7 Places Around The House To Stash Your Cash
Banks are great and all, but everyone should keep a little bit of emergency cash stashed somewhere at home. Frugal Dad offers up a list of seven hiding spots that should beat all but the most determined thieves.
1. The Freezer: Wrap your cash in aluminum foil and stick it in a ziplock bag.
2. Picture Frames: Slice apart the cardboard backing and insert the cash.
3. Under Heavy Things: Place the cash in an envelope and slide it under the corner of something heavy, like a piano or entertainment center.
4. Soup Cans: Why buy one of those fake-bottom cans when you just re-use one of your own?
5. Fake Plants: Put the cash in a ziplock bag and bury it in the fake soil of one of your fake plants.
6. Books: Improve the worst book in your collection with a knife. Hollow out the core and hide the cash inside.
7. Toys: Hide the cash in an old toy your kids don't use anymore, and bury the toy at the bottom of the toy chest.
Of course, any household location can work just fine. The real trick is remembering which hiding place you chose. Send yourself an email with the location—if the thieves have broken into both your email accounts and your home, then really, all is lost.
Seven Secret Places To Hide Cash In Your Home [Frugal Dad]
(Photo: fazen)
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Just remember that trash cans are usually not a good place to stash cash because even if YOU remember the location, someone else taking out the trash may not know (especially if you have one of them neat freak friends coming over and all that)
What cash?
@MedicallyNeedy: thats what im thinking! I have no free cash to hide. And if I did, it definitely would not be much.
I hide my cash in a... Wait for it... A bank!
But seriously I use one of the suggestions above (i'd tell you but then... well you know)
I like the freezer and fake plant idea's, and will have to give them a try as I have two freezers and lots of fake plants.
But I'm thinking the best way is to use a safe that is bolted down to the floor. Because if a thief finds a stash odds are they will trash your house (more than they would have normally) looking for more. (I used to watch "To Catch a Thief" on Discovery, loved that show)
@wrjohnston19283: I say there's nothing safer than the brief safe.
Put it on the bottom of your hamper. It'll keep out even the most determined thief.
well you just named the most places where a thief would look......There are places in an apartment or house that
would be better Like maybe a hollow flash drive or an old hard disk , old mouse ... I don't keep money at the house except for what's in my wallet(usu. less than fifty) That's what a safety deposit box is for. I have two and the cost is less than $100.00 per year. And I carry a debit card. Safety is the best policy.... PS my house is protected by Smith and Wesson I practice twice a week and have a 99+% shooting score... Ok I'm older and have the time now but I have been shooting since I was 5 or 6 (60+ years)been in the military where I was a sniper. If you don't have these skills get a safety deposit box....protect your family and yourself.......
Well, the freezer didn't work for Jefferson...
I have an elephant, a bear, and bart simpson to protect my random money. I figure when they are full of spare change, it will be time to cash them in. But you know, robbers would have to get past the scary looking hound/shepard/rottweiler mix. I know he's harmless, but most other people don't.
Is it only me who can think of scenarios where each of these things could be tossed out by someone trying to clean house (ala the woman who tossed her mom's cash-filled mattress)? Well, picture frames, maybe not... unless someone breaks the frame and tosses it without rescuing the photo ("oh, it's a digital print... I'll just print a new one..."). "Unlabeled thing in the fridge/freezer? Who knows how long that's been there... toss it, whatever it is..." "Say, that soup is waaay past expiration..."
Number 7 sounds chancy... but I guess if your kids all of a sudden buy an expensive new bike you know where they got the money for it
All the places mentioned are places that burglars check in passing, they don't even think about it. Watch a couple episodes of "It Takes a Thief."
The best place to stash money in your house is in a place where you can't get to it easily.
If it's a large amount of cash, pull down a wall, put the money behind it, and dry wall it. If you need the money in a hurry you can always break it down. (yes I'm serious)
If you have a small amount of money, put it in your freaking wallet.
If you want to add to the money on a regular basis, go to a bank.
If you want to add to the money from questionable sources, go to a Swiss bank.
I hide my cash in a... Wait for it... The Stock Market!
it's much safer than all of your archaic money hiding locations.
Wasn't there a story about this lady that hid her money in a box of crackers, and then took the box back to the store because the crackers were stail, but she forgot that the money was there. She did end up getting the money back. I did a quick google, and couldn't find the link.
I have some removable hard drive bays in an old desktop pc in a storage room - the kind that you need a special key to remove the trays from. I just keep the trays for the hard drive empty, put cash in there - and then lock them into the computer. Usually computers are the first to get stolen - but this is like a 486dx with parts missing so i'm not too worried!
@Tvhargon:
Well, the point is, what if you need it quickly? Like, in minutes? What if something happens at the bank (like a fraud hold on your debit card or something) and you don't have access to your checking account? This isn't for storing a million dollars of retirement like that lady and her mattress in Israel. This is emergency cash for people that don't have credit cards or multiple bank accounts.
My book shelves are overflowing (with more than just books, but still there are a lot of books). I hide cash in a couple of "random" books that have meaning to me.
Even though I know where the money is, just looking at the bookshelves overwhelms me. Yes, I follow some organizing and clutter blogs.
I have no idea where my emergency cash is. I just let Kitty keep it somewhere for me. Then if I need cash, I just tell him we're out of Fancy Feast.
@crabbygeek: I was also thinking about a bolted-down safe. It should be one that would be extremely difficult for a thief to open plus have the ability to protect whatever is in it from heat and fire.
I'd have one if I had something to put in it. :)
@David Eckert:
that's why you have your emergency fund at a different financial institution. don't put all your eggs in one basket! look at the people that invested ALL their money with Madoff...
ummm... let's see...
- toilet tank (ziplock and tape either right behind it or on the lid after you lift it up)
- cold air return vent
- dummy electrical socket
- inside a pot light (slide it out and toss cash behind it, put back light)
and that is about all i can come up with
I find a box of tampons makes a great hiding place. Most people won't touch it, and since I don't actually use them, only I know the box is out of place!
@maruawe42: I recommend a dog with a nice bark, in addition to other measures. All but the most professional thieves will skip a house with a dog in favor of the one down the street with no dog to bite them or draw attention to them. A dog will hear someone breaking in long before a person does, and alert the homeowner. This will give you precious minutes of time to call police and prepare to defend yourself.
However, I would note that a good majority of thefts are not the breaking and entering kind. Many thefts are done by visiting nurses aides, cleaning companies, service tech people, maintenance workers, landlords, etc. The key here is being around when people are in your home.
For me this is hard. I live in condominiums that are undergoing major interior and exterior renovations. Our super has a key to every unit and various workman are coming and going as they please. During this construction, I've also had to keep my dog locked up in a bedroom so he doesn't go after the workmen. When I do so, I put all the valuables in the same room as the dog, with a large warning sign on the door. "Do not open, dog will bite!"
They forgot "in a coffee can in the back yard"!
Does anyone have Frugal Dad's address?
It's probably not a good idea to hide your valuables in any place that was recently publicised on a popular blog.
Be extremely careful if you have grown-up children or close relatives... who might care enough for you to through away a soup can past expiration day, give their old toys to salvation army, or make a birthday present in a form of updated home library...
It would be painfully disappointing to repeat the experience of this woman:
[Woman mistakenly junks $1 million mattress]
And again, a bank or US treasures makes a decent choice unless you have problems with IRS.
3.
What if the piano get stolen?
"Hey, this piano comes with extra cash!"
@Craysh: It Takes a Thief was a great show. I know as soon as I own anything worth protecting, I'm getting a bolted-down floor safe.
Hiding cash is a bad idea. Why? You'll forget where it is, and years later you'll discover the money you had hidden, and could probably have used at some point over the past years. This happened to a relative of mine (it was a sizable sum, I don't remember it exactly, but it was multiple thousands) and I'm sure it has happened to many, many more people.
The best place to hide money is in a safe. Period. The overhead cost of a safe that bolts to the floor will easily be made up for by the decades of use you'll get out of it for everything from financial documents to birth certificates, and everything in between. What I wouldn't suggest is a non-bolted safe, since it could easily be picked up and carted off (unless it's enormous; think gun safe enormous).
@KCChiefsFan: I'm sure my landlord would love it if I bolted a safe to their concreet slab.
I keep my money in the bank.
@maruawe42: but when, say, a major hurricane comes and you have to evacuate - there's no time for a safety deposit box.
Yeah, the trick is definitely remembering where you put it all and maybe documenting it somewhere in case you die. When my parents were newlyweds in '63 they bought a little house, semi-furnished. My mother pulled a framed picture off the wall to replace the photo, only to find a stash of cash inside. They promptly tore everything apart and gathered up hundreds of dollars. Nice little extra wedding present. IIRC, the PO died but didn't tell anyone about their "emergency fund" and didn't have a will.
Black facemask? Check.
Bolt cutters? Check.
Non-fingerprint-leaving gloves? Check.
My checklist from the Consumerist? Check ;-P
Yeah, and how many people forget that they stashed cash somewhere in the house? You hear stories all the time about people finding cash in homes, because the people died and no one else knew about it or because they completely forgot about it themselves and sold the house. Here's a tip, keep it in the bank, and you can get it by going to the ATM, and you might even get some interest on it while it is there. If the zombie apocalypse happens, that cash you have stashed in your fake can of beans is going to be worth less than an actual can of beans.
I have a Husky and a German Shepherd/Beagle mix. Most people are intimidated by the Husky, even though's he's friend. The German Shepherd mix is the tough one, but she's tiny. Either way, they unconsciously guard the house when we're not home. As others mentioned, a have protection for when I'm home in the form of a handgun. Also, plenty of locks on the door, beware of dog signs, keeping reachable windows locked and not being too flashy make my home pretty safe. They'd have to pretty determined to enter through the back - they won't reach anything valuable until passing through 2 locked doors. Once they pass the doors, there's a dog waiting for them. The barks would probably stop them before they get further. Best bet would be the front windows but then there are 2 dogs that would hear the burglar and quickly make him doubt that it's worth it.
I like the freezer idea. I was planning on keeping about $100 on hand in case of a natural/man-made disaster.
@crabbygeek: And what if a "Katrina" situation happens and all the ATMs are down and the banks closed in the vicinity? What if you need a small amount of cash to get to the next town where you can get more later?
@Julia789: Unless you have insurance for your dog, having a sign up stating your dog will bite only ensures that if your house does get broken into and the jerk isn't bright enough to stay away then you may be liable for whatever the dog does to said jerk. Do you remember the guy who broke into a lady's apartment, she stabbed him with a knife and he sued her and won! Well the same might happen to you.
"Nice bark" most dogs all they have is their bark. It really isn't a deterrent as much as you think it is. I have been around some really big and barky dogs (junk yard and warehouse dogs) and most people are fearful of them yes... but the bigger pictures is one knee will take them down in an instant. There are more ways to protect oneself from an angry dog and I bet that some thieves know the tricks of the trade.
@Tvhargon: You're probably the only one in this economic climate saying the safest place for their money is in the stock market.
@Craysh: The in the wall idea isn't bad and gives me an idea. In my house, I have a bunch of old telephone jacks that I long ago (before wi-fi) ran ethernet cables to -- so the jacks have no voltage at all in them. It would be pretty easy to hide wads of cash, pieces of jewelery, etc in one or more of them. When you need it, just a couple of quick turns with a screwdriver and you're in.
Actually, a couple of rooms have double jacks (the size of two side-by-side electrical outlets) in them, with two network and two phone jacks in them, but nothing plugged into them anymore -- it'd be really easy to take out all the wires (freeing up even more space) and you could put whatever you needed in there.
I keep $500 in emergency money as travellers' cheques in my bedroom desk. I can get the money back if they're stolen, so I don't worry about thieves.
My more immediate concern is keeping my ATM card, ID and passport safe for everyday use. I can always access more money as long as I have those.
@Vengefultacos: I could see my husband trying to open the can of soup (even if it is past the expiration date) and realizing that it really is just a place to hide money.
I did try the toy idea once... my son found the money and came to me and said "Look mum, the Easter bunny left me lots of dollars!!!" Yea, never doing that one again. Old or not kids like their toys.
I hide my money in the garage, in my husband's tool chest of all places. Since I am the only one with a key to that particular drawer no one but me can access it.
Sorry to be mean, but this is the worst list I have ever read of places to hide money.
Has Frugal Dad ever watched television? He made a list of all the places the thieves look!
@JulesNoctambule: Until a female friend comes over and needs one... or worse! One of your male friend's girlfriends! then they have no emotional ties to you and don't mind stealing from you!
@Erin Cummins: . . .except for the fact that the box isn't kept where people can easily access it, and the products I actually use are. What kind of people do you keep company with, anyway?
Down in the laundry room I have a section of drain pipe in the wall, capped top and bottom with one of those clean-out plugs sticking out of the wall.
Quick and easy to access.
Amazing how much stuff one can keep in there, and people generally don't open what they think are sewer pipes...
There's always money in the banana stand ...
Just be careful not to place a "fake item" in an obvious place. My grandparents have one of those fake lettuce containers in a fridge in their inlaw apartment - problem in, the only other items in the fridge are drinks - nothing perishable. The lettuce looks INCREDIBLY out of place. Also, they keep the lettuce empty.