The current economy has many people considering a simpler method of financial security — cold, hard cash. And while we all agree that a buck has value, it is also a bit vulnerable when not hidden properly. Forget the $3000 hi-tech safe, and stick with these affordable tricks I picked up. You’ll never guess which way I’m using to hide my money!

Tampon Box
I’m not kidding. Walletpop (http://www.walletpop.com/specials/places-to-hide-money) mentioned this gem of a tip, and I was instantly intrigued. By leaving 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. (Ladies can be certain that a husband or boyfriend won’t find it, either.)

Fake Drain
Another beauty from Walletpop, this one involves a little more handiwork. By constructing a false drain in the floor of your garage or basement, you can place a pipe full of money where no one can see. (Just make sure your cash is stored in a waterproof container or baggie, in case an unknowing person tries to use the drain!)

Your Yard
Digging holes and hiding money is an age-old practice. The key is to remember where you put the cash and keeping it safe from the elements. Most experts recommend using some kind of PVC piping to keep dirt away from the stash, and to discourage the ground from caving in. This will also prevent a pesky underground burrowing creature from discovering your secret. This article by LiveSafely.org suggests several extra tips for getting the job done. (Be sure to bury deep, and don’t forget where you hid it!)

Return-Air Vent
Family Handyman Magazine (Nov 2008) offers step-by-step directions for using the face plate of an air vent to conceal a cubby you can stash valuables in. The best part is that it is held in place by magnets (to give you fast access to your own cash) and the sawed off screw heads that give the whole thing a look of really being secured to your wall. If you use your imagination, you could probably rig one up without the directions.

Frozen Food
Several people already keep their credit cards on ice, but what about cash? I wouldn’t put your bling in a box of Pizza Rolls, but if you have some aging frozen haggis or a box of hominy you’re not overly attached to, you can use it as a covert hiding place for a wad of twenties.

Tennis Ball
I like this idea of cutting open a tennis ball, stashing 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.)

Electrical Outlet
Please don’t take this to mean a “real” outlet. You can use a method similar to the return-air vent technique to create your own wall cubby that most smart burglars won’t attempt to touch. You can also skip the work of the DIY method, and buy one pre-made.

Now that you know some good places to stash your cash, it will help you avoid these worst places.

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

Toilet-Tank
Several websites still list this as a good place to hide money. Too bad every mob movie I’ve seen with home invasion as a pervasive theme directs the goons towards this niche first. The only thing going into my toilet tank is a freshening tab (or possibly a brick to save on water usage).

Purse
Yep, it’s been said that a lady with a large purse collection should pick some random handbag and stick it in there. Chances are good, however, that this totally-out-in-the-open hiding place is a little to available for many thieves. Don’t you want them to have to at least work for it? (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 I 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, consider a fire-proof case or bag.

* 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.

Love the tampon box idea. Pretty sure I wouldn't go lookin' in there.

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Please don't take my avatar to seriously. I'm really not a bible thumping armageddon prophet.

I've heard of the tampon/feminine hygiene trick before; funny, I was just thinking about it earlier--no idea why!

How about using a box that a tube of something came in, such as Preparation H (although don't druggies like to steal that to soothe their coked-out nostrils, or something, or was that an urban myth?). Diaper rash ointment boxes (my fave brand name is "Butt Wax") may be good.

When renovating my bathroom, I had an idea. We discarded the built-in medicine cabinet (as I take no meds [yet!], I didn't need a medicine cabinet), we replaced it with a large, hung-on-the-wall mirror over the hole in the wall that the back of the meds cabinet was recessed into. You could insert pieces of x 4's to make shelves, and replace the mirror over the hole. I just store extra shampoo, etc. in mine, though!

How about stuck into the tubes in toilet paper rolls, diapers (not ON the baby, of course, though that was done in Gone With the Wind, LOL), light bulb boxes (who'd steal those?), tissue boxes, hollow table legs, under the woodpile in the backyard (I used to keep an extra house key there, until we got the keyless entry system)? I used to keep some keys, in a baggie, safety-pinned to the back of a decorative needlepoint bell-pull. You could use a wall-hanging, etc. The trick is to find an object that nobody wants to steal (duh!). Don't attach stuff to the backs of paintings, etc. , even though you know they aren't valuable; a thief may not know, and just decide to take it anyway, and find out later.

Oh, how about the bottom of the dirty clothes hamper? Especially the one where you keep the stinky socks...

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WTSHTF: Gather it up, and use it for a GREAT fertilizer for your survival garden!

For those with babies in the house...A ziploc bag in the bottom of the "diaper genie" would be a good idea.

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If it's in your pack, but you don't know how to use it...it's useless. So, always test your skills as a form of preparation...Don't wait until your life depends on it. That's a lesson you don't want to learn the hard way.

I've actually hid money in a cd jewel case and forgotten all about it until I went to sell a bunch of cds to a used record shop. LOL. Hiding money from theives: good. From yourself: bad.

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Please don't take my avatar to seriously. I'm really not a bible thumping armageddon prophet.

At least you found the money in the end. Found money is the best!

When I was a kid I used to tape an envelope to the underside of a dresser drawer, worked great for paper money, not so much for coins...lol