The easiest way to make your computer completely safe with no questions is to shut it off, disconnect it from the network, remove the battery and hard drive, stick it in a metal box and weld the box shut. If you want to take it a step further, you can drop the box in the deepest body of water you can find. But it is a safe assumption that you still need to use it so we can take some lesser precautions. All it takes are a few cheap applications and some diligence and you can lock down your computer to almost maximum safety while maintaining operability. 

 The first step to making your computer safe is anti-virus. This is the bare minimum requirement. It is also inexpensive. McAfee Anti-virus is one of the most popular and effective consumer anti-virus software on the market. It can be purchased for anywhere from 40$-100$ a year. While that might seem expensive, it pays for itself and can keep you much safer while you work and browse. VPNs are another cheap and incredibly effective tool. VPNs allow you to mask your traffic as you traverse the internet. VPNs tunnel you through multiple servers and will mask your IP providing anonymity. This makes it harder for someone to get your information. The top VPNs such as NordVPN and ExpressVPN are monthly subscriptions that run 10-12$ a month. These are incredibly important investments.  

When it comes to diligence, there are a few things you can do to ensure your computer stays safe. Windows sends out routine security updates that are important to install to ensure your computer stays secure. The best way to verify you are safe is to periodically review security logs within windows as well as applications. If you take all these actions, you can keep your computers and information secure.