When I was younger, I had a neighbor who refused to use financial institutions to save and keep her money safe. Instead, she kept her money outside in her yard in a metal canister hidden in a hole she had dug next to the dog house. Since then, I’ve heard countless stories of people using alternative places to keep their money. Some of them were downright crazy, others were ingenious and others were the worst places to hide money in your home that I’ve ever heard.
The Worst Places to Hide Money in Your Home
Here are some of the worst places to hide money in your home:
Under the Bed
This is probably one of the oldest and most popular places for hiding money. People hide money under the mattress, thinking that it’s safe because they are sleeping on it. My question is, what happens during the day when you are out of the house? Believe it or not, thieves will search underneath the mattress for your hidden treasures. They will also search for any slits in the bed, just in case you stuffed a couple hundred dollar bills between the padding.
Inside a Jewellery Box
Yes, people hide money with their precious, highly marketable valuables inside a jewellery box. The bad thing about this hiding place is that it’s almost always a target for thieves. In a world where gold is still a sought after commodity and there has been an increase in cash-for-gold businesses, you are basically telling the burglar “here is some money along with my gold chains!” You should not keep any precious valuables or money inside a jewelry box or case on your vanity.
Inside the Kitchen
The kitchen is filled with several hiding areas for cash and valuables. But they are not always practical. Freezers, pantries, cereal boxes, tea boxes and coffee tins are some of the more popular hiding places for cash and valuables in the kitchen. Thieves, who are familiar with these hiding places, conduct thorough searches of kitchens and adjacent pantries and laundry rooms if they have time during the break-in. In fact, some of them have become so brazen, and there have been reported cases of thieves cooking food in their victims’ homes during day time robberies!
At The Back of the Closet
Although you might think that it might be out of the way, hiding your money at the back of the closet is not a good idea. The reason is that because many people hide their valuables in the back of the closet, thieves will definitely check your closet for valuables. I’d also advise against hiding money in the pockets of clothing or bags and purses hanging in the closet as well. Burglars always check to see if these items have any money stashed inside of them. If it’s a nice bag that they can sell or keep for themselves, they will steal that too and you would be out of a bag and your money. I remember hearing of a case of a burglar who stole several items including a pair of slippers from a home. When he was finally caught by the police, he was wearing the slippers that he had stolen.
Inside a Drawer
Traditionally a top spot to hide money and valuables, a drawer is one of the worst places to hide money. It’s an obvious place to hide money, which makes it terrible. Ask numerous burglary victims how many of their drawers were pulled out and the contents scattered around. Unless you have an inconspicuous hiding place somewhere in that drawer, forget this idea. Don’t bother to tape cash underneath the drawer either – this has been tried, tested and failed. Even if you keep your drawers locked, thieves are very resourceful. They have been known to walk with their own tools or use tools that you have in your home. A simple screwdriver or hammer is all that’s needed to break a lock or prise open a drawer.
Inside The Toilet
I can think of a couple reasons why hiding money inside the toilet tank is a bad idea. Many homeowners put money in a plastic bag or bottle and put it inside the toilet tank. This particular hiding place is extremely bad because it has been talked about so many times that thieves make it one spot to check in your home.
Inside the Car
Your car is literally a moving target for burglars. Your car can be easily broken into or stolen whether it’s parked at your home or somewhere else. If you think about it, it’s also inconvenient for you to keep your valuables in your car. If you keep your money in the car, you would have to worry about finding somewhere in the car that’s out of sight to hide the money; then you have to find somewhere safe to park the car. There is also the possibility that someone could steal the car, you could get into an accident or the car could be towed away. These scenarios can cause additional stress that you do not need.
Inside a Moveable Safe
It would be extremely easy for a burglar to pick up your moveable safe and take it with him. A good alternative would be to use a large, heavy safe with a sturdy locking mechanism that is bolted down. The thief would not be able to move the safe and it would be a time-consuming pain for him to try to break a sturdy lock or figure out a way to move it.
Is Your Home Burglar Proof?
Burglars often scout homes in their target neighbourhoods before they break into them. They will patrol a neighbourhood several times to get a feel for the area, note habits of the residents and assess how easy it would be to break into a home. If you have lots of vegetation around your home that blocks the view of doors and windows; poor outdoor lighting; weakened points of entry such as broken window panes or faulty locks; live in a secluded area with very few neighbours; or if you do not have any visible security defenses or any active dogs then you are a perfect candidate for a break in.
When a thief breaks into your home, in most cases he is looking for the quickest items that he can grab to make his stay as short as possible. He will check the popular areas first and will try to grab cash, jewellery, small electronics and clothing. When you are looking for somewhere to hide your valuables, do not look for a place where you “think” you as a homeowner would not look. Instead, you should try to think like a burglar and think of somewhere where he will be unlikely to find your valuables or spots where he will definitely check first.
The ideas listed in this post have been tried by several homeowners and have failed. The challenge is to look for an extraordinary hiding place that does not easily come to mind. Take heed though; don’t make it somewhere too extraordinary that you completely forget about it. If you can, invest in and activate a home security system whether it be an alarm system or security cameras, and take precautions to burglar proof the exterior of your home.
To find out how you can burglar proof your home, contact the neighbourhood watch in your community or your local Crime Stoppers office.
If you’ve lost your purse or wallet, the worst thing to do is to panic. Take a look at the steps you should take if you can’t find your purse or wallet.
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