Even if you know the importance of having a savings account at a financial institution, you might feel comfortable keeping some cash in the house. This way, you always have access to funds in an emergency. Understand, however, there's a right and wrong way to stash cash in the house. Here's a few clever and crafty ideas for keeping your money hidden safely.
I may be stating the obvious, but it's worth a mention. While it's smart to have some cash around for an emergency, don't completely neglect your savings account. At the end of the day, cash is safer in a bank account. Bank accounts are FDIC-insured up to $250,000. Unfortunately, you can't replace lost or stolen cash.
A fireproof safe might be one of the best places for your cash. If someone breaks into your house, chances are they'll be unsuccessful trying to break the code to a safe. Make sure you choose a heavy safe, one that would be difficult for a thief to carry from the property.
If someone breaks into your house, you want your cash in the least obvious places. Thieves may look in shoe boxes, under the mattress and in the freezer for valuables. But they may not check your pantries. If you have empty oatmeal or cereal boxes, these make good hiding places for your emergency stash.
This is a clever trick and most thieves won't think twice about examining a tennis balls for valuables. Using a knife, slit a hole in a tennis ball. Fold your cash and stuff the money inside the hole, and then hide the tennis ball.
If you have a plastic bin under your bed for out of season clothes, put your extra cash inside these garments. But don't put cash inside the pockets. Instead, place your cash inside a sock, and then place the sock flat inside a pant leg. Don't hide cash in nicer, designer garments, as these might be a target for thieves. If you're going to hide cash, use older, less attractive garments.
In most cases, a thief isn't going to rummage through your linen closet. Fold an envelope of cash with a towel, and then place this folded towel at the bottom of the pile inside your linen closet. If you have baskets in your linen closet for storage, you can also tape a money envelope to the bottom of one basket.
Most thieve won't care about your dirty laundry, making this the perfect place to hide your money stash. Stuff your cash inside a sock, and then place the sock at the bottom of your dirty clothes basket.
The best place for your money is with a bank, but with so many hiding places in your home, you can stash cash and keep it safe from potential intruders. The key is knowing the best places to put your money, and of course, remembering you're hiding places. What are other tricks for keeping cash in the house?