Good place to hide cash and other valuables?

textbook

If there are no floor boards (concrete flat). is the best place to put money etc in plastic waterproof box and under kitchen units behind board on floor?


Thought about a box in corner of unit which could be seen as boxed in pipes or something but is plastic box under units best idea?

GreyQueen

textbook wrote: »

If there are no floor boards (concrete flat). is the best place to put money etc in plastic waterproof box and under kitchen units behind board on floor?


Thought about a box in corner of unit which could be seen as boxed in pipes or something but is plastic box under units best idea?

Generally speaking, it's not wise to have much cash at home. All the usual theft problems, plus fire, flood or possibly forgetting it or dying unexpectedly without being able to tell your nearest and dearest where to find your cash.

However, if feel you must, there are ways and means. Most people aren't plumbers and you could try putting cash (or other small valuables) into a section of dummy pipework somewhere under the sink. Held on with proper brackets, it could look pretty convincing, until a real plumber gets under there and starts wondering about the pipework to nowhere...

Towel rails and wardrobe/ clothes rail rails are usually hollow chromed tubing about 1 inch in diameter. Perfectly possible to hide things inside those, and it would take a determined thief to find them.

Got curtains? Unless they're very lightweight ones, you've got hems which can be unpicked to create wee hidey-pockets.

You could have a dummy can of product under the sink among the general clutter of cleaning materials and rags which most people hoard. Don't use something which is a solvent or adhesive, in case your place is turned over by a glue-sniffer.

Go to £land and see if they've got those battery pillar candles in. Nice little void inside there. Stick your battery candle on a conventional candlestick on an out-of-the way shelf and let it get dusty.

In the toe of a very tatty pair of unused shoes, in the back of a cupboard somewhere.

Most burglaries are sub10 minute jobs. Most criminals are druggies looking for the price of their next fix. Not the brightest buttons. You won't be able to hide something from a CID-level search but if you can make life difficult, chances are that the crims will move on.

Always, always, have a stash of not-so-valuables like rolled gold jewelley or fake branded watches, or a dead high end electronic plus a modest amount of cash somewhere easy to find. This is your sacrificial offering.

I have a jewellery box which is sitting in plain sight. It contains some not-valuable jewellery (the only kind I own) and a number of what appear to be gold sovreigns to the untutored eye.

I'd like to be a fly on the wall if anyone tried to flog them; they are actually nineteenth century gambling tokens made of pure brass, market value 50p each. But they look pretty special.:rotfl:

Lynplatinum

Hiya

Great ideas GQ!

My mum used to hide £5 on page 5; £10 on page 10; £20 on page 20 of certain books on a certain topics!!

When she died - she left over 1500 books! We had to spend ages looking through all of them, as, while she told me of this trick she neglected to tell me which topic!! :rotfl: (She must have been laughing herself silly knowing Mum!)

But its still a good trick as I doubt the thieves are gonna sit down and read a book!!

Also, when my son was burgled his dog saw the thieves off!! When my son rang me to tell me he had been broken into he was more concerned if the dog was ok!!! :rotfl:

Son then installed a camera which sends remote pictures to his phone if it senses movement outside the back door - the dog wondered what this was and so we have several shots of a puzzled looking dog watching the camera when let out in the back garden - so funny :rotfl:
nite all

milasavesmoney

The base of lamps. Be sure to neatly glue back the felt covering.

Do not hid things in closets or dressers. Obvious I know, but it's surprising how many people think they have things hidden well. That said, my OH does have a bit of cash in an old suit breast pocket. Not sure if he is brilliant or dumb.

My uncle took the side panel off his washing machine and taped an envelope full of money there.

monnagran

My parent's house was broken into while they were on holiday. It was a large house in a prestigious road, but boy! did they choose the wrong house!
Parents were never interested in 'worldly possessions.'
The only things of value were some antiquarian books and some rare plants in the garden. None of which appealed as a source of quick cash.
In fact the only thing the burglars could find to make off with was an old tin containing my Dad's supply of KitKats. I bet they were pretty ancient too as Dad tended to hoard them. They usually bent as you bit into them.

Dad grieved over the loss of his KitKats.

The next time they went on holiday Dad left a notice in the hall.

IF YOU FIND ANYTHING WORTH TAKING I'LL SHARE IT WITH YOU.

x

Slinky

Tampax box beside the toilet. No self respecting burglar is going to touch that.

GreyQueen

I once had a very interesting converstion with one of the Metropolitan Police's scene-of-the-crime officers, who I met briefly in a social situation.

He told me that the most desirable items for burglars are cash, jewellery, bank cards, certain electronics, ID documents and car keys.

Well, haven't got a car, my electronics are limited to a 14 y.o.desktop PC and an 19 y.o. CD player. Don't think they're gonna be taken away as have no resale value whatsoever.

Among my 'jewellery' is what could easily be taken for a rose gold neck chain. It's rather pretty. It's actually made of copper and it's scrap value is 5p, which is why a pal who buys scrap offered it to me for free.

There seems to be a psychology among thieves that if they have taken the trouble to get into somewhere (home, shed, whatever) they have to take something, even if it is of relatively low value. Which is why you should always have a sacrificial offering, so this need is fulfilled.

Mind you, I know people who've had some surprising things taken in burglaries, as well as the typical things listed above; bonsai trees, the spice rack, pasta, a pkt of orange drinks, every item of food in cupboards, fridge and freezer, a 25 y.o. vacuum cleaner........

:cool: If anyone is reading this and feeling smug because they've got a safe - I have some bad news. I know several people who have had their safes stolen in burglaries. And other people, who know quite a bit about safes, who tell me that any safe will break open if you hit it often enough on the corners with a lump hammer.

There is also an aspect of safe-ownership which many don't think of; you can't usually bring them home by yourself. Which means that other people will know you have a safe, and may speak unwisely, or be dishonest themselves.

moneyistooshorttomention

..and the ironic thing that is striking me is that thieves may read this thread....as well as normal people.:cool:

I also think thieves are thick (certainly personal experience of encountering them helped confirm that) - but not that thick they can't read....

GreyQueen

Which is why, Money, I haven't disclosed any information about where I might hide my valuables. Presupposing I had any valuables to hide. Which may or may not be the case, and which I am not going to tell the 'net about.:rotfl:

A quick internet search will reveal no end of covert places to hide valuables, home-made and commercially available.

A burglary will typically involve any piece of furniture which can be turned over being turned over, including beds. Drawers will be dumped out, cupboard contents hauled out, even books thrown about. Most things will be thrown around and upended. Cushions and pillows may be slashed open.

Most people keep some valuables in their underwear drawer. The commonest place to hide valuables is in our bedrooms. Thieves know this.

The commonest sort of burglary is a walk-in, when the householder has left a door unlocked or a window open. The commonest sort of burglar is a drug addict. Who is desperate and in a hurry and unlikely to be a connoisseur of antiquarian books, fine art or certain collectables. Most burglars are in and out with change from 10 minutes. All a householder needs to do is make sure that whatever they are hiding is deeper than a hasty search can uncover.

My inner-city block is actually flagged by a major insurer (this I know from a pal who works for them) as a high crime neighbourhood. Funnily enough, in the 10 + years I've lived here, in a block with over100 flats, there have been precisely no burglaries and only a few shed break-ins.

I doubt there are many suburban streets who could boast such a safety record. I attribute it to this being quite a poor neighbourhood, with many pretty streetwise people, a considerable few of whom have done time for crimes against persons and property. I'm sure I have a convicted murderer or two as near neighbours.

Break into a flat at Shoebox Towers and you may end up carrying your teeth and your spleen home in your swag bag, frankly.

Gers

I have no hiding places to offer, however if you have a stash of cash bear in mind that all bank notes are being replaced by the new polymer ones. All paper notes are being withdrawn gradually so your stash will become impossible to spend in a couple of years.

Mr.Generous

Some pretty ingenious places, no burglar is ever going to find cash inside the working parts of a washing machine. Not exactly handy for the owner though.
I can confirm that small safe's are opened by force from when my brother discovered he'd lost his keys, passports were inside and they were going away in a couple of days.
When we moved house years ago we had just purchased an expensive and desirable model of vacuum cleaner. I kept the box in case of any problem, but we cleaned our house before departure and were planing to do same when moving in. Being a MSE even in those days I used the box to help pack up, and found the kids paddling pool fitted neatly in the box. Being a retail man in those days I always taped boxes up beautifully, you tension the clear tape and produce a seal that looks factory. (How do you think retailers flog off all the stuff opened in the shop or ex display?:j:j)
So on moving day, amid the confusion and sweat and toil I shifted the Dy... er sorry upmarket vacuum cleaner box around to the front of the house but my Dad and brother in law had taken a load in the van - we were only moving 1/2 mile, so I placed it by the drive with some other stuff and carried on fetching.
Some enterprising swine spotted it because at some point I realised the £5 kids paddling pool was gone.
I've often wondered, indeed hoped, that the thieving git sold it in a pub to some local hard case for £50 and got some physical retribution from the purchaser. :beer: