The Best And Worst Place To Hide Extra Cash At Home

best-place-to-hide-cash-at-home

It’s a good idea to keep some extra cash at home for preparedness – for ‘just in case’.

But where is a good place to keep and hide that extra cash?

If your home is ever burglarized, you don’t want to make it easy for them to find.

 

The Worst Place To Keep Cash And Valuables In Your Home

First, lets point out the worst place to keep money, cash, or any valuables in your home…the bedroom.

Most burglars will first go to the BEDROOM in search of jewelry, cash, a safe, guns, or anything else of value. Why? Because the bedroom is where most people keep such things! So don’t do it…

An exception may be keeping a gun at your nightstand for self-defense. Just do your due-diligence in the method of securing it. You may or may not lose it during a burglary, but don’t give up your most precious tool for self defense in the middle of the night.

I use this safe for my nightstand firearm storage.

 

The Best Place To Keep & Hide Cash At Home

Here are two suggestions where to stash your cash.
 

A hollowed out book

Seriously, this is one of the best places to stash some cash. You can buy your own hollowed out book, or you can do it yourself with a razor blade (and patience).

Don’t keep this book in the bedroom (although it will likely not be touched even there). Rather keep it with other books wherever you have ‘other’ books in the house…

There’s no way a burglar is going to go through books while looking for valuables. Why? because it’s not a common place where people keep cash and valuables.

Book Safe

 

A hollowed out ‘Can Safe’

You might either buy a hollowed out can or simply do it yourself with an existing can (with a can-opener, open the bottom of a can so it can be placed upright when emptied).

Again, there’s no way a burglar is going to go through your food pantry or cupboards while looking for cash and valuables. A rolled up wad of cash in a hollowed out can is an ideal hiding spot.

Del Monte Can Safe Storage Container

Tip: Other examples of a cleverly designed ‘decoy safe’ to hide some cash or stash.

Note: An ultimate place to keep cash at home is in a very good heavy duty, secured, fire-rated safe. These range in all sorts of sizes and ratings.

(See example)

 
SUMMARY
When choosing where to keep extra cash (or any valuables), be creative. Avoid the obvious places that a burglar will look. It’s fairly easy to hide some things in plain view ;)

87 Comments

  1. Years ago when I took a teaching job in the northern part of our province I found the children came to visit often & while one would distract me another was cruising the place.

    I had to keep cash on hand as the closest bank was 3 hr. drive away. I chose to put my cash in the core of a roll of TP. in the bottom roll in the back pile which I kept in an inconvenient cupboard. Never lost any money in the 3 yrs. I was there although a few other bobbles walked away.

    I have since thought of lots of places on the farm that money could be stored…eg. bottom of a can of marked used screws, at the bottom of a garbage can of dog food etc. I live near two small towns & have bought groceries with cash when their internet was down. Also if I have cash I can buy grain, eggs, beef etc. from neighboring farmers anytime for cash. Good to have some on hand.

    1. @ canadagal & Everyone Else

      See! See! See! I told y-all soooo. TP is the BEST thing ever!!!!! And canadagal just proved it again!! HAHAHA

      Hiding money inside a roll of TP, what a FANTASTIC Idea. After all who is going to go through 400 rolls of TP to find a little cash??? :-) :-) :-)

      NRP

      1. Ya but NRP, if there is a shortage of TP, they just might take it all. :(

        1. @ Peanut Gallery

          OMG!!!! Don’t even say that…. AGHHHHHHHH A TP shortage??? NOOOOOO

          NRP

    2. If you have a little woodworking skill, drill 1″ holes in the TOP of your bedroom door. Then build a small metal insert that will fit inside the hole. You MAY have to leave a small lip at the top so you can easily retrieve it. It cannot be seen (unless your burgler is well over 6’7″ tall (the height of a door).

    3. Inside your house is a bad place due to fire. no safe is fire proof for long. The smartest place for it is to go out in your yard at 3 am dig a hole and bury it. secure it vaccum sealed bags and place in an air tight jar or pvc piping with a screw on end with teflon tape. no thief is finding it there and no fires burning it up. Cover your burying place with a big potted plant or plant some veggies on it or grass seed. stay safe people!

  2. I go by the theory thieves are lazy, otherwise they wouldn’t be thieves. Storing PMs and cash where it takes a bit of work to get at seems like a reasonable answer. Ammo boxes are waterproof, but not fire resistant. However, places where they’re not likely to be exposed to fire, like in a rock pile, even in a stack or firewood, they’re not likely to be found.

    If a person were to use one of the small fire resistant safes on the market, keep in mind every one I’ve researched has a warning that the fireproofing material in the casing emits moisture. Storing paper in them without proper precautions could be disastrous. I’d suggest sealing paper in either Ziploc bags or Food-saver vacuum bags with desiccant packs, throwing some desiccant packs in the safe, and checking it every so often for any mildew smell.

    I’ve read that burglars look in freezers for valuables also as a matter of course.

    Personally, we’ve hidden several thousand dollars under the weeds in our garden, contact me for exact coordinates.

    1. Ammo Boxes…..Not fireproof?…thats an easy fix! Go to Lowes or Home Depot and buy a sheet of 5/8 inch thick firestop sheetrock….Buy a large 50 cal ammo can or whats known as a fat 50 can and line it with 2 or 3 layers of this sheetrock glued in a piece or two at a time…..last layer cut tight for spacers and force into place.

      1 layer has about 1500 degree protection for a half hour…2 makes it an hour even…3..Fughetaboutit…..

      It’s how they fireproof gunsafes….you just need to cut and trim into the lid as well. You may not have a lot of room inside with 3 layers all around but it will still hold 20 k + in cash!…you can weld a heavy duty shackle to this ahead of time so it cant be opened and weld a chain to it as well so it cant walk off.Bolt it to a wall or floor before you fireproof it even! Several Fireproof money safe’s for 100$ or less!

      You have to start in the bottom…do the sides…then fill in the top…if you dont want to glue to the top cut pieces extra tight to force on top of your cash and simply close the lid!

    2. Ozarks Tom,

      You are correct about Fire resistant safes that have fireproofing material which does emit moisture but I read that if you just leave the safe open for several hours every two weeks that it would prevent moisture from building up inside. I chose to do that instead of worry about desiccant packs. Or course that is providing that the safe is in a climate controlled environment which it should be.

  3. Hiding places for money and other valubles are my best kept secrets!!!

  4. Ken,

    I think that cans and books, while better than nothing, are not as good as they once were because they have become more commonplace and commercially available and thus more people are aware of them. At one point [in the city] I loaded a decoy gun cabinet with bullet casting lead, bolted to the wall. I am almost disappointed that no intruder got a hernia trying to haul it away.

  5. Choose multiple locations. You know the old saying about not putting all of your eggs in one basket. I too will not reveal my locations, but I do have some outside locations as well.

    Although I do have a can safe, I chose not to get one looking like food as there have been break-ins where the only thing taken was food. I imagine as the economy implodes food will become a sought after commodity.

      1. I would label several of those exploding party boxes as money, just to get a kick from surprising the thief!

  6. I knew a woman whose great aunt had money sewn into the lining of all her curtains as well as taped in envelopes to the back of her wardrobe and cabinets.
    Might need to think up some new creative places to be safe.

    1. Just make sure you don’t forget where you put it all, someone I know worked at a Salvation Army and found almost $1,000 in a coat someone donated.

  7. Baiting is good and realistic. Most thieves are on the move/in and out quickly. Some cheap electronics laying about etc. I make sure they can find my big change bucket! Most petty thieves these days are looking for their next fix. Pantry a good idea. Pick a canned spinach or asparagus can!

  8. I have money between the pages of some books. Someone would have to thumb through every page of every book (thousands) to find all of it.

    I also like the idea of storing some cash in the backs of pictures, behind clocks, in file folders that contain old tax returns, medical records, etc.

    Be careful of storing anything in trash cans or trash bags. The last time I moved, I had several things I wanted to keep separate as I wanted them to be handy when I got to my new home, so I put them in a black plastic trash bag. Later, when I couldn’t find the bag, I realized that my movers had thrown away my trash bag. It would have been a long trip back with no assurance I could even find the bag. There were several community bags in the alley, and the movers could have taken it with them to dispose of at their shop.

  9. Maybe I should use the inside of the monster 30 year old TV sitting in my office. :) The thing takes two people to lift it.

    This discussion reminds me of The Unsinkable Molly Brown, where she is trying to think like a burglar and hides the money in the wood burning stove.

    1. Lauren
      Make sure there are no matches or lighter handy, remember that scene. Lol

  10. Hollowed out books are notorious for stashing liquor flasks, and so popular you can buy them online. Hope your thief is not an alcoholic, he will know where to look for it and find cash instead. OOppps! Best to hide among 500 books, and cut a hole in a thin obscure book, not a thick “Treasure Island” book. Flask books for sale are thick books.

    Hope your thief doesn’t come when SHTF or during a depression, he will take all your food cans. Otherwise, a good choice unless the thief reads this blog.

    The best hiding place is outside and underground, away from the house in a small hard plastic or glass seal-able container. And as I mentioned before in winter where snow is abundant, hiding it in a place where regular footprint traffic is in the snow is best so access is available. When you need your cash, it can be covered back up again with footprints. But don’t bury in the middle of your yard where one set of footprints go to a dead end in the middle of the yard then turn around to go back when you need to get some cash. You have to be smarter than the smartest thief out there.

    Just so you know, I had to deal with thieves who broke into a home my mom and I had for sale that we rented out earlier. It was a neighbor and a drug addict who broke through the window looking for some stash. He tore open the dry wall, broke the light bulb globes and fixtures, unscrewed the light switches and electric outlet covers, ripped up the carpet, and took out the grates for the furnace duct-work, looking for the former renters stash—

    When I took one of the globes to the neighbor and asked if he saw anyone break into the house, he said no. I told him I have finger prints on the globe that the police will readily identify who trashed the house. Later that afternoon I had a trusted neighbor watch the suspicious neighbor and that night at 3 AM he threw everything he could into the back of his truck and sped off, leaving the state, never coming back. The finger prints turned out to be too smeared to identify but I caught the thief and scared him to death. With all the possible hiding places he looked for, I knew never to hide anything like cash in the house.

  11. I hide cash in the bottom of the washing machine beneath some dirty laundry.

    1. Now, Bill G, money laundering is a crime. Although hiding it behind/beneath the washing machine/dryer’s not a bad idea!

  12. Haven’t come up with any place I really thought totally wonderful, but am thinking that lining one’s drapes with money, or similar spreading it out too much would not be good.

    If one had to leave in a hurry, difficult to collect up one’s cash.

    1. People who hide stuff this way are thinking of hiding it from thieves, not having to leave in a hurry.

  13. I have a friend who does construction/remodeling. He tells a neat story about doing some repairs on a house. The house was passed down to the Owner’s son when he died. The Son was doing some “spiffing up” before putting the house on the market. My friend took off one door or window molding and discovered thousands of dollars rolled up neatly and hidden behind the molding. He called the owner (son) and they started taking all the molding off in the house. $200,000.00 found hidden in the house.

    Good thing there was never a fire! Love this story – but..not really smart. Luv ya’ll, Beach’n

    1. Beach’n,

      Yes, I think that one problem with hiding valuables (cash, guns, whatever) in and around your house is what happens if you die suddenly. Who would know where it is? I’m afraid that anything hidden in and around my house would be found by future owners, but not by my family.

      1. Wendy,

        I have given a list of valuables to my brother including where to find them. The same list is attached to the back of my will, which is in my safe deposit box at the bank. The list includes where to find money, coins, my and my grandmother’s wedding ring, my mother’s gold watch, my father’s air force medals, and a list of books I don’t want to see destroyed and which shelf in which bookcase they can be found. I also left a list of paintings (mostly painted by relatives) and who I want to have them.

        1. Get rid of that so called safe deposit box at the bank. When they close up, no access to anything!

    2. I have 3 firearms hidden. One in Master bedroom inside the sideboard that is hinged and has a magnetic latch. One in the downstairs hallway in the laundry nitch above the door on the inside. Also has magnetic latch ( push once to open and the firearm is attached to the door with the grip facing down for very quick access). The other is upstairs in a accessible bookcase with a push button to open. All can be locked with a remote control switch from 4 locations on the way to or from each location. Did this because if there is someone in your house when you come home you don’t want them to use your firearm against you!….Our house is also alarmed and accessible on my phone with camera access. Paranoid? No. I live in a rural area where it takes the police 30 -45 minutes to get there. not If you have ever been broken into and had a firearm stolen, credit cards stolen along with the hassle….Well, it is a inexpensive way to have to go through all that. Oh and I also have cash in with my firearms guessing that most thief’s won’t find either.

  14. I’m a “safe” kinda guy. The heaver the better, have one from 1890’s that I swear it’s at least 1/2 a ton, AND bolted to the concrete floor with two 3/8” chains. And has nothing in it besides paper documents…. HAHAHA good luck with that one Mr. Thief.

    As far as hiding extra cash??? I guess ya have to have some in order to hide it huh???? But I guess one could come up with some really imaginative ideas. Personally I like the ideas “outside” of the house, maybe in a small fox-hole under pile of manure in the Barn? After all who’s going to move a yard of Cow-Poop to find a hole in the ground with a container of cash?

    One might also plant a few decoys and a little cash lying around, 20-30 bucks and most crack-heads will be good to go. I might add a few of those little “fake” or real cameras hanging on the wall at each door and corners of the house will do more than any “hiding”.

    Lastly, if you get broken into and happen to show up with them still there, do NOT try to stop them, 95% chance they are on drugs and will not feel a thing when ya try to stop them, remember, you should have Insurance and “stuff” and a little cash is worth dying for.

    NRP

    1. @ NRP

      Oppps, correction; “you should have Insurance and “stuff” and a little cash is worth dying for.” Should read “NOT worth dying for”….. Dang it, Hey Ken, how about fixing that one…… pleaseeeeee
      Thanks

      NRP

        1. I will let it hang out there with the laundry… serves him right for not proof reading before clicking ;)

    2. @NRP, The first time you mmmiss a typo? This is knot fair! Luv ya, Beach’n

    3. When a thief meets a round from even a .22 cal to the eye socket, the foe is defeated immediately.

  15. While all the ideas are clever, a fire will wipe it out. Best to put in a fire/water proof small safe and hide that under your home or in a wall joist. I am more of a cache person. No fire or flood or thief can get a hold of it.

  16. Here are some ideas: In a re-seal-able plastic storage bag, placed under the trash can liner in your kitchen wastebasket; in another storage bag placed in your freezer; behind a dummy electrical wall outlet; stuffed in your furniture cushions; concealed behind that favorite wedding or family picture and the cardboard in the frame; in a plastic bag at the bottom of that big potted plant on your deck or in your foyer. Just use your imagination. Hiding in plain sight is the best solution!

  17. Our sheriff’s department recently did a meth bust on one of our towns residences.

    The first thing the deputies did was disable the security cameras. One of the deputies was a special deputy. In real life he was a corrections officer and had been deputized as a volunteer for the bust. What the officers didn’t do was disable the hidden cameras that were uploading to the cloud. Suffice it to say the deputy is no longer employed as the hidden cameras caught him and others lifting cash and jewelry. Sometimes the good guys aren’t.

    Personally I don’t keep much in the house but do have a cache off site but accessible. I do have an empty fire/safe box that they can take and open to disappointment later. Along with a small jewelry box with fakes and a small box with some change and small bills as a decoy. The box has a note in that says, Honey this is my garage sale money if you need cash go to the ATM, don’t touch!

    Neighbors went on vacation and had the thieves move into their secluded house. They went through everything including the boxes in the attic.

  18. Years ago, we were robbed in daylight on a weekday. It was the first day back to school after the Easter break. Our side door was crow-bar’d away from the door frame and the thieves were in the house fast.

    They used a pillowcase off of a son’s pillow as their ‘stash holder’. They completely ransacked the master bedroom: opened all drawers and threw them on the floor (this was the chest and the dresser), flipped the mattress, slid off all articles of folded clothing atop both clothes’ closets. As this article points out, thieves want a quick entry/exit and so they headed for the master bedroom first. They got what they were looking for: cash and jewelry.

    The other bedrooms were obviously just scanned but cash that was left on a nightstand was taken ($80) and one of the boys’ guitars. Nothing else was taken.

    We called the Sheriff’s office and they filed a report but took no fingerprints and did NO investigative work whatsoever. Later, I called all neighbors to alert them and one neighbor said she had spotted 2 guys in a rusty old truck parked at the side of our property. She didn’t call me to let me know anyone was there, said she figured that we had hired a timber company again.

    None of our books in bookcases were disturbed, no movie cases or music CDs. No computers were taken, none of the TV boxes or appliance/gadgetry was stolen. One drawer in a living room desk had been pulled out — searching for quick cash, I suppose.

    The only things wanted were small items of value, obviously: cash and jewelry. All but 1 piece of jewelry was elsewhere. They got $680 in cash, total. Our insurance only reimbursed up to $200, so our loss. Retired cops I know said this was a typical methodology, but in today’s world, I’m unsure — criminals are much bolder and much more dangerous.

    If you are robbed, it will change how you do things and how you ‘think’. You will feel violated and will be much more apprehensive of “strangers” near your home. After the robbery, we installed a fully monitored security system, fenced the front acreage w/ locked gates, got a bolted-down safe, and changed a number of habits.

  19. I went to a neighborhood watch meeting at my local police station a couple of weeks ago. According to the officer in charge the most common locations to hide cash where I live: Pots and pans in the kitchen and bathroom cupboards.

  20. Hmmmm….been thinking about it….a camo painted glass jar, tightly screwed lid and buried outside and I am the only one who knows the location. No markings in the GPS to find it in the future GPS can be hacked and also no metal lids in case someone sweeps the area….also, bras…yes, bras….a foam lined one, where there was a slit with some money stashed inside…and the bra was nothing fancy :) just sitting there in the back of the drawer.

  21. Well, I would like to see them get into my gun safe quickly, that ain’t gonna happen, unless they have a blow torch and cutting saw. It’s about layered defense… impact windows and doors, alarm, safe oh did I mention a dog….. I also have some stuff stashed around the house. I have never seen anyone search the inside of a toilet tank! Many years in law enforcement I have found lots of dope and a few guns in the toilet tanks!

    1. I’m thinking about putting a sign on my safe that says “I reload my ammunition and store my extra gunpowder in this safe. I keep it in an open container. If you insist on breaking in please use a cutting torch or a handheld grinder.”

      Actually I don’t keep any reloading components in the safe for fear of fire and what it could do to a fireman responding. I do keep a couple of hundred dollars in junk silver there though.

      1. Hate to tell you, but most Burglars can’t read. I have my safe wired for electric shock therapy.

  22. You know, I always thought of hiding places that are hard to find and people would never look (maybe inside a vent or under a floorboard, in the ceiling, etc.) but I completely forgot about hiding stuff in plain sight–I think I might use the book one day.

  23. Seal a meal cash and valuables, fold over and install grommet to both sides of fold at corner, attach stiff wire to the length of post, and put in Chain-link fence post, replace cap.

    You’re welcome.

  24. A suggestion for brainstorming. Rather than thinking of yourself as a thief and wondering where you would look for valuables, think of yourself as a 15 year old. Where would you hide the cookies from that 15 year old? Under the kitchen sink behind the mop bucket? In the cleaning closet? Under the washing machine? :)

  25. Yesterday would have been a good day for hiding the treasure under the stacks of dry horse dung I scraped up with the tractor. We have piles & the horse finally did not freak out with my using the tractor in her pasture to scrape it up.

    Just remember do not give that gold mine away if you decided to hide your other treasure underneath it.

  26. Being long in the tooth and short on cash, I hired a young man to install armor coat film on our window. I think that will slow them up a bit. I purchased several warning signs from narlo.org (national assoc. of rural landowners). They should be here soon. I think I can figure what to do with them. Semper Fi

  27. Not sure what your home DVD collection looks like. But why not stash some cash in those DVD cases. Maybe pick a kids movie or whatever. Where do most people keep them, in the wide open by the TV. I don’t think crooks are going to grab a DVD when they can grab the TV, DVD player, etc.

    Tape a envelope of cash under a table, find something that is hollow like those tall skinny floor lamps, of you have a ceiling fan tape it to the top of the blades. Look in your kitchen, what about taped behind the microwave, under the coffee maker, etc. Be creative you can find a ton of spots that the crooks won’t look.

    Hide it under some clothes in a “dummy” laundry basket with a pair of tighty whiteys on top, that have drawn on brown stains. No one will go near that.

    Most crooks want to get in and out as fast as possible. They are going to go for the quick score and boogie.

    Adapt and Overcome.

  28. Of course I have the safe.

    Big, heavy, bolted to the floor, picked up used. Was in a check cashing store. Took 4 people to move and pretty much a industry tank. And yea there’s stuff in it. A few guns a little cash. Important papers.

    It’s mainly for those that come to confiscate stuff. So I can say OK, there ya go!
    Nuff said about that!

  29. Don’t forget where you put your stashes.

    When I was a kid I once stashed some bills in a model tank and completely forgot about it until I discovered it by chance much later. That is an even bigger risk with an older brain. Also be careful about possible destruction by pests such as mice.

    I remember reading a story years ago about a member of the cast of HEE HAW who was murdered with his wife. Tens of thousands of dollars were later discovered hidden in walls that had been completely shredded by nesting vermin. Toilet paper and such are attractive material to the little buggers. Glass containers outdoors can be broken by natural events if left in a location where freezing and thawing ice or inadvertent digging for cables etc. could occur. Probably a good idea to multiple package with different material containers.

  30. I need ideas on hiding guns from the Feds. Any ideas that won’t result in rust and damage?

    1. Break it apart – slather grease all over it… wrap it up. Put it in plastic… bury it.

    2. Put the firearm in a plastic ziplock bag (break it down if it’s a rifle) and affix it between the steel door and plastic liner of an old refrigerator or freezer. (The shelves in the door liner are usually hollow) Just make sure it’s tight so it doesn’t make noise or shift when the door is opened. This eliminates virtually any search including a metal detector..this takes some time to properly remove the door liner for installation, but in a SHTF situation it could be quickly ripped away.

    3. You can buy mylar gun sleeves on Amazon, 5 to a pack. They include O2 absorbers and desiccants with them. I’d suggest wrapping the weapons in fabric of some kind so any sharp edges don’t punch through the mylar bag. They 7.5 mil, so they’re pretty tough.

  31. I also have a convenient, yet hidden place to keep keys.
    To avoid having the banditos load up my vehicle with my stuff and then drive it away.

  32. How about,

    bake it into a loaf of bread/muffins and stick in the freezer?

    1. When I travel by myself, my husband goes on cleaning sprees, which often includes the fridge and freezer. Wouldn’t trust him to remember which loaf to keep. Have come home to some rude surprises when he’s thrown out ghee or capers because they had been opened and left in the fridge.

    2. When I travel by myself, my husband goes on cleaning sprees, which often includes the fridge and freezer. Wouldn’t trust him to remember which loaf to keep. Have come home to some rude surprises when he’s thrown out ghee or capers because they had been opened and left in the fridge.

  33. Hiding valuables in the chicken coop beneath the poop.
    or
    In your beehive. ;)

  34. I do not have a single gun safe but I have several security cabinets where my guns are stored. Cash and papers are in there as well. If the cabinet is not bolted to something, the bottom is lined with ingots of lead (used for casting bullets) I took enough burglary reports where I put some thought into this area myself.

    I have caught people either checking out my house or parking in my driveway in the past. One time a pair of guys dressed like delivery people came to my house in an unmarked panel van. Unfortunately for them I had just pulled out of my driveway and was on my way to go trap shooting. I asked them what they were doing there. They lied so I blocked their vehicle and held them at gunpoint until the police arrived.

    Yes, I got in a bit of trouble for that activity but those boys had multiple outstanding warrants out for them as well. That day also ended a string of burglaries that had been taking place for the prior 8 months in my town. I don’t trust anybody.

  35. I can’t afford a big heavy gun safe so I bought a metal gun cabinet, the kind built like a locker. The door locks at three points (top, bottom, side) and it has holes in the back so it can be screwed to studs in the wall. It isn’t perfect but it would take the average thief a lot of time to get into and the process would be noisy as hell. I keep the keys hidden. Besides guns I keep cash, gold and silver in it. I think it cost about $300.

  36. We stash cash in odd places, mostly kitchen and TV room, but not too much in any one spot. Stashes are usually in glass food storage containers or metal boxes for the vermin-resistance. Always a pleasant surprise to have a small roll of bills (in a small ziplock bag or pill bottle) plop on the plate when I’m pouring lentils from the glass jar to sort! PM’s are stored near other metal items to help foil metal detectors.

  37. It doesn’t do any good to ‘hide’ cash in a place that will catch fire. I can’t imagine taking thousands of dollars and putting it in the dirty laundry or behind door moldings.

    What I’ve done in the past, prior to buying a huge fire/burglary safe, was to put cash and valuables in my basement sump pit! I made a foot long PVC storage container that was waterproof but could be unscrewed at one end. My sump pit was sealed so I had to take the lid off before laying the container inside, in the water. It really worked great. Only took a few minutes to get to it if I needed the money. I defy a thief to even think of looking in a sump pit for cash.

  38. I typically hollow out books, although recently I’ve also been using some older electronics and monitors. Most people won’t take old electronics (especially if they’re dusty) because they know they aren’t worth much money. CRT’s in particular are known for being extremely heavy and not worth carrying around.

  39. If only one of your hides-hole spots, gets discovered, expect your entire property to be gone over with the ,fine tooth comb”,
    Where there is smoke, there IS fire. In a quick in and out, it’s almost always your teen neighbors. Anyone else , WILL takes me more time to find your stashes. Just has been my experience from past law enforcement career.

  40. if you’re messy like me, a small beat-up cardboard box in the garage mixed in with a bunch of random shit i never look at. no would would ever thumb through that crap

  41. My grandmother kept a box of Kotex pads in her closet well into her 80s… always kept cash and favorite jewelry hid out in the bottom… might as well have been a safe.
    I cannot tell you how many women have saved their households… fed their kids in an emergency… with some money hid out in a box of tampons.
    Men just don’t touch that stuff.

  42. I have a stack of odd sized pvc and abs pipe of varying lengths some with caps, some without. I keep them stacked alongside the shed along with odd lumber and rebar mixed in. Makes my at home bank look like your everyday ordinary junk pile.

  43. If you check the government liquidation auction site you can get good deal on a gsa certified safe. They weigh about 500 pounds and can be bolted the floor. i got two earlier this year for 25 bucks. Both of them worked and it costs around 15 for a new key to reset the combo.

  44. The group of thieves that burglarized my parents home three years ago, took everything. including canned food, paper towels, TP, laundry detergent, you name it. My point, if someone wants what you have, BAD ENOUGH. THEY WILL GET IT! They were finally caught. And are serving jail time. order to pay restitution. Which is a joke. My parents will never again see the money (in cash) that was taken from them. Keep cash on hand? Yes, of course. But, buried deep, somewhere.

  45. Hi all,
    our house survived a bush fire that raised 53 properties around us. Our property got singed from all sides, but our house was not touched. Nevertheless, it leaves a mark on people forever, so any hiding place has to be fire proof or fire safe. In this I fully agree with number of people that voice this opinion. I do have a comment regarding burying your stash. It has to be quite deep. Or have a concrete sump/hiding hole, concrete leach drain is a good place (if you have septic tank on your property). The fire bakes the ground through quite deep, so your glass and plastic containers will burst/melt. To illustrate – I was wearing heavy steel cupped boots 2 hours after the main front went through, fighting spot fires. My thick rubber soles burned through, though there was no actual fire, just burnt out ground. Just a thought for you, folks.

  46. property totally fenced…two rotweilers…one rescue pit bull with a bad attitude…monitored alarm system…wife with AR 15…I have most of the bases covered…

  47. My favorite hiding place for jewelry or cash,is inside the tublar rod,that curtains or drapes hang on,stash the cash,hang the drapes or curtains.

  48. On all work days keep an old wallet with cards and stuff of no value in it on the kitchen counter. But, also put in a $10, two $5s and a few $1 dollar bills. If a kid breaks in, he finds it,and he’s nervous anyway, he grabs it and and runs, buys his drugs. It’s a cheap alarm!

    ‘ alarm”!

  49. I was reading a short story in an Outdoor life hunting magazine one time called (“this happened to me”), the person wanted to hide some $100 bills (I think it was so his wife wouldn’t find them) so he rolled them up and put them inside the barrel of his shotgun. I guess he forgot they were there and the next time he went grouse or Pheasant hunting and took the first shot, all he saw was a bunch of green confetti come out. I still chuckle when I think about that one.

  50. My septic tank has two risers, with manhole covers , at ground level. I have a piece of 2 inch PVC pipe, with a cap glued on one end and a slip to thread on the other its sealed with Teflon tape. There are some fishing sinkers in the bottom so it wont float. There is some discussant in it and I installed a tire valve . I inflate it a bit to forestall any leaks ( I use dry nitrogen) Its for long term storage m because its not that much fun to lift it out by the fish line to hose it off. I can’t imagine anyone finding it, My daughter knows where it is, and can get it removed when I’m gone.

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