Anybody got a home safe?

[haha]

It's elevated seventeen feet so any robber has to walk up two flights of stairs pass a flood light and then figure out how to take stuff down two flights of stairs .

Throw it over the rail and pick it up off the sand?

Ha

 

[rescueme]

Just remember that you can lose everything in a safe deposit box.... that happened to everybody who had one in the World Trade Center...


Also, if a bad fire occurred at your bank.... or a flood.... their is a possibility you will lose your stuff.... I think it would have to be a major event, but I don't think they are foolproof....

Wow! Can you sleep at night just thinking about this stuff?

BTW, one of the planes that hit the WTC passed over my house (yes, it is on the flight path to NYC, since I'm about 80 miles west of the WTC site).

As far as the bank (and floods)? The area is on a plateau, far away from any major water source.

As for myself? I had more concerns when I lived in the Texas Panhandle (with windstorms, tornados, and other concerns)...

 

[eytonxav]

I have a deposit box and home safe. The home safe, a Liberty Conlonial is for both firearms and important papers. It has 45 min @ 1200 degree fire rating, is 3 sided with 11 bolts and weighs well over 600 lbs loaded. Its rather nice looking with a glossy dark green paint job: here is a brief overview YouTube - ‪Inside a Liberty Colonial 23 Gun safe.‬‏

Also, I bought it at a gunshow at a substantial discount.

 

[samclem]

We have a heavy fire proof portable safe so in the event of a hurricane we can just grab that and go . The chance of my house being robbed is pretty slim. It's elevated seventeen feet so any robber has to walk up two flights of stairs pass a flood light and then figure out how to take stuff down two flights of stairs .

A portable safe? Seems that in any evacuation space and weight would be tight, I think I'd rather stick the goodies in a baggie and hide it in the car than lug a safe around. If it's too inconvenient for a thief to take, it would be too inconvenient for me to take. But, that's just me. I would think the valuables in a house would be more secure in a well hidden spot in the home than in any portable safe.

 

[kyounge1956]

Here U go:

Application for a Social Security Card

Thanks but after filling out all those college applications and financial aid forms I had my number memorized. Nobody has ever asked to see my original card since it was stolen, so I've never bothered to get a replacement.

 

[kyounge1956]

Just remember that you can lose everything in a safe deposit box.... that happened to everybody who had one in the World Trade Center...


Also, if a bad fire occurred at your bank.... or a flood.... their is a possibility you will lose your stuff.... I think it would have to be a major event, but I don't think they are foolproof....

This is one reason I wonder whether a box at the bank is much better than a home safe. The most likely major disaster in this area is earthquake, and if it's a big enough quake to knock down my house it may very well be big enough to knock down the bank, too, especially if it the latter is in an older masonry building. I don't recall offhand what type of construction the B of A branch in Aberdeen is. I think I recall the office of the credit union (where I have opened an account in anticipation of my move). If it's the one I'm thinking of, it's ordinary frame construction and not particularly new, so it may not be very quake resistant. Is there some sort of compressive strength rating for home safes that would give an idea of how much weight could fall on it without crushing the safe?

 

[Texas Proud]

This is one reason I wonder whether a box at the bank is much better than a home safe. The most likely major disaster in this area is earthquake, and if it's a big enough quake to knock down my house it may very well be big enough to knock down the bank, too, especially if it the latter is in an older masonry building. I don't recall offhand what type of construction the B of A branch in Aberdeen is. I think I recall the office of the credit union (where I have opened an account in anticipation of my move). If it's the one I'm thinking of, it's ordinary frame construction and not particularly new, so it may not be very quake resistant. Is there some sort of compressive strength rating for home safes that would give an idea of how much weight could fall on it without crushing the safe?

The good side of the bank is that they are usually in a vault that has thicker walls than the one you will buy.....

 

[Texas Proud]

Wow! Can you sleep at night just thinking about this stuff?

BTW, one of the planes that hit the WTC passed over my house (yes, it is on the flight path to NYC, since I'm about 80 miles west of the WTC site).

As far as the bank (and floods)? The area is on a plateau, far away from any major water source.

As for myself? I had more concerns when I lived in the Texas Panhandle (with windstorms, tornados, and other concerns)...

I watched the second plane out of my window as it flew over the building I was living at the time... I think I hit the ceiling when it did... it scared the bejezzsus out of me....

 

[WhoDaresWins]

Ah, let me tell you about my "safe". It is an old fishing tackle box that belonged to my father. I keep stuff like my SS card, will, car titles, birth certificate, marriage license and passport in there. I gave my son all his paper "stuff" when he left years ago...let him worry about it.

I haven't had a safety deposit box in several years. I kept one for a few years in joint with my son after my husband died, but the bank was very clear that if one of us passed away, the other would not be able to access the box as we were mother and son, not husband and wife. A box audit would be required.

I gave all my husband's guns and ammo to his brother. I gave my late father's and husband's small coin collections to my son. I did not want to burden myself with ownership of these things.

My little worn "nice" jewelry is stuffed into a hidden drawer in a piece of antique furniture. I don't even bother insuring these baubles...if they got stolen, so be it. I would not miss the stuff.

My attorney and my son have copies of my will. My long-time accountant keeps many years of my tax documents. Maybe I am being too laissez-faire, but I think I could get copies of any supporting documents with some effort if lost or destroyed.

I have 6 smoke and carbon monoxide detectors hard-wired into my electrical system in my newer home, and I live in what I believe to be a safe neighborhood. I keep my doors and windows locked and put my mail on hold when I travel, gardener keeps lawn mowed and snow removed year round and two trusted friends have keys and keep an eye on the place for me when asked. I also have a small dog who barks his head off if a leaf blows across the lawn or the doorbell rings. I also have good, observant neighbors who I think would report unusual activity to the police.

 

[W2R]

Following WhoDaresWins thoughts,

The cost of a safe would be greater than the cost of any valuables I could fit in it, in my case. I don't have guns or coin/stamp collections, and I don't have any jewelry worth over $25. I keep my car titles, birth certificate, divorce papers, and so on in a file called "important papers" with all my bazillion other files. I keep my tax documents files called (ever so imaginatively) "taxes 2006", "taxes 2007", and so on.

During hurricane season all of my files reside in rolling travel file cabinets like the one in the photo below. They are either in a big pile of things by my side door, ready to take during an evacuation, or else they are in my vehicle ready to go.

My parents had a safe. My mother kept her jewelry in it, as well as some papers. It was never anywhere near full.

 

[RunningBum]

Thanks but after filling out all those college applications and financial aid forms I had my number memorized. Nobody has ever asked to see my original card since it was stolen, so I've never bothered to get a replacement.

I'm in the same situation. I haven't seen my SS card in many years. I do have the thing it was punched out of, that also has my number. I actually went to an SS office a few years ago to get a new one, but they were on number 22 and I got number 87 (or something like that), and I waited about 10 minutes and they got all the way to number 23, so I left.

As far as a safe goes, I've got a Sentry lock box, the size of a small file drawer, to put important docs in. I'm not sure of the fireproof/water rating, but it's better than keeping it in a regular file cabinet. It also keeps that stuff in one place to grab if there's a fire on the mountain and I need to evacuate. My problem is that the lock is balky, and I have to tilt it to get the latch to release. I might just get a new one, and find a different brand.

 

[M Paquette]

Like everyone else, I've got important documents that I want to be preserved across a disaster. I've taken a different approach, though. I've noticed that there really doesn't seem to be much in the way of 'unreplaceable originals' any more. Deeds, birth, and death certificates are recorded, with certified copies available for a fee. Duplicate documents of various sorts can be reproduced with official seals or stamps. The key is to know what these documents are, and where to go to get the duplicates.

I've gone to electronic storage. I've scanned in the deed and mortgage paperwork, the birth and death certificates, and the supporting tax documents. For the past dozen years, when I prepared a tax return I used software, and 'printed' the return to a PDF file, which I then printed and submitted (until we moved to electronic submissions). I've even scanned the contents of wallets and purses, capturing all those cards, front & back (the phone number to report stolen cards is on the back of many cards).

All this data, along with electronic copies of financial records, statements, and whatnot goes into files that are on an encrypted disk image on the computer. The encrypted image is backed up automatically, to external storage, and to flash drives. One of the flash drives is on the little keyring I always have with me.

This way, I can always make copies of important documents immediately. If I need to get a certified copy, I know which bank, county recorder, or other agency to contact, as that's on the image of the documents.

 

[RunningBum]

Turns out my Sentry fireproof box (not really a safe) opens easily if I sit on it. Something to do with the waterproof seal.

 

[kyounge1956]

Like everyone else, I've got important documents that I want to be preserved across a disaster. I've taken a different approach, though. I've noticed that there really doesn't seem to be much in the way of 'unreplaceable originals' any more. Deeds, birth, and death certificates are recorded, with certified copies available for a fee. Duplicate documents of various sorts can be reproduced with official seals or stamps. The key is to know what these documents are, and where to go to get the duplicates.

I've gone to electronic storage. I've scanned in the deed and mortgage paperwork, the birth and death certificates, and the supporting tax documents. For the past dozen years, when I prepared a tax return I used software, and 'printed' the return to a PDF file, which I then printed and submitted (until we moved to electronic submissions). I've even scanned the contents of wallets and purses, capturing all those cards, front & back (the phone number to report stolen cards is on the back of many cards).

All this data, along with electronic copies of financial records, statements, and whatnot goes into files that are on an encrypted disk image on the computer. The encrypted image is backed up automatically, to external storage, and to flash drives. One of the flash drives is on the little keyring I always have with me.

This way, I can always make copies of important documents immediately. If I need to get a certified copy, I know which bank, county recorder, or other agency to contact, as that's on the image of the documents.

The irreplaceable items I was talking about are family heirlooms--originals of photos and documents, some over 100 years old. My mom has these things now, but I think the role of family archivist is likely to devolve upon me in the future. Of my parents' four children, I'm the one most interested in genealogy and so forth, which is a little ironic since I'm the only one that won't be leaving any descendants. Most of these items aren't worth much in terms of dollars and cents, the information in the documents could be preserved by digitizing them, and it is likely that copies of many of them could be obtained, but in terms of family history they are priceless, because they are the actual documents dating back to the time of the actual people and events they record, or items actually owned by my ancestors. There is no way such a thing can be replaced. Once lost, it is gone forever.

 

[W2R]

The irreplaceable items I was talking about are family heirlooms--originals of photos and documents, some over 100 years old. My mom has these things now, but I think the role of family archivist is likely to devolve upon me in the future. Of my parents' four children, I'm the one most interested in genealogy and so forth, which is a little ironic since I'm the only one that won't be leaving any descendants. Most of these items aren't worth much in terms of dollars and cents, the information in the documents could be preserved by digitizing them, and it is likely that copies of many of them could be obtained, but in terms of family history they are priceless, because they are the actual documents dating back to the time of the actual people and events they record, or items actually owned by my ancestors. There is no way such a thing can be replaced. Once lost, it is gone forever.

How wonderful that you have these items, photos, and documents! They are indeed priceless.

Might be a good idea to have the photos and documents scanned. Then you could send copies to other branches of the family too. Even if your brothers and/or sisters aren't interested, some day their children might be.

I am the keeper of such things in my family too, and I nearly lost them all after Hurricane Katrina. Now that I have rescued them, I should get the photos scanned as well and send a copy to each relative as I had planned to do years ago. I just haven't done it and I do feel guilty about that. Almost all of mine are old photos.

 

[SteveR]

I agree that making e-copies of important documents is a great idea. Another item added to my list.

Back to safes...mine was originally bought to keep items out of the hands of those that do not need to touch or have them. That includes firearms, coin collections, important documents, jewelry, family mementos, pharmaceuticals, and e-copies of photographs and backups from the various computers. We made the decision years ago to keep much of these items close by because of our use of Credit Unions, many of which do not have safe deposit boxes (at least years ago when we started using them). It was also a pain to have to remember to go to a bank during their hours of operation to get your stuff and then risk robbery while on the way home.

Call be paranoid but I would rather depend on myself for safekeeping of certain items. BTW, we are not super rich so our stuff is mostly important only to us but the loss of these items would be a major blow to many in the family. The firearms are kept safe for obvious reasons. If someone wants them they have to be really really fast in opening a 4 digit combination lock while under the pressure of an alarm blaring and the police being dispatched. It lets us sleep better at night.

While in the RV we also have a safe mounted under the bed bolted to the frame. Sure it can be defeated but it takes time and a lot of noise. It keeps the snatch and grab crowd at bay (which is mostly what you have to worry about for the most part....strung out druggies, kids, or petty thieves.) The pros will get what they want if they want it. We don't have what they want so we don't really worry about that class of crook. We protect from the bottom feeders...those that are in a hurry and don't have a lot of time or training. We just hope none are stupid enough to try to break in when we are there. Nuf said about that.

 

[brewer12345]

Steve, that is pretty much my situation. Having done some poking around, it seems quite unlikely that I could move a 400 pound safe up or downstairs by myself. So my choices are the garage or hiring a white glove service to move one of these monsters in. I would guess that the garage would be both obvious and easier to break into, so I am less enthused about that location. Thoughts?

BTW, as I was poking around I found out that Colorado has a "make my day" law that specifically exempts homeowners from civil and criminal liability if they shoot an unlawful intruder they believe will do them harm. That is a huge difference from NJ, where even someone shooting at you in your house (or their survivors) could bring a civil suit after you shoot them. Given that I am the one to go investigate strange noises after the (non-idiot barker) dog let's out one of his "something's not right" barks, this is a refreshing change.

 

[frank]

I have a sentry fireproof and waterproof box that I keep my important documents in. I never lock it as there is nothing in it worth anything to anyone else. just that it is waterproff and fireproof is all I need. I really have nothing that is so valuable that I would spend a lot of time thinking about how to protect it. If I had something like that I would sell it. life is to short to worry about stuff. I had quite a few shotguns and rifles to hunt with and my insurance man said it would only cover 2500. without a rider on my policy, so I thought about which guns I used the most and sold the rest that I had purchased over the years and never sold when I upgraded. problem solved.

 

[Goonie]

We have a lockbox in the vault in the basement at our bank that we keep our most important paperwork in. We're not too concerned about fire or water damage should something go drastically wrong at the bank, because it has survived both! A couple decades ago the bank experienced a major fire and was mostly destroyed. The fire started in the basement, and spread to the upper 3 floors before it was extinguished. In addition to the fire, the tens of thousands of gallons of water filled the basement over the top of the vault for a couple days before it was all pumped out. There was no major damage to the vault, and no damage at all to it's contents from heat or water.

The bank was completely demolished and then rebuilt....the vault was never moved from it's original position, and was simply rejuvenated to remove any charring or discoloration.

I also have a large HEAVY safe at home for everything else that we don't keep in the lockbox. I originally had a Sentry fire-proof safe. I put the key in to open it one day only to find that the lock was no longer working. I called a locksmith friend of mine to take a look at it. He said I could send it back to Sentry and they 'might' repair it, of course it would have cost a bundle to ship it back. Or he could get it open in about a minute, and I could just buy a new one.

I opted for him to open it. He put a large screwdriver right beside the locking mechanism, and with 2 or 3 blows with a hammer, the lid opened right up!

I found someone who had a big heavy safe and it was free for the hauling!! My locksmith friend hauled it for me for $10. It took 4 of us to dolly it into the house, where he reinstalled the door. The safe weighs in at about 550#....it took 2 of us just to lift the door into place while a 3rd one aligned the hinges. If thieves want to steal it, more power to them....it won't fit through any of our doorways with it's door on, and you can't take the door off with out the safe being unlocked and open!

 

[Texas Proud]

One of the things that some people do not appreciate is the lengths that thiefs will go to try and get something....

I worked at a bank.... was told a story by one of the construction people... seemed that a thief thought that some dynamite would break open a drive up ATM that was surrounded by blocks and earth... from what I was told, the ATM ended up across the street in a hardware store... still intact... do not know if it entered through the roof or bounced across the street through the wall.... wish I knew...

 

[TromboneAl]

Smoke alarms don't help much. We were away when our house burned to the ground (Oakland firestorm).

 

[SteveR]

Steve, that is pretty much my situation. Having done some poking around, it seems quite unlikely that I could move a 400 pound safe up or downstairs by myself. So my choices are the garage or hiring a white glove service to move one of these monsters in. I would guess that the garage would be both obvious and easier to break into, so I am less enthused about that location. Thoughts?


BTW, as I was poking around I found out that Colorado has a "make my day" law that specifically exempts homeowners from civil and criminal liability if they shoot an unlawful intruder they believe will do them harm. That is a huge difference from NJ, where even someone shooting at you in your house (or their survivors) could bring a civil suit after you shoot them. Given that I am the one to go investigate strange noises after the (non-idiot barker) dog let's out one of his "something's not right" barks, this is a refreshing change.

The problem with the garage is it might be way too easy to wrap a chain around it and haul it into a truck so they can take it away and work on it. Having it in the house proper makes it much harder to get out since the door frequently has to be removed to get it through standard doorways. Harder to remove =more time they are vulnerable. I have always kept mine as far away from a door as possible to slow them down even more.


Yes, the civilized world is a breath of fresh air for you civil liberties and ability to protect yourself. We have a couple of barkers that like to let me know what Fido down the street just told Rover around the block. But that bark is different than their "Daddy! someone is snooping around!" That one gets my attention and 911 is on speed dial which is next to my flashlight which is attached to my 12ga. We also have a panic mode on the house alarm which will dispatch the police. Since we are alone in the bedroom we defend it and let the thief wander around until the police show up. Of course if he enters the bedroom that is a different story. Trying to clear your house in the dark can get you shot. Hunker down and defend a small space if possible. Family members in a different part of the house tips the scales the other way.

 

[devans0]

I had a safe. It was a huge safe (about two tons) that was in my basement and the house must have been built around it. It was built in 1872 and was a thing of beauty. After the house was flooded, the safe would no longer open. It was a major job, breaking into that safe, but after burning out piles of cutting wheels and wearing out a jackhammer, I finally did it, only to find that the contents were all destroyed. Now I had a hulk of a safe that was impossible to remove without tearing down my house. We finally came up with the solution of cutting a hole through the floor and excavating enough dirt to drop the safe into the hole, refilling the hole and re-pouring the floor. It is still buried in the basement, by the bodies... oops, nevermind...

BTW, our bank and our safety deposit box was flooded, too. Now, important papers and valuables are put into zip lock bags for additional protection. Only then, are they stored for safekeeping, with the zip-open side down.

 

[KingB]

Safes recovered after Japan Tsunami.

Japan Lost Money: Safes, Cash Wash Up On Shores After Tsunami

 

[Koolau]

DW's former business was broken into - not that difficult. There was a heavy 2 drawer fire-proof file/safe in which were locked account info and maybe $100 for the cash register. It never looked very impregnable to me. The thieves brought a hammer, nice screwdriver and one other tool (I forget). Apparently, in their attempt to open the safe, one thief cut the crap out of his hand(?) and bled all over the place. In their haste to get out, they left their tools. They did mange to break the pull handle which to this day hangs by the original rivets. Butch and Sundance they were not!

I have a good friend who (prior to his retirement) w*rked in the prison system. He swore that when he did retire he would write a book titled: WE AIN'T IN HERE 'CAUSE WE SMART. So far, I haven't seen the book, but he sure had the stories. Had most of the folks he had to interact with spent half the effort to go straight that they spent being criminals, they would have been successful citizens. I honestly think that much criminal behavior is an attitude rather than anything to do with deprivation.