Better safe than Sorry!

Recently, our valley has experienced several home burglaries, including one family in our own ward. We often think that things like that "don't happen in our neighborhood", but they are possible anywhere, even here in our wonderful community of Smithfield. Here are a few suggestions on protecting ourselves from home theft. Please take a minute to review them and discuss them with your family. Safeguarding your home would be a great topic for review in Family Home Evening this week!

Most home burglars do not give great amounts of thought to planning the job and assessing the benefits vs. dangers. Most burglars look for:

Something worth stealing
Easy access combined with low visibility
A home that is unoccupied

Did you know? More residential burglaries occur during the day because homes tend to be vacant more often. In short, make your house look the same whether you are away or at home.

A few simple pre-cautions:

• Lock all doors and windows when you leave the house.


• Do not hide spare keys outside your home, instead give one to a trusted neighbor.


• Do not have valuables lying out in view from a window. If possible, keep jewelry and other small valuables and important documents in a hidden safe deposit box.


• If you are at home working outside, leave all other doors that are out of sight locked.


• Avoid telling others about the valuables in your home.


• If you have children, discuss home security with them, such as not talking with strangers about their home, its contents or family schedules.


• Inventory and mark your belongings.with an engraving pen so that they can be traced and return them to you if stolen. Never mark them with your social security number.

Hiding money is an age-old practice. The key is to remember where you put the cash and keeping it safe from the elements. Here are some great places to store your cash, jewelry or medications... here are a few affordable tricks:

1. A Tampon or Sanitary Pad Box – Leave a little “product” in the box for authenticity, and taping a wad of cash to the inside, you can be sure a robber won’t think to look in there.


2. A large food container with a plastic lid - Store valuables inside and keep it in the refrigerator or freezer.


3. Remove the back of a painting or photograph frame. Place cash behind the photo or art and then put the back on the frame, hang it back on the wall.


4. A Return-Air Vent – If you have a room in your home that heat does not matter, remove the vent, store your valuables in the duct work and replace the vent


5. Frozen food – Several people already keep their credit cards on ice, but what about cash? An ice cream carton in a freezer ca , you can be converted into a hiding place.


6. Tennis ball – Cut open a tennis ball, stash your valuables inside, and then placing the ball back between two others in their original tube container. Just make sure that the goods don’t rattle when you shake them. (You can stuff some tissue paper in with jewelry or coins to hide their sound.)

Some places you really shouldn’t hide cash:

1. Under Your Mattress – This is one of the first places thieves are going to check, and it is hardly conducive to a good night’s sleep.


2. In Your Toilet-Tank – Several websites still list this as a good place to hide money. Too many movies lead the thieves right there.


3. A purse – This totally-out-in-the-open hiding place is a little to available for many thieves. (And what if the thief has a penchant for Prada, Kate Spade, or Jaclyn Smith by Kmart?)

A few other pointers for those who want to conceal cash in their home include:

• Be aware that many homemade safes (including those mentioned) won’t make your valuables immune from fire damage. If you are concerned about the possibility of your nest egg going up in flames, a fire-proof safe or bag is the solution.


• Leave a clue to where you keep it. If you should happen to die or disappear for a really, really long time, would your loved ones know where you keep your cash? Unless you want your valuables to be of no use to anyone else in your passing, let a few close relatives or a trusted friend know your plans. Or have it clearly explained in your “top-secret” will.


• Make sure you have the value of your cash added to your home owners or rental insurance, if at all possible. Some companies will have specific regulations as to what they can and can’t cover. If you have large amounts of cash on the premises, however, see how you can best minimize loss in a bad situation using your insurance plan.
  

Be safe, be smart. Look out for yourself and your neighbor. Call 911 if something looks or feels suspicious. Let's protect each other!

Safety is not a gadget but a state of mind.