Stash of Cash?

[aja8888]

I'm not into hiding cash, but the few things I did find a new place for recently, I have not been able to find them. When you get "older", this happens on a more frequent basis. I really need to have a list of where I put things that I want to find at a later date, but I would probably not find the list when I need it.

 

[W2R]

I'm not into hiding cash, but the few things I did find a new place for recently, I have not been able to find them. When you get "older", this happens on a more frequent basis. I really need to have a list of where I put things that I want to find at a later date, but I would probably not find the list when I need it.

So, you need to put it someplace where you would be looking frequently anyway. For example, for someone who plays cartridge type video games a lot, put it in the storage case where you keep all your video game cartridges.

I did go to the ATM yesterday so I had to start thinking about that too.

 

[aja8888]

So, you need to put it someplace where you would be looking frequently anyway. For example, for someone who plays cartridge type video games a lot, put it in the storage case where you keep all your video game cartridges.

I did go to the ATM yesterday so I had to start thinking about that too.

We have a closet in a spare room that is chock full of stuff we put in there to remember where we put it. It's got file boxes to the ceiling and other boxes full of all kinds of stuff. The problem is, when we look for something we put away, sometimes we can't find it in that closet. That's a dilemma as we then start looking in other places. I'm just glad I don't try to hide cash in obscure places like some mentioned in this thread. If we were to hide some cash, it would have to go in the closet in that spare room. (which, by itself, is scary)

 

[dvalley]

I'm also not an expert in IT but I've been in IT since I was 12yo and last 18yrs in IT security/infrastructure. I consider the threat to be real and becoming more real with IoT and our reliance on them. As mentioned above there have been several instances where stores/gas stations simply shutdown due to power outages etc regardless of the reasons (no DR plan, company policy or not having the skills etc). Imagine someone takes down your bank's IT system or the clearing house or the power grid, the cell towers, that takes a week or three weeks to recover, ATM machines are down, refrigerator is without power, stores are mostly shutdown, law enforcement is difficult to reach...this may never happen but what if it does? do you have what it takes to survive that and protect your family?

 

[RobbieB]

If I hid dough in some obscure place (like between pages of a book) I would probably throw out the book w/o thinking during a massive "tidy" effort.

 

[harley]

I've just got mine in an envelope in my closet. I'm not worried about a burglar. If someone breaks in, they'll get a bunch of stuff and who cares. TVs, money, whatever, it can all be replaced and is covered by insurance (after deductible). The really good jewelry is in a safe deposit box, and the other good stuff is in the safe (which could also be stolen). But the money is for my use, so it isn't hidden. Unless you consider security by obscurity to be valid. Even I can't find some things in my closet, and I'm pretty sure they're there.

 

[braumeister]

I have always had between $200 and $1,000 in cash at home and another $40-50 in the car, just for emergencies.

A habit I acquired from my mother. When she died, I knew it would be a long, tedious chore to discover all her hiding places (pockets, cuffs and hems of clothing, etc.). I'm pretty sure we found it all, and it worked out to almost $2,000 worth.

That was just in the one room she lived in at the Alzheimers facility where she died. For the last ten years of her life, she was asking me for cash on a regular basis, but very rarely spent more than a few bucks at a time. I knew she was just squirreling it away, but so what? A child of the Great Depression, she did what made sense to her.

I also keep at least $100 worth of foreign currency (Canadian dollars, British pounds, Euros, Icelandic kronur, and Brazilian reais). I've generally found that ATMs in airports have hefty fees and give you a lousy exchange rate, so I want some cash to get into the city and use a "real" ATM at a bank.

 

[Lsbcal]

So, you need to put it someplace where you would be looking frequently anyway. For example, for someone who plays cartridge type video games a lot, put it in the storage case where you keep all your video game cartridges.

I did go to the ATM yesterday so I had to start thinking about that too.

My guess is many burglars are young men. And who likes to play video games most?

 

[gamboolman]

I had fairly long post wrote out.....but......

Yes - we keep a good bit of cash on hand.

Hurricanes, Ice Storms, Floods, power outages.....

Cash is in large industrial Gun Safe

During the last few decades - having cash on hand has been more than handy...

 

[Car-Guy]

If someone breaks in, they'll get a bunch of stuff and who cares. TVs, money, whatever, it can all be replaced and is covered by insurance (after deductible).

My insurance company limits how much cash, bullion and a few other things they will cover far under the policy maximums. I think cash is limited to $1000. Maybe yours doesn't have limits on such items but you might want to check.

There are hundreds of places in a house to hide things like money. For example in the rolls of wrapping paper or in Christmas decoration boxes. I was hiding some in the box of 3D glasses for my TV since I never watch 3D and nobody is going to look in a little box that isn't even closed tight. Theives will toss your kitchen and bedroom looking for money and jewels and look behind pictures and in books but will they check your linen closet it the folded wash hand towels? or in a box of envelopes in your den. It would take them 10 hours to check every little place.

Theft is one threat and the thief might not find your hidden stuff. But a house fire (just another threat) will find and destroy them all.

 

[Dog]

I have about $10k in cash hidden at the house and a jar full of change. I keep about $40 cash in my car with about $3 in change. I keep about $40 in my backpack and about $20 and change in my golf bag. I always have cash in my wallet. I can't count the number of times I've had cash on hand when others have needed it. DH thinks I go a bit overboard, but it helps me sleep at night.

We have a nice chunk of cash in the bank for emergencies as well. I'm a firm believer in "preparation precedes confidence".

Oh...we also just returned from a wine tasting trip - so lots of wine on hand ;-)

 

[Music Lover]

I keep about $1000 in the house. My car's coin tray has about $60 - $70 in $2 coins which is handy for small items, fast food, parking, etc., and I also have $400 in paper money hidden behind and easily accessible panel in the car.

I've used the paper money in my car on more than one occasion...once when I went to someone's house to buy a used musical instrument and found that he was getting rid of other stuff at fire sale prices...I went back to my car for the extra money and took a few things off his hands. The second time was when I was following my friend in winter and he slid off the road into the ditch. While we were trying to decide if my car could pull him out a tow truck just happened to be driving by...we waved him down and for a small amount of cash he pulled him out.

 

[Freedom56]

I've never held onto a large amount of cash, but the targeted attacks today (denial of Internet service) and a lot of grumbling of 'it's going to get worse before it's better' by some pretty smart IT folks (like Krebs) has me thinking that having some cash on hand may not be a bad idea. I'm not a conspiracy theory kinda guy, but I like to be prepared too...so, I am curious as to what some of the fine folks here are thinking.

You are thinking like my wife. She keeps a stash of cash in case someone brings down the grid and we can't use ATM machines. The stash just keeps getting bigger (all small bills). I say it's better to keep extra food at home (not hard to do when you shop at Costco) and ride out any large scale banking failures. You may want to consider downloading all your bank records on a regular basis just in case.

 

[RobbieB]

I just file the monthly paper statements in a binder.

If a cyber attack comes when my house burns down I'm doomed.

 

[harley]

You are thinking like my wife. She keeps a stash of cash in case someone brings down the grid and we can't use ATM machines. The stash just keeps getting bigger (all small bills). I say it's better to keep extra food at home (not hard to do when you shop at Costco) and ride out any large scale banking failures. You may want to consider downloading all your bank records on a regular basis just in case.

Just don't try to do it with that pack of survival food Costco sells. One of the guys had one with him last weekend on our camping trip. It makes the dehydrated crap I used to backpack with back in the 60s taste like gourmet foods. I'll keep a few bucks and hope an Arby's is still open.

 

[powerplay]

I like to keep some cash on hand in the house for emergencies or even just as a convenience when I don't want to go to the ATM. I also keep a small container with about $50 in each vehicle. The container does not look like it has $$ in it.

About a year ago someone went through my car and stole a number of things, but didn't recognize the money in the container so left it alone even though it was the greatest value item in the car.

 

[Music Lover]

I just file the monthly paper statements in a binder.

If a cyber attack comes when my house burns down I'm doomed.

One of my friends is almost completely cashless and does every transaction with plastic...he has maybe $20 on hand at any one time. To top it off, his fridge is usually empty. If something happens to the grid, he'll be like the C actor who dies before the first commercial break in an "end of the world" movie...

 

[samclem]

One of my friends is almost completely cashless and does every transaction with plastic...he has maybe $20 on hand at any one time.

I saw him at the supermarket today. I had a full cart, so I let him in front of me with his one 20 oz bottle of Cake. He used his charge card. Which didn't work the first 4 times he swiped it. So the cashier manually entered the number. Finally, the 3 foot long receipt issued forth and he was gone.

 

[Jimbo125]

During Super Storm Sandy, we were without power for about a week. Since all of our appliances were electric, we had to go out to get coffee. Only place we found within miles was a DD. They had a sign out saying accepting exact change only. Apparently, those who did stash money only stashed $20's. I now have a couple hundred dollars all in $1s and $5s.

I also have a Coleman stove and old percolator for coffee.

 

[folivier]

Yes a disaster will cause you to change your mindset about lots of things.

So now we know where to get cash when everything collapses....

 

[Danmar]

There are hundreds of places in a house to hide things like money. For example in the rolls of wrapping paper or in Christmas decoration boxes. I was hiding some in the box of 3D glasses for my TV since I never watch 3D and nobody is going to look in a little box that isn't even closed tight. Theives will toss your kitchen and bedroom looking for money and jewels and look behind pictures and in books but will they check your linen closet it the folded wash hand towels? or in a box of envelopes in your den. It would take them 10 hours to check every little place. I have even hidden money in a woodstove I don't use in a box. I could lay a fire and they would never guess the little box had money, they might light the fire so not a great plan. I don't have any now except in my purse and coins in a coffee can but hiding places are easy as in your sewing machine or box of knitting.

How do you remember where you hid it? If I did that I would have to make a list and then I would forget where the list was. Seems a little paranoid to me but I'm Canadian.

 

[kcowan]

I also keep at least $100 worth of foreign currency (Canadian dollars, British pounds, Euros, Icelandic kronur, and Brazilian reais). I've generally found that ATMs in airports have hefty fees and give you a lousy exchange rate, so I want some cash to get into the city and use a "real" ATM at a bank.

Yes we end up with about 500 Euros and 3000 pesos stashed at home. No safe. Just keep it hidden in a photo album in plain sight. We also have about 500 in local currency in our wallets.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

Well, went out today and got some good old fashioned cash. Not a lot, but enough to hold us over for a while. I also have LOTS of MREs (I use them as "in case" food when out camping and such) that would keep us fed for as long as we would WANT to be alive...because face it, if there is something as catastrophic as a nuclear attack, I don't think I would really want to hang around.

Incidentally, what are the thoughts on the "old style" currency? I ask because my Dad has a good amount of cash in his safe, and it's been in there long enough that none of it is like the cash in circulation now. He has been hesitant to deposit it (or exchange it) for fear that the government will "find out" (I know it's unfounded, but he's almost 90, so there is no changing his mind!) Does anyone think that there could be an issue trying to use these old bills? I say it would be smart to swap them out, but it could be more hassle than it's worth. Also, doing an inventory of the safe a while back, there was ZERO evidence of mold or any other organic "disturbances" and this is in Georgia, where humidity is pretty high. Perhaps just lucky?

 

[erkevin]

Many (most) good gun safes that I've seen have a small hole in the back and near the bottom of the safe that you can pass a small electrical cord through.

Those holes are to bolt it to the wall- at least with my models

 

[Cassius King]

I have a stash of cash in the house as well. Part of it is for emergency purposes if the debit and credit cards don't work. Other reason is to be able to take advantage of different opportunities that may arise. Like was mentioned previously with the music gear. If someone's in a pinch, cash is king.