Help..Mom is hiding money in her house

Not many would be looking in there....You had a great idea for traveling to dog shows. Even better if the dog was in it when you left the room...
Bet you didnt have to worry then..lol

Someone in the city recently had the $750k of silver bars they were hoarding stolen.

I don't know about there, but here, thieves have been emptying freezers, too. Food is expensive, and it's a very popular thing to take, so I doubt I'd feel it was any safer frozen in a food bag.

Does your mom live in a house with a basement? I would have a safe installed somewhere in an area of the basement that doesn't look "used" -- an unfinished laundry or furnace room, etc., behind a false wall or other area that is not easily seen. Unless they know your schedule, thieves typically want to be in and out quickly -- and I doubt that they'd look in a furnace room for a safe.

Alternatively, I remember in a movie DH and I watched some time ago, a man hid important evidence of a crime in the rafters of an unused part of his basement by placing a piece of wood between two of them in a darkened corner, and placing the evidence on top of this.

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There is no reason for her to be afraid to put it in the bank. The FDIC insures each account up to $100,000 so even if the bank goes belly up she'll still have her money.

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True, but many people, especially older people who did go through the Depression or who have heard the stories of the Depression from their parents, feel a tremendous need to have some money available where they can put their hand on it in case of an emergency. They remember banks being closed for several days (or more, never opening again in the Depression) as well as the money being unavailable weekends/holidays if they need cash.

Modern day society is pretty much a non-cash situation now with credit cards, bank cards, debit cards, online banking, etc. ... but for many older people, this is not something they do or are comfortable with. I am even that way to some extent, I have just one credit card, have never had a bank card or debit card ... plus in my case, no longer able to drive, not able to get to the bank on short notice.

Not if the bank is closed.
Waiting for the Govt to act doesn't help if youi need money NOW

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Freezers are bad! Get a two-day power-out, and your loving relatives would dump the freezer contents without even looking at them.

Toys are bad too, unless as the poster said it was a total room full of them. Just a few in the house, and a thief might grab them as they go, not even knowing what they had.

I honestly think best is a separate storage. With banks available, a safe-deposit box in a bank other than your major working one, with some reserve in a safe-deposit box there, and both relatives and lawyer aware of it, would be about best. That should be safe, but could take a while if the banks lock their doors. A small reserve she could afford to lose in a lock-box in a corner of the garage, a garden tool-shed, or a son's or son-in-law's firearm safe would also be good.

PVC piping is cheap, readily available and not a completely unusual thing to find around a home. A length with a cap glued on, plus a threaded cap (sealed with pipe tape) would work quite well....just place whatever valuables you are hiding inside plastic. Vacuum sealing would be ideal in that situation. It doesn't have to be a long length of pipe either, just a foot or so....and bury it. If you put metal in it, then you should "salt" the area with other items as well. But for straight cash-use the plastic, it won't show up with detectors (to my knowledge)

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I think they raised that to $250,000. But still, the process of getting your money back can take months. It is wise to have some money on hand.

To bury it, you can get a short section of PVC pipe, an end cap, and a cleanout fitting with plug for the other end. Glue the joints with PVC cement and use Teflon tape on the threads of the plug and it should be pretty water tight. I would still put the money in doubled plastic bags, though.

For jewelry she wants everyday access to, maybe install one of those fake electrical outlets and put some cheap jewelry in there. Put the expensive stuff in a container that will fit through the hole. Attach a string with a large metal washer to the container and drop the whole deal into the wall. Then you can use a strong magnet to grab the washer and pull the string out so you can pull the box out. Not a great description, hopefully you can picture what I'm describing.

You're right and I apologize to Nanadeb. I guess I just get tired of people thinking if you have gray hair, you have limited reality.

I remember about 15 years ago, DH and I were signing paperwork to purchase some acreage from an old couple in their 80's. Whenever the real estate agent turned to the couple she would start talking in "baby talk". After a few minutes of that the old man looked her in the eye and said, "I'm old, not stupid." The agent turned very red.

Again, I apologize.

especially a bunch of unkown strangers on the internet.

She could just put it in the washer, but then if the Feds ever came around they could accuse her of laundering her money....

Convenient and safe tend to be exclusive. Fireproof makes it even harder. Buried is probably safest. FWIW, gypsum board or plaster of paris is what is commonly used to "fireproof" safes and boxes. The heated material gives off water vapor which limits the temperature for a while to less than 300 degrees F. The thicker the material, the longer it is good for in a fire.

I would think that most burglaries are pretty quick, unless the place is isolated. That means literally dozens of places are potential safe spots. If there is a sewer cleanout, then a plastic bag in the cleanout would be an unlikely spot that might be safe, especially if it was an old iron pipe. I once found some money (not a lot) in an old book.

That sounds like a good idea, especially if you could put it where it looks like part of the drain/sewer. Unless the thief had a former career as a plumber they would probably look right over it.

One older fella I cleaned house for hid money everywhere. When he was near death he told his only daughter where all his hiding spots were and she retrieved the cash when he passed. His wife had been gone nearly 17yrs and I guess she hid money too! In the kitchen drawer under the dishtowels was a fake bottom and under it was a few grand. Their daughter was lucky to find it and not the people who bought the house!!

Apology accepted ((hugs)))
By the way I have lots more gray hair then my mama...LOL !!!!
Shes a firey red head with very little gray and smart as a whip
Love her to pieces !!!
That would be the day I'd ever talk to her or anyone else older then me baby talk. Good for that older gentleman for coming back at her !
I know what you're talking about tho. I'm 53 and my son is always talking to me like I'm going to die soon...bla bla bla...get everything in order...

Mom sounds like a very wise old lady... banks and safety deposit boxes are great, when you don't need them. When you really need them (if the shtf) they'll be unavailable, possibly for weeks or forever.

My mom hid money... everywhere. Growing up, money was tight tight tight... when she went to work, she squirreled away money everywhere... did I mention everywhere??? I knew where her main stash was... bank bags of silver and small bills. When both parents went to their heavenly rewards, I couldn't get my sisters to help de-clutter (lawdy, we loved/love our clutter) the house. They knew about the bank bags, and I dutifully divvied up the contents. I did not divvy up the dozens of benjamins, taped under drawers, inside closets, as book markers, in socks, etc. Nor the thousand or so in small bills in every nook and cranny. When pulling all the furniture out, found even more.

And, Mom trusted banks! We never ever had trouble with thieves... if we'd'a had trouble, they'd'a probably found the loose bills laying loose, in the open, and been satisfied.

Always help to have an easily 'findable' stash of cash... hope the thief finds it, and moves on.

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This is what I'm finding posted a lot in other threads which will do well for the bulk of the money she keeps at her house.
I'm also reading a lot about a fake drain in the garage.
Lots of good idea's or what I would have thought good idea's I am finding in other threads and here....until I read SFM in KY's post...Then you have to wonder if there REALLY is a safe place in the house.And most are not fireproof

A fake pipe going to your furnace sounded like a great one too....but like the dryer..what if your furnace catches on fire?

She does use her bank for almost everything but if the bank shuts down it could be weeks or months before she can get cash.
I wouldnt think of pushing her to put it all in the bank.
Thats all up to her..I'm just looking for a safer place.

And I think the PVC in the ground or drain to protect most of the money is the way to go. ...Keeping some in the house and some of her jewelry to fool a thief.
Hopefully even in a fire enough of her jewelry can be claimed on Ins..where the cash wouldnt be? How would you every prove the amount you had in cash if it burnt up?

Thanks for all the help !!

If I was going to burgerize (sp?) a home and thought there was hidden jewelry or such there, places I would look: 1. Freezer. 2. Pantry to see if there are any fake cans or boxes there. 3. Bedroom dressers under the bottom drawers. 4. Commode tanks or in back of them. 5. Behind pictures to see if there is a safe there. 6. Refigerator. 7. If the kitchen had an L shaped cabinets, the back corners. 8. bathroom cabinets for prescription drugs. 9. Between bedroom matrasses. 10. Just look around and think "If I were going to hide something in here, where would I do so?"

I've heard, at least locally, what they go for a guns, rifles and prescription drugs. In and out in a couple of minutes. Tools aren't that popular now as we are down to one pawn shop and they have to file a report of each purchase with the local police.

I'm finding so many places its crazy....old shoes...winter coat pockets...Inside picture frames..
Cereal or tampon boxes....in a Vacuum...In a Fake Plant..the list goes on and on...
The problem is none of them are fireproof even IF the thief wouldnt find it.
Now this one...just to throw it out there.
As I dont know if its true or not. Is cement REALLY fireproof?

For my step Mom I vacuum sealed cash in $500 incriments and cast it in concrete stepping stones. Pretty easy and you can decorate the top with pieces of broken tile or colorful beads. (maybe something to remind you which one they are in )

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