How to catch a thief in the house.

Elsewhere

Maybe you are sleepwalking! Have you looked under your own mattress?

kingfisherblue

I'm tempted to say feed everyone toast and water for tea for a few days - when asked why they're not having a proper meal, tell them that you can't afford it as money is going missing from your purse.

kafkathecat

fierystormcloud wrote: »

I reckon you may have spent it or dropped it. I am always finding pound coins, and two pound coins in the bottom of my handbag!

When money is tight two pounds can be a lot and no, you don't just lose it or lose track.

peachyprice

fierystormcloud wrote: »

I am not perfect, but this has never happened in my family. (With me and all my sisters.) And to the best of my knowledge, all of my nieces have ever thieved either.

I mean, surely if a young teen child wanted something, would they not just ask? We always used to. Mum would roll her eyes, but would reach in her pocket if we wanted a pound or two.

I am struggling to make sense of this. I mean why nick £2?

It's hardly worth making yourself a thief over.

Are you sure you are not mistaken, or your hubby may have taken it for something? (Not stolen, just took; I mean, surely it's family money...)

If someone took £2 out of my purse, I don't think I would even notice or care. I would just think a family member had taken it for a sandwich or a bus fare.

I reckon you may have spent it or dropped it. I am always finding pound coins, and two pound coins in the bottom of my handbag!

OP was down to her last £3.40 until she got her tax credits, so to her £2 was a lot of money, to her it may as well have been £20, it was the last of the money she had. But good on you for not knowing what it's like when money is that tight.

Also, it's not just small change going missing, she said she has had notes missing from her purse in the past.

rach_k

Have you asked if anybody needed to borrow money when you weren't around? In some families that is quite normal - OH and I would borrow money and I wouldn't mind if the girls were older and remembered last minute about money for school or something. Even if they did intend to steal it, asking who borrowed it will let them know you have noticed and aren't going to ignore it so they may just confess to 'borrowing' and it might stop.

Georgiegirl256

fierystormcloud wrote: »

I am struggling to make sense of this. I mean why nick £2?

It's hardly worth making yourself a thief over.

Are you sure you are not mistaken, or your hubby may have taken it for something? (Not stolen, just took; I mean, surely it's family money...)

If it's in Mums purse, then it's Mum's money. It may only be two pounds, but who knows what she needed that money for.

If someone took £2 out of my purse, I don't think I would even notice or care. I would just think a family member had taken it for a sandwich or a bus fare.

I probably wouldn't either. But if you are down to your last few pounds whilst waiting on your benefits and you noticed money going missing before then yes you probably would notice.

I reckon you may have spent it or dropped it. I am always finding pound coins, and two pound coins in the bottom of my handbag!

I would never have dreamed of going into my Mam's purse or my Dad's wallet without asking. That is their money, and to take it without asking IS theft whichever way you look at it.

Are you any further on in finding out OP?

merlin68

Its not just £2 its £40 over the last 8 weeks, it was notes that were going missing, but i stopped keeping them in my purse.
They all deny it.

enjoyyourshoes

Radical I know but


you could leave all your money on show with a note on how much is there


then once it has been removed have a very long adult none heated discussion on the situation.

merlin68

And i definitely didnt spend it, im paranoid about money. Its all budgeted to the last penny. Its counted every morning and evening. Eldest dd works and i give her her child benefit for her bus pass to college and youngest dd has her dla money. Im also saving eldest dd tax credits for uni as she goes in sept. So im left with £280 for bills, shopping, petrol and anything else.

Lunar_Eclipse

If this happened in our house, I would simply ask who had taken money from my purse over the next family meal. Or ask everyone individually and then discuss it over dinner if no-one admits it. I wouldn't be thinking in terms of stealing and thieving, but borrowing without time or opportunity to ask and it wouldn't be a big deal.

I wouldn't mind DH or my kids borrowing or taking money from my purse (for car parking, lunch or whatever it was needed for) but I would be disappointed if someone didn't admit it. In that situation I don't know what I would do but I don't think I'd focus on finding the culprit, but would take precautions to prevent it reoccurring.