Comments on: Don’t Hide Money In The Toilet: More Conversation With A Burglar

By: Deb

Deb — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 16:27:48 +0000

I have been burgled at least 5 times in my life; different locations, cities, etc. And yes, my children’s room was ransacked. I have been a single mom for many years. My girls were 3 and 5 at the time, and their room was a MESS, but the burglers trashed it even more, especially the bed. I have had my refrigerator/freezer trashed, came home to frozen huckleberries melting all over the floor. At times I have had (in my opinion) NOTHING to steal, but they still took my ancient microwave when they couldn’t find anything else. They have taken spare car keys. I have almost always had dogs; but as someone mentioned, the thieves probably threw them a bone and the dogs went off happily and quietly to enjoy. But when the sheriff came, they barked like hell. Didn’t like the uniform I guess!

I am almost to the point of just leaving the door unlocked, leave them a couple hundred bucks in plain sight, with a note for them to please take it. It would be cheaper than replacing doors and locks, windows, and cleaning up afterward.

I have always been burgled in broad daylight, when at work and kids in school. Unless you live in a neighborhood with a nosy neighbor who stays home all the time, with a clear view of all angles of your home, you can be burgled any time and the thieves can be in and out with no one the wiser.

By: Always Thinking

Always Thinking — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 01:08:59 +0000

I hide all of my big bills inside the picture of my Mother In Law , aint no one looking in there!!! That picture is better than a guard dog on PCP !!

By: Frank

Frank — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 07:50:24 +0000

As has been mentioned the tins you can hide cash in are very well known, and the tin of “soup” in the bedroom stands out like a sore thumb.

Unfortunately for the thief, if they touch the soup tin on the shelf in my bedroom, they will get an unpleasant electric shock (dog shock collar inside) and a loud siren (not in the can) will start wailing.

Other valuable things, like my computer for instance, will trigger an alarm if they are carried across any threshold. (Rigged with one of those dog collars that trigger when it passes a cable. The cable is hidden alongside the thresholds.)

Disabling requires a screwdriver or waiting until the internal battery runs out.

By: Stephen S

Stephen S — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 02:31:38 +0000

If someone is after a specific item you have – No amount of security will protect it.

A crime of opportunity is different. Quality doors/locks that are actually used can drop the risk. Locked windows too.
Security windows can do a lot. Generally expensive. plexiglass windows for the ones most likely to get busted are cheap.
But.. If someone WANTS IN.. They will get in. Even the highest security locks used at places like the pentagon can be picked in seconds to minutes.

By: Amanda

Amanda — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 18:20:46 +0000

There’s always money in the Banana Stand!

By: Sam

Sam — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 03:06:19 +0000

Not yet mentioned, a dog can be bribed with treats in seconds. Arrange things so it takes too much time for an intruder to make friends with fido.

Never leave tools laying about the yard, they will use them to break in and then take the most worth stealing tools.

I only keep a Safe for fire safety reasons for documents I am too lazy to take to the bank.

By: erdtirdmans

erdtirdmans — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 19:00:57 +0000

Fern (commenter #6): You are right… and wrong. A thief doesn’t hang around for more than 10 minutes, but in 10 minutes, he’d clean our your house including nearly every likely hiding spot.

Just because it would take you 25 minutes to check every one of these spots doesn’t mean an adrenaline-rush fueled person with no concern for damaging the property they are searching through who does this 20 times a month would.

By: Cat Callahan

Cat Callahan — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 01:54:31 +0000

As a kid back in the 50s, we lived over my dad’s drugstore. He had pain-killers,and other things that most addicts would have loved to have gotten their hands on-but they never did! Why? Dad had several guns and knew how to use them! And we always had noisey barking dogs! Keep a dog and you have noise and distraction-2 things burglars hate!

By: D

Wed, 05 Aug 2009 00:33:09 +0000

Attic? For a while now, esp after hearing about Katrina (I live in a flood plain), I keep redundant emergency supplies on different levels of the house, including some cash in a vacuum sealed bag secured to a rafter in the attic. Not the most convenient place, but hard/time consuming to get to, and if you want to play in the sprayed fiberglass insulation, be my guest.

How about locking internal doors when you go away for any amount of time? You can always jimmy them open with a small screwdriver or wire when you get back, but I’m thinking about my upstairs office, where you would have to breach the door only to be met with multiple locked file cabinets and a firesafe bolted inside a closet, which can also be locked. Both time consuming and noisy to get to.

By: Rob Milligan

Rob Milligan — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 21:18:21 +0000

Just Kidding All