At this time of economic doom and gloom, it’s refreshing to see a company going out of its way to offer customers savings. Last week, Tesco Personal Finance announced that it will provide new customers purchasing home insurance over the internet with a massive 45 per cent discount. The discount applies to its Value, Standard, and Finest policies and the offer will last until the 27th of May.

Since the recession began in earnest at the start of this year, many people have been trying to reduce their expenditure by cutting down on expenses perceived as non-essential. Unfortunately, many Brits perceive insurance, whether it be home, car, or travel insurance, to be such an expense. The truth of the matter remains, however, that an initial saving made through not paying for a policy is, more often than not, offset by a large expense resulting from not having an appropriate level of cover.

Home insurance is particularly important because although you can do all you can to minimise the risks around the house, you cannot always avoid a burglary.

The head of Tesco Home Insurance, Jim Bruce, revealed that he was “aware of the strain on people’s finances at the moment”. Bruce believes that this latest move from Tesco is an attempt to “reduce one of the necessary living costs”. Referring to an insurance policy as a “necessary living cost” may not be music to the ears of those struggling to keep up with the bills at the moment, but proper cover could save you a bundle in the long-term.

The days of burglars darting from our homes and climbing over the back fence with our television sets and video recorders under each arm might be coming to an end, but that’s not to say we have to relax the protection we have for our electronic items. As technology has advanced, goods have got smaller and are therefore much easier to steal. Research from the insurer Norwich Union, now known as Aviva, has show that over 33% of stolen goods from our homes are DVD players and consoles. Much of the reason for this high figure is simply that the items are far too visible through our windows and doors for potential robbers to resist.

Other possessions high on the list of most-stolen are mobile phones, computers – especially laptops – and digital cameras. It seems electronic goods are the most sought after for the Artful Dodgers of this world. So what can we do to prevent it?

Norwich Union has urged homeowners to think very carefully about security at home. All windows should have adequate locks on them and not be left open. Doors should also have substantial locks on them, preferably ones with bolt-locks, which one has to turn with a key rather than just close with a latch. Sheds too are very commonly unsecure areas of the home and many people fail to properly protect their garden equipment, which is often more expensive than items in the house.

The Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has told the country that information will be distributed to homes to inform people on more adequate ways to secure their possessions and special government vouchers will be issued to help those that need assistance to upgrade their locks.