Break ins are a weird crime. The reason for the break in changes like a tide. Random vs premeditated, amateur vs pro...
Random is what we call a crime of opportunity. The turd goes door to door, usually pretending to sell something. He tries looking in windows to see if anyone is home or of there's anything worth the effort of stealing.
Premeditated is the most common. Kids, junkies, pros, they all have one thing in common... they don't want to get caught, so they try to plan their crime accordingly. Kids will watch to see you leave and literally keep track of your schedule like they are in a spy movie. Junkies will have a plan for an entire neighborhood. Pros will case several houses at a time. Guns, drugs, cash and jewelry are the big ticket items. Very small electronics are next. They don't want your big screen, they want your iPad and xbox.
In a burglary, time is of the essence. Anything that delays someone will likely get passed. An LE buddy of mine got burglarized. They went through all of his gun cases and boxes, but got nothing because everything was in his safe. People often try to tell me about "important" safe qualities like having internal hinges so a burglar can grind/cut the doors off.... DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW LONG THAT TAKES?? If they know they have that kind of time, the best safe you can get won't keep them out.
Costco, Lowes, Home Depot, Tractor Supply... All good places for a starting safe in the $400-$600 range. Just be cautious about who's watching you buy the safe and possibly following you home.
@Cali_Ed, there's a Liberty Safe in West Sac, on Jefferson Blvd. It's about 1 block north of the freeway. A little pricier option for the long run.