Stashing Cash: Why Do We Hide Money Under Our Mattress?
Learn more about how keeping money under the mattress started.
Have you ever heard someone talk about hiding money under their mattress? Maybe you’ve seen it in a movie or cartoon, or maybe a grandparent even told you they did it. This idea of putting cash under the bed has been around for a long time in American culture. But where did it come from? Why do people do it? And do some still do it today? In this article, we’re going to explore the story behind this old habit. You’ll learn how it began, why people trusted their mattress more than a bank, and what other places people used to hide their money at home.
Why Do People Put Money Under Their Mattress?
The idea of putting money under the mattress might seem strange today, but there was a time when it made a lot of sense to people. This habit likely started during a tough time in history called the Great Depression. Back then, many people were afraid that banks would close and take their money with them. Banks didn’t always have enough cash on hand, and some even went out of business. So instead of trusting banks, some people felt safer keeping their money where they could see and touch it—like under their mattress. Mattresses were something everyone already had, so they became an easy and free place to hide money. It was a way for people to feel a little more secure in a time of great financial fear.
What’s a Bank Run?
A bank run happened when a lot of people rushed to the bank all at once to take out their money. This usually happened because they were scared that the bank might fail and not give their money back. But here’s the problem: banks didn’t keep all the money in the building. Most of it was loaned out or stored elsewhere. So when too many people tried to get their money at the same time, the bank simply didn’t have enough cash to give back. This caused banks to close, and some people lost everything they had saved. These events made people lose trust in banks. That’s why many chose to keep their money at home—like under a mattress—because they were afraid of losing it if they left it in the bank.
Stashing Cash
During the Great Depression, life was very hard. People didn’t have much money, jobs were hard to find, and the prices of everyday items were high. Some people only had a few dollars to their name. Buying a safe or fancy lockbox wasn’t an option because it cost too much. So people had to get creative. They looked for spots in their house where they could hide their money without spending anything. The mattress was perfect for this. It was already in the home, didn’t cost anything extra, and no one would guess there was cash hidden inside it—especially when someone was sleeping on top of it. This made the mattress both a smart and easy hiding place for people who were just trying to hold on to what little they had.
A Brief History of the Mattress Safe
Imagine this: you have a few dollars you don’t want to lose. You don’t trust the bank, and you don’t have a safe or any secret hiding places built into your house. What do you do? For many people in the past, the answer was simple—they hid the money in their mattress. Back then, most beds were made with box springs or layers that had space to tuck things into. It wasn’t easy for a thief to get under your bed while you were sleeping, so it felt like a secure place. While there were other hiding spots too, the mattress became one of the most popular places to stash cash—mainly because it was easy, free, and always close by.
Other Creative Places Homeowners Hid Their Money
Besides the mattress, people came up with lots of other clever places to hide money at home:
The teapot: Some people hid their money inside a teapot. This spot was smart because it could protect cash from fire and looked like a normal kitchen item.
The wall: Some people tucked cash behind the walls of their house. For example, a plumber once found over $600,000 hidden inside the wall of a famous person’s house.
The garage: Garages can be messy and full of boxes, making them a great place to hide things. In one case, someone found millions of dollars in gold coins hidden in boxes in a garage.
The freezer: Believe it or not, a lot of people put their money in the freezer. In a 2012 survey, 27% of people said that was their hiding spot—turning “frozen assets” into a real thing!
Inside a sock: Another simple hiding spot was inside a sock. Nearly 1 in 5 people used this method to keep their cash out of sight.
In the drawer: A young boy once found $10,000 in a hotel room drawer. Since nobody claimed it, he was allowed to keep it!
The cookie jar: This was a favorite hiding spot for many grandparents. About 10% of people said they used a cookie jar to store their savings at home.
The floor: Some people hid money under the floorboards. One person even found $46,000 under the floor of an old house.
Books: Some folks tucked money inside books. One man found $20,000 hidden in a book he bought from a used bookstore!
These stories show how creative people can be when it comes to keeping their money safe at home.
Do People Still Hide Their Money?
Yes, even today, some people still hide money at home. A survey done in 2015 found that over half the people who kept cash savings said they stored it in a secret spot at home. And in that earlier 2012 survey, many still used places like the freezer, socks, and even under the mattress to stash their money. Some people just like being able to see and touch their cash, especially if they don’t fully trust banks. Events like the 2008 recession made some people nervous about the safety of their money. While most folks now use banks or digital wallets, the old tradition of hiding cash at home hasn’t gone away completely.
Conclusion
So, is it smart to hide money under your mattress today? Well, keeping a small amount of cash at home can be helpful in an emergency, like if the power goes out and you can’t use your credit card. But it’s usually not the safest idea to keep large amounts of money at home. Unlike a bank, your home doesn’t have the same kind of strong security. If you’re still thinking about hiding money under your mattress, just make sure the mattress is comfortable and high-quality—at least you’ll be sleeping on top of something useful!