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If you’re not prepared to sink thousands of dollars into a home safe, there are other options for concealing your valuables. Although nothing can match the security of a safe, these clever hiding spots can still do a pretty good job. Thieves don’t spend much time in a house, and they don’t like to do much digging to find theft-worthy items. So if you can tuck away your valuables in areas or objects that are undesirable and mundane, you’ll be well on your way to keeping them safe.

Try these ingenious hiding spots for your valuables:

Hide Them Away in a Child’s Room

Photo by Lynn-Anne Bruns

The last place a burglar will look for items of value is a child’s room. Children’s rooms are typically filled with toys, clutter, and other miscellaneous things that are unattractive to burglars.

Consequently, your child’s room makes for the perfect hiding spot for valuables. Find a nook or cranny in your child’s room that’s out of their reach and inconspicuous to visitors, and you can be confident that the valuables you store there are unlikely to be found.

Store Them in Nondescript Household Item Containers

Burglars aren’t interested in your household cleaners or pantry items. That’s why so many folks like to hide extra cash, jewelry, and so on inside emptied containers of average household items.

Toss some scrap gold in an empty Pringles can, or put your emergency cash in a plastic bag tucked in an old sack of flour. The possibilities really are endless.

Purchase a Book Safe

Photo via SecretSafeBooks on Etsy

Hollowed out books have long been thought of as neat hiding places for secret items and valuables. But now you can take that idea one step further with a custom made book safe. Many retailers now sell small safes disguised as books. These tricky compartments can be stored alongside your existing home library, and passersby will be none the wiser.

Install a Dummy Wall Socket

This hiding technique is probably the most secure on the list. There are several retailers who sell false electrical outlets, which can be installed in your home and packed with valuables. If you feel comfortable doing some minor cutting into your wall, this hiding spot is likely to never be found out.

Make a Stash in an Old VHS Tape

Photo via windthoek on Flickr

VHS is an all but dead technology. As a result, burglars couldn’t care less about finding a pile of old VHS tapes in a home, which makes them the perfect place to hide away valuables.

Find some old VHS tapes, preferably ones without movies or popular programs on them, and start stashing. For added camouflage, write titles on the outside of the tapes to make them look like home movies, or something equally boring. Intruders won’t think twice when they pass them up and move on to the next room.

These five spots are just a few of the many possible places you could conceal valuables in your home. It it appears worthless and unappealing on the outside, and would require too much time and effort for a burglar to investigate, it’s probably a good spot.

Feel free to leave your favorite spots to hide valuables in the comments below. Just don’t spread the word too far. We don’t want the bad guys to catch on!

The best defense against burglary is top-notch security. But top-notch security doesn’t stop at your home’s exterior. Of course, it’s important to secure the perimeter of your home as best as you can, however, having a second line of defense for the valuables on the inside of your home is just as important. This is why every home should have a safe. There are certain items that should stay locked away at all times, and there is no safer place for them, not even a safe deposit box, than in a safe in your own home.

 Photo by Rob Pongsajapan

If you are contemplating the purchase of a safe for your home, consider these benefits and advantages.

Easy Access to Important Documents

The necessity to lock away sensitive documents is a given in home security. However, many people secure these documents in a safe deposit box where they can’t easily be referenced.

With a home safe, you can access your important documents whenever you need them, and they’ll stay just as safe, probably safer, than they would in a safe deposit box.

Gun Safety

 Photo by kcdsTM on Flickr

If you are a gun owner, there is absolutely no excuse not to have a home safe. Even if you just own a small handgun and a couple boxes of ammo, a small safe is a mandatory gun accessory. This is not a safety measure to take lightly. Safe gun storage can be the difference between life and death.

More Security Than a Safe Deposit Box

 Photo by Maria Aleman

We alluded to it above, and now we’re just going to come out and say it. Bank safe deposit boxes are not an acceptable substitute for a home safe. Although they are located within the walls of a banking institution, they are not FDIC insured, and the usual homeowner’s insurance policy doesn’t cover items being stored in them. So if a flood or other natural disaster were to affect your bank, you would be uncovered for any damage to valuables being stored there.

Most safes can protect against flooding, fire, and burglary, making them an attractive alternative to safe deposit boxes.

Identity Protection

Photo by B Rosen on Flickr 

Not only does a home safe allow you to easily access your sensitive personal documents, it aids in keeping your identity safe by keeping them locked away. Your family’s birth certificates and social security cards, along with any other documents containing sensitive personal information, should be stored in a home safe to prevent them from falling into the wrong hands.

Identity theft, although non-violent, brings a crushing burden upon its victims. Keeping your sensitive documents secure is the key to avoiding identity theft.

These are just a few of the many benefits and advantages of owning a personal safe. Don’t let your security measures stop at the outside of your home. Take care of your valuables by adding an extra layer of protection with a home safe.

Even when you put forth the best effort to protect yourself from burglary, criminals can still find a way in. When homeowners find themselves in this unfortunate circumstance they find it difficult to shake the feelings of frustration and violation that come after a home invasion.

Photo by Nixelz on Deviantart

These feelings are hard to handle, and the shock that families experience after being robbed can be paralyzing. But despite these feelings, there are a core set of actions that must be taken after an invasion to guarantee a safe and speedy recovery.

If you find yourself in the midst of a home invasion scenario, follow these steps immediately after you’ve discovered that your home has been compromised.

Check on Family First

Before you do anything else, confirm that each of your family members is safe and unharmed. Attempt to contact each family member via cell phone or other means before entering the house. If you must enter the house to search for a family member, proceed with caution. Once each family member is accounted for, vacate the house immediately and go to the residence of a friend or neighbor.

Take Photos and Contact Law Enforcement

Once you are sure that your family is safe, contact your local law enforcement agency immediately. The sooner law enforcement arrives on the scene, the more likely it is that the perpetrator will be caught and apprehended.

Photo by Adam Lerner

Wait until law enforcement arrives to enter the house. Once they arrive and give you permission to go inside, take several pictures of each room and do your best not to disturb the crime scene. This will help to preserve incriminating evidence and document stolen items.

File Insurance Claims as Soon as Possible

The moment after you receive a police report from your local law enforcement team, you should contact your insurance company to file a claim. It is very important to contact the police first and your insurance company second. This is because the insurance representative will need all of the information provided in the police report. Calling before you have this information will complicate your claim.

Inspect and Update Your Security

Photo by Henning Muhlinghaus

After handling the initial crisis following the invasion, do an audit of your home security and update where necessary. Making sure your home is secure after an invasion is hugely important for preventing future burglaries and giving you peace of mind.

Begin Material and Emotional Recovery

The last step of recovering from a home invasion is by far the hardest – cleanup and emotional recovery. The most important thing to remember as you pick up the pieces after a robbery is not to suppress your emotions. Having your home ransacked, the place where you take refuge from the outside world, your safe haven, is very emotionally taxing. Nobody expects you to be a hero about it. Take the time you need from your day-to-day responsibilities to process the experience, and don’t rush the recovery process.

As you repair your life after an invasion, be thankful for what you didn’t lose. Your safety and the safety of your family should be your top priority, and going through this tragedy without your family being hurt or injured is a huge reason to be thankful.

Mobile applications have come a long way. We used to be restricted to responding to emails and playing brick breaker with our mobile apps, but now it seems like there’s an app for almost everything – even home security.

There are plenty of useful, free apps that can be used across multiple smartphone platforms, such as Android and iOS, to monitor your home. There’s no need to dish out hundreds of dollars for a new security system with smartphone integration. These three mobile apps work fine as stand alone security tools or in conjunction with a complete home security system.

Photo by Jason Howie

And there are multiple uses for these apps. They can serve to ensure security, monitor the baby, or record activity in and around your house.

Here are three free smartphone applications to help you monitor your home. Simply download them to your device and begin monitoring!

1. iSentry

For mac users, this app has the capability to utilize a computer web cam and monitor for movement in the camera’s filed of view. The setup is simple; install the app, point your computer webcam toward the area you want to monitor, and wait for the app to send you notifications on movement in the area.

The ability to automatically record video and snap pictures is what makes this app special. iSentry makes pictures and video available remotely by allowing you to upload them to a cloud service of your choice like Dropbox or Imageshack.

If your home is ever compromised, iSentry will capture images of intruders that can be passed on to law enforcement.

2. Presence

This app uses more or less the same principle as iSentry – using a device webcam to record a live feed. However, with Presence, you can expand this capability to all of your camera-equipped Apple devices. Mac users with multiple devices may find Presence to be the perfect fit.

3. AtHome

Don’t feel left out Android users! There’s a great video-monitoring app for you too. AtHome performs similarly to Presence and iSentry, although it is capable of being used on multiple platforms. Use a computer web cam, iPad, iPhone, or Android device as an IP camera.

 Photo via AtHome Camera

AtHome also offers video recording capability that can be controlled remotely from a smartphone or tablet. These recording features can also be set to activate in response to movement or pre-scheduling. Scheduled updates through email are also available.

This app’s flexible platform capability and range of features make it one of the most comprehensive home monitoring apps available.

For each of these applications, all you need is a webcam equipped device and an internet connection. Take advantage of these free monitoring apps and give an extra boost to your home security.

Taking the necessary precautions to secure your home before you leave for vacation should certainly be a top priority before your departure. However, you can’t forget about your car.

Aside from your home, your car is probably your most valuable possession. And it isn’t just a big chunk of cash. It takes the kids to practice, enables your morning commute, and provides a way to transport groceries and other goods back home. Car theft causes terrible loss that many individuals don’t realize.

Locking your car doors and tossing the keys in your pocket just isn’t enough if you plan to stay gone for more than 48 hours. Use these security solutions to ensure that your car stays put while you’re away.

 Photo by Twanda Baker

Don’t Hide Ignition Keys

Most car owners’ prefer to conceal an ignition key – a key with no transponder – somewhere on the outside of their vehicle in case they get locked out. This practice, although commonly accepted, is inviting trouble if you plan to leave your car unattended for more than a day or two.

Criminals are rotten people, but they’re no dummies. They know all the spots to check for a hidden ignition key, and if your car sits unmoved for an extended period of time thieves may start to snoop around.

Remove the Battery

A car that won’t start is pretty hard to steal.

Car thieves might be clever, but they don’t like to spend much time problem solving when they break into a car with the intention of stealing it. Removing your car’s battery and placing it some place secure is an easy way to render your vehicle immovable.

Photo by Rob Allen

If you are unlucky enough to be the victim of car theft, the thief will be unable to start your car, probably causing them to give up and move on.

Spring for a Steering Wheel Lock

Ok, we know these aren’t pretty, but they are definitely effective. An investment as low as $20 can improve your vehicle’s defense from thieves immensely.

Like we mentioned earlier, car thieves aren’t very patient. If they see that your car has a steering wheel lock that would be time consuming and risky to crack, they’ll most likely decide to pass.

Install an Alarm

This one might seem like a no-brainer, but it’s more than worth mentioning. If your car came equipped with an alarm system then you are all set. But if you are driving an older model car with no alarm, it might be time to look into adding a system. Aftermarket security systems can be had for under $50, so there’s no excuse not to make the upgrade.

Another thing car thieves hate is attention. If your car makes enough of a ruckus when it’s disturbed, you can bet that any would-be robber won’t stick around.

Don’t grant the bad guys any advantages. Use these tips and tools the next time you leave your car, and you’ll be able to rest easy knowing that it’s secure.