Safeguarding your valuables in times of crisis is important for a number of reasons. 

Whether it's a natural disaster, war or sudden social upheaval, these events can disrupt the normal functioning of society and lead to an increase in theft and vandalism.

As each of us knows, disasters do not discriminate regarding geographic location, and they rarely happen at the most convenient times.

However, the good news is that there are some steps you can take to safeguard your valuables in times of crisis.

When an emergency does happen, law enforcement might not necessarily rush to your neighborhood to help you because they will be overwhelmed with 911 calls.

That's why it's up to you to personally safeguard your belongings and valuables, especially in the face of a crisis that is disruptive to your everyday life.

I am sure you heard the saying that the mice will play when the cat is away.

Unfortunately, when disasters strike, crime will tend to skyrocket most of the time.

That is why it is so essential to make sure you lock all of the doors and windows in your house at all times.

Thieves will be more inclined to enter your home if you make it easier for them, so it is vital to secure your home so that they can't.

Crimes like assaults, vandalism, looting, rapes, thefts will, and much worse will be happening 27/7, so you want to be ready for anything and protect your valuables and family if you can.

If there is an emergency and the hurricane alert goes off, you may be forced to evacuate your home.

• This will mean it's mandatory, and you will have to leave your house early before the storm happens.
• Unfortunately, that means you could potentially lose access to your valuables and belongings during that time frame.
• Here lies the opportunity criminals love to take advantage of to steal and run off with your personal belongings.

Fortunately, a few simple precautions can safeguard your valuable possessions, such as jewelry, important documents, and other essential household items.

Safes work great

If you were thinking of safes, they are a great option.

Fleeing with your precious jewelry, cash, and other possessions is a wrong decision in an emergency.

They might be stolen or lost. Safes can store many items like jewelry, passport, cash, and other essential items.

You can safely keep these essential items within your safe to not get stolen.

There are also digital safes that come with hidden features that can track the whereabouts of your items and allow you to find them quickly when in need.

One thing to note is you want to leave your safe at home. DO NOT try to take it with you if you have to evacuate your house.

Most safes are too large, cumbersome, and heavy to carry and usually take two people to move them.

So like said, you want to leave them behind.

Some of the experts suggest that you anchor your safe to the ground.

It's also a good idea to take photographs of your jewelry, cash, important documents, and other valuables before putting them inside a safe.

Safes are not cheap, so spending a little extra for peace of mind can be well worth it.

You also want to make sure you have the safe on solid ground to support the weight of the safe.

Try to keep your safe in a location that is easily accessible but make it discreet if you can.

There's no purpose in having a safe that holds everything together while the building burns down.

So make sure you have one that is fireproof.

Whatever you do, make sure to choose one that has a thick layer of steel.

The bottom line about safes is they can be expensive, so do some research and pick out a good one.

Don't panic. Try to stay within your budget and don't go overboard.

Good quality safes are out there and if you need any help, just let me know, and I will get back to you ASAP.

The Best Hiding Spots

This is the fun part (for me anyway) trying to find a little stash hiding spot to hide your valuables if you don't have a safe.

There are several places you can find. Here is a good great post for some ideas to help you out.

It would help if you thought out of the box and did not overcomplicate this.

Now, when it comes to hiding valuables, the master bedroom is a bad idea because that's usually the first place a burglar will look.

People are generally creatures of habit, and robbers know precisely where to look.

For example, putting your valuables in an airtight plastic bag and attempting to hide them in the toilet tank is not as uncommon as you might think, according to the FBI.

Cereal boxes, beneath the bed, under mattresses, laundry baskets are not recommended as good hiding places, so do not use them.

There is one key point here: 

• When a thief breaks into a house, one of their main goals is to get in and out as fast as possible.
• This is why (just like on tv shows) you will see how the thieves will dump everything on the floor, make a mess and quickly take as much as they can in as little time as possible.

They call this tossing. Yes, there is a name for it (did you toss the place, etc.).

I am sure that you have heard of saying before.

So it's better to hide your valuables in a spot where most people wouldn't think to look.

This is where your creativity comes into play, so try to create unique hiding spots for your valuables.

If you need some ideas, an excellent place to start is the attic or storage room if you have any of the two.

From my own experience, these two spots work great for stashing your valuables.

Since most attics and storage rooms are full of old junk like shoes, old clothes, and just about everything else you can think of, that is collecting dust.

Most thieves will not waste their time looking in these spots.

Thieves mindset

Their mindset is why would someone put anything here that has any value.

One of my favorite spots is PVC pipes or Flex pipes.

Yes, you heard me right.

Suppose you put your items inside the pipe and then place pipes in spots that make sense to have them there.

To the average person, it will look normal. To them, it's just another ac vent or drain pipe.

Another good spot is a flower pot. Think of the possibilities.

All you have to do is fill it halfway with dirt and add your plant to the pot.

The bottom half is yours.

Just make sure your items are sealed in a container or bag.

Make everything seem natural and arrange it in a somewhat inconspicuous location inside the home.

Label your hiding spots

Always make sure to label the hiding spots.

If not, put a few hidden nooks in places that burglars don't generally look for valuables.

Make sure you remember where all of the hiding spots are because if you don't and the burglar finds them, your valuables will be gone, and you'll be in a whole lot of trouble.

So, always remember to label the location and always make sure to hide your valuables in spots where you'd think no one would look.

I know this sounds silly, but believe me, whenever you hide something, make sure to mark your location with a marker so you can find it later.

On many occasions, your belongings can disappear in the blink of an eye, so you have to be alert and remember where you stashed them in the first place.

To sum it up

There are numerous ways of losing your valuables.

• Make sure you have a plan in advance when hiding your valuables. 
• Having a plan will make this process much less stressful.
• It would help if you hid your valuables in a place that is not too far out of the way and won't attract too much attention.
• You should also remember where you hide your valuables so that you can find them easily when you return. 

It's essential to be creative when hiding your valuables if a thief gets their hands on them, and they won't be able to find them easily.

Remember, many thieves are waiting for the perfect opportunity to steal something.

You never know when a crisis will strike. It may be financial, natural, or even man-made.

Whatever the reason, it's important to be prepared.

The last thing you want is to have a valuable item stolen or damaged because you didn't take precautions.

Now that you've read this blog post, you should have a good understanding of how to safeguard your valuables in times of crisis.

Thanks again for reading. I'd appreciate it if you shared this post with all of your survival and prepping peeps, it helps me out and helps me keep the lights on here at Total Prepping.