true!

[Xvettech]

then when I find it and put it in a “safe place” then I forget where that “place” is!

[falalalala]

Ain't that the truth.

[NorasMom]

I have gotten so bad at this that I now have post-its all over the house telling anyone and everyone where to find my secret treasures! "Mr. Home Intruder, this one will tell you where I have the cash. That one explains the keys to all the relatives' homes and cars. This one over here not only tells you where to find my credit card but also the pin numbers for my bank accounts." 😬 Good thing I have a big dog!

[Cwright170994 in reply to NorasMom]

I use the notes app on my phone for stuff like the pins 😅 I also changed the pin numbers for my cards to stuff that I'll definitely remember, like part of my marriage date and part of my staff number at my first job. All changed at an atm 😜

[CatsandCars in reply to NorasMom]

You might want to get a password manager app like ProtonPass. It's free, and you can get it from the Google Play Store (probably from the Apple Store, too). You spend a day or two creating secure passwords twenty characters long, not re-using them on different sites, and you can enter notes to yourself to replace your post its. You can access it with one secure PIN.

Hackers have sophisticated programs that can crack your passwords, which are eventually sold on the dark web. Some hacker buys them, and uses software to plug that username and password combination into hundreds of websites to see if they can get into anything. I signed up for free credit monitoring with one of the credit bureaus, and it's really disconcerting to find that my password for a website, my email address, and my social security number are all available on the dark web.

And you're right, home intruders, or even people you trust to come into your home, can easily use that information.

It can be time consuming changing your passwords, but you can start with the really sensitive ones like your bank. It's really scary how our private information is out there, just waiting for bad actors to find it. It sometimes keeps me up at night!

[bxrmom in reply to CatsandCars]

I love my password manager! Only have to remember the main password for that and everything else is saved! Between my own passwords and passwords for the stuff I use for the dog rescue is a lot lol Not safe to write it/type it somewhere. I use Dashlane.

[CatsandCars in reply to bxrmom]

I agree! Even if I need to remember something that's not a password, I list it and write whatever it is in the notes! Plus, I had my husband put it on his phone, so he has access to passwords he needs, but it's still secure. It's a big investment of time to set all the passwords up and enter everything, but wow, does it make life easier! All those pesky security questions, PINs, etc., are all in one place! It's a beautiful thing. 🥰

[Xvettech in reply to CatsandCars]

That’s awesome that it works for yous! I have tried to jump into the computer stuff, but I usually wind up deleting it! Whether it’s from my shakiness or my stupidity! lol

[CatsandCars in reply to Xvettech]

You can just download the app and use it on your phone, if that's how you shop, bank, etc., It doesn't have to be on a computer.

I tried and deleted numerous password apps because it wasn't obvious to me how to use them (notice that I did not admit I could not figure out how to use them!) Proton Pass is the easiest one. It's like an alphabetical list of all the places you have passwords with. You put in the name, username, and password and just save it. When you have time, you can go back to the list, look up "ABC Bank" or whatever, click on "generate password" and it will invent a super secure password. You click save and it remembers it for you. It's always there if you need it!

To make it more secure, you just reset your existing password, the way you normally do if you forget it, clicking on "forgot my password", etc. Then you just copy and paste in the new one on the bank site, and everything is secure.

[bxrmom in reply to CatsandCars]

I have it on my phone as well in case I need to access something when my computer is not available or I don't feel like getting up to go to my computer lol

[CatsandCars in reply to bxrmom]

I've gotten to where I hardly use a computer anymore for that reason. 😁

[carolek572 CommunityAmbassador]

Yup, Xvettech ! Now I have multiples of everything! 😆

[Xvettech in reply to carolek572]

Ikr! Me too!

[lbenmaor]

I agree! I write down where I put things. Leslie

[CatsandCars]

Before I married my husband, he helped me get rid of a lot of unwanted stuff. He made a point of saying that he noticed that I have two of a lot of items. "What do you do, go buy a new one every time you can't find something?"

As if that's not a perfectly logical solution! It doubles my odds of finding what I'm looking for. 😂

[Greentime in reply to CatsandCars]

🤣

[Amore55 in reply to CatsandCars]

I completely understand that logic!

[Cwright170994]

My safe place is a drawer somewhere in our house, but sometimes I can't remember which one! My husband's the same, and he puts stuff in awkward drawers, ones that you wouldn't think of checking 😱 last month, for example: he was selling his old car, and needed a document to have it all go through legally. He knew he put it in A drawer, but he'd forgotten he'd put it in a vaguely unused drawer in our bedroom until, by some chance and for some reason, he'd checked that drawer. We both celebrated before we promptly collapsed onto our sofa 😅 was tiring work for both of us! Mainly me and my awkward legs 🙃

[melack01]

I usually can't find my "safe place" and I only have one room to look in!

[Robsmom]

The story of my life.🤦🏾‍♀️

[Xvettech in reply to Robsmom]

Ikr! I agree, mine too!

[bxrmom]

Story of my life lol

[mrsmike9]

So true.