We are living in unprecedented times, and having emergency resources is more vital than ever. Having something and keeping it are very different issues, so it’s normal to consider whether burying money in the ground is safe. Have you seen too many pirate movies, or were those buccaneers onto something? Don’t start digging until you’ve read up on the subject. Paper rots and gets moldy quickly in the wrong conditions. Is dirt one of those conditions? I’ll explain the dangers of burying money in the ground and how to avoid them. There’s no need to worry about losing your hidden cash when you do the job right. Armed with quality information and tips, you can grab a shovel and put your resources where no one will accidentally find them.
Is it safe to bury money in the ground? It is safe to bury money in the ground. Naturally, you cannot dig a hole, dump in uncovered paper money, and toss the dirt back over it. You’ll need a few additional materials to keep your cash safe from nature and humans. Fortunately, burying money isn’t all that hard once you know how.
Will Buried Money Rot In The Ground
It should be obvious that you cannot merely throw money in a hole in the ground and bury it when you want to keep it safe. Even if you live in an arid climate with sandy soil, this will not work. However, there are plenty of ways to hide money in the earth that will preserve it.
What you think of as ‘paper money’ is actually a combination of paper and cotton fibers. Hence, as an organic material, money rots. However, coins tend to fare a bit better. For example, shipwrecks, even in salty ocean conditions, preserve coins well.
Similarly, sand and dirt would have little effect beyond scratching most coins due to the metals inside. Some coins oxidize when exposed to air, but there’s less exposure under a layer of dirt, so the process is slower. In short, folding money is as good as gone, but your coins might do okay.
Paper Bills Don’t last Long In Circulation
How well your money would hold up underground depends on how it is stored. Additionally, the amount of wear before burying it could affect your money’s longevity. The more cash is handled, folded, and used, the greater the damage to the bills. Oils from human skin and other contaminants easily permeate the porous surface.
Where paper money is concerned, the larger a bill, the less it is likely to have changed hands. According to the Federal Reserve, the average ‘shelf-life’ of a five-dollar bill in circulation is around four-point-seven years. Meanwhile, a hundred dollar bill is expected to last almost twenty-three years.
How Long Can You Bury Money
Properly buried money can last decades or even centuries. If you take the time to wrap cash in airtight, sealed containers, then the chances of it getting damaged are slim. Sure, a major geological upheaval could damage the storage container, but otherwise, your money would stay safely hidden.
Most organic money will only start to become moldy if it gets damp. Within roughly two-hundred days, mold is likely going to become problematic. After that, the cash might still be usable, but only if you dug it up, dried it out, and used it. Resultantly, you could bury an unprotected stack of bills for a few months in a pinch. I wouldn’t recommend it.
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How Do You Hide Money Underground
To properly store money underground, it stays safe and usable. You will need a few supplies. Water and airtight packaging is a must, so a vacuum sealer is ideal. However, coin holders and Ziploc bags can do the same job if you seal them tightly. Plus, it wouldn’t hurt to have a few O2 removers and some silica gel packs on hand to keep everything dry and unspoiled.
More importantly, you need a larger container to bury money in the ground. A safe box is an ideal solution since it is spacious enough to hold a large amount of money yet portable enough to take with you in a backpack or tucked under your arm if you need to get out of Dodge quickly. Not only can these containers keep out moisture, but they will give any human incursions pause as well.
Steps To Store Cash Underground
Packing up all your cash for storage is a straightforward process. Please make certain that the money is protected from the elements before you bury it. Follow the steps below to get excellent long-term underground cash storage.
- Make sure your money is sorted. You want like-sized coins together and bills neatly stacked.
- Dry your paper money. Remove any moisture, so you aren’t packing it up with all the ingredients it needs to grow mold inside a package.
- (Optional) Add silica gel packs and O2 removers for added security. These will absorb moisture and air inside the packages.
- Place coins in protective tubes and bills inside sealed plastic. Ideally, you should vacuum seal your cash, but you can press the air out of ziplock bags if necessary.
- Stack your money neatly inside your safe box.
- (Optional) Add bubble wrap or another non-biodegradable padding inside the safe to prevent shifting. Too much movement may damage coins resulting in devaluation.
- Choose a spot that is out of view from any witnesses.
- Make a map if necessary. Alternately, marking the exact spot with accurate GPS works well. By doing this, you will guarantee you can quickly and efficiently find your money later, even if the landscape has changed over time.
- Put the keys to your lockbox somewhere safe and accessible. A bug-out bag is perfect because you will take it with you if you leave in a rush.
- Dig a hole at least three feet deep. You don’t want your box to be near the surface. Heavy rains and other natural phenomena can unearth your treasure if you leave it lying around within easy reach.
- Bury the box and walk away.
If you’ve done everything well, your money isn’t going anywhere. You can leave it for a few weeks or a few decades, and it should remain exactly where you put it. Unless there’s a major earthquake near your money, the ground isn’t going anywhere.
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Is Underground Money Safe
While it’s mostly safe to bury money underground, there are always a few additional concerns. Thieves, animals, and insects can interfere with your plans. Although you might consider animals among the potential thieves, they are more likely to sniff out your stash than they are to seek it out for the inherent value. Fortunately, there are simple solutions for each of these problems.
Human thieves are most likely to spot you during the burial process. by planning carefully and burying your money where no one has a direct line of sight. You can help prevent this possibility. However, people may also notice disturbed earth. Make sure to carefully pack down the dirt, add water, and then pack it down again. Then it would be best if you added rocks and other nearby debris to blend your burial spot into the surrounding area.
Alternately, animals will only care if your buried money smells good. Sealing it in plastic will help, but a deeper burial also prevents them from digging things up. Furthermore, it would be best to wash your hands and not eat while packing cash away and during the digging process.
Finally, insects can certainly eat paper money. Even inside plastic and underground, bugs may get in. Luckily, a good safe box will help keep out this type of pest menace. Ensure that you pick a safe with good seals and no gaps around the door or lid.
The Honeywell Safes & Door Locks – Box Chest is a larger option for those seeking to bury more money. The molded chest-style safe box is water and fire-resistant. More importantly, Honeywell strictly adheres to the highest quality standards in their manufacturing process, exceeding the laws in every country where they do business to ensure that your valuables are safe inside. Read the outstanding Amazon reviews for yourself right here.
Final Thoughts
Whatever your reason for wanting to bury your money, doing the job right makes all the difference. Properly insulated and stored cash will keep for years, decades even. Alternately, a lazy or incomplete burial process will leave you with moldy money, or worse.
When SHTF, it’s hard to know what you’ll have access to when you need it. However, a patch of dirt is usually fairly safe to bet on. Moreover, you can always come back later to collect your savings if you store them in a secure enough place.
As long as you follow the tips in this article, your money should be untouched as long as you leave it there. Burying cash is a great way to keep it for a rainy or apocalyptic day.
