If you’re like me, you probably have hoped for a long time that you might find some money buried in the earth during your digging. You may have thought about it, but probably not seriously.
Your great-grandparents, pirates, have all done it. Maybe it’s time for you too. It may sound like an easy way to waste money, but it’s only true if you don’t do it correctly.
If you get my drift, the practice of burying important items in a cache has been used for centuries to keep your belongings safe.
It is a good idea to bury cash or other valuables to conceal them, to provide security, and to make it easy to identify for those who may be sniffing about.
You can make a hide-sight in almost any place.
This article will explain the benefits of burying your money to keep it safe, how you can do this successfully and what pitfalls to watch out for.
Why even bury money?
Preppers will not have to use much imagination to come up with a few reasons to hide their money.
We know as preppers that relying on the fragility of society in an emergency situation or crisis is a sure way to get caught short.
A cash reserve is an essential contingency plan. It can be used to buy supplies you need or even a favor if you’re in a dire situation.
Cash money can be stolen, so it is in your interest to have some in the bank as an extra precaution.
It’s true that you could put your money into the bank, like millions of others, but what if those banks shut down or their employees don’t turn up to work in a crisis? You can easily solve this problem by going to an ATM.
The ATM is already empty, has been broken into or no longer works. It may even be missing. This was done by criminals who took advantage of an opportunity to commit nefarious crimes.
Why not keep all your important documents, guns and jewels in the same safe? Many people follow this idea.
Safes that are large, conspicuous and easily visible can be a target for thieves during robberies or invasions of homes.
You’re not worried about this because your safe is securely bolted to the structure of the house.
As long as you follow these steps, there’s no need to be concerned about the fact that a safe weighing 800 pounds is considered man-portable by a group of thieves.
What You should do with your Cash
Since we can’t trust banks and we certainly cannot depend on ATMs, putting cash and valuables like guns in the same safe is the equivalent of placing all your eggs into one basket.
If we are to truly be prepared for any scenario, a plan is needed. Burying your money is a great way to prepare for the worst-case scenario.
If you bury money, it is difficult and time-consuming to retrieve for those who do not know the exact location.
If you select your hiding place well, then anyone trying to get in, or who may accidentally gain access, will make an enormous amount of noise.
This can give you the chance to protect your treasure if you’re nearby. Even a metal-detecting device will not be effective if you choose the right materials.
If your house is destroyed by fire or high winds, you won’t lose the cash buried in the ground. It will be still accessible even if there is a flood. You can also place it in a way that it survives a fire passing over it.
All you need is some time to dig and an auger to make the process faster.
To ensure that your money survives the experience, you’ll need to prepare it correctly. Waterproof it. Place it into a sealed heavy duty container.
How to Bury Cash?
The standard United States currency, which is not made of wood fiber, is composed of cotton fiber paper. It is resistant to moisture but is not invincible. If immersed for a prolonged period, it can disintegrate.
Water should be kept away from our money when we bury it. It’s easier to say than do, but the best method for waterproofing your cash is what I am about to show you.
In order of importance, the steps that you will follow are:
- Get Supplies
- Prepare and seal cash bundles
- Seal and Prepare Container
- Select location
- Map Location
- Insert Cash Container
- Cleanse, blend and conceal dig site
Below you will find detailed instructions for every step.
Step 1: Obtain Supplies.
You’ll first need a few supplies. Before you start, make sure to have the following:
- Food sealer vacuum with heavy duty bags
- Desiccant packs
- Large diameter PVC pipe
- Buy two PVC end caps per container (the diameter of the pipe above; get them in matching sizes).
- Sealer and/or PVC cement
- Shovel
You are now ready to start.
Step 2.
First, we will gather our money. Make sure that the money you choose is dry and in good shape. It should not be stained, or otherwise infected with anything obvious.
After you’ve sorted your bills and stacked them to your liking, it’s time to bundle them up neatly. Rubber bands are a great option, but you can also use hair ties (or your own, ladies), or paper money bands.
Insert your cash stacks into the vacuum seal bags, but do not overcrowd them. In a gallon-sized vacuum bag, you can store between four and six stacks of money (depending upon their thickness).
Make sure that they fit in your PVC tube and are neatly lined up so your machine won’t struggle to remove all of the air.
Important: Never put desiccant packs in vacuum bags with money. They can cause damage to your cash!
Attach the bag to your vacuum sealer and remove all of the air from the bag.
Make your bag as stiff and compact as you can. In this situation, air is your enemy. We are now ready to move on to the next stage.
Step 3: Preparation and Sealing of Container Step #3.
It is now time to prepare and assemble the PVC container that we are going to actually bury. Cut your tubes to the lengths necessary to accommodate your bundles.
After this, you will need to clean, sand and file the edges to achieve a water-tight seal. What adhesives are available will determine the next step.
You will only need a small amount of PVC cement or a similar substance to melt together the PVC.
You will require a sealer if you only have conventional adhesives or glues.
Attach one PVC cap to the tube, following the directions on the packaging. Let it completely set before you load your money. Place a desiccant packet inside the tube. (Again, do not use your vacuum bag!) Once you’re sure that everything will fit, add the second end cap.
If you are not using the self-sealing adhesive, seal all joints. This desiccant will absorb any moisture in the tube, or through seals.
Remember that you may have to open the container after you recover it. Do not worry, this will be easy.
Step 4.
It is the first step in any operation. The choice of burial location is crucial, because it determines how easily accessible and secure the cash buried in your grave is. It is important to give this some thought.
If you have a location closer to home, such as in your yard or on land you own that’s larger, you can access your money faster, if you happen to be at home.
No trespassing will be an issue and you will be able, at least in theory, to manage who enters the property.
If you’re away from home, or the surrounding area is inaccessible or unsafe, a more remote grave site may be able to offer you more flexibility. However it will also make it harder for you to monitor.
It doesn’t matter where you bury the body, just make sure it’s away from any paths or trails that are used by animals or people. Erosion and other activities will likely reveal it.
Choose a place that’s not susceptible to flooding or likely to get built on. It should also not be a destination popular with metal detector enthusiasts, amateur archaeologists, or adventurous mineralogists.
You want to find a location that’s out of the ordinary, secure, unlikely to disturb you, but still easy to get to when needed.
Step 5.
Before you dig up your valuables, map out the exact location!
It is impossible to tell how many times I’ve spoken to people who, after a while, discovered to their horror, that they had lost their memories or their money was no longer in the same place.
This will be a great thrill for someone in the future to find it. But it’s pure pain for the poor prepper that literally threw away money.
Do not let it happen! Make a note, a map or record the GPS coordinates to find out where your cash is buried.
Photograph the area surrounding it as well as the road leading to it. You should pay special attention to immovable landmarks which will allow you to pinpoint the burial location. You should do everything you can to find the burial site quickly when it’s time.
Take a picture of yourself right over the area where you want to dig. No one else will know but you.
You must now take special care to protect your notes or map. Anyone who discovers it is going on a treasure hunt.
Step 6.
The cash is ready, you have the container for burial, selected the site and mapped your route from and to the gravesite. Time to dig! You need to do some serious security work before you start.
OPSEC or Operational Security, is vital to ensure no one can overtly or covertly monitor your activities. The worst people are those who have no sense of direction. They will not only make you look foolish, but they can also get you a lot more money if the follow behind.
You decide how you want to ensure opsec. You can dig whenever you like if you’re on your own property. However, I recommend that you wait until after dark to avoid being observed by someone using optical equipment.
The suburban prepper will have to dig when the neighbors won’t be around or distracted. It’s also wise to have a story ready in case you are questioned about what you were doing by someone who does happen to see your digs.
You should avoid burying cash in a place that’s frequented by others, such as hikers or campers. You’ll have to let them know that you won’t be following before digging.
Remember that when you are digging, it can be noisy, particularly if you hit rocks. Make sure no-one is nearby.
Dig down at least several foot to the depth you feel is reasonable.
Closer your container to the surface, the greater the chance that it will be discovered accidentally or by weather or activity. Fill in the container and place it in the hole.
Step 7 – Clean, blend and conceal the dig site
It is important to finish with this step. It is important to not leave any trace behind of the digging or your comings and goes.
At this point, it would be inappropriate for someone who has a keen eye to spot signs of human activity to pick up the trail you left or to notice any obvious disturbances in your surroundings.
You should spread out excess dirt. As closely as you can, try to match it with the dirt around. Break up tracks with branches that have leaves or other natural objects.
If you dig, scatter the same type of ground cover over your digging site. When you dig, scatter groundcover of the same kind over your digging site.
Don’t take chances! When it comes to protecting large sums of money, no amount of effort is too little in order to conceal or erase traces or tracks.
The conclusion of the article is:
Preppers can use this ancient technique to secretly stash money in a safe place.
You must follow the correct procedure to avoid your cash being destroyed by nature or a thief who is willing to take your money.