Well, shequit don't put it too low. Not sure about basements, if they tend to flood, not a good idea, me thinks. :) About the fireproof safe, I have one. Bought my daughter and son in law one for their wedding present. Even got two fire proof file cabinets, but those are upstairs. never thought about the falling down in case of a house fire. But we do have our fire proof safe downstairs. They are hard to disguise, if you don't have a closet you can "hide" them in. Another thing to think about is: where to put the combination (slip of paper with the numbers) of the safe. I used to keep mine upstairs. Argh, bad idea again because of a fire. But since the wedding, my daughter has it in her safe. :) Moni

Since you are planning your sink, I want to share my review of my new sink setup. I love my tapmaster, although I think it really only makes sense if you also have another hot/cold water faucet either at a different sink or as a hot/cold drinking water faucet at the same, which -- the latter -- we have and love. I cannot imagine reaching down below the sink to get detergent when my hands just touched raw meat. For that reason, I really like our countertop soap dispenser (and the tapmaster). I'm using the built in tilt out to store sponges and brushes. It's very easy to take out for cleaning if needed to. Small volume, but it takes the loose items off the counter. There is plenty of ventilation through the door bumps that the sponges dry out fast. I like it, but you do need to be aware that it limits how forward you can bring your sink; in other words, you need to plan for them. I have a regular sink base and a Blanco sink, and I didn't haven to make any modifications. I know reviews on tapmaster, countertop soap dispenser, and tilt out trays are all mixed. I happen to like all of them.

A few things to keep in mind: Don't advertise that you're gone. Sounds simple, doesn't it? But how many people turn off all the lights and turn on the front door light ONLY when they're gone? Screams that you're not home. It's often said, but often overlooked, don't let papers and mail pile up. A trusted neighbor should take it in on a regular basis. If applicable, garbage cans should go to the curb (even if empty) and be returned. A spare car parked in the driveway? First, don't leave a garage door remote in there and secondly have it moved, even if rolled back a few feet. What else? Oh, be alert. Watch for strange cars. My house was broken into twice in the time I've lived here. One time my neighbors saw a car cruising up and down the street and saw it in my driveway. They didn't think anything of it until after the fact. Then they told me gee the one even mentioned to the other it looks like they're casing the neighborhood... SHEESH! A word about deadbolts. Yes they're good, BUT, don't get overconfident. I had a deadbolt on my door and I had the recommended 3" screws into the framework. I also had a "deadbolt" on the storm door. Guess where they broke in? They grabbed the handle on the storm door and yanked it open, then kicked the door in. There was a nice footprint on the door. The door didn't break, but the frame gave way and they just kicked until the screws finally broke out the frame. Sooooooooo, if you have a wood framed door, don't get overconfident. If they want to get in, they're coming in. The spare key issue is open to debate. One idea that I like is if you have a trusted friend a block or two away that would let you (perhaps in a reciprocal agreement) hide a key outside at their place, you could walk to their place, get the key even if they're gone. That way, if someone finds the key, they don't (or shouldn't) know which house it fits. Another method is if you have an outdoor shed, the outside key could be for the shed, then hide the key in the shed. Be creative. Now if you have multiple sheds, or the neighbors would agree, go from place to place. If someone finds one, they're not too likely to keep looking for the right key. Course, they'd probably just get frustrated and find another way in, like with their foot. For self defense, your car keys can be your friend. Always have them ready, carry them so they're pointing out and if the ring fits on your finger, all the better. If you MUST fight, go for the eyes. It's always best to not try to physically overpower an assailant, but when you have to, use any weapon you can. Dogs can help, but don't get overconfident. They can act as a delay to give you time to call police. Most burglers don't like dealing with dogs, but throwing some meat to the side to distract them, or killing the dog isn't unheard of either. When you pull into a garage, look around. Look around before you even open the door, check as you're pulling in. It's really best to have better than normal lighting in there, but no matter what, be alert. Eliminate hiding spots if possible. Close the door before getting out of the vehicle and again, look around in case someone came in with you. If you're alone, keep your land phone and cell phone handy. if you hear something, you can take cover and call the police. It's always best to use the landline so they can identify the location but a cell is a backup. My aunt lived in Houston and she always kept a can of hairspray on the car seat next to her. When a guy jumped in her car the one day, she sprayed him in the eyes. He jumped out quickly. But these days they can be armed. Again, keep your mind working, and use what you have to protect yourself. There's tons more, but these popped to mind. Stay safe everyone.

I've paid everything online since Quicken introduced Bill Pay in the early 90s. However, I am grateful I'm compulsive enough to keep my statements. After 2 pretty serious thefts and a house fire, they made my life a LOT easier. When you have to prove cost to an insurance company, they're invaluable. Online statements are fine, but they usually only make them available for a year to 18 months. Sometimes that's not enough. I have a basket by the door into which I put important mail. It organizes itself as newest to oldest, because I put the newer in front. At tax time I go through and sort them into companies or accounts. Stapled, they go into a credenza that has file drawers in it. I might refer to them once in a couple years, but I have them. Legal papers go into another file in the same place. Junk mail goes into a paper grocery bag, really neatly, which I turn around and usually bury in the garden. Paper recycles well and prevents weeks when the thickness of a section of news paper. Now magazines? If I like an article or ad, I've started tearing off the cover of that mag and putting them into a binder with a pressure clip holding them in. This has come in extremely handy when talking about ideas, and I can throw away the TONS of magazines I seem to accumulate. I'm considering that neat desk scanner thing I see advertized on TV. It has an auto document feed, where my scanner is manual. Last year I scanned statements before and like it. I did them individually and am storing them by account/month on a CD for that year along with a .pdf of last year's tax return, the TurboTax version I've used, and any receipts I might need to reproduce for a deduction. I'm storing that in a binder with 1 printed copy of my tax return. I'm anal enough I am thinking of going thru previous years I'm saving and consolidating like this. Imagine the space I'll free up! But that's after a gudzillion house projects that need finishing. That's a task I'll do when I'm procrastinating about something else.