Buried outside. What better way to hide money inside your house

Buried outside. What better way to hide money inside your house than hiding it outside? Pick a reasonably conspicuous spot in your yard or garden to bury your money, and carefully protected, nobody will find it -- except you, as long as you remember where you dug. Be sure not to leave your $20s, $50s and $100s uncovered, since the elements can decompose the paper over time. Instead, zip cash up in bags, put it in glass jars and/or wrap the bills in plastic or a small tarp. Unless would-be thieves have a shovel, light and plenty of time on their side, they're unlikely to look in the ground.

Disguised and dispersed. Sometimes, hiding your money in less conspicuous places can be the most inconspicuous hiding spot that a thief might overlook. Are you a devout bibliophile? Hollowing out a book to stuff some bills into is an outdated method, but not for anyone with an extensive library of tomes floor to ceiling, where the "money book" is hidden among hundreds of other books and more difficult to find. What about hiding some cash in an envelope in a box of blank envelopes? Odds are the irony will be lost on a burglar with a low IQ. Money doesn't have to be folded or stacked, either: It can be rolled into bike tires, curtain rods, hollow broom handles, table legs, or anything cylindrical that needs more than a bit of dismantling. (Remember, you don't need to keep all your emergency money in one place, either.)Sleeping with the fishes. If you own some pets of the aquatic kind, and their tank is large enough, roll your emergency proceeds securely in a solid color jar and hide it among the coral, seaweed, Atlantis ruins or behind the water filter -- places that even the most concentrated, keen eye might miss. If that's not opaque enough, go for an envelope wrapped in plastic, more plastic and a Ziplock bag, and place it flat at the bottom of the tank under colored gravel. Homeowners with a fish pond can do better by nestling a jar of money at the pond bottom, making sure it's submerged and heavy enough to prevent flotation to the top. Don't worry -- the fish won't tell.

Fail-safe in a safe. Another options is simply to invest in a heavy duty safe that proclaims its presence with the confidence that it won't be compromised by anyone or anything. A steel or cast iron floor safe can cost anywhere from a few hundred to several thousand dollars, but when it comes to security, you do get what you pay for. Find one that can be bolted firmly to the floor, heavy enough to deter easy lifting, and with a series of locks, combinations or, if applicable, one linked to a home alarm system.

Can hiding your emergency fund in plain sight work? It wouldn't be wise to leave your hard-earned savings out in the clear blue open, but some experts believe leaving a bit of "bait money" in view -- $50 or $100 out in the open -- can satisfy a thief looking for a quick cash grab. Should the distraction be successful, the real savings you've stealthily stashed throughout your household, thanks to these tips, will stay safe and sound. Now, the real challenge is saving up that emergency fund for when it matters most.