Backup drives are cheap these days. Best Buy has a 1 terabyte external drive for $55.
Here is what I do to protect form losing images.
I use two external drives. When I move new photos from my camera I put them on my hard drive and both externals.
As soon as I finish post work, I save the image to all three drives, again.
The reason I use two backups instead of just one is for when I am traveling. If something should happen to my system and the drive, I will have back up at home.
Chit does happen. I have been the victim of a car burglary three times. Once in the parking lot of a hotel, once when parked on the street in San Francisco and onec in the parking lot a National Park.