Where do you store your important documents???

[butterfly 17]

I am just curious as to where and how everyone stores their important documents.

Now that I have my new baby and I got her birth certificate in the mail, I realize that we store our important documents haphazardly. Some stuff is under my bed, my daughters things are under the crib, our passports, house title and immunization cards are in a fire safe box and our car title and marriage certificate is in the safe.

I told my husband we need to organize everything in case of a fire or flood, he doesn''t think we need to or doesn''t seem to care.

Does everyone store their stuff like us? All over the place or are you a bit or alot more organized?

 

[jcrow]

with the hurricane prone area i live in- trust me i''ve learned to keep it all together!! in case we need to get out, i know where everything is!

i have a small fire safe that i keep birth cert. and passport and as many important papers as i can- still leaving room for other essensial stuff.

then i also have a file box with folders set up and labeled for everything i need. helps keep my mind clear that way!

 

[sjz]

Some papers are in a locked file cabinet in my husband''s office. The rest are in a safe. Less viatal documents are either in his desk or my desk.

 

[Erin]

Hmmmm - we don''t even have a safe. Then again, I don''t know what I''d put in it. Everything is kept in a metal filing cabinet. Our BCs PPs and stuff are still at our parents'' houses.

I''d probably go out and purchase a fire proof safe and put in it all the ''if I had a fire, what things would I miss/need'' stuff.

 

[jcrow]

does anyone store they''re jewelry in a fire safe too?

 

[butterfly 17]

Date: 9/29/2005 11:16:55 AM
Author: Starset Princess
Hmmmm - we don''t even have a safe. Then again, I don''t know what I''d put in it. Everything is kept in a metal filing cabinet. Our BCs PPs and stuff are still at our parents'' houses.
.

That''s the thing, we don''t put anything in our safe because the one we purchased is so small and at one point it got all moldly inside, so I am afraid to store stuff and take it out and find that it is destroyed when it is supposed be protected in there.

 

[jcrow]

um- that''s wierd!!!

 

[widget]

Author: jcrow
does anyone store they're jewelry in a fire safe too?

I store my jewelry in a safe at home, but when I'm traveling, I put it in a safe deposit box at the bank.

widget

 

[jcrow]

good idea-- while traveling!!

 

[butterfly 17]

Date: 9/29/2005 11:19:55 AM
Author: jcrow
does anyone store they''re jewelry in a fire safe too?

I don''t. I just keep it in a jewelery box right on top of my dresser. I have to say that when I have a large party (ie: daughter''s birthday party) I take the jewelery box and put it in the attic.

When I have a party nothing, not even my bedroom is sacred. Everyone goes everywhere which I normally wouldn''t mind, except when the kids run upstairs too!!! Last year, they were using my handrail as a slide and managed to peel off some of the paint. Someone tore the towel holder off my upstairs master bathroom wall. I literally walked into my bathroom after the party and found my towel holder hanging and a fairly large hole in the wall were it once was.

Also, since we moved, everyone wants to see how we decorated, etc., so even if I keep the upstairs area closed (where my bedroom is), there are still people who want to see "the rest of the house".

I don''t have that much jewelery, so I would hate to "accidently" lose something during a party!!

 

[jcrow]

i just worry b/c they say the thieves know exactly where to look. dresser i am sure is ontop of the list!

 

[widget]

Author: jcrow
i just worry b/c they say the thieves know exactly where to look.

I read somewhere that one of the first places thieves look is in your underwear drawer!!! Could this be true? Are there any PSers out there who keep their valuables there??

widget

 

[jcrow]

my mom used to when i was little. --probably thinking no one will every look THERE!

 

[diamondlil]

It''s funny that you asked this, Butterfly, because the topic of an in-house, fire-proof safe has been a conversation I''ve had with my husband several times recently. It''s on my list of things to do in the next couple of months.

At the moment, all our important papers are in a safe deposit box at the bank. It''s okay for some stuff, but when you need something, it''s a pain to get it out, so it would be nice to have a fire-prroof safe in the house for items I may want to pull out on occasion.

I don''t keep my jewelry at the bank because I wear it. My jewelry is in a large leather jewelry case that I do keep somewhat hidden, but a thief would probably know where to look. My wedding set is generally in a porcelain dish hidden in a kitchen cabinet since I put it on and take it off as I''m coming and going, so that''s not very safe at all. Now that my kids are getting a little older (11 and 13) and they have friends over all the time, I hate to admit it, but I would feel better if my jewelry were locked in a safe.

I''m thinking about a built-in/bolted down type that is big enough to hold more than just a few papers. My husband thinks we should hire a professional to come install it because it''s going to weigh a ton, and where I want to put it would involve steps.

Anyone have any advice about fire-proof safes?

 

[ame]

On a pile on top of my file cabinet.

 

[bar01]

Safety Deposit box at the bank. All important documents -trust, insurance, appraisals, passport, plus computer backup DVD''s.

 

[fire&ice]

Date: 9/29/2005 11:51:43 AM
Author: widget

Author: jcrow
i just worry b/c they say the thieves know exactly where to look.

I read somewhere that one of the first places thieves look is in your underwear drawer!!! Could this be true? Are there any PSers out there who keep their valuables there??

widget

Well, my underwear drawer was rifled through and dumped on the ground.

I didn''t keep anything of value in it - but it sure was creepy thinking about them going through this drawer. I washed everything with clorox.

Two other places they looked were in the pantry & the refrigerator.

The policeman said that the theives are looking for those fake cans that people put money into. I found that anything in plain site seemed to be untouched. I had an evelope marked cash & found it right on the floor in front of the dresser I keep it in - w/ all the cash inside!

That said, I keep most of our documents in the safety deposit box at the bank. I rotate my jewelry in and out of there as well. My passport is with me at all times when I leave overnight. I keep it in my suitcase.

 

[ame]

I keep my stuff in the jewelery box Ryan just got me. But I tend to put that in the bacardi or Jim Beam box in my closet on the top shelf. haha. No one ever looks in there.

 

[cute330xigrl]

Date: 9/29/2005 2:35:02 PM
Author: fire&ice

Date: 9/29/2005 11:51:43 AM
Author: widget

Author: jcrow
i just worry b/c they say the thieves know exactly where to look.

I read somewhere that one of the first places thieves look is in your underwear drawer!!! Could this be true? Are there any PSers out there who keep their valuables there??

widget

Well, my underwear drawer was rifled through and dumped on the ground.

I didn''t keep anything of value in it - but it sure was creepy thinking about them going through this drawer. I washed everything with clorox.

Two other places they looked were in the pantry & the refrigerator.

The policeman said that the theives are looking for those fake cans that people put money into. I found that anything in plain site seemed to be untouched. I had an evelope marked cash & found it right on the floor in front of the dresser I keep it in - w/ all the cash inside!

That said, I keep most of our documents in the safety deposit box at the bank. I rotate my jewelry in and out of there as well. My passport is with me at all times when I leave overnight. I keep it in my suitcase.

thats nuts! We have a fire safe... but havent used it yet.

The intention was to store jewelry and legal docs. Right now, most of our stuff is in "obvious" locations.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

I keep all important papers (car title, passport, home owners insurance papers) in our safety deposit box at our bank. Wachovia actually gave us a free box b/c we have our morgage through them and FI does lots of loans through them for his business. If you do have to pay they are very cheap and a tax write off. Always key!

 

[aphisiglovessae]

My most important documents that I hardly ever use are in a safe-deposit box in the bank that my mom works at. The other documents that are important but can''t be stored away for a long period of time, are in my mother''s safe or in a fire-safe box.

 

[jcrow]

Date: 9/29/2005 12:07:20 PM
Author: diamondlil
It''s funny that you asked this, Butterfly, because the topic of an in-house, fire-proof safe has been a conversation I''ve had with my husband several times recently. It''s on my list of things to do in the next couple of months.


At the moment, all our important papers are in a safe deposit box at the bank. It''s okay for some stuff, but when you need something, it''s a pain to get it out, so it would be nice to have a fire-prroof safe in the house for items I may want to pull out on occasion.


I don''t keep my jewelry at the bank because I wear it. My jewelry is in a large leather jewelry case that I do keep somewhat hidden, but a thief would probably know where to look. My wedding set is generally in a porcelain dish hidden in a kitchen cabinet since I put it on and take it off as I''m coming and going, so that''s not very safe at all. Now that my kids are getting a little older (11 and 13) and they have friends over all the time, I hate to admit it, but I would feel better if my jewelry were locked in a safe.

I''m thinking about a built-in/bolted down type that is big enough to hold more than just a few papers. My husband thinks we should hire a professional to come install it because it''s going to weigh a ton, and where I want to put it would involve steps.


Anyone have any advice about fire-proof safes?

i was torn between a heavy one and any easy on the go one.
this is the one i bought. i bought it years ago, and it''s pretty full now. the reason i went with a light one is so that for hurricanes and what not, i can carry it with me- though it''s still heavy. i keep it pretty well hidden- or at least i like to think so...

when i move into a house, i do plan to get a larger one to keep more documents in. my cousin has one that''s housed in a piece of furniture. i think that might me a good idea.

 

[jcrow]

Date: 9/29/2005 2:35:02 PM
Author: fire&ice

Date: 9/29/2005 11:51:43 AM

Author: widget

Author: jcrow

i just worry b/c they say the thieves know exactly where to look.

I read somewhere that one of the first places thieves look is in your underwear drawer!!! Could this be true? Are there any PSers out there who keep their valuables there??


widget

Well, my underwear drawer was rifled through and dumped on the ground.

I didn''t keep anything of value in it - but it sure was creepy thinking about them going through this drawer. I washed everything with clorox.

Two other places they looked were in the pantry & the refrigerator.

The policeman said that the theives are looking for those fake cans that people put money into. I found that anything in plain site seemed to be untouched. I had an evelope marked cash & found it right on the floor in front of the dresser I keep it in - w/ all the cash inside!



That said, I keep most of our documents in the safety deposit box at the bank. I rotate my jewelry in and out of there as well. My passport is with me at all times when I leave overnight. I keep it in my suitcase.

the refridge is what i was going to say next. it was on a show on oprah i think where they had the top 5-10 places thieves look first.

 

[curlygirl]

Date: 9/29/2005 2:35:02 PM
Author: fire&ice

Date: 9/29/2005 11:51:43 AM
Author: widget

Author: jcrow
i just worry b/c they say the thieves know exactly where to look.

I read somewhere that one of the first places thieves look is in your underwear drawer!!! Could this be true? Are there any PSers out there who keep their valuables there??

widget

Well, my underwear drawer was rifled through and dumped on the ground.

I didn''t keep anything of value in it - but it sure was creepy thinking about them going through this drawer. I washed everything with clorox.

Two other places they looked were in the pantry & the refrigerator.

The policeman said that the theives are looking for those fake cans that people put money into. I found that anything in plain site seemed to be untouched. I had an evelope marked cash & found it right on the floor in front of the dresser I keep it in - w/ all the cash inside!

That said, I keep most of our documents in the safety deposit box at the bank. I rotate my jewelry in and out of there as well. My passport is with me at all times when I leave overnight. I keep it in my suitcase.

Yup, when my apartment was robbed about 10 years ago, they went through my underwear drawer and like an idiot, that''s where I had all my jewelry--luckily it was just my "every day" stuff, the good things are kept in the safety deposit box at the bank. They also went through my kitchen, bathroom cabinets and looked under the mattress. They ended up taking all my electronics, tv, cable box, phone, vcr, cds and jewelry but left the passport and brand new Coach bag still with tags on it. They took my old Gap backpack instead! Ever since then, I keep all important things in the bank or in a lock box thingy in the house. And always make sure to have insurance which I didn''t back then...

 

[jcrow]

yeh my personal little motto about hidding things is if it''s easy to get to, it will be for them too. the more difficult and inconvient it is for me to get to my important things, the less likely it is they''ll find them.

 

[cutes814]

I just keep all my important documents in my file cabinet, which is not safe at all.

This might seem like a stupid question, but where''s the best place to purchase a fire safe box?

 

[jcrow]

i either bought mine at (sigh) wal-mart.. or maybe it was office depot. either way both have them. so does target. i''d check online and compare before going to the stores.

 

[Shay37]

My DH and I keep all our important papers and jewelry and coins in a safe. We bought one that is about 2 and a half feet talk by 1 and a half feet deep, and 2 feet wide for about $300 from BJs a couple of years ago. It is quite heavy, and yet fits quite nicely in one of our walk in closets. It would take about 4 guys to get that thing out of our house, and to do it without being seen would be next to impossible.

Shay

 

[jcrow]

Date: 9/29/2005 3:28:19 PM
Author: jcrow

Date: 9/29/2005 12:07:20 PM

Author: diamondlil

It''s funny that you asked this, Butterfly, because the topic of an in-house, fire-proof safe has been a conversation I''ve had with my husband several times recently. It''s on my list of things to do in the next couple of months.



At the moment, all our important papers are in a safe deposit box at the bank. It''s okay for some stuff, but when you need something, it''s a pain to get it out, so it would be nice to have a fire-prroof safe in the house for items I may want to pull out on occasion.



I don''t keep my jewelry at the bank because I wear it. My jewelry is in a large leather jewelry case that I do keep somewhat hidden, but a thief would probably know where to look. My wedding set is generally in a porcelain dish hidden in a kitchen cabinet since I put it on and take it off as I''m coming and going, so that''s not very safe at all. Now that my kids are getting a little older (11 and 13) and they have friends over all the time, I hate to admit it, but I would feel better if my jewelry were locked in a safe.

I''m thinking about a built-in/bolted down type that is big enough to hold more than just a few papers. My husband thinks we should hire a professional to come install it because it''s going to weigh a ton, and where I want to put it would involve steps.



Anyone have any advice about fire-proof safes?

i was torn between a heavy one and any easy on the go one.

this is the one i bought. i bought it years ago, and it''s pretty full now. the reason i went with a light one is so that for hurricanes and what not, i can carry it with me- though it''s still heavy. i keep it pretty well hidden- or at least i like to think so...


when i move into a house, i do plan to get a larger one to keep more documents in. my cousin has one that''s housed in a piece of furniture. i think that might me a good idea.

forgot the pic..

 

[cutes814]

Thanks jcrow!