![\"conversations](\"\/\/www.savingadvice.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/conversations-with-a-burglar-550x490.jpg\")
I had quite the interesting conversation a while back with a person who happened to be a former burglar.<\/p>\n\nI had quite the interesting conversation a while back with a person who happened to be a former burglar.<\/p>\n
It was great timing because I was wondering if something like the skid mark underwear for hiding money would really work. I also figured that if you wanted to know the best place to hide your money from a burglar, a former burglar was the person to ask.<\/p>\n
I started off simply and was not surprised by the answer to the question \u201cwhere is the best place to hide your money?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAt the bank<\/em>,\u201d he said with a sly grin<\/p>\n When I rephrased and asked where the best place to hide money and valuables in the house<\/b> would be if you had such items there, I was taken a bit by surprise by his answer:<\/p>\n \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter how clever you think you are or where you hide it in your house, if I have enough time, I would be able to find where you stash your valuables,<\/em>\u201d he said bluntly. He then explained that what was much more important than the actual place where you hide your valuables is that you understand a burglar\u2019s motivations. Basically, he has two:<\/p>\n 1. To steal your money and valuables<\/p>\n 2. To get out of the house as quickly as possible with these goods<\/p>\n When you begin to think of it from this perspective, how you should hide your money changes a bit. Obviously, you don\u2019t want to leave all your money in the places where the burglar will first look: dresser drawers, drawers by phones, desks, closets, a safe (if not bolted down), boxes, jewelry boxes, purse, etc.). That being said, you also don\u2019t want to hide all of your money too well for the following reason:<\/p>\n \u201cIf I can\u2019t find money and valuables in the normal places I usually find them, I would continue to tear the house apart until I found something. Remember, the first rule is to to steal money and valuables. We\u2019ll keep looking until we find something.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Your best strategy, then, is to actually leave some money in obvious places for the burglar to quickly find (the same applies if you keep all your money in the bank). This can not only save your other stash of money, but may actually keep the burglar from destroying your place as he looks for where you have hidden your money. If they believe they may have found the cash that you have in the house, they are much less likely to keep looking (remember, they want to get out asap). In the end, if you hide all your money well, you may win a moral victory in not letting the burglar find the money, but you\u2019ll likely have much more damage done to your place that will end up costing you more in the long run.<\/p>\n The next obvious question was \u201cHow much money should you leave for the burglar to find?<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt depends on the area where you live. If you are in a upscale community and only leave $100, I would assume there is more and keep looking. In a different part of town $100 would convince me I found all the money that was there and leave.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n When it comes to hiding valuables, his suggestion is to mark an envelope in an easily accessible drawer or with files by your computer with \u201cBank Safe Deposit Box\u201d on the outside and a list of items on the inside. This will tip off the burglar that your most valuable items are stored at the bank and will discourage him from tearing up your house looking for them.<\/p>\n So the question of where is the best places to hide money still hadn\u2019t been answered?<\/p>\n His number one recommendation for money was in toys in a young child\u2019s room. As he explained, young children don\u2019t have money, they have an abundance of toys and most parents don\u2019t trust a child around money. Therefore, parents will rarely hide money there. In addition, when money is hidden, it is usually hidden away neatly and securely \u2014 a child\u2019s room is rarely a neat place making it an unlikely place for money to be hidden. Plus with all the stuff in a child\u2019s room, it is not someplace that a burglar can search quickly and get out (rule #2).<\/p>\n If you have a safe, it should be professionally bolted down so it can\u2019t easily be removed. If you leave some token money for the burglar to find in the places they normally look for money, then anyplace you wouldn\u2019t normally consider a place to hide valuables will usually keep those valuables safe. The underside of trash cans, inside laundry detergent, inside false packaging (but only if the packaging appears real and is in the appropriate place \u2013 \u201cWhen you find a Campbell\u2019s soup can in the bedroom, you have a pretty good idea there is money inside<\/em>\u201d) were some examples he gave.<\/p>\n And my question of whether skid mark underwear would be a good place to hide money?<\/p>\n He laughed. \u201cI haven\u2019t heard of that, but I doubt I would have touched something like that had I seen it.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n He related one time a person had left wads of money inside the empty battery areas of electronics around the house. The problem was that although he had not found the hidden money at first, the electronics themselves were worth money and he took those to sell. Only when he got home and was checking that everything worked did he find the hidden cash. The person hid the money well, but not in a good place.<\/p>\n if you do hide money someplace around the house, make sure that your significant other (or someone close) knows where your hiding place is. If something unfortunate happens to you and nobody knows where your hidden stash is, it\u2019s unlikely that they will be able to find it if a burglar isn\u2019t able to find it. Worse, it could very easily be accidentally thrown away depending on where it is hidden.<\/p>\n The burglar said a lot more, but to wrap this up, I wanted to share a few interesting ideas for hiding cash in your home.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n The term \u201chiding in plain sight\u201d comes to mind with this safe. The benefits of this safe are that it looks just like regular clock that you might have on your mantelpiece. It also has that mid-western innocuous middle class feel to it, which means burglars are likely to miss it. This safe comes with a key locking mechanism. While the space inside is modest with only a 3\u2032 depth the it is perfect for hiding cash, important papers or other small valuables.\u00a0 You can get it on Amazon.<\/p>\n The QuickVent Safe locking system is a good place to hide and secure weapons, money, jewelry, and other small valuables. The safe looks just like an HVAC vent so it blends in on any wall, effectively hiding your valuables in plain sight. This safe is perfect for home defense weapons \u2013 but secured from thieves or children. It\u2019s a bit pricier than several other home safes and it requires more installation hassle, but could be worth if it you keep large amounts of cash or important jewelry at home.\u00a0 You can get it at Amazon here.<\/p>\n Lastly if you don\u2019t want to spend any money and you are pretty handy, consider making a hidden door stash safe. What you do is drill a hole in the top of one of your solid core wooden doors big enough for a cigar tube with a screw-on lid. Include a recessed lip to hold a top that\u2019s a bit bigger than the tube \u2014 that way, the tube won\u2019t fall inside the door (a washer fixed to the cigar tube top is the perfect lid). This stash spot is pretty small, but its big enough for cash and some kinds of jewelry.<\/p>\n Finally, here is an interview with burglar Michael Shayne Durden. Durden was a 20 year career Texas burglar operating in Collin and Dallas counties. His insight is instructive.<\/p>\n \nPart II: Don\u2019t Hide Money In The Toilet: More Conversation With A Burglar<\/p>\n Photo Credit: Ali de Niese<\/p>\nYour child\u2019s room<\/strong>.<\/h2>\n
In a bolted down safe.<\/strong><\/h2>\n
You also need to be smart about where you hide the money<\/strong>.<\/h3>\n
Here are some tips from a personal finance angle.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
For More On Preventing Crime In Your Home<\/h3>\n
1. Ps Concealment Clock \u2013 Rectangle<\/h4>\n
![\"clock](\"\/\/www.savingadvice.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/diversion-safe-150x150.jpg\")
Via Amazon.com $55.12.<\/p>\n2. Quick Vent Safe<\/h4>\n
![\"Quick](\"\/\/www.savingadvice.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Quick-Vent-Safe-With-RFID1-150x150.jpg\")
Via Amazon.com $99.00.<\/p>\n3. Hidden Door Stash Safe<\/h4>\n
![\"hidden](\"\/\/www.savingadvice.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/hidden-door-safe-150x150.jpg\")
DIY Cost: $0.00.<\/p>\n