Storing important papers

[Anonymous]

Thanks for these ideas everyone. We have a small home with minimal closet space and dread the idea of having a safe. It sounds like it might be the best option though.

Also, I did not realize that bank safe deposit boxes aren’t considered safe!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for these ideas everyone. We have a small home with minimal closet space and dread the idea of having a safe. It sounds like it might be the best option though.

Also, I did not realize that bank safe deposit boxes aren’t considered safe!

A few years ago the NYTimes or the Post did a good informative article about it and how the banks actually assume very little responsibility for your property in their vaults. Sorry I don't have a link.

[Anonymous]

Those documents are in a filing cabinet in my office. You can get all of them replaced quite easily it you want/need.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for these ideas everyone. We have a small home with minimal closet space and dread the idea of having a safe. It sounds like it might be the best option though.

Also, I did not realize that bank safe deposit boxes aren’t considered safe!

But why? One of the best uses of space one could have.

[Anonymous]

We had a whole nightmare with a safe box where the batteries corroded and the keypad wouldn't work and we lost the backup key in a move. We had to jump through a bunch of hoops to get a new key for it.

Yes, substantial amounts of human error at play here. But I've decided we're disorganized enough that there's little hope of someone hunting down our important documents as we can barely do it.

[Anonymous]

I still have a safe deposit box, but have a discussion every year with my DH about dropping it. I am willing to get rid of it, he is not. Everything is my box is replaceable. Basically, car title and deed to the house. I keep passports in the house in a file cabinet. I was the executor to my dad’s will and had to jump thru a number of hoops to gain entrance to his box.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We had a whole nightmare with a safe box where the batteries corroded and the keypad wouldn't work and we lost the backup key in a move. We had to jump through a bunch of hoops to get a new key for it.

Yes, substantial amounts of human error at play here. But I've decided we're disorganized enough that there's little hope of someone hunting down our important documents as we can barely do it.

We have a fireproof "safe," but leave the key in it. It's not really a safe, just something to preserve documents. You could pry open the lock quite easily.

[Anonymous]

I have them in an envelope in the office closet marked “passport and birth certificates.”

We have all the numbers and info digitally. In a fire situation, I don’t think the paper would be a big deal.

[Anonymous]

I just have this stuff in a filing cabinet. I really think it’s fine. The chances of someone breaking into your house to steal your passport are pretty slim.

[Anonymous]

Are there fireproof options if we don’t need a safe? We have documents from an adoption that no one would want to steal, but would be virtually impossible to replace.

[Anonymous]

We have a large heavy gun safe in the basement that stores some photos and family scrapbooks & mementos (photos are also mostly in cloud). It's fireproof to an extent.

Upstairs we have a smaller safe in a closet by the front door, also "fireproof" for a limited time. We keep $10,000 cash, jewelry and all passports/birth certificates/titles/wills/etc. It's all easy to grab if we are running out the door in case of fire.

Our small town has virtually no crime, so we are not worried about robbery at all. The majority around here own hunting rifles, shotguns and handguns, so only a fool walks onto someone's property with intent to break in and steal.

What we did do is make a copy of important papers, seal them in a large envelope and gave them to a nearby family member that we trust (she is also our executor should DH & I did at the same time). This way, if the important documents were destroyed or lost, it will be easier to replace them if we have access to a copy.

DH scans and puts everything in the cloud, but he may have skipped this for sensitive documents.

Another tip - DH also created a step by step list of everything I need to know and do should he die unexpectedly. We have an online password safe and cloud, so this has all the instructions for getting into them and recreating access, should our computers and cell phones be destroyed.

You can do these things without buying a safe, which will at least help you reconstruct your legal life in the event of a fire.

You can also buy a small "fireproof" safe that can be hidden in a closet, even inside a box labeled "baby clothes", so it wouldn't look obvious to a thief looking to grab and go.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ummm a safe? Or the cloud? Adulting is hard for you, so it seems.

Not op but you're a dumb b. This is a valid issue that is not easy to resolve.


Most safes made for homes are ridiculously easy to break into if that is a concern. You have to get a heavy one
For anyone who knows, how much should a decent safe cost? I need one for documents but also to put some valuables in when I'm away.

C-Rated safes will run around $1500-$7000 depending on model and obviously the size.

E-Rated safes are better with 1inch thick walls, and will be a bit more.

you can get a decent gun safe for less than $500. They weigh more than 300 pounds, so bolting it to a floor isn't really needed. And they're fireproof

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for these ideas everyone. We have a small home with minimal closet space and dread the idea of having a safe. It sounds like it might be the best option though.

Also, I did not realize that bank safe deposit boxes aren’t considered safe!

They also make "fireproof" bags that are less than an inch thick.

For most people, I don't see how this is worth much time and expense. I can't think of any ID and financial documents that are not replaceable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Those documents are in a filing cabinet in my office. You can get all of them replaced quite easily it you want/need.

Agree. I have all of our important papers in a binder. All in one place and easy to grab if need be.

[Anonymous]

I saw you posted on freecycle asking for a safe.