Treasure in My Safe, and Soon To Be Yours!

SentrySafe Fireproof Safe(Not the treasure, but the safe ;) Well, not my safe, but A safe.  Just keep reading…)

One of my favorite blog posts early on with this site, was rummaging through my metal safe and blogging about all its contents.

Mainly cuz I was just as surprised to see what was in there as the 2 readers of my site back then (haha….), but also cuz I remembered how FUN and COOL I felt having a real-life safe in my house too :)  And still do to this day, of course.

But outside all that emotional awesomeness, keeping a fireproof and/or burglarproof safe in your place is also SUPER SUPER smart as well.  Even if it’s a tiny one that just holds a few passports and some wads of cash (ya never know!).  We all think disasters can never happen to us, but so did all those people that have lost all their belongings and loved ones over the years :(  And while a safe can’t protect you from everything, of course, it’s a pretty easy thing to check off the list and maintain.  Unlike an underground secret lair which would naturally be even better ;)

So today I thought we’d play a game called, “I’m gonna show you what’s in mine, and then you’re gonna tell me what would be in YOURS if you won one.”

Yup! We’re gonna do a giveaway, baby!  The folks at SentrySafe want to give people a “Make Taxing Less Taxing” day, and on top of it award someone a brand new FIRE-SAFE®-HD4100! Perfect for all those documents you’ll be storing away soon, as well as your valuables. To top it off, they’re gonna throw in a $25 gift card to Wal-Mart too! So you can fill it with all those *other* things you still need to buy to make the safe complete.  Maybe like folders or rocks or even candy? (It’s your dream ;))

Up for it? I’ll get started.  Since I already have a safe – and they gave me the same one you’re getting too for playing along here (my bother’s gonna owe me one!), I’ll tell you all the stuff that’s currently sitting in ours right now. Here we go…

The contents of my safe:

  • Both our passports
  • A handful of other important documents
  • Current and old checkbooks (remember those?)
  • A portable hard drive holding a lot of files from over the years
  • $500 in cash – all different denominations just in case… (of zombies only accepting $1s)
  • And a few of my best basketball cards ;)

Funnily enough the one thing that’s NOT in there is my tax stuff ;)  Which is probably not that smart of me now that I think about it… But okay, your turn!  Tell us what YOU’D put in your safe if you had one (or what’s currently in there now if you ALREADY have one – you can generalize and be anonymous if you’d like), and we’ll pick a winner via Random.org THIS Sunday night and give the lucky winner a brand new FIRE-SAFE®-HD4100! Along w/ that $25 Wal-Mart card to start filling it.

Sound good?  And if you already have one, but still want to play along anyways – no problem. Just make a note not to count you in the giveaway.  Ready?  Set?  Fill that safe!

—————–
PS: You must be a resident of the U.S. or Canada to enter, and have your answers in by this Saturday night at Midnight, March 3rd.  Good luck!
PPS: SentrySafe’s also giving away a $5,000 savings bond – check it out!

***GIVEAWAY OVER!*** The lucky winner of an awesome safe AND $25 to WalMart is…. dum dum dum… Blue! Congrats! You’ll receive an email from me shortly on how to get your prizes :)

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159 Comments

  1. Jaimie February 29, 2012 at 6:48 AM

    I would put birth certificates, social security cards, emergency cash, and some pictures.

  2. Ella February 29, 2012 at 6:53 AM

    I would put the bank cards I don’t use regularly like the ones I use when I travel for example. And I would put my jewellery. I would also keep a hard disk with all my pictures in there.

  3. Corinne February 29, 2012 at 6:53 AM

    Important documents like SS cards, passports, birth certificates, titles, etc. Replacing any of those things is a nightmare! Also wills and a copy of my Big Book of Everything (comprehensive document of all personal finance info). I back up my data to the cloud, so no need for a hard drive. And I don’t have any really valuable possessions. Except my cats. :)

  4. Eric February 29, 2012 at 7:00 AM

    Of course the standard stuff: passports, SS Cards and the like. Enough cash to get us down to the farm in case of a serious disaster, and maybe copies of all of the keys that we need.

    I like the portable HDD idea. I back up to the cloud, but you never know when something weird might happen with that.

  5. Krod February 29, 2012 at 7:26 AM

    I’d use my safe to store the small amount of silver and gold bullion I have invested in. As well as a few small ‘fun size’ bottles of alcohol and probably a few packs of cigarettes and some chocolate. When $*!# hits the fan and the dollar is worthless I’m anticipating gold and silver return as a defacto currency standard and barter returning as a more viable trading platform than money. I’d anticipate SS cards to be irrelevant at that point and a passport only useful for gettin the heck out. But i’m just a crazy old coot, hey, we need safes too!

  6. Matt February 29, 2012 at 7:28 AM

    I keep a lot of that in a safety deposit box but I need to beef up the supplies at home in case the zombies take over the bank or they just so happen to be closed during a major disaster..now that I’m thinking about it, a safety deposit box is not safe at all!

    So here is what I’ll put in my safe:
    1:Pistol and Ammo
    2. Passports
    3. Cash
    4. Copies of other identification
    5. Portable hard drive (back up of my PC)
    6. Safety deposit box key

  7. BusyExecutiveMoneyBlog February 29, 2012 at 7:33 AM

    I have passports, marriage license, birth certificates and physical ssn cards for family, W2’s, a hard drive with everything softcopy, mortgage paperwork, high school class ring (mine and wife’s), car titles and that’s about it. I need to add some petty cash, that’s a really good idea!!!

  8. Nick W February 29, 2012 at 7:48 AM

    Wait a minute, if I tell you what I’d put in my safe, that would make me a target. SO! With that said, I’m putting all my unicorn meats in my safe. Come at me now robbers!

  9. Sustainable PF February 29, 2012 at 8:18 AM

    Data keys of our photos, wedding videos and financial data.

  10. Michelle February 29, 2012 at 8:30 AM

    I would put important pictures and financial documents in it

  11. Mercedes February 29, 2012 at 8:31 AM

    I keep telling myself I need to get a safe, and two years in to living in my own home and I still don’t have one. I think the most important things that I’d put in my safe are my passport, birth certificate, SS card, my home purchase documentation and taxes for at least the past 3 years. I would probably also include some important jewelry and my savings bonds which have not yet matured, my portable hard drive and some cash.

  12. Sonja J February 29, 2012 at 8:34 AM

    For me: Important docs (passports, birth/marriage certificates, insurance docs, mortgage) cash, back up of PC/pictures

  13. Shondellclarke February 29, 2012 at 8:56 AM

    I don’t have a safe, but not a bad idea to get one. I would put the obvious things like passport, birth certificate, S.I.N, title and insurance documents.

    When I go out of town, I would put my computer as well as any plastic cards that wouldn’t go on vacation with me such as debit cards.

  14. Carly February 29, 2012 at 8:58 AM

    I would put passports, ss cards, copies of house deed and other pain in the butt documents to get again, a few hundred bucks, and photos near and dear to us.

  15. Ms. S February 29, 2012 at 9:04 AM

    Passport, immunization card, SS card and all those important documents that the government tracks you by. Tax info, wills, documentation of paid off and closed accounts. Some cash and all the cards the fella has written me.

    Then a bag of jumbo marshmallows. I’ll need some kind of comfort food immediately if God forbid I lost everything. *sigh*

  16. Tim February 29, 2012 at 9:04 AM

    I would definitely put some spare cash and all important documents (tax, passports, birth certificates, etc.) along with some non-perishable food for the zombies!

    Sock drawer is getting full so winning this would be sweet! Thanks!

  17. SL February 29, 2012 at 9:26 AM

    birth certificates, social security cards, passports, flash drive with tons of pics (wedding, kids), wills, and a few random sentimental pieces :)

  18. Cindy February 29, 2012 at 9:27 AM

    I’d put our birth certificates and other hard-to-replace papers in it. And some money, if I only had some. ;-)

  19. Rai February 29, 2012 at 9:29 AM

    I would put all of my important documents (tax stuff, BC, SS card) and copies of everything else (license, bank cards, EDL, insurance cards). Then I would do the same for my doggie …… include her license & registration, and copies of current vaccine record. Finally, some cash for me & a couple of dried treats for her :)) (in case I have to coax her out from her hiding spot in case of a true emergency)

  20. James February 29, 2012 at 9:34 AM

    Great opportunity!

    I’d keep:
    Birth certificates
    Social Security Cards
    Passports
    Back-up Hard drive
    Mortgage and car paperwork
    copy of passwords into all of our accounts
    checkbooks
    vaccine records
    Tax records

  21. @PWM_NJ February 29, 2012 at 9:38 AM

    My safe would hold another safe. You can never be too safe. #fact

  22. Zac February 29, 2012 at 9:40 AM

    I would keep the usual items, Passports, SS cards, Birth Certificates and a backup hard drive since I scan everything so I don’t have paper lying around. My wife and I have been debating getting one of these so winning would be great!

  23. Nate R February 29, 2012 at 9:41 AM

    Don’t have a safe but things I’d put in there:
    1) Birth certificate
    2) Social Security Card
    3) Tax documents
    4) Flash drive w/ important docs
    5) Some cash reserves
    6) Backup credit card (in case everything else is gone)

  24. lora kathleen February 29, 2012 at 9:42 AM

    I would definitely keep my passport & birth certificate in there. And probably taxes. Other than that, definitely a hard drive. I work in technology (storage specifically) and I don’t trust the cloud yet… hello megaupload!

    Also, I think the cash is a pretty great idea.

  25. Antwoinne February 29, 2012 at 9:46 AM

    I’d put in all of the normal stuff (passports, birth certificates, tax documents, etc etc) but I’d also include the original copyrights and my business documentation since I write music.

    I like the idea of scanning everything and having it on a back-up hard drive though. That would definitely help save space.

  26. Jan February 29, 2012 at 9:55 AM

    Passports, Social Security cards as well as my binder with all financial information. Also the hard drive with pictures!

  27. philip February 29, 2012 at 10:03 AM

    I would put the obvious stuff as well, passport, birth certificate and not used credit cards etc. Pretty boring. I like the idea of putting a hard drive or flash drive with all my pics and such in there. Not one to keep cash on hand but if I have that I might would feel safe keeping it around.

  28. Kandace February 29, 2012 at 10:10 AM

    We have one and it’s full of random stuff. I really need to clean it out. Right now: SS cards, birth certificates, wills and other legal docs, discs of daughter’s professional photo shoots (3, 6, 9, 12, 18, 24 mos). Good idea about the hard drive, and definitely need to backup tax docs.

  29. Michael February 29, 2012 at 10:12 AM

    I would keep our passports, SS cards, birth certificates, tax documents, mortgage paperwork, high school class ring, and a few select baseball cards

  30. Jon B February 29, 2012 at 10:13 AM

    I currently do not have a safe, but would put some old coins of mine in it!

  31. Tony February 29, 2012 at 10:14 AM

    1. Of course all the important stuff.
    2. A bottle of water, a twinkie, and a pack of everlasting gobstoppers.

  32. Ausecure February 29, 2012 at 10:14 AM

    Gold and silver bullion! And the extra coins we have laying around ;)

  33. Heather W February 29, 2012 at 10:16 AM

    We don’t have a safe – but we’ve been talking about it for years! I would put everything in from my “official documents” file – birth certificates, SS cards, passports, vehicle titles, back up hard drive with pictures/documents and savings bonds!

  34. Devin February 29, 2012 at 10:24 AM

    I would put my passport, cash, paper saving bonds, jewelry, and other things of sentimental value in it :)

  35. Edward Antrobus February 29, 2012 at 10:29 AM

    As I mentioned the other day, I have a little red safe-shaped piggy bank that I store important stuff that doesn’t sit well in the filing cabinet due to the small size.

    It has my and Anna’s SS cards, Anna’s passport (I don’t have one), two casino cards, 3 debit cards for accounts that I don’t use the debit card, my Eagle Scout award, selective service registration card (anyone know how long I need to hold onto that? I’m 31), and a dozen or so coin wrappers.

  36. daydream kate February 29, 2012 at 10:41 AM

    I would put in ss cards, taxes, birth cerificates, the CD with our wedding and baby photos. If I could fit them in, I would also add a few semtimental items. Maybe a spare credit card as well.

  37. Sudi Malloy February 29, 2012 at 10:51 AM

    I’d put a few thumb drives with my photos, credit cards, cash cards, and some cash. I don’t hold on to much!

  38. Brendon February 29, 2012 at 10:53 AM

    I would put in all the usual stuff: birth certificate, passport, ss card. I never thought about putting my portable hard drive or my tax paperwork in a safe, but that would probably be a good idea, too.

  39. Jen February 29, 2012 at 10:58 AM

    I’d use it for passports, birth certificates, cash, and I love the idea of keeping a hard drive in there to make sure we didn’t lose all our digital info!

  40. Jessica February 29, 2012 at 10:59 AM

    Our safe has the usual list of stuff. Birth certificates, passports, ss cards, military paperwork, titles, and other legal paperwork. There are also cds with every picture we have every taken and a stack of old journals.

  41. Ashley C February 29, 2012 at 11:03 AM

    Mine would have marriage license, birth certificates, social security cards, passports, tax info, car title, and savings bonds

    demureprincess7(at)gmail(dot)com

  42. Kelli February 29, 2012 at 11:07 AM

    I would put the following in the safe: birth certificates, Social Security cards, mortgage paperwork, auto title, tax documents, and insurance papers.

  43. bogofdebt February 29, 2012 at 11:09 AM

    If I had a safe I would put birth certificates, car title, passports, tax info, social security cards and some family photos.

  44. Stasi February 29, 2012 at 11:14 AM

    Birth and marriage certificates. passports and copies of our passports. tax info. probably my CD’s of archived photos…. Who knows?

  45. Emily February 29, 2012 at 11:14 AM

    I would include birth certification, SS Cards, Passports, Tax Returns for last three years, insurance paperwork, marriage license, and a jump drive with all my pictures, music, and movies on my computer.

  46. Jen February 29, 2012 at 11:14 AM

    My mortgage loan docs, birth certificate, social security card, passport, and receipts for valuable items would be protected in the safe. And I would have every intention of taking pictures of my stuff so that if the fireproof ability of the safe was tested, I’d have record of what wasn’t inside :(

  47. BrokeElizabeth February 29, 2012 at 11:19 AM

    I’m not *technically* a US resident (my post office box lives in America… does that count??) but this is a great question, so I’ll bite :).

    I would keep my passports (yup, I’ve got 2 of them), Social Security card, spare cash, external hard drive, my tax information, and my absolute favorite jewelry in a safe.

  48. judyyy February 29, 2012 at 11:22 AM

    I would put important papers, birth certificates, passports, etc.

  49. DebtnTaxes February 29, 2012 at 11:23 AM

    I would put all the important paperwork, (passports, tax stuff, ss cards, etc.) Anything the wife would want in there, and all of my rare sports cards. The hard drive sounds like a good idea, especially to back up your normal photo albums. Those are things that people really wished could of been saved in home fires.

  50. LB February 29, 2012 at 11:31 AM

    If I won one, I would definitely put my coin and paper bill collection in it, tax documents, SS cards, birth certificates, marriage certificate, wedding DVD, passports, thumb drives, portable hard drives, titles to everything I own and $500 in cash for just in case. Right now I have an extra $100 running around, but would bump it up if I won the safe :)

  51. Brian D. February 29, 2012 at 11:34 AM

    My list, in no particular order, would contain the following:
    1. Passport.
    2. Birth Certificate.
    3. Ping pong balls.
    4. $239 ($100×1,$10×5,$5×10,$1×39)
    5. Car title.
    6. Michael MacDonald best hits CD.
    7. W-2s

  52. Yana February 29, 2012 at 11:48 AM

    Now there’s a prize I’d love to win. I’d have important documents and cash in it.

  53. Kumi February 29, 2012 at 11:50 AM

    I would put passports, birth certificate, cash, thumb drives and contact info.

  54. Nick February 29, 2012 at 11:57 AM

    “Our” save used to have a bunch of my stuff in it (it still has some cash, certificates of authenticity for my memorabilia, and a few baseball/basketball cards). But now it’s mosly my wife’s “bling” …

  55. DGuy February 29, 2012 at 11:58 AM

    I would put passports, some cash , savings bonds, portable HDD with backups of all important documents plus any tax related documents i would want to save in this safe if i win it.

  56. Nancy Black February 29, 2012 at 12:00 PM

    If I had a safe I would stash my Birth Certificate, social Security Card, Car Title and most of all any extra change I have.

    My family photos which are irreplaceable, My Sky King ring and membership card., and my copy of Animal Farm by George Orwell. Oh my Insurance Policy too and my will.

  57. Carrie February 29, 2012 at 12:01 PM

    I’ve got my data files backed up to an external hard drive and an online backup, so for the safe, I’d use if for my passport, will, checkbook, etc.

  58. Kathy February 29, 2012 at 12:03 PM

    Def would be birth cert, SS card, cash, car title & pix and mementos that could never be replaced.

  59. YS February 29, 2012 at 12:05 PM

    All the important stuff and more!

  60. GP February 29, 2012 at 12:05 PM

    Birth certificates, passports, SS cards, hard drive, and the letter I wrote to my daughter the day she was born. :-)

  61. Jason Markantes February 29, 2012 at 12:19 PM

    I would put passports, titles, some cash, and would also keep master keys for everything, in order to have a backup and a master to make copies as needed (cars, house, relative’s house, etc.)

  62. Jacque @ Netzer Media February 29, 2012 at 12:20 PM

    Random story: When we got married, my husband and I decided to buy a safe and I secretly felt like such a mature grown up for doing so. A few months later, I finally got around to creating a “master binder” with all of our important documents, emergency info, passports, titles, etc. filed into clear protective sleeves with category sections and everything. It was BEAUTIFUL (in such an incredibly nerdy way, I swear it glowed). I went to put it in our safe and the safe was 1/2″ too narrow to fit a binder (insert swear words)! So our documents have sat in their protective sleeves in a pile in our safe for YEARS!

    Bottom line: Opening my safe breaks my heart. I need a new one that will happily hold my poor, dejected documents and other valuables.

  63. Lipstick Jane February 29, 2012 at 12:23 PM

    Oh – you know the usual stuff: passports, birth certificates, naturalization papers, cash, deeds, backups of the PCs, etc.

  64. Sarah H. February 29, 2012 at 12:24 PM

    While this stuff is in a secure location, it would be a lot more reassuring to have it in a safe.
    Passport, birth certificate, social security card….
    Hmmm…. I don’t think any tax stuff would go in there either.
    Maybe some cash?

  65. Jeffery Kordsmeier February 29, 2012 at 12:28 PM

    Backup HDD from PC
    Vital Documents (Birth Certificates, SSN Cards, Passports, Wills, Life Insurance Policies)
    Tax and Financial Documents
    Emergency Fund (Cash)

  66. Angie February 29, 2012 at 12:33 PM

    I’d put in my SS card, our passports, birth certificate. I didn’t think of cash.. that would be a good idea too :)

  67. DB February 29, 2012 at 12:34 PM

    I would keep my diploma, soc security card, titles to everything I own, Marriage certificate, hard drive with important files on it, birth certrificate, probably forgetting a lot of stuff but all the usual things that should be kept safe no matter what!

  68. Dollar D @ The Dollar Disciple February 29, 2012 at 12:35 PM

    If I had one, I’d put in this stuff: Birth certificates, car titles, passports, usb drive with tax/business documents, savings bonds and some family heirloom jewelry. Great give-away!

  69. DC February 29, 2012 at 12:36 PM

    I would put our passports and other important documents in it. Some cash, an external barf drive with important information, tax info,.etc.

    Been wanting one for a while now but never got around to buying one, pumped about this giveaway!

  70. sue brandes February 29, 2012 at 12:40 PM

    I would put birth cert, social security cards, deeds, insurance papers. Thanks for the giveaway.

  71. Corie February 29, 2012 at 12:42 PM

    I currently keep mine and my husbands important documents (birth certificates, passports, deed to the house, etc.) in our safe deposit box at the bank so if I had a safe at my house I’d put some cash in there as well as expensive jewelrey that isn’t worn too often. Putting your external hard drive in there is a great idea too – thanks for the tip!

  72. LCM February 29, 2012 at 12:44 PM

    I’d put our passports, ss cards, marriage license, birth certificates, and wills; some emergency cash, Savings bonds, and flash drives with backups of electronic documents, and family photos,

  73. Bryan at Pinch that Penny! February 29, 2012 at 12:50 PM

    I’d probably stash some cash too. I’d also include passports, some gold and silver coins that I’ve picked up, and any of the more valuable collectibles I own. Oh, I’m also considering getting a hand gun, and I’d want that stored away as well.

  74. Chung February 29, 2012 at 12:51 PM

    I would put our passports, birth certificate, marraige certificates, my portable harddrive that stores all important documents.

  75. Michael February 29, 2012 at 12:52 PM

    I’d put all of my important identification documents/cards, cash, important financial information, some things of sentimental value, and something I never thought of until I saw your list, my backup external hard drive.

  76. garryo February 29, 2012 at 12:52 PM

    I would but some cash, our passports,our old Drivers licsense and copies of the photos we have stored on the PC

  77. retirebyforty February 29, 2012 at 12:57 PM

    I have passports, birth certificates, some IDs, diplomas, and a bunch of other documents. No tax and no cash. I should add those along with a USB drive with important info…

  78. Jenn February 29, 2012 at 12:57 PM

    My portable hard drive, passport, SS card, birth certificate…

  79. Oanh February 29, 2012 at 1:12 PM

    I would put birth certificates, SS cards, marriage certificates, passports, emergency cash, load docs, tax docs, & our backup hard drive.

  80. Georgie February 29, 2012 at 1:20 PM

    Our (not at all thief-proof pitiful lockbox) contains passports, birth certificates, coins that my fiance’s grandparents buy us, our wedding rings (we get married in 3 months), and social security cards.

  81. Andrew E February 29, 2012 at 1:37 PM

    Oh I need a safe!

    I would keep:
    -hard drive of important documents
    -listing of financial steps need after the death of me or my wife (where to get life insurance money, etc.)
    -listing of important logins and passwords for my website accounts
    -passports and birth certificates
    -some cash
    -whatever the wife says belongs in there :)

  82. Beth February 29, 2012 at 1:57 PM

    I already have a small one and it’s hardly adequate anymore.

    What I’d put in a new one?
    – Our passports
    – Social Security cards and other state and federal means of identity
    – high school diplomas and college degrees
    – deed to the house
    – extra keys to the cars
    – heirloom jewelry and the appraisals that go with them
    – the backup disk drive for everything we use and store on our computers

    and most importantly:
    our OH$H1T trapper keeper (yep, an honest to god trapper keeper) that is literally outlines everything someone in the family or our Executors or Medical Power(s) of Attorney would need if we died or became incapacitated and couldn’t speak for ourselves.
    Everything from:
    – our last wishes,
    – funerary wishes,
    – to medical directives with contingencies,
    – contact information and access to everything else in our lives if necessary. It literally spells it out, right now in laymen’s terms, but in tee legalese as well soon.
    We have two separate ones- one for medical emergencies, and one that includes medical directives but has everything else possible. I had to nag the everloving ^#$%@ out of my husband to finally cooperate with me and sit down and DO it all, but even he now admits that if there were a crisis, he feels a lot better knowing that all that’s there and easy to read.

  83. Sonya February 29, 2012 at 2:12 PM

    – Passport
    – SS card
    – Extra keys to apt, cars
    – Diplomas
    – Birth certificates
    – Photo album with duplicates of my favorite photos that aren’t digital. Would hate to lose them.
    – Cash!

    I really could use a safe – it’s a very smart idea.

  84. Kelsey February 29, 2012 at 2:19 PM

    I would put our passports, birth certificates, social security cards, car titles, extra car keys, and any important house paperwork (title, etc).

    Hope I win!

  85. Sarah February 29, 2012 at 3:02 PM

    Great blog post! If I had a safe I would definitely fill it with stuff that is currently just lying around the house (so dangerous!): SS cards, passports, copies of drivers licenses, birth/marriage certificates, and the hard drive with our family movies on it. I’d also include a list of all our bank account info and passwords, just in case. And props to whoever said “extra keys”! Those would need to go in there as wel!

  86. brenda miller February 29, 2012 at 3:14 PM

    Birth certificates, passports, recent photos, insurance policies (life, car, rental), copies of all medical cards, shot records for the kids, extra sets of keys (house, car), copies of bank accounts, driver license. Plus all my parents info as well!

  87. Em D. February 29, 2012 at 3:20 PM

    I would def have a hard drive with all my pics on it in there and then passport and birth certificate and something that has info for all my accounts, should something happen to me. I guess someone else will have to have the combination as well :)

  88. Andrew A February 29, 2012 at 3:37 PM

    A Safe would be Awesome! I’d include:

    – Passports
    -Social Security Cards
    -Birth Certificates (to prove I’m not a zombie)
    -Insurance Policies
    -Unused Checks
    -Pistol and Ammo (will need it after I prove I’m not a zombie)
    -Diplomas
    -Old tax documents
    -Other random paperwork
    -Gold/Silver if I ever decide to buy any

  89. Jessica February 29, 2012 at 3:39 PM

    I’ve been thinking of scanning a lot of the paper files and scrapping the bulky paper… so that super hard drive (or two… I have bad hard drive mojo) would go right into this baby! Passports are a no brainer. I’d probably also keep the few truly sentimental jewelry items I have in there… I always said I’d grab them in event of a fire, but having gone through a fire in my building, I can say that all I grabbed was my dog.

  90. Shane C February 29, 2012 at 3:41 PM

    I would definitely stash away extra money and wrapped up coins until I get them to the bank, along with my birth certificate, bank cards, Important photos and documents, and some keepsake mementos for safe keeping.

  91. Jake Barnard February 29, 2012 at 3:56 PM

    I would put birth certificates, social security cards, passports, external drive with critical files, and any flash disks I had sitting around and not in active use. (Ie photography storage)

  92. Kelly H from SC February 29, 2012 at 3:57 PM

    Hard drive backup, passports, SS cards, husband’s gun, some jewelry that’s a little pricey to leave sitting out, copy of wills and “in case” letters. (Some extra cash would be a good addition as well…)

  93. Cassie February 29, 2012 at 3:58 PM

    I would say my heirloom jewellery, but unfortunately that’s already been stolen :(

    I’d keep a list of all of my financial accounts, passwords, and security question answers, my great grandfather’s WWII medal, my passport, my birth certificate, and photo copies of all of my ID in case my wallet is ever stolen *cough* again *cough*

  94. Julie February 29, 2012 at 4:07 PM

    Birth certificates, SS cards, cash, USB drive w/ all my computer files, some pictures, medical POA.

  95. Wldflr February 29, 2012 at 4:07 PM

    Like many others, the usual stuff like passports, birth certificates, social security cards. Also credit cards that I’m not daily carrying with me; insurance paperwork for life, house, car; any fancy jewelry I only wear on special occasions; spare car keys; and extra cash for emergencies.
    Like the idea of putting a spare external HD in there for computer backups!

  96. Debra February 29, 2012 at 4:52 PM

    Passports, SS cards, copies of important documents, gun, and (I hadn’t thought about it before but like the idea) an external hard drive.

  97. Jeannine February 29, 2012 at 4:58 PM

    Birth Certificate
    Passports
    Uncarried Credit cards
    Husbands military discharge paper work
    tax papers
    ***I dream of backing up all of my photos & music(to date) on a separate drive and storing them….I do back up, but don’t store that hard drive in any special place.

  98. lori February 29, 2012 at 5:10 PM

    Financial documents and photos.

  99. Jessi February 29, 2012 at 5:47 PM

    What a great giveaway! If I had a safe I would definitely keep our passports in it, and a few other important documents like car title, etc. And, it’s a great idea to keep our tax paperwork in there for the past years, so I’d do that too. And checkbooks, that’s smart too. :-)

  100. George February 29, 2012 at 6:28 PM

    Let’s see…currently my “safe” is my locked desk drawer in my office room. Currently that has my SS card, my old passport, my new passport, government credit card, personal checks, an old cell phone that would act as a “burner”, a usb drive with all my emergency documents, a phonebook with contact numbers, and I sleep with a loaded handgun in my nightstand. I think I’m ready.

  101. Jeb February 29, 2012 at 6:42 PM

    Coach K autograph and my dave ramsey books! Oh, and some important docs.

    thanks

  102. Jessica February 29, 2012 at 6:43 PM

    passports, birth certificates, marriage certificate, hard drive of all our digital photos, and some old printed family photos. I should def get some ideas from others here – account info in case of death would be a good one.

  103. Miranda February 29, 2012 at 6:54 PM

    If we got a safe, I’d keep my sons’ birth certificates, social security cards, immunization records, and newborn photos inside. I’d also keep all of my documents, my husband’s ss card & birth certificate, his military documentation, all of our tax return information, and any important photos that I can’t replace.

  104. Renee February 29, 2012 at 6:58 PM

    1.Passports
    2.Kids birth certficates
    3.Custody agreement
    4.Marriage certificate (only bc I think it’s cool to have the original)
    5.Credit cards we currently don’t keep in our wallets

    I would put $$ in there, but I currently don’t have any :)

  105. Blue February 29, 2012 at 7:08 PM

    I’d love to win one! If I had one, I would keep the usuals in it (passport, SS card, etc), some extra cash, and definitely a backed up version of my computer on an external hard drive. Also some of the family photos I have, the really special ones from my great great grandparents :)

  106. J. Money February 29, 2012 at 7:30 PM

    Hahaha….. omg some of you are funny. Unicorn meats! And Michael MacDonald best hits CD! YES! Haha… you guys are too much. Keep ’em rolling in! :)

  107. LG February 29, 2012 at 7:34 PM

    I would put in 10 $100 bills, my passport, a gun, ammo a few pictures, and twinkies.
    The money, passport, and pictures incase my house burns down.
    The gun, ammo and twinkies incase of zombie apocalypse.

  108. Dan February 29, 2012 at 8:08 PM

    I’d use it to store the following:
    – Passport
    – Financial Account Info
    – Laptop backup on harddrive
    – Some Cash
    – Firearm Record
    – Important Paperwork (DD214, SS Card, etc.)

  109. MadlyClumsilyShamelessly February 29, 2012 at 8:14 PM

    I would put in my birth certificate, my passport and cash for a quick getaway.

  110. kfloveinme February 29, 2012 at 8:31 PM

    I would put my passport, birth certificate, SSD cards, extra car keys, all financial/investment info, about $400 cash, my emergency credit card, favorite pics, and all cards/love notes my fiancee gave me throughout the years.:)

  111. Candy February 29, 2012 at 8:34 PM

    I don’t have one, but if I did it would be stocked with the usual… passports, birth certificates, and some good ol’ cash money. Oh, and the hard drive that someday will have all the pictures on it…. some day…

  112. Curtis February 29, 2012 at 8:41 PM

    I would put all the extra cash I have laying around the house and all the special papers along with a full back up of my computer.

  113. Sarah February 29, 2012 at 8:53 PM

    I would keep our passports, other important documents, jewelry, some special photos, a hard drive with digital copies of photos and important files and emergency cash. Thanks for the great giveaway!

  114. Christine February 29, 2012 at 10:50 PM

    I’d keep our passports, birth certificates, leases (home & car), portable hard drive, list of phone numbers (in case my cell phone melts), petty cash, will, financial master list for my spouse, and letters to my daughters for just in case something happens to me telling them how much I love them.

  115. Maritza February 29, 2012 at 10:54 PM

    I would keep our passports, birth certificates, wills, other important docs, portable hard drive, emergency cash, digital copies of my favorite photos, and special mementos because you can’t replace those special items :)

  116. Diane February 29, 2012 at 10:56 PM

    I would put birth certificates, stock certificates, other important papers and some cash for emergencies.

  117. Alex February 29, 2012 at 11:40 PM

    It seems silly to have one, but it only seems that way until something happens and you’re INCREDIBLY thankful you do have one.

    I would put my passport, my favorite wedding photos, some emergency cash, and momentos that can’t be replaced.

  118. Tyler S. March 1, 2012 at 12:02 AM

    In my Safe will be:
    -my collection of giant Smarties
    -my oversized quarter
    -my favorite $2 bill
    -my passport
    -a complicated booby-trap for anyone who opens it other than me.

    I win right?

  119. JULIAN March 1, 2012 at 12:02 AM

    I would put important documents, my passport, checkbooks, bank cards, and irreplaceable photos I don’t havr digital copies of.

  120. Melissa March 1, 2012 at 12:36 AM

    Passports
    SS Cards
    Marriage License
    Tax returns
    Some cash
    Credit cards that I don’t use
    Dollar coins

  121. Jim March 1, 2012 at 1:32 AM

    Pics, cash, docs.

  122. Kate March 1, 2012 at 1:35 AM

    I’d put my SS card, birth certificate, diploma, insurance policies and pictures of house in case of loss, mortgage documents, tax returns, and savings bonds.

  123. Money Infant March 1, 2012 at 3:17 AM

    Passports, extra bank cards and credit cards we don’t use, tax documents, birth certificates, social security cards, diplomas, extra key card for our condo, roughly $200 in cash, checkbook, passbooks for our savings accounts…I think that’s it and I’m too lazy to get up and actually open that sucker right now.

  124. T March 1, 2012 at 5:48 AM

    Well, a safe would be helpful… and what would go in it?

    -Passport
    -Stock certificates
    -Cash
    -Will
    -Tax documents

    … and a note of thanks to JMoney ;-)

  125. Pretty Penny Saved March 1, 2012 at 6:29 AM

    What a timely post I’ve just been shopping for one of these! I would put in our Legacy Drawer documents, some family jewelry, old pictures and a little bit of cash.

  126. Alex March 1, 2012 at 6:31 AM

    Passorts
    Important papers
    Tax paperwork
    my memoirs (when I write them, a blank journal with memoir on the front suffices)
    a bag of powdered sugar
    and a big stack of ones sandwiched with two $100 bills

  127. Eunice March 1, 2012 at 9:31 AM

    Passports
    Credit Cards That I’ve Stopped Using
    Pictures
    Jewelry
    Home Videos

  128. Matt March 1, 2012 at 11:07 AM

    This would be a great place to stash all of our important documents. I hope I win!

  129. sandrac March 1, 2012 at 11:08 AM

    Let’s see:
    passports
    thumb drives with all the scanned photo’s from birth to present day for both DH and I (they’re also ‘clouded’)
    2 credit cards not used, but available for emergencies
    birth certificates
    mortgage document
    small amount of cash
    my will
    a few inuit carvings

  130. Stacey March 1, 2012 at 11:19 AM

    will
    passports
    birth certificates
    tax info
    some $$
    pictures

  131. Veronica March 1, 2012 at 11:47 AM

    Financial documents, passports, money, gold (when I manage to buy some in the future) and emergency Belgian chocolate…I know chocolate goes bad, so the safe will have to be opened every so often to make sure everything’s in check. :D

  132. jay March 1, 2012 at 11:55 AM

    I’d have passports, birth certs, ss cards, some cash, and a hard drive backup of my computer stuff.

  133. Brent Pittman March 1, 2012 at 1:29 PM

    What to put in a small safe? Marriage certificate to proof I really am married to my hot wife. A handful of family pictures, a Bible from my Great, Great Grandmother, passport, list of important passwords, will, letters written to my family should I die, and assorted important papers and files.

  134. lory March 1, 2012 at 1:47 PM

    all of my important documents – passport, ss card, birth certificate. and maybe some $$$ too.

  135. John S March 1, 2012 at 2:19 PM

    I had in my small safe:
    Marriage Certificate
    Passports
    Social Security Cards
    Jewelry Appraisals
    Birth Certificates

    Sadly, right after I put all of these items in the safe, less than a month later, while I was still thinking about what else to put in there, someone broke in to our house and took the safe, and the key that was still sitting on the desk next to it:(

  136. J Walton March 1, 2012 at 2:22 PM

    When I get a safe, I envision putting identification-related items (like my passport and birth certificate); my external hard drive (with backup and pertinent information, like tax returns); the documents needed to corroborate items on my tax returns; and cash.

  137. Ryan March 1, 2012 at 2:57 PM

    I would put birth certificates, SS cards, tax returns, passports, marriage certificate, portable hard drive, original house purchase documents, and tax returns in mine. Maybe a few other important documents if they fit.

  138. Jonathan March 1, 2012 at 4:58 PM

    probably passport, ss card, birth certificates, and monies. and maybe some fruit mentos.

  139. Maria B March 1, 2012 at 5:22 PM

    Wow, I have been thinking how awesome one of these would be lately, so I’ve thought about it hard! I would put in my passports, tax info, investments info, will (still have yet to complete it), parent’s/spouses wills, harddrive of all photos/emails/important-never-want-to-lose-them-triplicate (!!), and I guess that’s about it. I would put in jewellery but I’m not there in life yet, so this list will surely grow!

  140. Rusty March 1, 2012 at 10:28 PM

    The usual stuff i’d put in it, sscards, passports, certifcates, and a bottle of some good vino.

  141. Amy M March 1, 2012 at 11:38 PM

    I would store important banking information in the safe, past tax returns etc…

  142. Donna Freedman March 1, 2012 at 11:41 PM

    Passport, family pictures, retirement info, banking info, my cash cache.
    But I’d bolt it to the floor so that if a burglar broke in he couldn’t just walk off with it.

  143. Andi @ Making The Life You Want March 1, 2012 at 11:46 PM

    My folks had an amazing antique safe and everything was in it, from family records to cash, jewelry, my first prized art project (a sacred valuable).

    I think at this point I would keep our birth and marriage certificates, the jump drive with our banking and tax records, insurance and will information, and a note to my husband for what to do and how much I love him in case something happened to me.

  144. Rob March 2, 2012 at 12:54 AM

    We’ve got an old box that we keep our stuff in at the moment. Passports, birth certificates, social security cards, a couple of important documents and a bit of cash just in case. We’d stick all of that stuff in it, and probably a bit more, it looks kind of roomy.

  145. Sam March 2, 2012 at 9:37 AM

    If we had a bigger safe, we would put birth certificates, social security cards, some cash, checkbooks that never get used, our wedding rings (until we exchange them in August :D), some baseball cards, and some jewelry left by family members to me. Ours now is tiny, doesn’t fit all this, and doesn’t lock because we got it for $2 at an estate sale!

  146. Vickie D. March 2, 2012 at 10:37 AM

    I would put my passport, other important documents and some cash.

  147. Brandy March 2, 2012 at 11:09 AM

    I would keep important documents but also my external, hard drive that has an extra copy of all of my photographs on it.

  148. Long March 2, 2012 at 1:21 PM

    I recently got a safe and it’s still pretty much empty. I really need to get some more things in there. Currently I have our passports, emergency spending cash, and some heirloom jewelry in it. I really need to backup my important computer data more regularly and keep a portable hard drive in it. I need to add documents like military records, birth certificates, and account information to it as well. Man! I have a lot to do!

  149. Amit March 2, 2012 at 1:47 PM

    similar stuff –
    passports, etc.
    some cash
    jewelry
    insurance,will

  150. Alie March 2, 2012 at 1:57 PM

    The basics, of course: birth certificate, passport, adoption paperwork, school documents, tax returns, a back up of my hard drive.
    And the personal stuff: pictures from my childhood and of my dad and grandparents who’ve passed away. Mementos that I can’t replace, like my great grandmother’s engagement ring that I couldn’t bear to have stolen or destroyed.

  151. John | Married (with Debt) March 2, 2012 at 4:16 PM

    Here’s a look inside mine O_O

    2 passports
    cash
    $1100 in silver bullion
    birth certificates
    wedding certificate
    SS cards
    vehicle titles
    important documents
    a photo of my first car?
    heirloom jewelry
    a letter from a lawyer saying I’m a good person!

  152. Carson March 2, 2012 at 5:28 PM

    Key documents/things like passport, social security cards, etc. as well as tax info.

  153. SophieW March 2, 2012 at 6:58 PM

    Passport
    Birth certificates
    Stock certificates
    quality jewelry (what little I have lol)
    CDs of important documents
    I’ve heard you can put pics of your large valuables inside for insurance purposes…
    My bus list – that’s a list of bank accounts and passwords, in case I get hit by a bus ;)

  154. shannon March 2, 2012 at 8:05 PM

    Definitely passports and birth certificates!

  155. Erin March 2, 2012 at 9:25 PM

    We have all of our important documents in a folder right now, so I’d love to upgrade to something like this. I could see us keeping some ammo in there as well, separate from our weapons.

  156. Jonnie (JB) March 3, 2012 at 4:27 AM

    I would put all of our birth certificates and passports, financial and insurance papers and some cash

  157. Sam March 3, 2012 at 9:57 AM

    I’d put the essentials. Birth certificate. Social security card. Probably 500 in cash as well.

  158. Nate H. March 3, 2012 at 11:48 AM

    Normal unsexy stuff…SS cards, birth certificates, DD214, insurance papers, cool 2 yr old art, a special $2 bill from my Grandpa, some special photos.

  159. J. Money March 4, 2012 at 3:34 PM

    ***GIVEAWAY OVER!***

    The lucky winner of an awesome safe AND $25 to WalMart is…. dum dum dum… Blue! Congrats! You’ll receive an email from me shortly on how to get your prizes :)

    Thanks for participating everyone, I hope you find a way to still store away your goodies in a smart way!