10 Sneaky Places to Hide Money and Valuables – And 5 Not to

In today’s economy, some of us want to diversify more than just the money that we invest – if we invest at all.  I don’t know about you, but keeping all my money in a bank worries me.  Last year, my husband and I needed to purchase a car because we had been in a car accident.  The car that we had chosen to replace our Honda Odyssey was about $3,000 more than what our insurance settlement paid us.  I went into the bank to take out $3,000 cash – it’s easier to negotiate with a used car salesman if you’re plunking down cold cash in front of him.  Taking out that $3000 in cash required special approval because I was writing a check to cash for more than the allowed amount.  I don’t want to be in a situation where I need $2,000 – $3,000 and not be able to get to it.  What’s the best solution?  Hide money (at least a little) at home.  While we’re at it, let’s talk about hiding our valuables too.

Where NOT to hide money and valuables

But I’m going to start with where NOT to hide money and valuables.  Sometimes we get into a rut with things that we do.  Get up in the morning and drink a cup of coffee.  Sooner or later getting up in the morning is completely linked to that cup of coffee.  The two mean the same thing.  If I talk about my morning cup of coffee, I’m talking about right after I’ve gotten out of bed.

The same thing can be said about hiding valuables.  There are just some places that people tend to stash money or valuables either without thinking it through or because their parents hid their valuables there and never got it stolen.  When we think of where people hide money – what’s the first place that comes to mind?  Probably under a mattress.  Why?  Because we’ve heard people talk about hiding money there as long as we can remember.  What other ‘common’ or thoughtless places do we sometimes hide money that we shouldn’t?

1.)  Portable safe

Why shouldn’t we hide money or valuables in a portable safe?  Because it’s PORTABLE and can easily be carried out of your house quickly.  Time can be taken somewhere else to try to break it open.  Don’t store money or valuables there.

2.)  In a drawer

Probably the first place that a thief is going to look is in a drawer – maybe only after under the mattress.  I hide items from my kids in drawers (in a locked closet even).  You wouldn’t believe how many bandaids we go through if I don’t hide them!  Hiding from kids is fine.  Hiding from burglars – not so much.

3.)  Inside DVD cases

Believe it or not, DVDs still fetch a price when sold to a used DVD dealer.  Don’t stash money in them, because you very well may lose them just for the DVDs in them.

4.)  Under an easily spotted rock

Don’t stash a key under a rock beside your front door.  We’ve all seen too many TV shows with keys stashed there.  If you feel the need to stash a key, find a less conspicuous place to put it.  I have some suggestions below.

5.)  In the toilet tank

There are actually two reasons for this.  One is that it’s been seen in movies over and over and over again.  Thieves may very well look there.  The second reason is that unless it’s packaged perfectly, whatever is in there may very well get wet and depending on what it is, it could get corroded and ruined.

Sneaky Places to Hide Money and Valuables

So now that we’ve talked about places that you shouldn’t hide your valuables where SHOULD you hide them?  Check out these sneaky places.

1.)  Spice containers 

I’m not talking about those one-inch high spice containers or even the 4 oz spice containers.  I’m talking about Costco sized spice containers.  Hiding a roll of money in a container of oregano or basil is a great place.  These containers are about eight inches high.  A dollar bill is only about two and a half inches high.  A roll of 20’s will easily be concealed in the spices.  Bonus – even if the container is tipped on its side, you probably won’t be able to see the bills.

2.)  Old pair of shoes

If you have an old pair of shoes, you could easily wedge a roll of bills into it.  The only thing that I would be careful of is hiding anything in them that could jingle or make noise.  If thieves throw shoes around, the noise will attract them to the valuables.

3.)  Fake vent

If you’re looking for something a little more secure that doesn’t just LOOK real, but won’t open if someone suspects that it is fake, this is the way to go.  This RFID fake vent is a tad pricey.  There are less expensive non-RFID versions, but they don’t tend to hold up well.

4.)  Convincing hollowed-out book

Normally, I wouldn’t suggest that you use just any hollowed-out book though there are many on the market, you need the right one for you.  If you homeschool, a hollowed-out book like this – a dictionary, which looks and feels real on the outside, but is a lockbox might work if you put it with other school books.  If it’s cash, you can tuck money deep between the pages of a book so that it won’t be easily dislodged even if they are spilled on the ground.

5.)  Old paint can 

Do you keep partial paint cans in your garage or basement?  Hiding money and valuables is easy if you put it in a dried paint can and store it with your others.  Just make sure that you wrap everything up in a zippered baggie before depositing it, even in a dry paint can.

6.)  Under a house plant

If you really don’t plan on getting back into whatever it is you’re looking to hide, then you could (again) wrap it up in a zippered bag and bury it in a deep pot underneath a large plant.  Don’t do this with a little house plant though.  If you do, it is easily knocked over and the contents easily discovered.  A large planter with a lot of soil will not likely betray your hiding place even if it is knocked over.

7.)  Fake plumbing

Most houses use PVC for plumbing anymore.  If you have a portion of your basement where you have PVC pipes which are showing, attach a PVC pipe to an existing one in such a way that it looks like it’s a part of the plumbing.  PVC is fairly easy to take down and take apart.

8.)  Bury a cache

Plan on what you want to put in your cache before you buy a length of PVC pipe.  Using correctly sealed PVC is a great way to bury some valuables safely because it’s waterproof.  Make sure that you bury it in a location that you can find again easily, and make a note of the location with your other preparedness lists and maps, etc that you have already put together.

Don’t have any preparedness lists and how-to guides?  We can get you started!  You can sign up for our newsletter on the right sidebar or at the bottom of this post and you’ll get access to our free printable library.

9.)  Bean bag chair

If your child (or you for that matter) has a bean bag chair where the styrofoam pieces are ‘free’ or not contained in an inner bag in the bean bag chair, you could hide non-clunky (dontcha love that word?) articles in a zippered baggie in your child’s bean bag chair.  The chances of someone finding your valuables are slim even if the chair is thrown or cut open.

10.)  Fake Items

As I researched this article, I couldn’t believe how many useful items have realistic and useful storage doubles.  Here are just some of the ones that I found:  a brush, weighted Trident chewing gum container, waterbottle (that holds water), a Jiff jar, a candle, and a convincing hollowed rock.  There were so many others as well that it just blew my mind!

Bonus (if for nothing else other than the cool factor):

Have an unfinished basement where you’re hoping to hide a room?  Check out this bookcase behind which you can hide a door to a room.  How cool is that?!?

Hiding money and valuables can be the difference between having something in a pinch and having to do without – between being prepared and getting caught without means. Take some time today and think through if you have anything hidden in your house, where you have it, and if there’s a better place to stash it.

What About You?

Do you have places that you hide money or other valuables that you think is ingenious and wasn’t mentioned here?

Share your thoughts and hiding spots with us in the comments below so that we can all be better prepared.

Together let’s Love, Learn, Practice, and Overcome

There are links in this post.  Some of the links may be affiliate links.  Some of the links may not be.  My promise to you is that I will only recommend the most economical version of the best quality of items to serve you. These are the items that I have bought for my own family.  You can feel free to use my affiliate links, of which I will get a small amount in compensation, or you can choose to search out your products on your own.