this?

OP posts:
Isobel201 · 13/01/2024 20:11

I've got some valuable bits that burglers would take, including a car, but the house is off a main road where there is no passing traffic apart from when the neighbours or anybody delivering turns into the shared driveway, and I can tell especially in the dark (headlights shine through living room windows) or when people turn up during the day as I now have a ring door bell/ and or when I'm working downstairs. And generally the neighbourhood is pretty safe - I've never heard or had sight of any trouble here in many years. I keep the front and back doors locked just to be safe though.

socks1107 · 13/01/2024 20:11

@Rachelff I can promise that feeling will go away. Took six months but I hardly think about it now

UserM6 · 13/01/2024 20:12

Nope. All second hand here. My devices ones are from work or have cracked screens.
My doors are mainly unlocked. I’d hate for some bloke to think they could invade my house but quite pleased if they took some stuff.

2Old2Tango · 13/01/2024 20:13

We also don't have much worth stealing. We do however have an early warning system in the form of a feisty little dachshund who would go absolutely apeshit if a stranger entered the house.

Honeyroar · 13/01/2024 20:13

I’d only be bothered about them stealing the animals. (all those saying “good luck getting past this dog” Well they drugged my friend’s Doberman with doped bits of meat. Cleaned her house out whe the dog slept!)

We have rubbish cars and a half finished house full of junk. They’d be lucky to find anything!

LaughingAtClowns · 13/01/2024 20:13

A burglar wouldn't get any jewellery or cash here, and our things are all ordinary. We would see them on our CCTV though

Rachelff · 13/01/2024 20:15

LaughingAtClowns · 13/01/2024 20:13

A burglar wouldn't get any jewellery or cash here, and our things are all ordinary. We would see them on our CCTV though

This was my thought when we got our CCTV installed but it’s only really any use after a burglary has taken place, to be able to watch it back and they just hide their faces anyway. CCTV that alerts you and wakes you up prior to them coming in the house is what I now want 😢 We have the ring system but it’s just an alert on your phone that you wouldn’t hear if you were in a deep sleep

RawBloomers · 13/01/2024 20:17

When I was burgled they took nothing (and we had very little they could have take!), but we still had to get a window, a gate and a door fixed. Clean up broken glass. Deal with the police and the investigation. And our insurance went up. Pain in the ass.

I did not find it emotionally traumatizing, though. I don't think that's a given.

ItsVeryHyacinthBucket · 13/01/2024 20:17

Funnily enough DH and I had this exact conversation this morning. We literally have nothing worth stealing. Battered phones, work laptops/screens/printers that aren’t even technically ours, bits of jewellery watches of which the only real value is sentimental. All our money goes on the house itself so if they wanted to rip out the bathroom tiles and filch those they’d be welcome. I suppose if they broke into the garage they could take the lawnmower and a couple of reasonable bikes. But nothing like the stash of jewellery my parents have for example.

Poppysmom22 · 13/01/2024 20:17

Thinking on it the dogs are actually the most valuable thing we own aside from the actual house.

Rachelff · 13/01/2024 20:18

@Nerurio aw thank you, the police did give me contact details for somewhere but I’m just still a bit paralysed by the fear of it all. I will contact them thanks

Emeraldrings · 13/01/2024 20:19

I often think burglars would probably feel sorry for us if they broke in. Old laptop, old TV and no cash. The only really thing of any value is iPhone's that the kids have (me and DH have old crappy phones) but they always have their phones on them obviously.
We don't live in a particularly rich area either and as far as I know no one in the area has been robbed.

Peteryourhorseishere · 13/01/2024 20:20

There has been a spate of car thefts in our area. Well, it’s a shithole, so there always is.

People keep sharing doorbell footage of car thieves in the dead if night, trying car doors on driveways.

The other night tried both my neighbors and walked right past mine 🤣

It’s a 15 year old heap of scrap metal. The joke is, the key fob broke and would probably cost more to replace than the car is worth, so it doesn’t even lock anymore.

They would be doing me a favour if they stole the bloody thing.

MrsMarzetti · 13/01/2024 20:20

I have always said that if someone stole my purse they would feel sorry for me and return with some of their own money in it for me.

Missingmyusername · 13/01/2024 20:22

An elderly couple were broken into near where I lived some years ago, they had a lovely home but very little in the way of value. The burglars smeared faeces all over the interior, smashed glasses, plates, cups, etc, urinated in the beds and turned on taps with the plugs in.
It destroyed them, they moved shortly afterward.

I have a dog but would be afraid a burglar would hurt him, or stab him. I have scissors upstairs, whether I’d use them on an intruder I don’t know!

killik · 13/01/2024 20:25

I have an American friend and he shot and killed a burglar.

Octavia64 · 13/01/2024 20:25

I'd hate to be burgled.

However the most expensive item in my house is my cat.

Pedigree.

(I have cheap furniture and old tech!)

TheUltima · 13/01/2024 20:30

Most expensive thing I have is my collection of wool and fabric 🙃

Beezknees · 13/01/2024 20:31

I live in a top floor flat with no lift and an intercom system so burgling me would be more hassle than it's worth. They'd have to somehow get in, their faces would be on camera and then go up and down 6 flights of stairs to get everything. Someone in the building would probably notice what's going on too.

11NigelTufnel · 13/01/2024 20:33

Any burglar would be distinctly disappointed here. I don't have nice things. Also, got the classic worst house on the best road, so I think they would be more likely to target the posher ones. Not that I want them to, or think that's ok! Just seems more likely.

Creatureofhabit87 · 13/01/2024 20:36

It’s more about the violation and the fact if you were in you could be hurt!

I have a little poodle so I’d be scared for her!
iPad, two laptops and one work PC, air pods x2, two expensive watches which we forget to wear!, 3 big tvs, two sonus speakers.. erm I think that’s it!

JellyfishandShells · 13/01/2024 20:37

We were burgled - jewellery, nothing very special but added up and some massively sentimental. , and cash including a fair amount of foreign currency that my husband had from many work travels. No electronics taken, we were in car away, no ID items - police said that sort of opportunist burglar doesn’t want to get caught with anything that could relate back 🤷🏼‍♀️There was no malicious damage for the sake of it but drawers were pulled out and tipped up over bed and base of wardrobes emptied out all over floor. They seemed to just want in and out fast with easily carriable items.
Proved that the dining room windows ’ locks held when attempted to be forced but the main kitchen window one which looked tough wasn’t .

Horrible, horrible but I had gone through it 20 years before when sharing a flat so it was somehow less shocking than the first time.

WagWoofWalkMeeoow · 13/01/2024 20:38

Zippedydoodahday · 13/01/2024 19:44

@Fionaville tbf it would be quite helpful if they did shit on the bed from a forensics perspective.

@Zippedydoodahday

that would involve the police actually coming out for a burglary, I wouldn't hold my breath.

@justhadenoughofitall I founke lick my front door, despite a) a small child probably being able to push it in

b) fairly bloody obvious from the front window they'd be wasting their energy. I have one 'valuable' piece of jewellery they'd never find and it's actually probably a million times more sentimental worth, probably only a few thousand in actual worth.

the damage they'd probably do woukd break my heart though

MumblesParty · 13/01/2024 20:38

My Mum was burgled. She had nothing of value. The burglar had clearly gone into her bedroom assuming there’d be valuables. He’d taken a pillow case off a pillow, to use as a bag for all his stuff. The pillow case was empty, and discarded on the bed, and he left with nothing. My Mum handled it really well, and almost saw the funny side!

frazzledasarock · 13/01/2024 20:41

When we got burgled they stole DH’s PS4 that his dad had got him for his birthday. DH had only recently moved in with me.

other than that we had literally nothing worth nicking, not even a tv at that time.

They made an awful mess, smashed a double glazed panel in the back door to enter, and ransacked the master bedroom in search of goodness know what treasures.

they had to climb out the window to get out as the doors were all locked and we don’t keep keys in or near doors when we’re out.

we think they hurt our cats as well as they were hiding and wouldn’t come to use for a while.

so nothing we still have nothing worth taking.