Best Ways to Protect Your Valuables In College

By Danielle Wirsansky on June 30, 2017

Time can be tough when you are in college. You might be working and studying, you might be living with a lot of roommates, you might be working a dead end job, and you might even be struggling to make ends meet.

Sometimes, college can feel like the dumps and you wonder, “These are supposed to be the best years of my life?”

It can seem like things cannot possibly get any worse — but believe me, they always can. College might not be the bouquet of roses you expected it to be but there are surely ways that things could get worse. The necessities in your life that you think are quite basic can be taken for granted, and if you lost them, life would be much, much harder in a way you might never have realized before.

You have to protect your valuables — and this does not just mean your jewelry and the like. You have to protect whatever is most valuable to you in terms of living and leading your daily life, from your apartment to your car. Read on to learn some of the best ways to protect your valuables in college!

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Renters Insurance

While only 41 percent of all renters get renters insurance, that number is rising every year and many apartment complexes are requiring renters to show proof of renters insurance in order for you to live there. Why do you need renters insurance, you might wonder? If something breaks, doesn’t the landlord have to cover it, just like they do everything else? Not always, especially if it is something big or if you are clearly at fault (even if it was an accident).

Your landlord will not care if you accidentally caused a fire in your kitchen because you get distracted by a football game on TV or the latest episode of Rick and Morty. It does not matter that you did not mean to do it — it still has to be repaired and someone still has to pay for it. Or imagine that disaster strikes and a tornado rips through your area destroying not only the property you live on but all of your personal belongings as well.

All those expensive gadgets like your laptop, your TV, and more are all gone. How will you afford new appliances? According to the Insurance Information Institute, more than 30 percent of a renter’s annual income goes towards rent to begin with. How will you afford to find another place to live when you already have and do spend so much money on your now damaged rental property?

Renters insurance is important to make sure that no matter what, you are covered in case of any mishap, major or minor. This kind of insurance is also usually relatively inexpensive — so while you might feel disgruntled at giving up a hundred dollars or two, it will help save you thousands in the long run. You can sleep better at night knowing that your valuables are safe and sound.

 A safe

 Can a safe really protect my belongings and valuables, you might be wondering? What can it really do to protect my stuff? While thievery is unfortunately common, statistically speaking, you are more likely to be mugged or robbed in person than have your home broken into. But house breaking is unsurprisingly more likely in college towns and cities and in student centered neighborhoods. Most house burglaries are committed by people who already had access to your home, so having a safe can help keep the small things that are important to you like jewelry or documents safe even when you are not at home.

College life often means roommates (and sometimes a lot of roommates) and you might not always know all the people coming and going into your home. Your friend’s friend might not be your friend. You do not want someone wandering into your room and making off with something that is important to you. Even a small, cheaper home safe can be enough of a deterrent for someone — they will either be unmotivated to try and crack the safe or do not want to be seen carrying a safe off the property. Using a safe to protect your valuables is still a relevant and useful tactic to use while in college.

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As always, use basic precautions like closing all your windows and curtains when you leave the house, locking the door behind you and any other doors to the home, hiding your spare key somewhere more creative than under your doormat, using a bike lock, using a padlock on your gate, keeping valuables out of sight, and only allowing people that you trust to enter your home.

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