Have you seen the movie where Mark Wahlberg and a crew of highly skilled thieves partner with Charlize Theron to crack into an almost impenetrable safe? A piece of fine equipment, in real life terms, probably costing thousands if not tens of thousands of dollars. A little out of reach of the average American trying to protect the pair of 25th anniversary earrings from their husband or the life insurance paperwork. Yet, we each have something—a family heirloom, a keepsake from your children’s infancy, or your great-grandmother’s China—that you want to keep not just out of sight but under lock and key.
Maybe it’s not even something as significant as an irreplaceable family treasure. Maybe it’s the (legal) weapon that you’ve purchased to protect your home and family. There are clever and some practically fool-proof methods you can employ without breaking the bank. Some that you may wish to look into, are:
- Interior of a door. If your door is wood, you can drill a hole in the top (the size of a shotgun shell) that can hold a small items like flash drives with important information and even small rolls of money.
- Behind art/wall hanging. A niche can be cut into the drywall, and art can be placed on hinges. The art will sit flush to the wall and the recessed niche can house items as large as your niche—safe boxes, weapons, paperwork, etc. This type of niche can also be used as a jewelry box providing ease of access, but constant protection
- The fridge. You can purchase a small safe, say the size of a small head of lettuce, and actually hide in the leaves of a head of lettuce. Also, large jars can be useful once emptied. For example, when you finish a jar of mayonnaise, KEEP THAT JAR! Then you can paint the inside white, make a few appropriately place scratches for authenticity, and voila…another fridge hiding place.
- A false book shelf. Well, it doesn’t have to false. Please place books on it. On a larger scale that the hidden wall niche, you can have a cut out into a wall that has some extra space behind it. Build out a simple, large niche that can house a safe, keepsakes, etc., and then attach the shelf to hinges that can open like a door but looks like any old book shelf against a wall.
A couple of these require renovations that you may not be permitted to make or are unable to make, for whatever reason. However, others are simple solutions to a fixable problem. This info is just a jumping off point that hopefully inspired you to find a way to hide your stash. By all means, keep your money in a bank. No mattress banking suggested. You could even invest in a safety deposit box. However, for things you would like to have more readily available, try these useful tools and techniques to keep those keepsakes safe and secure at home.
