Front Passenger Door Handle Breaking

Recently the smaller part of the door handle broke off - we were going to try to superglue it but realized that would be tricky considering the locking mechanism might not work. Well now 2 weeks later, the door cannot be opened from the outside, even if the door is unlocked. We took the handle off, but now I am afraid to leave it as is, because it would attract a thief to break-in.
Any experts out there know if the handle is completely off can it be "jimmied" open?
Is there a way to fix without replacing the entire door handle (which I've heard costs a couple hundred dollars & I cannot afford at this time).
Thanks for any help/suggestions!