Box those valuables to keep them safe

HELOISE: Box valuables for safe keeping

Dear Readers: It might be a good idea to have a safe-deposit box. Stowing valuables at home is dangerous (think fire, flood) and risky (break-ins, damage and theft). A much better option is a little metal box at your financial institution.

We checked with the Insurance Information Institute, and it recommends storing heirloom or pricey, rarely-worn jewelry in a safety-deposit box. Take a picture of all valuables in the box, and store the pictures in a watertight bag in your home. The freezer is a good place.

What else goes in the box? Life-insurance policies, car titles, the deed to your home, stock certificates and more. The original copy of your will should not be kept in the box, especially if you are the only one who has access. These are very general guidelines; check with your bank or credit-union officers for more details.

The good news? The cost of a box is reasonable. Prices can range from $20 per year to $100 or more per year, depending on size. Most banks will require you to have a checking or savings account with them to be eligible for a box.

Heloise

Hello, Heloise: I am a registered nurse and, several times, have read hints in your column by folks who suggest marking the lids of medication bottles for easier identification.

Since people take multiple medications and the bottles often look alike, it is easy to get the lids mixed up and put them back on the wrong bottle. Rather than marking the lid, I suggest marking the bottoms of the bottles and then storing them upside down. To be entirely safe, people still should check the pharmacy label each time, too.

Patti Worley, via e-mail

Dear Heloise: I agree with the reader that leaving a notebook with all important papers in case of a spouse’s death is a great thing to do.

One problem I had when my husband (the computer guy) died was trying to access his computer accounts. These included e-mail (trying to contact friends from all over the world who weren’t in my contacts), credit cards, financial spreadsheets, etc., that I had never needed to access. There is one account that I cannot close, even though he died two years ago, because I am not the administrator!

So, in addition to hard-copy papers, leave passwords and usernames to electronic accounts. Your family will thank you later!

Sydney M., via e-mail

Dear Heloise: To the reader who uses “shiny advertisements” to sit on in the car - be warned! Don’t use them if you have light-colored leather seats! I left mail on the car seat, and the heat transferred some red ink onto the leather. It was very difficult to get the mark off the leather!

Ann, San Antonio

Send a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000, or you can fax it to 1-210-HELOISE or e-mail it to Heloise(at)Heloise.com. I can’t answer your letter personally but will use the best hints received in my column.

King Features Syndicate Inc.