Hide Your Cash

Quick Hiding Places
So you've just bought a new ring and don't feel comfortable leaving it in the jewelry box for a day or so.
You've got good reason not to. If you need to hide an item temporarily, there are some simple, reasonably
secure ways to do it.
Light switch plates or light fixtures can be unscrewed and small valuables hidden within the hollow spaces
behind them. Of course, make sure the electricity is shut off at the breaker when you remove the plate
and that the item won't interfere with the wiring.
A stuffed toy can make a good hiding place, but make sure it's one your child isn't likely to take out of the
house and lose. Just cut the toy open along a seam, place the item inside and sew the toy closed again.
This toy should be placed in the back of your own or an older child's closet. A tennis ball can also be slit
open to hold a valuable item, then placed back in the can to be stored in the back of a closet.
While just leaving a wad of cash in the cookie jar isn't a great idea, many food storage containers and
even food itself can work well as temporary "safes". Wrap your valuables in plastic or foil and place the
package inside a container of rice, beans, or flour that's stored out of sight or at the back of a shelf.
Condiment containers, such as ketchup and mayonnaise bottles, can also hold small items. Consider
wrapping jewelry or cash in foil and storing it in the freezer. Packages of frozen vegetables can be thawed
and refrozen with items inside them.
Diversion safes: how beer and soup can defeat thieves

A diversion safe is a small, non-locking safe that looks like an ordinary household item, such as a beer
can, soup can, candle, or pack of CDs. Some are even made to look like real products, such as OxiClean
sink cleaner. There are also salt shaker and water bottle safes that, rather than being completely opaque,
actually appear to be filled with salt or water. According to the Chicago Police, beer can "safes" can
conceal valuables even better than real safes.
The Yard
1. Buried Containers
Like buried treasure, encasing your valuables in double layer plastic bags and then placing them in a
water-tight container will keep them safe. Just make sure no one is watching when you bury it.
2. Lawn furniture legs
Many plastic, or metal patio furniture has hollow legs. Wooden furniture legs can be hollowed out easily
with a drill. After securing your valuables in several layers of plastic bag, simply insert them into the
furniture legs.
3. Paving stones
If you have a patio or walkway of unset paving or stepping-stones, you can hide your valuables under one
of them. Just be sure to remember which one you have used, and make sure that it is impossible to tell by
looking at them.
The Kitchen
1. Flour bin
Flour and sugar bins are great places to hide bagged valuables as long as you keep the bin full enough to
cover them.
2. Frozen food pack
Hiding your valuables inside a resealed frozen food box, such as a microwave dinner, will fool any
criminal. Pile it at the bottom of the rest of your frozen food and no one will notice anything different about
it.
3. The Pantry
Like the frozen food idea, you can do the same thing with your pantry. Hide your valuables inside a cereal
or pasta box, or even a well-washed jar covered well by a label.
The Other Rooms
1. Potted Plants
Valuables that you don't have to get at frequently can be hidden well inside potted plants. Securing them
in sturdy plastic bags and burying them in the potting soil will make it impossible to find them.
2. Fish tanks
With airtight containers, your valuables can be hidden under the gravel, in the filter (if small), or inside
decorations in your fish tank.
3. Inside Candles
4. Furniture Panels
A popular place to hide valuables is in hidden compartments in desks and dressers. However, you can
also hide them inside the springs of a couch, in hollowed out furniture legs, or behind decorative molding.
5. Curtains
Thin valuables such as paper stock certificates or bonds can be sewn into heavy, and dark colored,
curtains or draperies. They will not be noticeable resting in the curtain lining.
This list of unusual places to hide your valuables will fool and thieves that may break into your home. The
most unusual place is often the safest. Hide your valuables so that thieves and criminals cannot find
them.
How to Hide Your Secret Stash

I've always had a somewhat disturbing habit of hiding (more like hoarding) money. It really came into play
during my years away from home when I was the victim of countless robberies, committed mostly by my
so called
friends. Definitely should have listened to my parents when they told me to be careful who I trusted. Yes,
Mom and Dad, you were right. I have come up with many ingenious and somewhat tedious ways to hide
money although thankfully, I don't need to hide money anymore (having a secret stash of cash is always
recommended for emergencies though).
Hollow pens are amazing at hiding money. Go buy a value pack of those thick, fancy pens. Go home and
unscrew them and when you take out the cartridge you will find ample room to roll up a couple twenty
dollar bills around the ink cartridge and then put it back like normal. Take your stash of pens and mix
them among the pens you already have. I used a junk drawer with random, worthless stuff and even went
the measure of rubbing dirt on the pens to make them look old and worthless and keeping your secret
stash safe.
If you are a girl, chances are you will have a bra. Get some cheap padded bras that no one would want
but make sure they are colors like black and are not sheer. Take out the padding, stash some bills where
the padding goes, put the padding back and viola! Your secret stash of cash is safe. To hide money in an
old bra is timeless. Who is going to steal or think to go through a cheap ten dollar bra?
Do you have a huge box of powder or grain laundry detergent? This takes does take a bit of time and gets
super messy but get a big container, pour out the detergent or any other substance that is a generic
household item, hide your secret stash of money in a couple of sealed zip lock bags at the bottom of the
box, and pour it all back in on top of your stash.
During my wandering days, I used to own a pea coat. The inside had a satin like material over the tweed
material of the jacket. I would cut a very small line down the bottom of the jacket along the seam of the
satin,
shove my secret stash in there, and then sew it back up carefully. This means anytime you need the
money you hide, you need to make the same cut. I've heard of tips of hiding money in jacket coats, but if I
was a robber, that's the first place I would look. Make sure the jacket isn't the greatest quality or someone
might want the entire jacket!
One of my favorite tricks that was extremely time consuming and really annoying when I needed the
money was to buy a thick photo album; the kind where there is paper backing and a plastic cover over the
pictures. I would painstakingly separate out my secret stash and put one bill at a time behind a picture
and glue just the corners, carefully not letting the clue touch the bill I centered underneath the photo.
Then put the photo book somewhere obvious. It's awesome to hide money right under someone's nose,
literally.
Well, there go all my hiding places for my secret stash. Guess I have to find another spot to hide money
at home!
had quite the interesting conversation this weekend with a person who happened to be a former burglar.
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.
I started off simply and was not surprised by the answer to the question “where is the best place to hide your
money?”
“At the bank,” he said with a sly grin
When I rephrased and asked where the best place to hide money and valuables in the house would be if you had
such items there, I was taken a bit by surprise by his answer:

“It doesn’t 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,” 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’s motivations. Basically, he has
two:
1. To steal your money and valuables
2. To get out of the house as quickly as possible with these goods
When you begin to think of it from this perspective, how you should hide your money changes a bit. Obviously, you
don’t 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’t want to
hide all of your money too well for the following reason:
“If I can’t 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’ll keep looking until we find
something.”
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’ll likely have much more damage done to your place that will end up costing you more in the long
run.
The next obvious question was “How much money should you leave for the burglar to find?”
“It 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.”
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 “Bank Safe Deposit Box” 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.
So the question of where is the best places to hide money still hadn’t been answered?
His number one recommendation for money was in toys in a young child’s room. As he explained, young children
don’t have money, they have an abundance of toys and most parents don’t 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
— a child’s room is rarely a neat place making it an unlikely place for money to be hidden. Plus with all the stuff in a
child’s room, it is not someplace that a burglar can search quickly and get out (rule #2).
If you have a safe, it should be professionally bolted down so it can’t 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’t 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 – “When you
find a Campbell’s soup can in the bedroom, you have a pretty good idea there is money inside”) were some examples
he gave.
And my question of whether the skid mark underwear would be a good place to hide money?
He laughed. “I haven’t heard of that, but I doubt I would have touched something like that had I seen it.”
You also need to be smart about where you hide the money. 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.
One last tip from a personal finance angle – 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’s unlikely that they will be able to find it if a burglar isn’t able to find it.
Worse, it could very easily be accidentally thrown away depending on where it is hidden.
Part II: Don’t Hide Money In The Toilet: More Conversation With A Burglar
With my previous post The Best Place To Hide Money – Conversation With A Burglar being one of my most popular
posts ever on this site, there wasn’t any hesitation when I was at another gathering over the weekend and spotted the
former burglar that had given me the information.
I went straight up to him and asked if I could talk with him for awhile. This is what I learned from the second conversation we
had:
Most people don’t understand the motivation of why the burglar is stealing. As he explained:
99% of the burglars on the street aren’t like the ones you see in the movies where stealing is their chosen profession. They are
motivated by more sinister reasons. They are part of organized crime, they are part of a gang or, as in my case at the time, they
are drug addicts.
When you realize that you are most likely hiding your money away from people described above and not the professional
burglars you see in the movies and on TV, it gives a different perspective of where you absolutely shouldn’t be hiding your
money.
What he explained was that when people hide their money, they usually think of a place where they would never look themselves
instead of where a burglar is unlikely to find the money. Take, for example, the back of the closet in a box where he said he often
found valuables. For the person who is hiding the money or valuables, this is an inconvenient place and it takes effort to get to.
Since all the boxes in front of it have meaning and therefore need to be carefully placed aside before reaching the box that
contains valuables in the back, it seems like an inconvenient place to access. For the burglar, however, the boxes in front have no
meaning and he will simply throw them aside without a second thought making it quite easy to access that hiding place.
As the conversation continued, the former burglar mentioned “bonus places” he sometimes found money. These were places that
he always looked that an average homeowner might consider a good place to hide money, but it wasn’t money that he was after.
If there happened to be money there, however, it was a nice, unexpected bonus.
All burglars have habits and there were certain places I always checked for a specific reason – I was a drug addict. I’m sure that
other burglars have their particular search areas beyond the obvious drawers and closets, but I bet that most search these areas,
too.
These are the areas he always searched and the reason why you don’t want to hide money there:
Toilets: While this might seem like an unlikely place for a burglar to look, in the toilet bowl tank (as well as all the area round
the toilet) is one place that he always took the time to look: “In and around the toilet is where a lot of people hide their drugs. The
tank seems an especially popular place, but I will also search boxes of tampons, toilet paper rolls, potpourri… If it is in the
vicinity of the toilet and looks like drugs could be hidden there, I would look.”
Cereal Boxes: As with the toilet, “Cereal boxes are another place where a lot of people like to hide drugs. I’m sure that the
people who didn’t have drugs in their house wondered why there was cereal spread all over their kitchen after I robbed them.”
Refrigerator & Freezer: The refrigerator may be another place that would seem unlikely for a burglar to investigate, but as he
pointed out, “Many drugs last longer when refrigerated so big stashes end up in the refrigerator. Prescription drugs could also be
found in the refrigerator.”
Medicine Cabinet: As with the refrigerator, “The medicine cabinet would usually be filled with prescription drugs that could be
just as valuable on the street (or for self use) as illegal drugs.”
Bed: “I would toss everything surrounding the bed. I’d check pillows, between the mattresses, under the bed and inside anything
close to the bed. This is often where people would hide their guns.”
64 Responses to “Don’t Hide Money In The Toilet: More

Conversation With A Burglar”
1. Peter Says:
March 6th, 2007 at 4:21 pm
Good information. I switched my hiding place and put some money on my dresser.
2. Steven Says:
Who here keeps more then $1000 in the house? I keep all my money in the bank let alone
what is in my wallet (my wallet in some bills wrapped around a credit card).
If I regularly kept a lot of money at home I’d put in a nice safe.
3. Clever Dude Says:

I keep my drugs at the pharmacy.Rob them instead!
4. Teri Says:
There is a t.v. show on Discovery Channel that is just fascinating I think – “It Takes a
Thief.” Premise is Ex-pro-burglars target particular houses, go inside and ask if they can
“rob” them (throw in a free security upgrade). Very eye opening. The homeowners watch
as they ransack their house and take off with their valuables – gets very emotional – and
the mess too… Then they fix their security, give them tips.
It is very eye opening to see what makes you a target, and the places you would never
think they would look for your goods…
What I have learned is nothing beats a (good) security system and locked doors. Making
it look like someone is home, etc. Once they get in, nothing is safe unless it is bolted to
the ground… The worst is they always takes the cars too – lock up those keys in a safe
bolted to the wall.
Oh yeah – on this show they ransack the bedrooms, closets, fridge, kitchen, bathrooms…
You are right! My eyes have been opened – in and out in 5 minutes with every last
valuable… They know where to look…
5. Carol Says:
March 8th, 2007 at 10:35 am
Sorry, but my first thought after I read this was “Store your treasures in heaven, where
thieves can’t get them and moths can’t corrupt”. If you own anything on this earth,
somebody will be plotting to take it, even the homeless get robbed. I guess the best
advice is to make sure you have good insurance. Life’s too short to be worrying how to
protect your “stuff”.
6. Fern Says:
I have to question all this advice. I attended the local police academy (for citizens) in my
hometown, and i was told there that most burglars are in and out of a house in about 10
minutes. The longer they linger, the more likely they’ll get caught. I find it hard to
believe that the typical burglar is going to feel comfortable searching all these little
hiding spots. It would take too long!
7. John Says:
After reading the last thread like this one, I actually leave some money on my computer
desk in plain sight at all times. I figure the average “money” burglar will take that 20-50
bucks and run with it. This potentially leaves my real stash safe.
8. Torsten Says:
Interesting perspectives, but most are the complete inverse of what I do. I live in Brazil
where the possibility of armed robbery inside your house is real. I keep roughly $1000 in
the house for just this reason. If a robber comes in, he wants money, and if he doesn’t get
it things can get ugly. The worst thing you can have is a safe. I know a gentleman who
was forced to open his safe at gunpoint. It took him four tries. After the third try, the man
asked him to pick one of his kids for him to shoot, and then maybe he’d remember the
combination. Also, word gets around that you have a safe at home, and you don’t want
that.
9. Monday Twofer | MAWOPI Says:

[...] Ask a burglar! [...]
10. WB Says:
March 12th, 2007 at 11:19 am
The only money I have in my home is in my purse, a spare change jar, and lost coins
under the seat cushions. I suppose I should start “hiding” a stash of $100 so the bad guys
can have it and stop trashing the house looking for it?
11. SharpieSniffer Says:

I don’t ever have cash in the house or in my wallet. I just don’t carry it any more. I don’t
have expensive jewelry, I don’t have high-end electronics. I drive a used Lexus in a
neighborhood with mostly Fords and Chevys. I wonder if my house would be a target
because of that. Thieves would walk away from my house with a four year old MacBook
and a couple of clock radios. Hopefully they wouldn’t shoot me or my children to
assuage their disappointment.
12. Damien Says:

We live in a modest townhome area with a sprinkling of retirees, so there are always
people around. Also everyone can see the entrances to other units (front and back). We
keep dogs, as well. Very little concern of a break-in – too much trouble to sneak in and
very little to make off with! Works for us.
We did have an iPod stolen when we hosted a party though – ugh!
13. Ann Says:

I have some common household items with uncommon contents – money – none of
which have been mentioned by anyone on this blog. I’d tell you what they are…but then
I’d have to kill you!
14. Tina Says:

as a former police officer I’ve seen burglaries where the thieves made off with the persian
rugs!!! most people don’t realize that the burglar doesn’t just hit your home at the last
minute…they are reasonably planned in that if there are no cars in the driveway and its a
weekday they can safely assume your at work and they have some time. I have had cases
where the thief ate a prepared meal and watched t.v. An alarm system is only as good as
the person using it. Those nice jewelry chests, bullets in the drawer leading one to know
there is a gun in the house, nice laptops and even a microwave are all easy marks…what
most people forget is that if people weren’t willing to buy stolen goods for a cheap price
burglars would give up. The next time you think your getting a good deal at a yard sale or
flea market for that nice new item still in the box but really cheap think about how it got
there!!!!
15. Ms Broke Says:

June 21st, 2007 at 9:43 pm
These articles are kind of scary! I don’t keep money at home (I barely keep any money at
all… I’m Gen Y – we don’t do cash very well) but I do have valuables like inherited
jewellery and my laptop.
Will definitely make me think twice when I go on my next business trip about where I’m
stashing my stuff.
16.Keeping Your Stuff Safe at Productivity501 Says:

July 15th, 2007 at 9:44 pm
[...] An ex-burglar says that hiding something anywhere in the bathroom or refrigerator is
a bad idea. Evidently these are [...]
17. Marked by Crime Says:

August 19th, 2007 at 5:31 pm
this helps burglars as well as it helps yourself…
18. Ed Says:
September 21st, 2007 at 11:28 am
I keep a substantial amount of cash stashed securely in my house now in various

denominations. I know I run a risk having it available, but what happens when the
banking system is down after a hurricane or terrorist event? It’s nice to know that I can
still negotiate for things needed by my family (gas, food, etc) in the event of such
incidents. I am not an alarmist, just a realist.
19.Lee Beck » Blog Archive » Tips from a burglar/robber Says:
October 5th, 2007 at 7:30 pm
[...] Some tips from a burglar on where to hide your goods: When people hide their
money, they usually think of a place where they would never look themselves instead of
where a burglar is unlikely to find the money. Take, for example, the back of the closet in
a box where he said he often found valuables. For the person who is hiding the money or
valuables, this is an inconvenient place and it takes effort to get to. Since all the boxes in
front of it have meaning and therefore need to be carefully placed aside before reaching
the box that contains valuables in the back, it seems like an inconvenient place to access.
For the burglar, however, the boxes in front have no meaning and he will simply throw
them aside without a second thought making it quite easy to access that hiding place. [...]
20. Gail Says:

Every time I have been robbed, it was from a member of my family, whether they live
here or not.
I wish I could leave $20.00 on the table by the front door. When I would come in, if it
was there I would know that no one broke in.
with my family I would run out of $
21. Dan Says:

November 23rd, 2007 at 9:50 am
Our house was burglarized twice. Each time it was in broad daylight, while everyone was
gone and no cars were in the driveway. Each time they simply broke the front window
glass on the first floor on the front porch and walked right in the window. They probably
had bags or back packs, as they only stole smaller type items that could be shoved in a
back pack or bag. They did not steal large items like TV or stereo, they only stole loose
small stuff that was easy to grab quickly. The house was not messed up that bad, they hit
mainly closets and dresser drawers. I am guessing they were in and out in 10 minutes. An
additional note, previously when we had a dog, our house never got broken into. But once
the dog passed away and no longer there to bark, that is when we got burglarized.
22. Bazman Says:
May 4th, 2008 at 11:40 pm
The fake tins used for hiding cash and jewelry are also a thing burglars know well.
23.Coin by Coin . com » Don’t Hide Money in the Toilet: Conversations with a
Burglar Says:
May 5th, 2008 at 3:31 am
[...] [Click here for part 1] [...]
24. J Says:
May 24th, 2008 at 9:27 pm
Has it ever occured to any of you bloggers that these sites serve as a hints and tips guide
for decent theives committed to what they do for a living? Pleases don’t take this the
wrong way, but as a seven time convicted felon, all these responses, save the police
officers, are all rather naive. You wanna know so much about the crook because its sexy
and gets your imagination going. I resent the authors comments about how thieves aren’t
anything equal too “movie” thieves. On the contrary they are much more advanced than
you could ever expect. As a reformed criminal I feel I should tell you that no matter what
security measures you have, anything can be stolen from you at anytime.
25. Pete Says:

May 24th, 2008 at 11:03 pm
I’m hoping someone will break into my home and leave some treasure. You know…sorta
like urban Santa.
I think there should be a rule that if a thief can’t find anything of value, he/she has to
leave $50 to help with the clean up. Just a thought.
26. Jockomo Says:
June 22nd, 2008 at 8:24 am
I think the writer and the ex-burglar are the same guy…
27. Pete suff Says:

Jesus people, don’t leave any money for burglars. This article/series is a waste of thought.
Leaving money for a burglar instead of the real stash? That sounds like something a
THIEF would say. Someone posted earlier “Sounds like the author/ex-burglar are the
same person”–no shit sherlock. Sounds like he’s trying to imbue the public with a
impending fear to increase his take, allwhile pretending to be this “helper” He’s probably
still robbing houses like the low life he is. pathetic
Take that “burglar” money and spend it on home/rent insurance. That way when you
have property damage/robbery you’ll be protected
28. Ed Says:
October 12th, 2008 at 5:25 am
to the above poster…do you really think a burglar reads web sites like
‘savingsadvice.com’? C’mon…
29. princess Says:

January 18th, 2009 at 11:38 pm
I am a college tudent for me to keep $20 out for a burglar to find so he won’t trash my
place meens I might not eat for a week.
30. JustaMom Says:
January 19th, 2009 at 1:21 pm
For the love of…
Yeah, burglers aren’t going to read this blog. Hello! I found it by typing “where to find
money”.
We all live in fear and terror. Get to know your neighbors. Watch out the window and
know what goes on in your neighborhood. Get a dog. Don’t live like you have something
worth stealing, don’t brag about it if you do.
31. RealDeal99 Says:

April 13th, 2009 at 11:14 pm
Yes, burglars will read this. The blog is indexed by search engines, and comes up when
people search for things like “How to be a burglar” or “where to find money”.
And the author is correct for the most part. Most thieves are opportunists who want to get
in, get something valuable, and get out ASAP. So if they break in and find a hundred
bucks, they’ll probably think “SCORE” and make a break for it to avoid getting caught
while they’re ahead, not knowing you had a cool 5 grand hidden in the open bag of
brussel sprouts in the freezer.
On the other hand, the minority of criminals who fit the “Professional” category, who
have chosen this as their profession will not be dissuaded, as they have likely done their
homework on you, your neighbors, and your house. They’ll likely know how much time
they have, and they’ll use it to search for the most valuable things they can find.
On the bright side, unless you’re fairly wealthy, you probably won’t be the target of a
“professional” burglar, just the gangster/junkie/opportunist style burglar.
So like the man said, keep your money in the bank. But if you absolutely refuse, and must
keep your money in your home, at least leave a benji somewhere that’s relatively easy to
find.(ie, in an old wallet in your drawer next to your bed)
32. Jim McNeely Says:

May 11th, 2009 at 5:16 pm
Very valuable insight. It has often been said that the best way to protect yourself from a
burglar is to think like a burglar. The worst thing people do is to assume that they do not
have valuables worth taking, but when dealing with criminals that are drug addicted what
they see as insignificant is of great value. Many drug addicted burglars first begin their
theft at home and the places listed in this article are where family members attempted to
hide valuables from them.
33. Jeff Says:

June 12th, 2009 at 8:24 am
Interesting site – I googled for some time to find it. I have been hiding things under my
doona in bed like mentioned in article. Guess I need to find a better hiding spot.
I had a frightening episode almost 20 years ago now when a man with his accomplas tried
kicking in the front door. He was armed with a machetti and said he was going to kill us
when he got in if we didnt open the door. We had no phone back then – was terrifying.
He never got in and the police were called by a neigbour. They apprehended him – turned
out he had been out for less than a month after serving long sentence for murder…
apparently he had problems coping after so long in prison.
This article seems very light hearted considering the seriousness of what is being
discussed. Anyone coming into your home is potentialy a threat to your life or the lives of
your loved ones.
My own gut feeling is not to co-operate with a home intruder. Fight like hell, use what
ever is at your means. It could save your life. The second you start to obey there demands
they have control.
34. Kevin Says:

July 1st, 2009 at 7:00 pm
Lol I keep it in the most obvious place inside my computer literally.
35. Smart Guy Says:

July 28th, 2009 at 11:51 am
NEVER HAVE A SAFE.
You want to try and remember a combination under stress? Is your money worth putting
your life on the line?
Best hiding place: one that you don’t see on this site.
36. JT Says:
July 28th, 2009 at 7:40 pm
many higher end safes have a “duress” combination like the money boxes on atm’s.. 2
combinations will open the safe, one is for you, the other will open the safe but will silent
alarm the police/monitoring service. Put the duress combination on the back of a business
card in your wallet and in a bad situation, tell them, where the combo is, and let them
open it, or you can, but there it is (and the police will be on thier way)
37. Fleebon Says:

August 3rd, 2009 at 7:03 pm
I use sheet metal box mounted to an exterior wall of my house.
The label says “Danger: Extremely high voltage!”
38.A Petty Blog » Blog Archive » The Old New Thing : A burglar tells you the best
place to hide your money Says:
August 4th, 2009 at 7:25 am
[...] this is the launching point for advice from a former burglar on where and where not
to hide your [...]
39. justin Says:

I haven’t carried or had cash on my person in over 10 years. Yah maybe a few bucks here
but it always goes into the bank. I know I might be different then most but I figured credit
cards or ATM cards had started making us a cashless society. I’m sure they would take
cash if found but would go for valuables. (Xboxes, computers tvs jewels etc)
40. David Says:

Good luck to a burglar trying to find valuables in my house. Heck, *I* can’t even find the
damn valuables. If my DVD player gets stolen, I’ll have a good excuse to buy one that is
usable *without* the remote control, which I haven’t found after six months of sporadic
high-intensity searching. Grrr….
41. Yasser Says:

Nice, very informative. I usually don’t have any money to hide anyways, I worry more
about my electronics and what not.
42. Rog Says:

I have every computer in the house set to “call home” via security software if stolen. I
almost pray they take a computer with them.
43.Ryan Sager - Neuroworld - Giving Burglars Their Due - True/Slant Says:

[...] a couple of amusing posts, SavingAdvice.com talks to the best possible source on the
subject: a self-proclaimed former [...]
44. Dan Says:
When I was preparing to move, I sold all my possessions in a yard sale, racking up some
cash to be used on my travel and to get my own place. I got all that cash put into large
bills and hid them in a cheap EverReady flashlight. The kind that takes D Batteries. I
wrapped the bills around the Batteries so the flashlight worked. The thought process was
that it would function and have the weight of a real flashlight, and if my place was broken
into hopefully they would already have their own, better, flashlight.
45. Frank Says:

@Carol,
Since you don’t mind someone taking your stuff, can I get your address?
“Store your treasures in heaven, where thieves can’t get them and moths can’t corrupt”.
HAHAHAHA! Pathetic.
46. Rob Milligan Says:

Now I know where all of you hide your valuables HAHAHAHAHAHA
47. Rob Milligan Says:

Just Kidding All

48. D Says:
Attic? For a while now, esp after hearing about Katrina (I live in a flood plain), I keep
redundant emergency supplies on different levels of the house, including some cash in a
vacuum sealed bag secured to a rafter in the attic. Not the most convenient place, but
hard/time consuming to get to, and if you want to play in the sprayed fiberglass
insulation, be my guest.
How about locking internal doors when you go away for any amount of time? You can
always jimmy them open with a small screwdriver or wire when you get back, but I’m
thinking about my upstairs office, where you would have to breach the door only to be
met with multiple locked file cabinets and a firesafe bolted inside a closet, which can also
be locked. Both time consuming and noisy to get to.
49. Cat Callahan Says:

As a kid back in the 50s, we lived over my dad’s drugstore. He had pain-killers,and other
things that most addicts would have loved to have gotten their hands on-but they never
did! Why? Dad had several guns and knew how to use them! And we always had noisey
barking dogs! Keep a dog and you have noise and distraction-2 things burglars hate!
50. erdtirdmans Says:

August 22nd, 2009 at 12:00 pm
Fern (commenter #6): You are right… and wrong. A thief doesn’t hang around for more
than 10 minutes, but in 10 minutes, he’d clean our your house including nearly every
likely hiding spot.
Just because it would take you 25 minutes to check every one of these spots doesn’t mean
an adrenaline-rush fueled person with no concern for damaging the property they are
searching through who does this 20 times a month would.
51. Sam Says:
Not yet mentioned, a dog can be bribed with treats in seconds. Arrange things so it takes
too much time for an intruder to make friends with fido.
Never leave tools laying about the yard, they will use them to break in and then take the
most worth stealing tools.
I only keep a Safe for fire safety reasons for documents I am too lazy to take to the bank.
52. Amanda Says:

September 7th, 2009 at 11:20 am
There’s always money in the Banana Stand!
53. Stephen S Says:

September 12th, 2009 at 7:31 pm
If someone is after a specific item you have – No amount of security will protect it.
A crime of opportunity is different. Quality doors/locks that are actually used can drop
the risk. Locked windows too.
Security windows can do a lot. Generally expensive. plexiglass windows for the ones
most likely to get busted are cheap.
But.. If someone WANTS IN.. They will get in. Even the highest security locks used at
places like the pentagon can be picked in seconds to minutes.
54. Frank Says:

As has been mentioned the tins you can hide cash in are very well known, and the tin of
“soup” in the bedroom stands out like a sore thumb.
Unfortunately for the thief, if they touch the soup tin on the shelf in my bedroom, they
will get an unpleasant electric shock (dog shock collar inside) and a loud siren (not in the
can) will start wailing.
Other valuable things, like my computer for instance, will trigger an alarm if they are
carried across any threshold. (Rigged with one of those dog collars that trigger when it
passes a cable. The cable is hidden alongside the thresholds.)
Disabling requires a screwdriver or waiting until the internal battery runs out.
55. Always Thinking Says:

I hide all of my big bills inside the picture of my Mother In Law , aint no one looking in
there!!! That picture is better than a guard dog on PCP !!
56. Deb Says:

I have been burgled at least 5 times in my life; different locations, cities, etc. And yes, my
children’s room was ransacked. I have been a single mom for many years. My girls were
3 and 5 at the time, and their room was a MESS, but the burglers trashed it even more,
especially the bed. I have had my refrigerator/freezer trashed, came home to frozen
huckleberries melting all over the floor. At times I have had (in my opinion) NOTHING
to steal, but they still took my ancient microwave when they couldn’t find anything else.
They have taken spare car keys. I have almost always had dogs; but as someone
mentioned, the thieves probably threw them a bone and the dogs went off happily and
quietly to enjoy. But when the sheriff came, they barked like hell. Didn’t like the uniform
I guess!
I am almost to the point of just leaving the door unlocked, leave them a couple hundred
bucks in plain sight, with a note for them to please take it. It would be cheaper than
replacing doors and locks, windows, and cleaning up afterward.
I have always been burgled in broad daylight, when at work and kids in school. Unless
you live in a neighborhood with a nosy neighbor who stays home all the time, with a
clear view of all angles of your home, you can be burgled any time and the thieves can be
in and out with no one the wiser.
57. helio Says:
March 24th, 2010 at 11:33 am
Who DOESN’T keep income that was paid to them in cash? Put it in your bank account
and you’ll have to explain to the IRS where it came from. If you clean houses or mow
lawns for extra money (or to make a living), you’re sure not going to take it to the bank.
At $80 to $100 a house, you only need 8 or 10 ladies to collect $1,000, specially if the
ladies hire you to come in twice a month. Or even once a week, if you’re really lucky.
58. Chris Says:

I have been robbed 13 times in the last 3 months and I like to hide all my cash in the
manhole outside in my yard.I also keep some in a large dictionary that I cut a lot of the
pages out so it looks normal, but when you open it, there is a large spacein the middle.I
keep gold jewlery in melted candle wax.I keep my credit cards in my computer after I
have unscrewed the cover off it.
59. eilee Says:

May 10th, 2010 at 6:33 pm
I appreciated this article. I live with an emotionally challenged young adult who steals
from me and the household. Until I can figure out how to teach her to not steal, I am glad
to know these ideas for hiding my cash. I can’t leave all of my money in the bank. I need
some ready cash. She would even take the needed change. I once had a safe, but she
damaged it trying to open it. So, that’s out. Anyway, I can’t afford a more secure one. I
am beginning to learn solutions to teaching her to respect my belongings. Thank you for
this article. I will implement these locations and hopefully I will have success and peace
of mind.
60. Antony Says:

June 6th, 2010 at 8:45 am
I liked this article. It’s been pointed out – correctly – that some cannot bank all their cash
for fear of the revenue people. Another reason for caution, I suggest, is the fallout from
the banking crisis of 2007/8. Here in England runs on two banks saw queues of people
desperate to get their money out and failing. Plenty went back to leaving it under the
mattress after that I can tell you.
As to confronting burglars I’m afraid we are not quite so well placed over here. Barred
from defending ourselves, let alone owning guns, the government advises sitting the
miscreant down and discussing his problems over a hot meal, being careful not to judge
him or to infringe his human rights by unwarranted references to working for a living.
Similarly any homeowners tempted to use electrical voltage to discourage theft would
almost certainly face porridge for ‘taking the law into their own hands’ (it’s meant to be
ours in the first place actually). The burglar, for his part, would immediately sue the
homeowner, likely obtaining several thousand pounds in compensation.
And no, I’m not being facetious.
61. jaycee Says:

June 18th, 2010 at 10:31 pm
I searched for “where to hide jewelry” then “where to hide valuables” and this site came
up. My home was burgled once. I had my jewelry in a jewelry box on my dresser. He (a
neighbor saw him and he was caught later) took only one item from the jewelry box. A
piece of costume jewelry worth maybe one dollar. He left the emerald and diamond ring
set in white gold. He left the diamond ring set in 18k yellow gold. In fact he left
everything else in the box. Granted there was not much there but he took the largest and
most intricate (gaudy) piece of jewelry in the box. Anyone who knows jewelry would
know the stones on that piece were fake and worth nothing. It wasn’t even real silver. But
he was not a jeweler, he was a thief. It was obvious he went through all the drawers in my
home. The only thing he got was the cheap bracelet. He never found my purse which was
actually in plain sight but not where most women put their purse. There was a few
thousand in cash in it at the time. Turns out he needed cash. Don’t think he was a drug
addict but stole money or valuables he could sell. I have learned not to put my jewelry in
a jewelry box on the dresser. LOL My MIL puts hers in a shoebox in her closet — as if a
burglar would never look there. I have to agree that if someone wants to steal something,
they will find a way. But some burglars are not casing your home, they may just check
for an unlocked door (or one easily opened). In this case, he had some gadget to open the
garage door and knew most people do not lock the door from the garage to the house. He
made his way in.
I had a friend who dated a burglar, by the way. I learned a lot about where NOT to put
things and most of what this has said is true. No lockboxes or safes are a deterrent. Once
in, they can pretty much find something they think is worth taking. And NO don’t leave
him cash somewhere – doh. At least make him work for it. A friend had a bike stolen
even though it was locked. It’s no guarantee. As they say, locks are to keep HONEST
people honest. i.e., don’t place temptation in their face as they may not be able to resist.
A burglar or thief will do anything they feel they must to get what they want. One on
drugs is a dangerous combination. Try your best to keep them OUT of your home first.
i.e. security systems, dogs, signs stating you have them, etc. They say an ounce of
prevention … etc.
62. anuraj Says:

July 12th, 2010 at 6:11 pm
I agree with the last article i keep around 20-50 bucks on the coffee table in my living
room. I figure the burglar would take that an run, and i was right. I got robbed a few days
ago and the only thing that was missing was the 40 dollars i left on the coffee table. Im
happy cus i have 400 bucks somewhere in my house
63. Nead Digger Says:

You could put quarantine for small pox stickers on your windows and doors. Have dogs,
keep a gun in your pocket in case you arrive home and a burglar decides to be a robber
and attempts to force you to open a safe at gun / knife point. You could pull out your
pistol and put a mag / cylinder of bullets into his / it’s head.
64. Myself Says:

I keep about $1000 in my house, for reasons already mentioned here, among others. It’d
be nice to go totally cashless, but I don’t like knowing Visa/MC get 3% of everything I
spend (if you are paying with a debit card, the store is paying a fee, and I don’t like to
stick small businesses with that.) I’d LOVE to get a dog but I’m not home enough, and in
my #!$&@!! neighborhood, it’d probably get stolen for fighting or bait. Last fall, my big
tv got stolen so now there’s nothing worth stealing (except the cash.) After reading this,
I’ll be moving it- not to the bank, there’s plenty there already- to a safer hiding place I
won’t disclose here. Off limits: bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, office, or any drawer (I’ve
hidden $ in bathroom & office before, oops! And one place was so good I forgot I’d put it
there.) I own LOTS of crap, none of which has a street value, much of which would be
great to hide cash in/under! Thanks for the tips!
Comment Number:
Written by:
Dave
Posted on:
February 5, 2007 at 7:18 am
Great suggestions!
Comment Number:
Written by:
Petar Smilajkov
Posted on:
Nice to know. I was always amazed with friends of mine who have a safe (like ones you pick up from staples), and
they are not bolted down
Comment Number:
Written by:
Steven Lhamon
Posted on:
Don’t do what my retired parents did. They placed a fire proof lock box inside the dryer after removing the back of it.
Then went to Florida for the winter. Came home sold the washer and dryer and then a few days later remembered
the lock box. They got it back but not without a major hassle from the buyer.
Comment Number:
4
Written by:
Debbie
Posted on:
February 5, 2007 at 3:53 pm
Is there a contradiction here? First he says the safest place to hide your money is in the bank, but then he says if they
can’t find any money or valuables, burglars would wreck your house looking for some.
**
My parents inadvertently had two strategies: 1) Have only one valuable possession: an upright piano. 2) Keep the
house extremely messy so that it is a danger just trying to get through the place, especially while trying to carry a
piano.
Comment Number:
Written by:
Smarty
Posted on:
I’ve heard of a story where a guy hid $20,000 under the back of a stove and sold the house without remembering the
cash. He had forgetten it over the years. The new owner discovered the money.
In fact, there are many stories like this. Some people are so good at hiding their money, they either forget about it or
can’t find it again.
So make sure you remember the money and where you place it.
Smarty
Comment Number:
Written by:
Steven
Posted on:
Spend all your money, than there is no need to hide it! Just don’t buy anything too expensive with it.
How’d you meet this guy?
Comment Number:
Written by:
pfadvice
Posted on:
Howâ€™d you meet this guy?
I was at a gathering over the weekend with a bunch of expats — started talking about what I did for a living, money
issues came up and one thing lead to another and all of a sudden I was introduced to this guy who had been a
burglar for 7 years.
Comment Number:
Written by:
girlrobot’s guide to the internet! » How To Hide Your Money From A Burglar
Posted on:
[...] has posted an interesting articleabout where to hide your money from a burglar. How did he find out the answer to
this? From a former [...]
Comment Number:
Written by:
Hiding your money « Andy’s Dailys
Posted on:
[...] your money 06Feb07 The Best Place To Hide Money Filed under: money [...]
Comment Number:
10
Written by:
Krunk4Ever! » Blog Archive » Little People
Posted on:
[...] The Best Place To Hide Money: Conversation With A Burglar (from Digg) – I had quite the interesting
conversation this weekend with a person who happened to be a former burglar. 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. [...]
Comment Number:
11
Written by:
vsjhoc
Posted on:
So why did the burglar leave this business after 7 years of success? Did he find a more lucrative career?
Comment Number:
12
Written by:
pfadvice
Posted on:
He didn’t say specifically — only mentioned that “it was time to get out” and I didn’t pry any further.
Comment Number:
13
Written by:
Tim
Posted on:
So, who actually keeps cash lying around anymore?Maybe the older generations still deal in cash, but I can’t
remember the last time I had cash in my wallet let alone somewhere in my house. Seems like burglury and mugging
for cash is a crime that will not be around for long. Electronics, sure, but those can be heavy and awkward.
Comment Number:
14
Written by:
fractalbrothers
Posted on:
1. an alarm
2. cameras w/ motion detection
3. a dog (blue heelers do a fine job)
Comment Number:
15
Written by:
vsjhoc
Posted on:
He didnâ€™t say specifically â€” only mentioned that â€œit was time to get outâ€? and I didnâ€™t pry any
further.
Did you check his ankle for a bracelet? LOL
Comment Number:
16
Written by:
links for 2007-02-06 » Whatever’s Interesting
Posted on:
[...] The Best Place To Hide Money: Conversation With A Burglar Some great tips. . [...]
Comment Number:
17
Written by:
Hiding Places « Let’s Mash
Posted on:
[...] (jewelrey) and some cash on hand; what is the most practical place to hide them? Over at the PFAdvice Blog he
published an interview with a burglar. To some it [...]
Comment Number:
18
Written by:
Zybatsu » Blog Archive » The Best Place To Hide Money: Conversation With A Burglar
Posted on:
[...] be surprised at the answer a burglar gives and may want to change your current money hiding system.read more
| digg [...]
Comment Number:
19
Written by:
Eludium-Q36
Posted on:
Better idea: let the burglars easily find COUNTERFEIT money then sit back and let the Secret Service track em down
Comment Number:
20
Written by:
Nicholas David » Blog Archive » Conversations with a burglar.
Posted on:

[...] â€œAt the bank,â€? he said with a sly grin continue reading…. [...]
Comment Number:
21
Written by:
House Burglar’s Advice For Hiding Money » Voice Out Your View Point
Posted on:
[...] former burglar chatted with the Personal Finance Advice blog and gave some good tips on how to hide your
money at [...]
Comment Number:
22
Written by:
diane
Posted on:
Don’t do what my mother did. She hid most of her money in a flat wallet in her slip and underwear drawer. When she
passed away I was in a different state and teh police, who were in her apt and made my relatives wait in an apt down
the hall for 1 1/2 hrs, stole my mother’s money. They threw two $20.00 bills n the drawer haphazardly to throw me off
but it confirmed that they stole it because the bills were folded into fours and thrown on the clothes. My mother
always was meticulous and kept them flat in her wallet. She kept thousands of dollars in there. She kept less in a rag
bag which they didn’t find. I was furious and hurt for all that she sacrificed to save that and the cops of all people!
Who would have believed me? Can’t trust anyone! Be careful!
Comment Number:
23
Written by:
The New York Nerd » Protecting Valuables From Burglars
Posted on:
[...] I just read a great interview with a burglar who offered solid advice on protecting your valuables. He said don’t
hide all your money so it will never be found, the burglar will continue ripping your house apart until they find
something, so keep something out for them to find in an obvious place. It should be enough so that they think they
found everything, I’d say $200 but obviously that depends on where you live. The best hiding spot is inside a child’s
toy in the child’s room. His reasoning is that crooks never go in the child’s room because a parent would never trust
the kid with their valuables. I think that’s good advice so long as the kid doesn’t discover it. Here is the interview [...]
Comment Number:
24
Written by:
Gloria Campos-Hensley
Posted on:
I know someone that was robbed 3 times. The second times the burgulars went through bars. The third through a
security system and went in with guns ready to kill. The victims escaped through a bedroom window. They were
lucky.
Comment Number:
25
Written by:
gandalf23 » where to hide money? ask a burglar!
Posted on:
[...] The Best Place To Hide Money: Conversation With A Burglar [...]
Comment Number:
26
Written by:
logo dude
Posted on:
Great stuff. My windows don’t lock so I tend to leave a large, mean-looking kitchen knife on the table with cookie
crumb remnants to make it look like i’ll be back anytime soon. so far so good
Comment Number:
27
Written by:
OftenWrong.net » Blog Archive » HOWTO hide money where burglars won’t find it
Posted on:
[...] Link [...]
Comment Number:
28
Written by:
scfr
Posted on:
I like the idea of counterfeit money … And I think I would hide a mouse trap in it.
Comment Number:
29
Written by:
Pollywogs! » Blog Archive » Your daily dose of crap:
Posted on:
[...] How much money should you leave for the burglar to find? [...]
Comment Number:
30
Written by:
Fred
Posted on:
Don’t plant counterfeit bills for burglars to take. It may put the Feds on his tail, but then they’ll come bust you for the
counterfeiting.
Comment Number:
31
Written by:
Cleve
Posted on:
Great post. It follows the same idea as a similar trick that some friends of mine used to use when I lived in a rough
neighborhood: carry a fake wallet.
Put ~$20 in fives and ones in there, along with some less important cards (library, Costco, etc). If you are mugged,
you’ll be able to save the bulk of your cash, your credit cards, and drivers license.
Comment Number:
32
Written by:
Alistair
Posted on:
Why does anyone keep large amounts of cash in the house? maybe ATMs aren’t as common in the states.
I assume the same applies with electronics. keep that old crappy or broken laptop out somewhere obvious and hide
the nice shiney new one under the sofa. theif thinks they have something worth theit trip that bit sooner and gets out
of dodge all the faster
Comment Number:
33
Written by:
Life and Times » Blog Archive » Today’s Linkage
Posted on:
[...] Where is the best place to hide your money or valuables from burglars? With toys in a young child’s room. [...]
Comment Number:
34
Written by:
stephanie
Posted on:
For those wondering why you would want to have cash in the house, it’s always a good idea to have a reserve
amount of cash handy in case of emergencies. For instance, those folks who lost power in St. Louis for days this
winter, none of the ATMs would have worked. Or, if you were in the path of a hurricane and need to evacuate, ATMs
will be emptied in a hurry. Just a few examples, but everyone should have some cash handy without having to rely on
a bank.
Comment Number:
35
Written by:
Alonline » Where to hide your money around the house
Posted on:
[...] If there was anyone worth asking where you should hide your money around the house, it’s a professional
burglar. And the obvious answer is so clever, but so right – “In the bank”! However if you happen to have a lot of cash
around your house then this article will be worth a read. [...]
Comment Number:
36
Written by:
Blog Mirrors » HOWTO hide money where burglars won’t find it
Posted on:
[...] Link [...]
Comment Number:
37
Written by:
GearFire » Keeping your money safe
Posted on:

[...] by many people is â€œWhere in my house should I keep my money?â€? Personal Finance Advice posted this
article, in which a house burglar was interviewed and asked where the best place was to hide your [...]
Comment Number:
38
Written by:
Lindsey
Posted on:
Here’s my trick: Live on the third floor
Comment Number:
39
Written by:
Seasandsong » geek movies list
Posted on:
[...] Personal Finance Advice à¹?à¸™à¸°à¸™à¸³à¸§à¸´à¸˜à¸µà¸‹à¹ˆà¸à¸™à¹€à¸‡à¸´à¸™à¹ƒà¸™à¸šà¹‰à¸²à¸™à¹ƒà¸«à¹
‰à¸žà¹‰à¸™à¸¡à¸·à¸à¹‚à¸ˆà¸£ à¹‚à¸”à¸¢à¹€à¸‚à¸²à¹?à¸™à¸°à¸™à¸³à¸§à¹ˆà¸²à¹ƒà¸«à¹‰à¸§à¸²à¸‡à¹€à¸‡à¸´à¸™à¸¥à¹ˆà¸-
à¹€à¸à¸²à¹„à¸§à¹‰à¹ƒà¸™à¸—à¸µà¹ˆà¹†à¸«à¸²à¹€à¸ˆà¸à¹„à¸¡à¹ˆà¸¢à¸²à¸? à¹?à¸¥à¹‰à¸§à¹€à¸à¸²à¹€à¸‡à¸´à¸™à¸—
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à¹„à¸›à¹€à¸¥à¸¢ à¹€à¸žà¸£à¸²à¸°à¹„à¸¡à¹ˆà¸à¸¢à¸²à¸?à¹€à¸ªà¸µà¸¢à¹€à¸§à¸¥à¸² … à¸¥à¸à¸‡à¹€à¸‚à¹‰à¸²à¹„à¸›à¸-
à¹ˆà¸²à¸™à¹ƒà¸™à¹€à¸§à¹‡à¸šà¸”à¸¹à¹„à¸”à¹‰à¸§à¹ˆà¸² à¸—à¸³à¹„à¸¡à¹€à¸‚à¸²à¸–à¸¶à¸‡à¹?à¸™à¸°à¸™à¸³à¸à¸
¢à¹ˆà¸²à¸‡à¸™à¸µà¹‰ [...]
Comment Number:
40
Written by:
xxx
Posted on:
why don’t you just put your money in the bank? what are you? coke dealers?
Comment Number:
41
Written by:
Technogab| Technology News Podcast with a touch of Rock
Posted on:
[...] laser printout. SoundAbout for Mac New Mac commercial poking at Vista’s nagging security The Best Place To
Hide Money – Tips from a Burgular IRecord Video Capture for the Mac Window Vista All Editions features explained
Xbox 360 – Increase [...]
Comment Number:
42
Written by:
Chuck
Posted on:
I’m shocked at how easily everyone wants to roll over for a criminal.
It’s like you’re putting milk and cookies out for Santa, leave money around the house so he can get that instead of
tearing the place up. LUDICROUS!
A much better idea would be for you to take the money you were going to give the nice burglar, and purchase a
security system that will record and alert you to a problem (doesn’t need to be a fancy ADP one you can buy ones
that will call or e-mail you if there is a situation you need to deal with)
Then go out and buy a Desert Eagle .50 caliber handgun and don’t feel bad at all about blowing the head off some
scumbag that invades your home.
Comment Number:
43
Written by:
catzel
Posted on:

Good idea!
Comment Number:
44
Written by:
Flavoade
Posted on:
Buy some C4 stuff it into and Ipod. Use the headphones as the fuse. When he takes it home and turns it on to see if it
works. He’ll be sorry, Whats left of him anyway.
I have this Idea Patented
Comment Number:
45
Written by:
Graham
Posted on:
I hope that guy doesn’t know where you live, because now he knows where you hide your stuff.
Comment Number:
46
Written by:
Derrick
Posted on:
Doesnt anyone find it disturbing that a former burgler is telling you to leave some money in easy to find places? Its
almost as if he’s doing his ex-colleagues a favor..
Comment Number:
47
Written by:
Dan
Posted on:
I used to put my money in plain sight…inside my Tarantula’s cage. She was the size of the average man’s hand and
had half-inch long, curved fangs. I would pick her up and put her on top of the money. Tarantulas don’t move unless
they need to so she often was in the same place I put her when I got home.
Comment Number:
48
Written by:
Shrike
Posted on:
lovin chucks idea….its called .50 cal handgun…..keep it ALWAYS with you….but the clip hiddin somewhere else on
you…..so they cant grab it and shoot…..and yeah….leave about 200 for them to take…mb a laptop or two with a
GPS tracker on’em……u’ll get’em reaal nice and easy
Comment Number:
49
Written by:
bob
Posted on:
i hide my money in the same place I hide my pot…which the police have not been able to locate.
Cheers
Comment Number:
50
Written by:
Mike
Posted on:
What you have to do is put your money into a ziplock bag and stick it into the top of your toilet. I doubt any robbers
would look there.

Comment Number:
51
Written by:
Jorge
Posted on:
So, the object then would be to have a non-bolted down safe in the house.
Doesn’t have to be a new one. Just hard to get into. Filled with lead, enough to make it really heavy. With a little bit of
luck he throws out his back trying to take the thing along. Plus, it will most likely focus all his attention on the safe,
leaving your other stuff untouched.
-I- would prefer to booby trap the otherwise useless safe with a device. But then the cops may have a problem with
the fact that you actively tried to kill someone.
Maybe just add GPS tracking to the safe so you know where it’s going, or where it has been.
I don’t have any money, let alone money in the house, but if I was one of the people who have houses where they
don’t go into some rooms for entire seasons, I’d have some really nasty surprises for mr. burglar. As well as means to
dispose of the body… but that will never happen, coz you know: no money.
Comment Number:
52
Written by:
Rodeo of Debt Reduction #6 → We’re In Debt
Posted on:
[...] at Person Finance Advice posts an interview with a former burglar on how he managed his money in his former
[...]
Comment Number:
53
Written by:
walt dukehart
Posted on:

Great article. Where can I buy a pair of those skidmark underwear?
Comment Number:
54
Written by:
cmac
Posted on:
Here’s another possible hiding place.
similar to the old “stick it in the freezer” trick but this time go out and buy one of those tin openers that open the tin by
breaking the join of the tin – they leave the edge of it blunt and safe to touch – and leave the top like a lid that will pop
on and off like a proper lid.
then take tins of food you wont eat ie kidney beans, soup, pet food etc open them upside down, tip the contents then
wash them out, pop your money or valuables (wrapped up in tissue or something to stop them rattling)and place them
in your cupboard at the back amongst all those odds and ends we seem to collect.
handy for short trips away!
Comment Number:
55
Written by:
Jacob
Posted on:
Great tips!! Just one thing..what if some of the people reading this are burglars?? whooops!
Comment Number:
56
Written by:
Sarah
Posted on:

My sister ALWAYS leaves 3 100 dollar bills on the diningroom table when she leaves her house for the weekend in
the summer. This way, if some young kids come in looking for moolah, they will find it and immediately leave. she
also has a sophisticated alarm but this is yet another assurance. your tips are also excellent!
Comment Number:
57
Written by:
Scribbler on the Net » Blog Archive » Hiding money
Posted on:
[...] you have a lot of money that would like to keep safe, this is a must read. Or just give me some of it and I’ll keep it
safe! Technorati tags: burglars, hide money, [...]
Comment Number:
58
Written by:
Shandooga
Posted on:
My brother once “hid” $160 in an empty paper towel roll. You can guess what happened next. I’m so glad he did
because had he spent the money on a bill or food it would be long gone by now and forgotten. This way I have
something to laugh about for years to come.
Comment Number:
59
Written by:
1st Paragraph » The best place to hide money: Conversation with a burglar
Posted on:
[...] I had quite the interesting conversation this weekend with a person who happened to be a former burglar […] I
started off simply and was not surprised by the answer to the question â€œwhere is the best place to hide your
money?â€? â€œAt the bank,â€? he said with a sly grin.When I rephrased and asked where the best place to hide
money and valuables ‘in the house’ would be if you had such items there, I was taken a bit by surprise by his
answer… [MORE: PERSONAL FINANCE ADVICE] [...]
Comment Number:
60
Written by:
iDiy.mobi » Personal Finance Advice - Â» The Best Place To Hide Money: Conversation With A Burglar
Posted on:
[...] Syndicated via RSS from del.icio.us/tag/diy Fun PICKUP LINES! Learn one [...]
Comment Number:
61
Written by:
Elliott
Posted on:
Nice, but I think you failed a moral imperative by not trying to beat the shit out of this vermin.
Comment Number:
62
Written by:
Joe
Posted on:
Wow, Things I would never think of. I liked this article so much that I mentioned it in my Podcast and linked to it.
Good stuff!
Comment Number:
63
Written by:
Dian
Posted on:

These suggestions explain why it was that I found a wad of money inside the lining of a jacket I got at GoodWill. The
person was probably elderly and had it stashed and no one knew it was there when he/she died. Then relatives (or
whoever) disposed of their clothes by giving the jacket to charity.
Comment Number:
64
Written by:
Kevin
Posted on:
This article reminds me of when I moved in with my uncle for a while (changing cities). My elderly uncle decided to
help me by unloading some boxes of food including some canned goods. Somehow we had a conversation on trash
night about how he’d found a light weight can of soup that had gone bad…which led to my late night rush to dumpster
dive for the secret soup can with maybe $300 of emergency money I’d stashed in it. I did the rest of the unpacking
myself.
Comment Number:
65
Written by:
Robert Carnegie
Posted on:
Different goals, conflicting goals? To keep your cash and chattels, or to keep your house from getting trashed by your
burglar. But I think you have to figure risk, and also many criminals are not particularly smart. The thoughtful reading
burglar is rare. But they think differently to you and I.
For instance… I found this page from a LiveJournal where the folks had someone jump in the kitchen window and
swipe an iPod – while the folks were home. It wouldn’t have occurred to me to do that. The window was open but with
the screen fixed on it, but I guess it was easy to tear out.
Comment Number:
66
Written by:
…Slowly Coming into Focus - » Linkage from the week

Posted on:
[...] really interesting article about where and where notÂ to hide your money from a former [...]
Comment Number:
67
Written by:
The Best Place To Hide Your Money In The House - Your Daily Dump
Posted on:
[...] Read more about The Best Place To Hide Money: Conversation With A Burglar [...]
Comment Number:
68
Written by:
computer - somdaj.com » Health Insurance is not a “Right”
Posted on:
[...] Personal Finance Advice February 5, 2007 (more) [...]
Comment Number:
69
Written by:
Clare
Posted on:
I work in a bookmakers and in the morning we split and hide the money in various places until we have time to go to
the bank. The other week we got a message go round all the shops saying from now on not to leave money in the
microwave anymore as someone at another shop accidentally microwaved Â£2000
Comment Number:
70
Written by:
Gerry Timm
Posted on:
A few years ago while I was visiting my dad, I noticed a brief case style strong box sitting on a desk. When I pointed it
out his wife commented with pride that their valuables were now safe. I asked if that’s where the case was left and
they said YES! Yikes! They left the case right where any thief could get to it. After pointing that out, I got an idea. I
suggested they hide the case that contained their valuables and get another case, fill it with junk and place it where it
can easily be found. That way, if a theif saw the “fake out” case he would simply take it and stop looking for anything
else. Now, I do just that.
Comment Number:
71
Written by:
Celesta Kirk
Posted on:
HIde jewels in the Tampex or Sanitary Napkin box…..under vanity.
Comment Number:
72
Written by:
Purple Avenger
Posted on:
When I lived in a 2-story apt building Norwalk CA in the early 80′s I used a phony devil worship altar setup
conspicuously near the kitchen window (I was on the 1st floor).
The windows were rigged with phony booby traps that looked real good too.
The universal social taboo against insane people protected me well. In two years living there every unit in the building
was burglarized (some multiple times) EXCEPT mine ;->

Car break ins can similarly be social engineered by just leaving a baby bottle and a diaper smeared with peanut
butter conspicuously on the front seat or dash. Why break into a car that’s apparently going to smell literally like shit,
when there are hundred of other more pleasant smelling ones to to choose from?
Comment Number:
73
Written by:
John B
Posted on:
Major flaw in the logic. Why ask him where to hide the money, he can’t tell you where the money he didn’t find was
hidden only where he did find money.
Comment Number:
74
Written by:
davis
Posted on:
I don’t see a flaw. The burglar simply tells the place where he is not willing to look – a messy kids room – and if the
burglars aren’t willing to check those areas, then that would be the best place.
Comment Number:
75
Written by:
Carolyn
Posted on:
Try putting your valueables in a zip lock bag and then put that UNDER the bag which LINES a diaper pail. Anyone
with kids knows you don’t want to go there! No kids? Try the cat’s litter box or your kitchen garbage bin. Just
remember to put the goods UNDER the bag that LINES the aromatic spot. Happy hiding!
Comment Number:
76
Written by:
Davis
Posted on:
I would say hide your cash under your German Shepard’s food bowl.
Comment Number:
77
Written by:
Ginger
Posted on:
…So if the burlars target communities that are ‘up-scale’, why can’t the ‘up-scale’ people afford to have camera
surveillance systems?
Comment Number:
78
Written by:
Richard
Posted on:
Most safes now come with bolts to bolt down the safe.Are these as good as having it down profesionaly.
Comment Number:
79
Written by:
MÃ©gamodeste
Posted on:
Be messy.
I live in France in a very dangerous part of the city, driven by Algerian maffia (they uses european bad boys as slaves
in those jobs). Tere strategy is to enter by night when the people are sleeping.
Once I had to cancel my flat change at last minute, leaving my flat filled with about 90 big and heavy cartons.
They entered and said Â«oh no, what a nightmare ; no time to open them all and to heavy to carry, lets go back.Â»
My aunt had another efficien (unwanted) strategy : she bought a BIG wide screen TV and simply put it on a nice
cuppboard. When the skinny burglars came they were unable to lift the 110 kg TV and only took the cheap VCR.
Comment Number:
80
Written by:
Becky
Posted on:
March 5, 2007 at 8:47 am
Duh!!! Try watching “It takes a thief.” Then you don’t have to be bored by this stupid document
Comment Number:
81
Written by:
Tom
Posted on:
March 12, 2007 at 9:31 pm
Flaw in the advice:the buglar says if he doesn’t find the money in the logical places he’ll then tear the house apart
and I would think that would also include the kids play room. “It Takes A Thief” shows these guys going through
EVERYTHING and they are fast, not wasting time. They’d go through every box and draw by just spilling them on the
floor and busted anything that was locked. Not always looking for just money – keys, check book, bank/credit card
statements, collectibles, electronics, etc. using bags, luggage, duffles, blankets found in the home to carry the loot.
As to having cash in case of power outage – you wouldn’t be able to spend it – all the registers would be down as
well. More important to have plenty of supplies food and water and a full tank of gas!
Comment Number:
82
Written by:
Moe Romsberg
Posted on:
March 17, 2007 at 2:44 pm

My dad hid money in med. bottles, in the garage behind the upright where the doors meet. When he died I went out
to the garage an rounded up about $400. Then dads friend mac asked me if I got all the money. I said yes, I got
$400. Mac laffed and said no you missed $200, let me show you the rest. So tell at lest 2 people where its at.
Comment Number:
83
Written by:
market savings accounts » The Best Place To Hide Money: Conversation With A Burglar
Posted on:
April 1, 2007 at 6:29 pm
[...] Original post by pfadvice [...]
Comment Number:
84
Written by:
morganusvitus
Posted on:
April 5, 2007 at 6:03 am
The site looks great ! Thanks for all your help ( past, present and future !)
Comment Number:
85
Written by:
scriber
Posted on:
May 15, 2007 at 5:19 pm
Conversation With A Burglar what a great post … we need to have more conversation with the people and thngs we
fear …
we find they are not that much different from us or do not see or know more than we do ….
Two or three fixes can reduce 85% risk of loss that the Burglar to come after our homes … it is just not worth it to
them.
Comment Number:
86
Written by:
TheGodSplinter
Posted on:
May 30, 2007 at 8:17 pm
Hi…
I used to have a tame-looking piece of notepaper left on my hall floor. On that, there was written, “Mum…I’ve gone to
get your photographs from the pharmacy – back in five!”
Then, I switched concepts!
I keep a deliberately UNBOLTED DOWN safe in my hallway, full of nothing but weight-training disks and heavily
marked with luminescent chemicals!
Also, I now keep a small sign in the glass of my front door and the glass of rear-of-home windows. It says, “Dear
Burglar – name even one person who will be looking for YOU beneath MY floorboards?”
Ian.
Comment Number:
87
Written by:
Doug
Posted on:
June 1, 2007 at 12:24 am
I have a better idea…
How about instead of spending time focusing on the negative in life… being constantly worried that someone will take
your “stuff”, you just Leave your things in your house wherever makes sense for your lifestyle. I keep my emergency
cash in my filing cabinet.. its filed under “cash”. I know where it is.
You won’t stress about which Paper towel roll you hid your wad of $100′s in, every trash day.
You won’t have to smell bleach and toilet bowl cleaner every time you pull your mothers pearls out of your tampax
box.
You’ll probably live longer by stressing less!

Someday, someone might steal your stuff. Oh well, you have more stuff. They probably needed it more than you did
anyway.
Cheers folks!
Comment Number:
88
Written by:
A 12 year old kid
Posted on:
June 3, 2007 at 2:16 pm
I am a year old kid not looking to keep my money safe from a burglar or a thief but to keep if out of my sisters hands.
So my idea is to keep it in a used or unused BORING DVD case that no one would want to watch.
Comment Number:
89
Written by:
Robert Carnegie
Posted on:
June 3, 2007 at 3:51 pm
Keeping your cash from other family members… A lock on your room door might be enough, if your privacy is at
stake and if your folks take it seriously. A DVD case or book that you wouldn’t reasonably own, such as [Meetings
with Remarkable Trees], would be suspicious. But one that could be of interest to you and not to your relatives would
do. Wrestling? “Adult” images of women?
If we’re talking loose change – people are liable to pick things up and shake them and listen for the sound of money.
Comment Number:
90
Written by:
TheGodSplinter
Posted on:
June 3, 2007 at 5:47 pm
Doug…
May we take it, by that, that you never put a lock on, and never bother to lock your home?
It would be nice to be able to live in such a manner.
If you DO ever lock things, then you are responding to the same likelihood of a crime of theft being enacted on your
home as are the others, here.
If you DO NOT lock things, then you are a unique person…as unique as folks usually appear to be until just after their
first (or until just after their next) burglary.
Some folks are responding to (among many other things) simply wishing no money-grubbing stranger to break into
their homes and prefer to have no gutter-rat, low-lifer rummaging through their wives’ or daughters’ underwear
drawers.
While I could say that I’d love to live with your happy-go-lucky philosophy (and goodness knows, I would), it is simply
a touch myopic and impractical in the Western World’s current (and worsening) crime climate.
Ian.
Comment Number:
91
Written by:
bill
Posted on:
June 7, 2007 at 11:28 am
Interesting info. I have a book titled How To Hide Anything that offers numerous ingenious ways to conceal just about
anything. It can be obtained at Paladin Press.
Comment Number:
92
Written by:
Carnival of Personal Finance: Greatest Hits Edition âˆž Get Rich Slowly
Posted on:
June 18, 2007 at 1:58 am

[...] Jeffrey Strain of Saving Advice had a conversation with a former burglar. He taught Jeffrey the best place to hide
money. There’s nothing like getting advice from the [...]
Comment Number:
93
Written by:
Simple Pound » Best of this week’s Carnival of Personal Finance
Posted on:
June 18, 2007 at 4:57 am
[...] The best place to hide money: Conversation with a burglar. The title says it all. A must read. Part 2 can be found
here. [...]
Comment Number:
94
Written by:
used vans girl
Posted on:
July 2, 2007 at 7:26 am
That’s got to be one of the most useful articles I have read. What are the chances of having a conversation of that
topic with a burglar. Never thought of the kids room for hiding toys its a good idea. Great suggestion!
Comment Number:
95
Written by:
Hiding Money From Burglars « Madaspeak
Posted on:
July 4, 2007 at 8:38 am
[...] Money From Burglars July 4th, 2007 Dave offers advice to hide money from burglars: Your best strategy, then, is
to actually leave some money in obvious places for the burglar to [...]
Comment Number:
96
Written by:
swarsron
Posted on:
July 23, 2007 at 11:44 am
Thanks, very interesting
Comment Number:
97
Written by:
The 1400
Posted on:
August 2, 2007 at 3:02 pm
I’ve never been a burgular, but if I was I’m pretty sure I would’nt be looking for money in the cat litter tray. I’m also
quite sure I would soil myself if I saw photographs of the householder holding a shotgun or lots of photo’s of Charlie
Manson on the mantle piece.
Comment Number:
98
Written by:
Sacramento Printing
Posted on:
August 11, 2007 at 12:01 pm
Very interesting. Looks like I would have the hose torn apart as we keep all money in the bank and do not spend
money on really nice things.
Comment Number:
99
Written by:
jason
Posted on:
August 12, 2007 at 6:33 pm
im 15 and i have been looking at places to hide some of my valuables from my perents and siblings on different sites,
i noticed that the best places to hide things are in the open but in places almost no one would ever look a good place
is
in a hollowed out ratty book (a tale of two cities for me) i keep a stash of weed in there, it has been sitting on my tv 4
almost a year and no one has touched it not even the maid so i think if anyone who spends almost every day in my
room cleaning and has never found my stash she just assumes i like to read =)
Comment Number:
100
Written by:
The Flip Medley » Blog Archive » Schneier on Security: Tactics, Targets, and Objectives
Posted on:
August 29, 2007 at 11:37 am
[...] else is more likely to be effective, especially against a burglar who is pressed for time. Leave decoy cash and
jewelry in an obvious place so a burglar will think he’s found your stash and then leave. Again, [...]
Comment Number:
101
Written by:
Is Your House Burglar-Proof Or Burglar-Friendly?
Posted on:
September 3, 2007 at 7:15 am
[...] I was reading this article about a personal finance blogger’s conversation with a burglar, on where to hide money
in the [...]
Comment Number:
102
Written by:
kay
Posted on:
okay well i am amazing at hiding money, I had always used stuffed toys to hid my money in but then i figured its a
known thing to do now, just shake it or feel it and ull know. one that i invented, well a couple, im not sure if anyone
else has done it but i did think of them on my own. if u have a shelving unit tape the money under the shelves, if u
have pictur frames, that arent expensive u can hide money in those, now those were good but not good enough until
one day a knife was lying on my bed and i was angry at the time so i stabbed the bed and then i thought it would be a
goo place to hide the money, now my matress was complete sponge so it worked great! i cut it on three side so it was
like a square, like a little door. then i cut out the sponge in the middle and placed the money in there with half the
sponge covering it! i closed it up and then u couldnt even see it. as well if u take a pillow u can take money put it in a
plastic bad tightly, then cover it with a cloth and put it in the middle of the pillow in a pillow case. its not hard, be
creative and u can find many ways to hide ur money. got a trash can? put an empty bag of chips in there with the
money, not to much tho incase ur stupid and throw it out
Comment Number:
103
Written by:
Jordan
Posted on:
October 15, 2007 at 7:21 pm
Instead of leaving money out in plain sight how about hiding your money really well and buying a small cheap safe
and leaving it in the bottom of your closet, locked with a note inside that says “f#$k you”. When the burglar gets to a
safe place to open it there is your nice little message and no money.
Comment Number:
104
Written by:
Robert Carnegie
Posted on:
104: cute, but the burglar can come back any time. Best if he thinks he scored – apparently. And that’s if someone
-is- in your house. Mostly, these guys -aren’t- smart. Cowardly and supertitious. Cunning but not thinking. So, y’know,
leave the light and a radio on, or something.
Comment Number:
105
Written by:
Jordan
Posted on:

Well 105 if he’s dumb enough to come back I hope he’s good at catching .40 cal hollowpoints with his teeth because
that’s all he’ll get from me.
Comment Number:
106
Written by:
Robert Carnegie
Posted on:
Well, he managed okay the first time – we’re supposing. Maybe he also found where you keep your gun, and then
who’s the sucker?
Comment Number:
107
Written by:
Jordan
Posted on:
October 17, 2007 at 10:41 pm
Well not me, because I have a concealed carry permit and it would be hard for him to steal it off of me before I
properly introduced him to my best bud Sig p226, and the rest of my guns are in a full size safe with 4 half inch
diameter bolts drilled 3 inches into solid concrete and weighing about 300lbs. I would say my chances are pretty
good.
Comment Number:
108
Written by:
Robert Carnegie
Posted on:
October 20, 2007 at 5:32 am
If you have a safe that’s different… you keep your valuables in there too, the thief can’t get into it without explosives,
he just has to stop -you- getting in. And bring his own piece. (In Scotland that means “sandwich”.)
If I had to advise him I’d say “Just take the computer and the entertainment centre.”
Comment Number:
109
Written by:
Ken
Posted on:
Mount a steel box with an open top three inches from the ceiling. Put a sign on the outside that says, “Burglars–I
keep my cash here”. Then put your cash in it. If he is desperate enough to reach in there without being about to see
in there, he really does need the money more than you do.
Comment Number:
110
Written by:
Hiding Money and Valuables at Home: Tips and Tricks
Posted on:
November 10, 2007 at 12:56 pm
[...] what are the best strategies for hiding valuables in your house, to keep them burglar-safe? Over at Personal
Finance Advice.com , there was an article some months back about the best place to hide money, based on a
conversation [...]
Comment Number:
111
Written by:
Robert Carnegie
Posted on:
November 29, 2007 at 8:12 pm
“Brains! Bra-a-ains!!”
Comment Number:
112
Written by:
robert
Posted on:
December 27, 2007 at 10:51 am
wow,good ideas.but if the robber will look in the child’s room the kid can get hurt.i would not put my child in danger
like that.
Comment Number:
113
Written by:
bill free
Posted on:
I love the skidmark idea! Dirty clothes in general are disgusting.
Comment Number:
114
Written by:
Hiding Valuables « Bits of Pieces
Posted on:
[...] suggestions, but nothing really seems adequate. Apparently, from things I’ve read (such as this blog post), most
of my ideas for a hiding spot are kind of old news to most burglars. So far I’ve [...]
Comment Number:
115
Written by:
CypOAata
Posted on:
March 1, 2008 at 3:49 pm
buy
buy
Comment Number:
116
Written by:
Security on a Budget — 24 Common Sense Reminders - SavingAdvice.com Blog
Posted on:
March 3, 2008 at 9:08 am
[...] Pick good hiding places for your valuables. The crooks already know to look under the bed, in the refrigerator, or
in the desk drawer. Pick original hiding places. If [...]
Comment Number:
117
Written by:
SqTyUkok
Posted on:
March 10, 2008 at 11:20 am
Escrambler cox
Escrambler cox
Comment Number:
118
Written by:
Jane
Posted on:
March 15, 2008 at 12:14 am
Comment Number:
119
Written by:
Still
Posted on:
March 15, 2008 at 3:53 am
Comment Number:
120
Written by:
Bazman
Posted on:
May 4, 2008 at 11:55 pm

They know where to look for sure.
Bake a large lasagna and place your valuables underneath it. Then place in the deep freeze.
The scum will never know if it is just a large frozen lasagna or more. If he does suspect he will have to defrost it as it
will be impossible to break without tools and will be forced to carry it risking if stopped why he as a piece of shit has
such a thing on him on him. Bake one without valuables too.Then put the valuables in the bank.
A dog shit booby trap is a good one too. Ruler in draw or box with a turd on.
Never leave anything of value in the house.How much is an old microwave worth? You can’t give them away!
The only rule is to make sure the scum get nothing. NOTHING!
Comment Number:
121
Written by:
Shaw
Posted on:
May 14, 2008 at 7:16 pm
yo, just want to add some stuff.
1.dont hide money in the kitchen.
2.a basement with ceiling tiles that can be romoved is a great spot for cash
3.dont hide it in electronics, like in the back of a ps2, b/c there going to take it and find a nice surprise in the back.
4. tap an envelope of money under a drawer, usually the top b/c they start from the bottem up.
for long term storage, find a dubble walled container, like a pill bottle inside of a bigger bottle, and freeze liquid
around in the big container around the smaller container.
good luck!
p.s. the best prevention is a security system! or just the sticker by the front door, or a big big dog.
Comment Number:
122
Written by:
Sebastian
Posted on:
June 17, 2008 at 4:24 pm

Hi,
“In a bank”…
If you live in Argentina… perhaps that’s not a good idea…
Comment Number:
123
Written by:
How Much Cash Do You Keep At Home? - SavingAdvice.com Blog
Posted on:
July 16, 2008 at 12:01 am
[...] keep a minimum of several hundred dollars at home and I don’t even try to hide it these days since my
conversation with a burglar (I figure is someone is determined enough to break into my house, they are going to be
determined [...]
Comment Number:
124
Written by:
Where Do You Stash Your Money? - SavingAdvice.com Blog
Posted on:
November 2, 2008 at 6:01 am
[...] have to be very careful where you stash your money. After all, someone else might find it or a burglar might steal
it. I’ve heard of hiding money underneath the floor boards, behind a loose brick, taped under a [...]
Comment Number:
125
Written by:
Indycitizen
Posted on:
November 17, 2008 at 8:06 am
Just do not check my meat in the freeaer.
Comment Number:
126
Written by:
TheVanMan
Posted on:
March 3, 2009 at 8:29 am
My Mum always kept her valuables in the freezer in the fish finger box. OK until you wanted to wear your frozen
jewellery!
Comment Number:
127
Written by:
Matt
Posted on:
March 3, 2009 at 9:09 pm
I got $10500 in cash via my business (don’t tell the government)
I pay a small yearly fee to have it safe and sound in the bank in a safety deposit box.
If you have ‘serious’ $$$ that keeps rolling in I would suggest the same…. Also helps to avoid impulse purchasing..
Comment Number:
128
Written by:
JONH
Posted on:
March 28, 2009 at 7:03 pm
hes a fricken buglar hes going to tell u all that stuff DUH
Comment Number:
129
Written by:
TruckMaster
Posted on:
April 8, 2009 at 6:45 am

The best way not to get things stolen is not to have them in the first place – no problem in the current economic
climate!
Comment Number:
130
Written by:
Ivan
Posted on:
April 10, 2009 at 8:32 am
I have a good Security System, a paranoid unemployed roomate lol.
He happens to stay up all night on his computer with his .45 next to him and goes to bed right before I wake up.
Comment Number:
131
Written by:
vandealer
Posted on:
July 30, 2009 at 8:52 am
I wonder if there are any burglars reading this to help them find people’s money
Comment Number:
132
Written by:
E.S.
Posted on:
I have a real problem with “ex-burglars” giving tips and that “Thief” TV show. They aren’t interested in helping people
out, they are bragging… it’s the same felon bullshit bravado behavior that got them breaking into your house in the
first place. Essentially, they’re telling you that they got away with it and now they’re on a TV show or comfortably
chatting at the dinner party.

Honestly, if you’re a 7 time felon, you need have been humanely euthanized after felony number 3. If you’re on TV
bragging about your exploits and installing ineffective security systems, you didn’t figure out your lesson and you
need to go back to fucking prison.
There are enough decent human being in the world being born to replace them, I have no time for losers.
Comment Number:
133
Written by:
Funka!
Posted on:
August 3, 2009 at 11:41 pm
I don’t know about you people, but if I’ve got extra cash to my name, it’s in my pocket, not sitting around neglected in
some drawer. Seriously: ATM -> Pocket -> Spent -> ATM again -> repeat.
Comment Number:
134
Written by:
American
Posted on:
August 3, 2009 at 11:53 pm
Tell this guy to roll by my place. Bet my shotgun will wipe that shit eating grin right off his face…
Comment Number:
135
Written by:
Sachin
Posted on:
August 4, 2009 at 12:30 am
ha ha great advice and the first interview I have read of a thief…
Comment Number:
136
Written by:
A Petty Blog » Blog Archive » The Old New Thing : A burglar tells you the best place to hide your money
Posted on:
August 4, 2009 at 7:19 am
[...] this is the launching point for advice from a former burglar on where and where not to hide your [...]
Comment Number:
137
Written by:
john
Posted on:
What a joke. I don’t think you ever had a conversation with a burglar. It’s all made up. What’s next a convesation with
an assassin?
Comment Number:
138
Written by:
Linz
Posted on:
We have a gambler (fruit machine) in the kitchen. I think it’s the best place to keep our money. I’d like to see a robber
move THAT out of the house. Plus, it’s got a very thick hatch on the front and if jarred open without the key sets off
an alarm to burst the ear drums. If you’ve got the room, I suggest getting one. Besides all that it’s a great
conversational piece.
Comment Number:
139
Written by:
KinstonDG
Posted on:
Get old wallet. put “old” keys beside it. lay beside bed.
took long enough. READ AGAIN
Comment Number:
140
Written by:
Chris
Posted on:
Yea, My toy Spiderman was killed by a burglar, maybe he was just a DC Fan.
Comment Number:
141
Written by:
Uly
Posted on:
All you guys talking oh so macho about how any burglar messing with YOU is going to get shot, I have just one
question.
Do you never leave your homes?
I mean, seriously – are you all sitting around 24/7, locked in your house, getting pasty and scrawny and pathetic?
Or do you actually have a life, any of you? Ever leave your house? Go to work? Go shopping? Go on vacation? Go to
a gun show, I’m thinking?
These guys don’t want to rob you when you’re *at home*. That’s stupid, even if you’re unarmed. They want to rob you
when you’re *gone* – then they can take your money and your guns too!
Comment Number:
142
Written by:
Simon Morrison
Posted on:

I just always leave my house looking as if it has just been burgled – it hasn’t been – at least I don’t think it has – not
sure…
Comment Number:
143
Written by:
Nick
Posted on:
August 14, 2009 at 8:17 am
Interesting read and perspective from the ‘other’ side.
Perhaps a follow up could be deterents to burglars, ie home security. Simple alarms to state of the art security
systems with trip beams and cctv.
Comment Number:
144
Written by:
Top 10 Tricks For Creatively Hiding Your Stuff | Lifehacker Australia
Posted on:
August 15, 2009 at 2:11 pm
[...] blog has money-hiding suggestions that include making your money look like ancient leftovers, while
SavingAdvice’s tips from a former burglar include leaving just a bit of cash in more obvious “hiding” spots around the
house, so [...]
Comment Number:
145
Written by:
urallidiots
Posted on:
August 15, 2009 at 9:15 pm
You stupid people
now that a former burglar told you where to hide ur money, the real burglars now know exactly where to look
have fun getting all of your money and valuables stolen because u took tips from a burglar to stop burglars
Comment Number:
146
Written by:
Ben
Posted on:
August 16, 2009 at 4:09 am
Comment from the opposite side, a former owner of a security company.
What he wrote is very true. The ‘typical’ burglar wants in and out in the minimum time. There are exceptions, if they
know you have a particular valuable item, such as guns. Or if they know you keep a large amount of cash (to a junkie
$50 is a large amount) Then they look until they find it. And can rip out walls in their search.
They will get in, No alarm will keep them out. It usually takes the cops about 20 minutes or more to get there when an
alarm goes off. They will break things, kick in a locked door, shatter a window.
They will look in the kitchen cabinets, bathroom cabinets, and under the mattress and in your books cd cases and
pictures – they break the picture frames.
Never stash valuables in anything that can be picked up. They just might grab your entire video collection, along with
the one with the cash in it.
I saw lots of recommendations to tape an envelope under a shelf or drawer, they pull out every drawer and dump it
upside down. They really do look under shelves.
If they break in, they are going to trash your place and they are going to take something. The quicker they load up,
the less damage. They rarely steal more than they can easily carry.
Usually the cost of the damage exceeds the value of what was stolen. I saw one burglary where the estimated value
of the stolen items was about $300 and the cost of repairing the damage exceeded $3000.
Comment Number:
147
Written by:
Lazlo Toth
Posted on:
August 16, 2009 at 11:58 am

“Always be sure to tip your burglar!”
Also, be sure to hide your money in your child’s room. Nobody would ever think of it unless they have Internet access
and lots of people start telling each other to hide money in their children’s rooms.
Oh, wait.
Comment Number:
148
Written by:
trebenaid
Posted on:
August 16, 2009 at 12:16 pm
Good advice from “Ben” above, the former security guard. Better advice than the original content, in fact!
Comment Number:
149
Written by:
Michael
Posted on:
August 16, 2009 at 12:52 pm
When I was a kid, I tore up a corner of carpet in my closet and cut a square into the floor to hire stuff in. Still probably
one of the safest places I’ve seen in a house to hide items.
Comment Number:
150
Written by:
tomas
Posted on:
August 17, 2009 at 1:08 am
My great grandparents didnt trust the banks, one hid the money and died. It wasn’t until the home was going to be
sold the other found the stash sewn into the curtains, after almost being thrown out.
Comment Number:
151
Written by:
Marc
Posted on:
August 24, 2009 at 1:01 pm
Wait isn’t this whole article flawed? Hum… where should i hide my gold bullion so the burgler wont find it… wait i
know ill ask one specifically where he always forgets to look
Comment Number:
152
Written by:
SweetRiver
Posted on:
September 11, 2009 at 10:41 pm
Very very interesting, I’ve translated this to Chinese and put it on my site here:
http://www.isweetriver.com/2009/professional-thieves-tell-you-how-good-the-money-hidden-at-home, which brings
me a great deal of traffic.
Comment Number:
153
Written by:
catherine
Posted on:
Put NRA stickers up–even if you don’t own a gun.
Comment Number:
154
Written by:
D'Lorean
Posted on:
He became an Investment Banker!
Comment Number:
155
Written by:
taylorLAUTNER
Posted on:
December 28, 2009 at 9:43 am
last night i realised my bro stole £220 of me .. and i cant find it anywhere :’( . and i really wanted an ipod. dammit
Comment Number:
156
Written by:
Bob
Posted on:
I think a safe deposit box is the only way to store cash, other than the amount on your person. Granted in an
emergency, ie hurricane etc it can be a problem. A security system is very inexpensive anymore and I think anything
you can do to speed up the burglar’s time is important. Be sure that your security system notifies the police if the
burgular cuts the phone lines. Another item for your alarm system is a strobe light that flashes repeatedly when the
alarm is tripped alerting the neighbors but also alerts you when you are returning home so that you do not walk in on
a buglary in progress. I am a firm believer in carrying a firearm and knowing how to use it. It certainly adds to one’s
comfort level when out and makes home invasions more damgerous for the criminal. Even though we are too old for
the drug scene, don’t keep cash or have valauble items in the house, we do have a TV, computer and a micro wave
that might be something a drug dependent person could sell. I love my alarm system, the guy that owned the house
before us must have had more because he put in a realy neat system with internal traps etc. I would suggest having
an alarm professional talk to you about all the various things that can be done. Most of the really neat stuff is a one
time expense and then just the monthly monitoring fee after that.
Comment Number:
157
Written by:
opusbar1
Posted on:
March 16, 2010 at 9:13 pm
I don’t think the tampon box/ Kotex box is a good idea. My wife threw them all out once she had her hysterectomy
and tossed a couple of hundred bucks at the same time. Just put the bills in a bank and trust the financial institutions
for a change.
Comment Number:
158
Written by:
funny1
Posted on:
April 6, 2010 at 10:30 am
An old school douche bag is a good hiding place, as is a dirty clothes hamper for small valuables. But I prefer the
decoy safe with tracking just for fun. I have one of the smaller fire safes with handle and key. They aren’t expensive
and make for great decoy safes. I bought mine originally to keep tapes in (I’m a documentary filmmaker and didn’t
want to loose my original footage to fire or water damage). But now, I want a bigger safe I’ll bury and use the smaller
safe as a decoy. Lock it and leave it. They’ll take it with and open it later (maybe) and find money maybe or crap.
hahahahahaha To the person rambling on about giving in, it depends on how you look at it. It’s like chess really.
Besides a burglar is at a disadvantage, we just never see it that way. They don’t know you’re home like you do. There
are all sorts of evil legal things we could do to them, if we cared.
Comment Number:
159
Written by:
CeeJay
Posted on:
June 4, 2010 at 4:53 pm
Very interesting post! Do you have any other friends who are ex-convicts??
Comment Number:
160
Written by:
Lidvino
Posted on:
June 9, 2010 at 2:31 am
When I was a kid, me and my sister would go door to door in an upscale neighborhood mid day durring business
hours and ask if “Emily is home” if no one answered we would open they’re Mail Box and look for personal letters that
could be BDay cards or congradulation cards like graduation or wedding cards.
If the person did answer we pretended to have the wrong house And didn’t touch their box, and wrote down the
adress to know not to return.
We made hundreds of dollars.
We stopped when we learned what a “Federal Crime” means.
Comment Number:
161
Written by:
Clank
Posted on:
August 23, 2010 at 5:10 pm
Most people are not at risk. If you have house parties and lots of friends come over then you are very high at risk.
More people in your house the worse.
Also the bank is a terrible place to place your money. It is not sucure. One time the IRS Levied one of my accounts
and they got $1500 and turned off my ATM card. NEVER keep your money their. Just keep enough to pay your bills.
People in this world are SICK SICK SICK. Watch out!
Comment Number:
162
Written by:
indigo
Posted on:
I keep my cash strapped on my person in a moneybelt… the worst a burgler could ever do is shoot and kill me…..but
that sucker would never get my money.
Comment Number:
163
Written by:
Sorin
Posted on:
I personally believe you should mark all of your possessions without fear of damage using Ghostprint proof of
ownership system.(http://secure-your-valuables.com/)
Comment Number:
164
Written by:
Terry
Posted on:
I’m an Old Timer and I haven’t got
much capital. The Goverment and Banks
love the plastic cards.You leave a
large paper trail. They know what & where you are ,what your doing, how
much you spend.When you use cash no one knows nothing.Soon your Boss will
just move money in your account each
month and you’ll never see any money.
Bad move I like having money in my
hand. The Banks are not doing it
to make it eazy for YOU!! It’s to
make it eazy for them.
Grace Chewning never completely trusted banks.
Living through the Great Depression and the Wall Street crash of 1929 not only made her carefully watchdog
her accounts, it drove her to hide money around her Roanoke home.
When she needed quick cash, she'd instruct her daughter to look in the pressure cooker, on top of drapery
valances or under her dining room table pad for sums of money stashed in old church-offering envelopes.
She was my grandmother. We thought she was eccentric.
Apparently not.
People joke about stuffing a mattress full of money. In the survivalist blogosphere, it's called the Bank of Sealy.
So when some Richmond-area bank employees began telling us about occasional customers withdrawing
money during the current economic turmoil, we decided to ask readers to share -- anonymously, if they chose
-- some unusual places they or their relatives have stashed cash.
Several readers asked us not to write this story. "You'll be telling thieves where to look for money," one caller
said.
We plowed ahead because we're pretty sure no burglar would have the time or inclination to search some of
the bizarre places we've learned about.
Cathy Kirkland of Midlothian told us about her sister-in-law, Anne, who used to talk about hiding money in a
"handbag" whenever she had extra cash.
"I heard her speak of this for years and years, as she made and sold window curtains from her home and was
frequently paid in cash," Kirkland wrote. "She was hiding money from her husband so he wouldn't spend it on
fishing rods, tools, etc. This was 'her money.' I always envisioned an old handbag stashed in the bottom of her
bedroom closet, under a pile of junk."
Years later, however, Kirkland found out she had misheard her crafty in-law. "She was actually saying, 'I hide
money in a ham bag. Her house was decorated country style, and hanging from her kitchen ceiling on big
heavy wooden beams were pots and pans, dried tobacco, dried cotton branches and an Edwards Country Ham
burlap bag -- stuffed full of over $10,000."
A Glen Allen reader is pretty sure his wife's rainy-day stash is safe. "She stuffs an empty bag of peas full of
money and puts it in the freezer," he said. "She seals the opening with glue."
In that same frozen-assets vein, a woman e-mailed us about a co-worker who's trying to save money to pay
taxes this year. She stuffed money in a Stouffer's French Bread Pizza box, taped it up and put it in the bottom
of the freezer for safekeeping.
"Little did she know that her husband would come home to fix a pizza and come across her loot," the woman
wrote. "Then she had to admit why she had money in her freezer. Her response to him was if the house burns
down, the refrigerator was not going to burn with it."
While cleaning out the freezer after his father's death, Tim Lee and his siblings "discovered, to our surprise,
$100 bills sandwiched between individually wrapped steaks. And we always thought he said he had it buried in
cans in the backyard."
Nancy from Chester said her mother puts a purse full of money in the bottom of her dirty-clothes hamper. A
Richmond man said he rolls up money and sticks it in the socks in his dresser drawer. Another caller said he
stashes a substantial amount of cash in the interior pockets of suit coats hanging in his closet.
Linda Davis of Varina recalled her mother's next-door neighbor calling her to his death bed to tell her where he
had hidden money. "He said, 'Linda, go in the kitchen and look underneath the sink. Over to your right, you'll
see a pile of paint cans. The second one from the bottom -- take that one out.'"
When Davis removed the lid, she found what appeared to be plaster of Paris. Underneath was a stash of
money. "He said he wanted me to tell his son in New Jersey where his money was when something happened
to him," she said.
Barbara Snead, an instructional assistant at Goochland High School, recalled finding money in the hem of the
living-room curtains at her late mother's home. "She had been doing it for years and I never knew it," she said.
Snead decided it was a pretty ingenious hiding place. "What crook would stand by your window after he's
broken into your house, where he could be seen by neighbors?"
A cautionary note from one reader: Remember where you hide the dough. She stashed some money in a
seemingly burglar-proof old pair of red tennis shoes. "But I forgot it was there and I gave them away," she
lamented.
Books are a recurring theme when it comes to hiding money. When Don from Petersburg built a pair of
bookcases for his home, he designed a hollow, removable baseboard for hiding money.
One of our Times-Dispatch librarians recalled a childhood playmate in Louisville whose mother lived through
the Depression and was fearful of banks.
"Her mother always told her when she died to carefully go through her books, that's all she would say." Not
surprising, considering the woman and her husband were teachers and voracious readers.
When she died, the children discovered $100 and $50 bills stuck in the encyclopedia, dictionaries, romance
novels and the Bible. The total approached $25,000.
Diane Carr of Montpelier said her grandma, Alida Peters, also hid money in a book -- but "not those hollowed-
out books the thieves are sure to spot," she wrote.
The emergency cash was tucked away, appropriately, in "How Green Was My Valley."

Hide Your Cash

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Quick Hiding Places

Diversion safes: how beer and soup can defeat thieves

2. Lawn furniture legs

2. Frozen food pack

The Other Rooms

How to Hide Your Secret Stash

the person to ask.

“At the bank,” he said with a sly grin

such items there, I was taken a bit by surprise by his answer:

1. To steal your money and valuables

2. To get out of the house as quickly as possible with these goods

looking for them.

64 Responses to “Don’t Hide Money In The Toilet: More

If I regularly kept a lot of money at home I’d put in a nice safe.

3. Clever Dude Says:

I keep my drugs at the pharmacy.Rob them instead!

9. Monday Twofer | MAWOPI Says:

[...] Ask a burglar! [...]

11. SharpieSniffer Says:

12. Damien Says:

We did have an iPod stolen when we hosted a party though – ugh!

13. Ann Says:

14. Tina Says:

15. Ms Broke Says:

16.Keeping Your Stuff Safe at Productivity501 Says:

17. Marked by Crime Says:

this helps burglars as well as it helps yourself…

I keep a substantial amount of cash stashed securely in my house now in various

20. Gail Says:

with my family I would run out of $

21. Dan Says:

[...] [Click here for part 1] [...]

25. Pete Says:

27. Pete suff Says:

29. princess Says:

For the love of…

31. RealDeal99 Says:

32. Jim McNeely Says:

33. Jeff Says:

34. Kevin Says:

Lol I keep it in the most obvious place inside my computer literally.

35. Smart Guy Says:

37. Fleebon Says:

I use sheet metal box mounted to an exterior wall of my house.

The label says “Danger: Extremely high voltage!”

39. justin Says:

40. David Says:

41. Yasser Says:

42. Rog Says:

43.Ryan Sager - Neuroworld - Giving Burglars Their Due - True/Slant Says:

45. Frank Says:

46. Rob Milligan Says:

Now I know where all of you hide your valuables HAHAHAHAHAHA

47. Rob Milligan Says:

Just Kidding All

49. Cat Callahan Says:

50. erdtirdmans Says:

52. Amanda Says:

There’s always money in the Banana Stand!

53. Stephen S Says:

54. Frank Says:

55. Always Thinking Says:

56. Deb Says: