3 Reasons Why A Safe Should Be In Every Household
For many, the month of September means cooler temperatures, the changing color of the leaves, and any pumpkin flavored beverage. But September is also recognized as National Preparedness Month!
During this month, it's suggested that you assess your personal affairs and items that need to be protected and secured in the event of an emergency. After your assessment then you need to create an emergency plan guiding you on what to do if an emergency arises. Now, I do understand that we can't predict when a natural disaster or an emergency will occur but it's important to put a plan into place to try to minimize confusion. For instance, do you remember in elementary and middle school, having surprised and unexpected fire drills? The drills were meant to prepare and instruct you on what you should do and where you should go in the event that a fire occurred. The same concept applies to creating a specific plan for yourself and/or your family, so that everyone involved will know what to do and how to respond to the best of their ability.
When creating your emergency plan, you may want to consider the following:
Do you know where to find your important documents in case there is a natural disaster?
Do you have a list of important phone numbers you can retrieve in the event of your cellphone being inoperable?
Is there a designated meeting space, such as a park, where you and loved ones can meet, in case you're separated during an emergency?
I purchased my Sentry Safe from Target, over 10 years ago which is proof that it's durable and able to withstand many transitions. I believe that every household should contain a safe to place their important documents inside of to keep them protected.
Check out some things I keep in my safe after jump.
Money
In times of an emergency, it's very possible that some things may not be functional such as ATM's or the internet which are commonly used to access funds. I know many people, myself included, have become accustomed to swiping debit and credit cards but let's not give up on using cash altogether because in times of need, it could really come in handy. I keep money inside of an envelope and mark the amount on the outside, so that I'm aware of how much I have. If you share a household with others then consider creating a money envelope for each person.
Paperwork
We all have important documents such as birth certificates, social security cards, medical documents, insurance, etc. that should be kept secured. In the event of an emergency, storing these items inside of a safe ensures that they will be protected and kept from being damaged. Earlier this year, the wildfires destroyed multiple areas and properties in California. One person shared with the news anchor that their property had been destroyed but not their important documents which was kept inside of a safe. The person stated that if the documents were destroyed, that it would have been very difficult for them to rebuild their life without those documents. One can be provided with a peace of mind knowing that paperwork of importance will be protected even during natural disasters.
Passport
In addition to storing important documents inside of the safe, I also store my passport there. I love to travel and I know that I would be devastated if it ended up lost. I believe that's it's also a waste of time and money to have it replaced. And if there is an emergency, it's helpful to have some form of identification, in case the option to travel is feasible to leave the area that may have been impacted. If you don't have a passport then you can always make copy of your license or state ID and store it inside of your safe. The goal is to ensure you can access some type of identification when an issue may occur.
Purchasing a safe for your household is an important proactive investment. You may reduce the amount of confusion and invoke a state of calm just by creating an emergency plan. Remember to place items of importance and conducive to your lifestyle inside your safe. For example, if you have pets then they should be factored into your emergency plan and their documents should also be safeguarded. You will be provided with a peace of a mind knowing that your valuables are protected and you can't put a price on that!
For more information, check out ready.gov which provides you with further details about creating an emergency plan and what that plan should entail.
