In a Cracker Box

One day, when walking past the pantry in my house, I saw how many packets of the same type of crackers that we had, 'Salada's'. From looking, it seemed that we had about 3 or 4 packets, mum and dad shore wouldn't notice if one went missing for a few minutes, right. I took one of the packs and opened it neatly with a flat-bladed knife (so it could be sealed without any clue of it being opened), I took the crackers out and put them to the side as I wasn't interested in eating the crackers, I just wanted the box. What a great place to hide some of my secret valuables for a month or two until I need them again. Since we had a few packs, I made a prediction that we wouldn't use the last pack for a good two months or more. Excellent, I thought, I can store my secret goods right in front of mum and dad without them having any suspicion about them or any link to me.

The first thing that I did (after neatly opening the top of the cracker box with a flat-bladed-knife) was I measured the length, width and depth of the cracker box (length 21.5cm, width 10cm and depth 8cm). I then, on a separate piece of cardboard that I cut out of an old cereal box, ruled two rectangles using the dimensions of the cracker box (the first rectangle, 21.5cm long and 10cm wide) (the second rectangle, 21.5cm long and 8cm wide). I then cut both of the rectangles out. These two rectangles job is to give support to the cracker box so if some (other than me) grabs the box it will not swish (as a half empty box would) but feel as if it still contained crackers.

I then had to join the two rectangle pieces of cardboard together. To do this I marked the half way points of each of the widths of the two rectangles and then joined then with a line. I then marked the halfway point down both of these lines. I then cut down the first half of each of the lines. I then took one of the rectangles and turned it vertically and the other horizontally with the two cut ends facing each other. Then I slid the two rectangles together allowing the cuts in the rectangles to slide into each other. Once they were pushed as far as they would go (if looking front on) a cross shape could be seen. An indication that the two rectangle pieces of cardboard were properly allied is if the two marks of half-way point down the half way line are joint together.

To secure the object formed from the two pieces of cardboard, I stuck sticky tape on all of the places where the two meet. This made the object secure and stronger. I then slide the objected into the interior of the cracker box and stuck the sides of the cardboard to the box. To test that the cardboard object worked, I gave the box a small squeeze. The cracker box didn't cave in, it felt as if it still contained crackers.

I then placed some items that I wanted to hide such as a USB (ensuring that the items fit between the cardboard inner supports). I then folded the two side flaps of the box shut then the top one. I then took a piece of blue tack (about the size of a grape) and rolled it into a long strip with my pointer finger. I then stuck the blue tack to the bottom end of the top flap of the box that I shut earlier (I didn't stick the blue tack fully however). I then closed the bottom flap and pressed until it was fully stuck to the blue tack. To test that the blue tack was holding I tipped the box upside down checking that it stayed shut. My reasoning for using blue tack to secure the end of the box and not sticky tape was because I want the box to look as if it had not been opened yet. If I glued the box shut, I would damage the box the next time that I attempted to open it to retrieve my secrete goods. I then placed the cracker box back where I found it as if it were still containing crackers and not my hidden items.

Hiding things right in front of those you are hiding them from sounds silly at first thought, but on a second it makes sense as no one will suspect it to be there. As long as the box you choose to hide things in is secured neatly and tightly, it will seem as if it were just your average cracker box.