Have you ever locked yourself out of your house?
By Ritz100
@Ritz100 (1169)
Yecla, Spain
August 23, 2008 4:16pm CST
Ive just got back in after three hours locked outside of the house (door closed behind me with keys on the inside) and locked IN the grounds (key for large gate also inside). I have been standing at the gate waving passing traffic, of course no on stopped, Ive shouted help (ayuda in Spanish) to my distant neighbours, needless to say they didnt respond, of course its Saturday night. I cant get in through a window 'cause they are all barred, and the walls round the courtyard are 10 feet tall. So what to do. Its dark, its raining, two dogs are out with me and Im getting on for 50, so climbing is out of the question and I cant call anyone 'cause the phone is IN the house.
So I came up with a solution. I parked my car under the porchway (which has a terrace on it, placed two long planks across the top and put a crate on top of that (Im always meaning to clear up outside, glad I didnt now) got a chair, climbed on top of the car then onto the crate then onto the roof of the porch - that was hard work.
Now, I have to break in through the only window that doesnt have bars and its bolted from the inside. I kick and I kick but no, not budging.
I climb back down, get something like a crowbar, climb back up and, to cut a long story short, after 20 mins of whacking the window frame, it gives. Im in, and now I am knackered. Im drinking the beer I poured 3 hours ago, its warm, but I dont care.
Have you ever locked yourself out and had to go through hell to get back in, how did you do it?
4 people like this
21 responses
@Chevee (5905)
• United States
23 Aug 08
I am happy to hear you were successful at getting back in. You really had a hard time. I got locked out once, thank God my children was living with me then. My son came home and let me in. After that I have a key stored outside in a safe place in case it happens again. I have an extra key to my car inside my purse, I make sure I get my purse before I leave the car. But things happens.
2 people like this
@Ritz100 (1169)
• Yecla, Spain
23 Aug 08
They sure do, its not possible to cover all manner of events, but the more we experience the more cautious we become. I could have keys with friends, stashed outside, even in the car, but bet me there would be something I couldnt do to get hold of one of those sets of keys. Its called sods law and we have to live with it. Thanks for responding, I love your caution.
1 person likes this
@Barb42 (4214)
• United States
23 Aug 08
Ritz, I know exactly how you feel. When my kids were teenagers and still at school one day, I went out my garage door. Somehow the door locked behind me. Our doors were solid wood with the very thick glass in small panes, very hard to break. I did not have an extra key outside. I went next door and called my husband at work. He told me to pick up something in the garage and break one of the windows so I could open the door. Thank goodness it was the inside door and not the one on the outside, since the outside one had a double lock on it - you have to have a key inside and outside, but not on the garage door one. So I picked up a hammer and banged and banged. Took a long time for me to break that glass and it's only about a 4" by 6" pane. I decided then I had better check the door before ever closing it again. I still cannot figure out how it got the lock turned, though.
1 person likes this
@Barb42 (4214)
• United States
24 Aug 08
My son wasn't in a calling zone with the cell, so I walked back home. That is when I got the bright idea to see if my husband left the door open. Don't know why I didn't check it at first before walking that long way to a neighbor's house.Besides that, the next door neighbor's dog ran me up the road!! He didn't bother me coming back home, though. 
1 person likes this
@Ritz100 (1169)
• Yecla, Spain
23 Aug 08
Ooooh Barb, locks turning unexpectedly, you might have ghosties.lol I should leave a key in the garage, theres got to be lots of places in there where you can hide one. And isnt it strange that when you want to break glass it proves difficult but when you dont, bumfff there it is broken! lol
Thanks for responding, you made my ordeal less of one, if you get my meaning. Sharing is halving?
@gtdonna (1738)
•
23 Aug 08
I have done that once, and had to climb up on the verandah then slide the door which was thankfully open to get inside. Now I make sure that I have the keys anytime I am going outsde, no matter what.
Another time, I heard the postman buzz and open the door, but instead of picking up the hosue keys I picked up my bike keys and a gust of wind blew the door close. I had to call the fire service to open the door because it was a condo and no way to get in. Then I had ot show them my ID to prove that I was indeed living in the house. Not me again.
1 person likes this
@Ritz100 (1169)
• Yecla, Spain
23 Aug 08
Firstly how did you climb up on the verandah, did you have a ladder or are you (were you) very agile? Now the trick of picking up the wrong keys, thats always worried me, both my car keys and the house keys have the same keyfob, so I always check what I have in my hand, but when youve got no keys, theres nothing to check, lol. Oh and having to involve officials thats bad news, how embarrassing! LOL Thanks for your amusing response.
@Munchkin547 (2778)
•
23 Aug 08
Oh dear! it sounds as though you've had a tough evening! i locked myself out on monday night! i went out with my friend and realised on the way home that i didn't have a key, by that time it was after 11pm, the only other person with a key is my neighbour who is an elderly lady. i looked and saw that her lights were on so i knocked on the door to get the key and managed to get in! would have had to send my friend round the back t climb over the gate and smash the back window otherwise! (he's a boy, so a lot taller than me - i don't do climbing!! hehe) i was lucky that i didn't have as much problem getting back in as you did!! xxx
1 person likes this
@Ritz100 (1169)
• Yecla, Spain
23 Aug 08
I did have a friend living here until 3 weeks ago and he could get into here, no matter what. He was tall, agile and daring, bit like a cat burglar, it didnt matter then if we went out without keys, but on my own, oh my, brains come into action and body has to follow, how ever difficult it is. Thanks for your response - and hey, I dont do climbing either (except in emergencies!) lol
1 person likes this
@Munchkin547 (2778)
•
23 Aug 08
hehe well i guess if i had to i'd do a bit of climbing but if there's a fit you guy there to do the work for me i'd let him!!! xxx
1 person likes this
@trishasantos (1297)
• Philippines
24 Aug 08
it reminds me of me years ago. I did that do. worst? Well the stove is on. And I'm heating up some leftovers. I am alone so no one to help me. good thing we have neighbors which are family friends for years. They know me, well our family is a bit popular, so they know me even they dont know my whole name. LOL. Anyway, I told them what happened and so they called for the tallest guy around and he have to go to the porch, good thing the door on the porch is open so, he was able to open the gate for me. And what made me crazy bout the whole incident is, my mom's employee is inside. She is the one who closed the gate and I did not know that. We have to go to a lot of panicking as burning the house is possible and yet, she is just around.
@Ritz100 (1169)
• Yecla, Spain
24 Aug 08
Oh that must have been worrying, I did think about what I had left on in the house last night, but fortunately I had just turned of a pan on the stove in which I was cooking the dog food. If I had left it on, I think I would have been crying. Thank goodness youve got good neighbours, mine didnt even respond to me calling, and they are there this morning burning stuff in their orange grove, so they must have heard me last night, just didnt bother to help. Im English you see and some of the Spanish (bigots) dont treat us very well.
@trishasantos (1297)
• Philippines
24 Aug 08
Aww. bad neighbors. So I guess there is discrimination. I wish people set aside those differences when a person needs help. Helping a good thing to do. And when someone is in need, I think they should help in any ways that they can.
@3cardmonte (5098)
•
23 Aug 08
you are lucky nobody saw you and called the police! I have been locked out of my house though,i had to climb over the locked back gate,the top window had been left open so i had to use one of my brothers golf clubs to pull the lever on the big window and climb in through the kitchen window. that was very inventive of you though :)
1 person likes this
@Ritz100 (1169)
• Yecla, Spain
23 Aug 08
I actually live in the middle of an orange grove on a country road, so no one could see me doing the climbing bit, I was in fact hoping someone WOULD call the police, they could have broken in for me (although I was a bit worried about them looking in the back yard at some of the plants Ive got.lol)
@rjblueyes (215)
• United States
24 Aug 08
done that a kachillion times, in the winter when it was freezing with my kids with me, in the summer when it was scorching hot, you name it! in fact i'll even do one better, lol, i locked myself out of my car at a doctors office when we got a white out. that was a really crappy day. lol, my car was running with the keys in the ingnition, it really sucked. but at least i can laugh about it now!
1 person likes this
@iskayz (5420)
• Philippines
24 Aug 08
Hi there!
I had been locked out too several times. But I never had to go through the hard way as you did. Luckily my relatives lives nearby and during the first time I was locked out I called my uncle and had him chipped the door frame so we can push the metal thing that slides in and out when we turn the knob. From then on and because the door frame was already chipped, whenever I am locked outside I only use my I.D and insert it and walah! the door will open. Until the door knob got broken from doing it so often.
But I had it replaced and I left a spare key at my uncle's house so I we don't have to chip the door again if I happen to forget my keys.
Ciao!
I had been locked out too several times. But I never had to go through the hard way as you did. Luckily my relatives lives nearby and during the first time I was locked out I called my uncle and had him chipped the door frame so we can push the metal thing that slides in and out when we turn the knob. From then on and because the door frame was already chipped, whenever I am locked outside I only use my I.D and insert it and walah! the door will open. Until the door knob got broken from doing it so often.
But I had it replaced and I left a spare key at my uncle's house so I we don't have to chip the door again if I happen to forget my keys.
Ciao!1 person likes this
@Ritz100 (1169)
• Yecla, Spain
24 Aug 08
Ye, I know, I dont know how many chips I left on that window frame upstairs, Im scared to look. I am going to leave a spare set of keys outside somewhere in case it happens again. Stupid thing is, it has happened to me once before and I kept meaning to put some spares outside, just never got round to it. Well Ive done it now, they are in place, and unless I forget where I put them, it will never happen again. Thanks for your response.
@lazeebee (5461)
• Malaysia
24 Aug 08
Hi Ritz, I just can't help responding to this. Nope, I've not locked myself out, fortunately. However a friend of mine did.
He stays in an apartment on the 1st floor. He locked himself out on the balcony, having closed the sliding glass doors behind. No one was home inside; moreover he didn't have his handphone with him. And the hero that he was, he tried to 'fly' from the 1st floor (he thought he could make it), and broke his leg.
We visited him in the hospital, and his girlfriend couldn't stop laughing everytime she related the story. We call him 'Superman' 
@Ritz100 (1169)
• Yecla, Spain
24 Aug 08
Poor thing, fancy breaking a leg because he locked himself out. I can just picture him jumping (or climbing) of that balcony. I kept thinking that last night, if I had slipped I would have fallen 15 feet and I dont think I would have come out of that unscathed, plus no one would have found me for days. Oh just the thought, how awful. Thanks for this story.
@StarChild517 (657)
• United States
24 Aug 08
Yes I have three times actually and each time I had to crawl up a ladder and pry the window open
1 person likes this
@silentangel (170)
• United States
23 Aug 08
I constantly lock myself out of the house! I wind up getting back in very easily though. Its kinda scary. I think "My God, if this is all it takes, someone could break in when I'm not home!" Usually if you slide a credit card where the lock is, the door pops right open. Lucky for me, I have a chain lock from the inside, that I lock when I am home. This way unwanted visitors have no access to getting in! I've also had to break into a window to let myself in. That was fun, because I had to do alot of climbing in order to get back in the house!
@Ritz100 (1169)
• Yecla, Spain
23 Aug 08
Yep, the reason it was so difficult for me to get in is that I secured everything when I had to kick out a violent man 3 weeks ago and was worried about him getting into the house while I was asleep. So what do I go and do, lock myself out (duh!) Your worry should be that someone can break in while your NOT there and rob you. I love the breaking into a window scenario though, that sounds just like me and why is it we always end up having to do "climbing"? Thanks for the response, it was interesting.
1 person likes this
@Boatter (37)
• China
24 Aug 08
One of my friends have a simlar experience. He lived the highest floor of a seven floors tall building without elevators. One day, he downstaired for lunch. When he arrived the first floor, he found he had not token the table card for dinning, so he upstaired to his room on the highest floor. When he reached the gate of his room, he found his room key forgotten in his room. There was a standby key in the building keeper's house on the first floor, so my pitiful friend went back to the first floor to get the standby key, and back his room to take his own room key. At last, he downstaired with the standby key and his own room key. But the table card is still lying in the desk of his room. He is exhausted, and used up his last energy to upstair back his room without having his lunch.
So, can you count how many times did my frined climb the stair? and how many floor did he climb?
@Ritz100 (1169)
• Yecla, Spain
24 Aug 08
Three times up and down, so six individual trips, multiplied by 7 floors so 42 floors! How many steps were between each floor and we can work out how many steps he climbed. Good story, I laughed out loud at this. After all that work he really needed that lunch, poor guy. Thanks for responding.
@monkeysay (228)
• Singapore
24 Aug 08
Haha nope.
But I'll probably call in a locksmith.
1 person likes this
@Ritz100 (1169)
• Yecla, Spain
24 Aug 08
I would have done that, but of course I didnt have a phone outside with me and I could get out of the grounds because of the gate being locked, it 12 feet high, so I couldnt climb it, and no traffic would stop, they probably thought I was insane standing there jumping up and down and waving. Thanks for your comment.
@chandresh_chhatlani (22)
• India
24 Aug 08
I have locked in the capital of India, some of my relatives lives there and we have gone in a marriage. Initially we have forgotten to lock the home and gone to the marriage, after that due to some work we have returned again, but found the home is locked.
We have tried a lot but failed. Also we have tried to contact the owner over phone, but his phone was showing out of coverage area.
Ultimately, we went on a shop to purchase some new clothes to be changed and after the changing of clothes, we could able to attend the marriage.
Thanks to the shop to be opened.
@cher913 (25782)
• Canada
23 Aug 08
no but we just got home from spending the day at my parents (doing some work in and around their house) and somehow our cat was outside meowing wanting to go in. i guess she snuck out of the house when we left this morning somehow and was out all day!
1 person likes this
@MeghanLynn11 (103)
• United States
24 Aug 08
Hahaha! Thats a crazy story! I actually found the craziest thing to prevent that. A few years ago at a random garage sale I found this thing called a key hider. Basically its little cement box designed to look like a dog turd, and it has a little opening in the bottom for a key. You put the key inside and close it back up and hide it somewhere in your yard. That way no one will ever think to touch it (It looks like a turd, seriously!) and you always have a spare key for those instances!
@SomeCowgirl (32191)
• United States
23 Aug 08
I've never locked myself out of the house, but I have locked myself in. I've locked myself in my bedroom and yelled for my mom, I let myself out the window though and she let me back in the house. I have no idea how I locked myself inside my own room, and I can't really remember how I did it. I think the door knob had jammed, but needless to say I was a bit distraught. I'm glad you got back in your house though.
@Ritz100 (1169)
• Yecla, Spain
23 Aug 08
Funny, it is really nerve wrecking to find yourself in a helpless situation, its amazing how inventive we can get if we have to. Well done, not sure I could be climbing out of windows anymore, but hey, I did climb on the terrace roof tonight (oh my what a sight that would have been!) Thanks for your response, I really enjoyed it.
1 person likes this
@Elixiress (3878)
•
24 Aug 08
I have been locked out of my house on several occasions, usually because I leave my keys in a bag or coat that are inside of the house. I have never had to go to the extremes that you have gone to, I tend to use my mobile phone and ring my Mam to see when she is getting home and if it is more than 10 minutes then I will go to a friend's house, who lives near by and sit there until I can get into my house.
@tivonshi (110)
• China
24 Aug 08
Hello Rita100,how are you doing? Yes,absolutely, I have lockey myself out of my house a few times. When I was a child,I always play with my friends outside,sometimes,I was too excited to remember take my key of my house.So,I locked myself out of my house.Then I have to wait for my parents,for they come back.Or sometimes,I would play with myself or call another friend.LOL.
@toiletpaper (16)
•
23 Aug 08
oh my word youre brave.yes its yak when it happens and i have taught myself not to do it again.it has happened twice to me last time i had been going on holiday and left keys indoors.i had to carry on so as not to miss the plain at airport.gor back 2 to 3 weeks later only to have to call locksmiths and it cost me £325.since then i always check i have keys with me.
1 person likes this
@Ritz100 (1169)
• Yecla, Spain
23 Aug 08
Didnt you worry for those 2to3 weeks on holiday, it would have ruined it for me. You know checking whether you have keys is a great idea, but if your only stepping out onto the front yard to give the dog some water, it just doesnt occur to you. Actually I leave the keys on the inside of the door, so that I automatically grab them as I walk out, but my hands were full and I was talking to the dog and hey, I wasnt concentrating. Im gonna find a hiding place outside for the front door key. Dont worry Ive got over 3000sq feet of fenced off land, no one gonna find it.
