It is after a work day and time for me to start cooking for dinner. I am exhausted from a long day at work and waiting for the water to boil. I never realized how bad all-day meetings could be until now. All of a sudden, the doorbell rings. I hesitate. I generally do not open the door for unexpected guests, but I relent since it may be a neighbor. Unfortunately, it is not a neighbor but a salesman for a security company. "Hi, my name is Mike, and I represent ..." He drones off into a typical sales pitch. I nod politely and try to pay attention, but the draining day at work had left me barely wanting to reply. He asks me various questions like if I heard about his company he represented or if my neighbors told me about it. I try to brush through the questions while still looking interested. Of course, this was something I had been thinking about when I bought my place, as it would lend some peace of mind in terms of unexpected visitors. We start talking pricing, as this really is my real concern with any sort of security system. Pulling out his iPad, he calculates a few things, including the number of sensors I would need. After surveying everything, he gives me a total and I literally gasp aloud. "I thought it would be closer to half of that," I think to myself. Based on my expressions and reaction, he starts asking about ways he can cut down on the price. Maybe I should not have gasped so loud. I never realized peace of mind would cost so much and I start thinking about alternatives.