The 10 Worst Places to Hide Your Money
Things are supposed to be more secure today than they’ve ever been in the past, but that’s not always how it actually works out. The truth of the matter is that people have more access to your personal information now than ever before. That includes your bank account. It also means that a lot of people have started looking for other ways to protect their money because they’re not comfortable with having everything in a bank account that can be wiped out in a matter of seconds. The truth of the matter is that some people have made the decision to go back to basics and start hiding their money in places where they think it would be safer than putting it in a bank.
That being said, there are certain places where you just shouldn’t hide your money (or anything else you value). That’s because you might think it’s a safe location, but so does practically everyone else. As a result, lots of people end up hiding their money in these places and burglars have become very well aware of which locations they should check first. If you’re curious, you can read more about the 10 places that you should never hide your money. After you’re done reading, run, don’t walk, and move your money and other valuables. You probably have them hiding in at least one of these spots, so fix it now while you still can.
10. Drawers
For some reason, people have a tendency to hide their valuables at the bottom of the drawer all the time. This is never a good idea, as virtually everyone knows that people do this. In fact, it’s one of the first places that a would-be burglar is going to look. Unless you want to have your house completely ransacked and end up losing your valuables anyway, this is a place that is best avoided. It doesn’t matter if you’re talking about hiding something in a drawer inside your bedroom or in the kitchen, burglars have figured out that people have a tendency to stash valuables in both places. You can bet that if someone breaks into your home with the intent of stealing something, they’re going to look. What should you do instead? Consider getting a false bottom for a few drawers and using them as hiding places instead.
9. Underneath your bed
This is another place where people think their valuables will be safe. The reality of the situation is that this is also one of the first places that someone robbing your home is going to look. For some reason, people have a tendency to get portable safes or lock boxes and put their valuables inside of them, shoving the entirety of the box underneath the bed as if no one is ever going to look there.
You can bet that they will indeed look there and when they find that lockbox, they’re going to take the entire thing with them. If you think hiding valuables underneath your mattress is safer, think again. Someone who is robbing your home isn’t just going to look underneath the bed. They will take the mattress and flip it over as well. For someone who is in relatively decent physical condition, this is an act that literally takes a matter of seconds. Don’t think for one minute they’re not going to do it.
8. Closets
People always tend to hide their valuables in closets. Typically, they put loads of clothes in front of the things they really want to protect, somehow believing that all of those clothes are going to hide things that they don’t want anyone else to see. If you think someone is going to take the time and trouble to break into your home without going through your closets, think again. Let us remind you, it literally takes a matter of seconds for them to grab virtually all of the clothing inside your closet and toss it to the side.
Once they’ve done that, they have unfettered access to all of the things you thought that clothing was going to conceal. That’s why it’s so important that you keep valuables as well as potentially dangerous things out of the closet. You don’t want somebody robbing your home and getting a hold of your valuables, nor do you want them stealing a gun from your home and then hurting someone else with it.
7. The toilet tank
This one is a bad idea because it doesn’t work and it’s also a bit on the disgusting side. For years, people were told to tape their valuables to the top of the lid that goes on the toilet tank. That’s because at the time, it wasn’t a common hiding place and people weren’t necessarily taking the lids off and looking for valuables there. Remember, people that are willing to rob your home are also keeping up with the way things change with the times. You can bet your bottom dollar that they all know the experts were telling people to do this for years and years. As a result, they now know exactly where to look when they want to find your valuables. In fact, the bathroom is one of the first places they’ll check, usually right after they go through your kitchen.
6. The refrigerator
This is another one that people did for a very long time because it seemed like the safer thing to do. People would take their jewelry, cash and other valuables, wrap them in foil or plastic wrap, and stick them all the way to the back of the freezer. After all, who would think to look there, right? Perhaps there was a time when this was the case, but it hasn’t been that way for decades.
As far back as the early 1980s, virtually everyone knew that people were hiding their valuables at the back of the freezer. It only stands to reason that if you’re so inclined to break into someone’s home with the intent of stealing their stuff, this is going to be one of the first places you check. As a result, you should avoid this one like the plague. In fact, you might as well just put a neon sign inside your home pointing the way to your valuables if this is your chosen hiding place.
5. The medicine cabinet
These days, it’s sort of hard to find a modern-day home that has one of those old-school medicine cabinets. They’re just not as popular as they used to be. Some people still love them and if that’s the case for you, that’s absolutely fine. That being said, you should use them for medicine and nothing more. Whatever you do, don’t put your valuables there. It’s just like hiding them in the freezer, in a drawer, or under the bed. Everybody knows that this is a place to check. If you’re home just happens to have a medicine cabinet, you can bet that someone who breaks in is going to go through it.
4. The cookie jar
This is one of those innovative places that actually worked for a while, but that hasn’t been the case for a very long time. When the whole freezer idea stopped working, home security experts would tell residents to put their valuables at the bottom of the cookie jar. Of course, the idea is to put cookies on top so that it looks completely normal. Aside from the obvious mess involved with hiding your valuables underneath food that crumbles everywhere, it’s no longer effective because criminals expect you to do it.
You might have a cookie jar sitting on your counter that looks completely innocuous to most people. Maybe a person who’s not inclined to rob you of your stuff would never even dream that you’re hiding a load of cash in there. However, people that are willing to break into your home and steal your stuff are not inclined to think like most people. They will go through your kitchen and if they spot a cookie jar, they’re going to smash it all over the place and take anything that’s valuable with them.
3. The backs of picture frames
For a very long time, people were actually taking picture frames that were purchased specifically for this reason and hanging them inside their homes. To this day, it’s possible to purchase a picture frame that has what amounts to a false back on it. You can remove that false back and boom, there is a place to store important documents, cash, credit cards and anything else that you can physically fit within the dimensions of a picture frame.
It sounds like a good idea, right? The problem is, it’s been a tried-and-true method of protecting valuables for so long that criminals have come to expect it. In addition, the false back requires that the picture frame be much thicker than it would otherwise need to be. That means that it stands out like a sore thumb, especially to the trained eye. It might not be all that noticeable to you or your friends, but even then it’s still going to be obvious to anyone who’s actually looking for something that’s different.
You can bet that anyone who breaks into your home has done this enough times that they can spot that thing from the next room. It won’t take them any time at all to figure out which picture frame to go to and they will rip it right off the wall and go on about their day.
2. The laundry basket
If you’re like most people, this one might make you chuckle just a little bit. It’s almost laughable to think that people would hide their valuables in the bottom of a laundry basket. After all, most laundry baskets see some pretty nasty stuff and there might be more than one person that’s putting stuff in (and taking stuff out) of these baskets. As such, it just doesn’t seem like a very good place to hide something you don’t want to lose.
Nevertheless, it was a very popular hiding location for a few years. These days, criminals know that some people still hide their valuables in the bottom of the laundry basket. If they see one, they’ll smash it to bits. Aside from being inconvenient, unsanitary and perhaps even foolish, the whole laundry basket idea is just an incident begging to happen. Even if somebody doesn’t break into your home, you’re just as likely to lose your valuables by accident. This isn’t much safer than sitting everything you treasure outside and hoping that nothing happens to it.
1. In a safe
You might think that putting your valuables in a safe is the best thing you could do, but that isn’t always the case. Rest assured, it can be a good idea if it’s done correctly. In the next paragraph, you’ll see some discussion about a floor safe. In this particular paragraph, the safe in question is one of those portable contraptions that you can move around from one place to the next. Most of them have some type of code that you punch in which allows you to open the door.
There are two major issues with these safes. The first is that they can obviously be moved. It might be heavy, but unless it’s bolted to the foundation of your home, a criminal is likely to move it. In addition, these things take a grand total of about 30 seconds for someone skilled to crack. Even if they decide not to move the safe, they can probably get into the thing faster than you can and you know the code. In short, a safe like this is a waste of money. It also advertises where you’re storing your valuables like a great big loud speaker. Avoid them at all costs.
Where Should You Hide Your Valuables Instead?
Believe it or not, one of the best places to hide your valuables is inside a house plant. Granted, you’ll have to create something of a false bottom here so that you can effectively hide your valuables without getting them filthy, but it does work. In addition to the aforementioned false bottom that you can create in various drawers throughout your home, you might also consider getting a fake wall outlet that allows you to hide small valuables such as jewelry, credit cards or cash.
If all else fails, consider investing in a floor safe that is actually bolted to the foundation of your home. If you do it right, it can be easily concealed. Do your best to get one that’s not incredibly easy to crack and hide it well, and you just might be able to protect the majority of your valuables.
