Robbed, tips for being prepared

I know it's been awhile, sorry for my silence. What I am about to share is not a vintage post, please forgive me. I feel the need to express these things in the hope for healing. We were robbed. There I said it. Home doesn't feel the same to me, as I look out my window I feel a bit blue. Among the items taken were most of my fine jewelry, including my wedding ring. These pieces that were stolen were like old friends to me. We spent  years together, some pieces were engraved, they all were very personal, intentionally bought and meaningful.  They were given to me, on our wedding day, for my college graduation, and at the birth of my sons. The feelings I have are hard to work through.  I am doing my best to wipe off every tract of the word "victim" that has embedded into my forehead, for I know that what happens to me is not who I am.  I refuse to live with that word plastered across me in neon lights. I know it will take time to recover. I learned the hard way, the cost was great. I made a list for you. Here are a few tips for hanging onto your stuff and being prepared just in case.

1. Like in real estate, Think LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION. Find a good place to put your jewelry and valuables.  It's best not to hide your jewelry inside your bedroom. Most theifs will  look there first.  My stuff was in my dresser drawer, under the bed and in my closet. A better place for these items would be a safe or a hidden compartment within a wall.

2. Keep your business quiet. If you have money hidden somewhere, don't tell anyone! It's takes only one person to leak out information that can cause you to become a target.

3. No matter how long you have done business with a company, their employees can change, so remember to watch them carefully while they are in your home. You may consider a video camera. The police told us that a man just last week had 50,000 dollar of jewelry stolen from him, but he had got it all on tape.

4. Please keep your receipts for any jewelry you buy. This was my BIGGEST mistake. I  am still looking for certain receipts that my insurance requires for proof. The amount of time getting "proof" that I owned anything is turning into days.  Your are busy, so get that stuff in order now. One file in your cabinet can save you a lot of grief.

5. Take pictures and video. I have a lot of pictures of me wearing my jewels, but not one straight on, close up shot of my emerald ring that was stolen. It's good to do this every couple of years for good record keeping. This is also good proof to an insurance company that you really owned a item.

6. Get appraisal and have them on file. Thankfully my wedding ring has an appraisal and hopefully I won't need to fight with the insurance to pay for another one.

7. Insure your things with a replacement policy. I brought a gold chain 8 years ago for 400.00 dollars, that same chain at the store is 2500.00 dollars now. I could never replace anything with 400.00 dollars. Gold prices are skyrocketing.

8. Decide if the real thing is worth it to you. Sometimes it's better to own costume jewelry and not be a target. As I look back, my family could have been hurt because of these few items that I owned. They are my true treasures for sure.

My hope is that you all have a safe Christmas season and that this post was helpful to you! I should be back soon with some vintage pajamas and sewing projects.

Have a wonderful vintage day!

Gina