What silly notions do you harbour about what is most attractive to a burglar in your house?!

[milksoffagain]

I know they would head straight for my 30 year old sewing machine. (Or would they...?) Old, clunky, and very very heavy, what's not to love?

What do you value that has never before struck you as realistically highly unlikely to actually feature in a burglar's top 10? I'm interested in hearing about the sort of things that would make all the other burglars snort in derision when the night's pickings were laid out at Burglar HQ in the morning...

Yes, it"s lighthearted, so no boring 'valuables' like phones/laptops etc that are actually worth a lot of money please. Sympathies to anyone who has actually had anything stolen in this way.

(Burglars welcome to join in of course - if any of the sort you find in children's-books are actually reading this thread.)

My friend had her car broken into. Ityst have been a secret chocolate fiend because they left the sat nav and car park money, but ate the Twix!

When I was a teenager in the 1970s, we were burgled. Despite the whole family being asleep upstairs, they sifted through my parents' wedding present drawer and took the silver spoons, napkin rings, silver cigarette box etc but left anything silver plate. It was a month before we realised they had also taken the sewing machine, and not until the following winter that we found all our sheepskin mittens were missing. Interesting random haul.

When my MIL was ill (in hospital) she explained where her valuables were - the paperwork was in a tin under her bed. Her expensive jewellery obviously was on the dressing table in a posh jewellery box- she lived in a bungalow- on a main road - so on full view. But she was more worried that someone might steal a pot plant from her garden so I had to count them for her!

My gorgeous dog. I wouldn’t care what else they took just don’t touch him I also worry about fire because of him aswell when we go out

my husbands grandfather used to grow gladioli. His garden was just rows of them. He didn't show them. We have no idea why he liked them so much. They weren't even planted in a pretty way. They were in rows like planted in vegetable plots.

When he died someone stole them all. Dug them all out in the middle of the night !

So I am really concerned someone might like sewing box which is my step dads old tin accounting box. Worthless and shabby.

I did decide to take the jewellery home in my car - had to stop to go shopping - then realised my car could be broken into.

@Sunny345H my aunt got really badly burgled when we were little, they were away and pretty much everything valuable was taken - apparently they take duvet covers to carry other stuff in.

We were burgled once when I was a child and they took the 3 handbags at the bottom of the stairs, a box of cream eggs and a wooden elephant (about a foot tall).

I'm always worried about our cats - not so much that they'd be taken, but we don't let them out the front as it's a busy road, so I worry they'd get out and be run over.

Yes I have pedigree cats and I'm scared that burglars would take them, or that they'd leave everything open so the cats escape and then they get runover.

Tbh though I do genuinely worry about my kids being taken from an open window. I know the likelihood of it happening is so tiny, but I don't like these heatwaves, partly as it means the kids' windows are open.

They can take the dog (he’d go with them if they had food), a few chairs (my husband has a secret obsession with battered, antique chairs being essential in every room) and all the old clothes our children have left here.
I worry they might want the teapot or my favourite mugs.

When my friends flat was burgled, they took all the gadgets but left her Jimmy Choos and Vivienne Westwood glasses.

The idiots clearly didn't know anything!

Funnily, not so concerned that people will have the telly away (its massive and I've seen the agro it took to get upstairs to the living room!)
And I joke, everything else has been pissed on by the dog.
I'm worried that my much loved cleaning cupboard would be ransacked by a burglar. I have a lot of products not currently available due to the pandemic (I didnt go out and panic buy- I've been hoarding cleaning stuff for years!)

I'm also a bit concerned my bins might get stolen again.

We have been afflicted by burglars twice.
The first time, 28 years ago they took the usual tvs and a video player and a bottle of champagne given to us to celebrate the birth of first baby. Most annoyingly they took a sofa seat cover - presumably to use as a swag bag.
In January last year we were broken into in the middle of the night, while we were asleep. This time we lost brand new watches (Xmas presents,) wallets, gardening tools and my DH's car.
Giving the police a full list of stolen items at 3.45am I suddenly felt the need to check that I still had my beloved sewing machine and my new sander!
Thankfully we had house contents' insurance, both times.

The thief who broke into my car stole my Now That's What I Call Xmas cd (coal for you mate), my automatic foot pump and my window demisting fluid.

For a while I thought he'd taken one shoe, but I eventually found the other.

Well after the burglars had dodged the dog (who would absolutely not be guarding the house but would be excited to see new people and want cuddles and treats for them) made it past the ancient TV that I suspect they would discount due to the hamster in the cage being the most likely source of power in it , they would have to deal with the irate 4 year old who would be concerned about his tomato plant "aby" (no we dont know why it's called that either ) and the 7 year old who would be very concerned about his minecraft figures collection, they would give up and sod off.

If they were brave enough I would be threatening them if they touched my strawberry plants that actually fruited (because for once I didnt forget about them and kill them) they would run into DP who currently I suspect would offer them money to take the rest of us .

Then to get back out they would have to dodge the dog twice as she tried to kill them (accidentally again still looking for treats ) by weavjng under their feet, bypass my treasured sewing machine and industrial lamp bought off a bloke on Ebay that stopped working after 15 minutes.

However they might take my vintage bike with a basket on the front that wobbles and makes a creaking sound , although it is actually real vintage form the 50's so could actually be worth something , then I would have to go all Taken on them. My special set of skills involves badgering them with home improvement projects and threatening to let the 4 year old kick their ankles.

We have nothing of value, and after 9 weeks of lockdown with my family , woe betide any burglar stupid enough to break in here...they would need counselling for years afterwards.

@fuzzymoon that makes me so sad, all his hard work. ☹️

When we were burgled, they took two Rolex watches.

Unfortunately for them they were fakes bought in a Turkish market.

Any burglar that broke into here would be massively disappointed. I suppose they could take the car keys and struggle off with DPs golf clubs? However I have this strange idea that I have to tidy up before bed in case we get burglars. I round every night tidying ' in case burglars come in.' I think I cant stand the thought of them judging my messiness. Ridiculous.

I’ve got nothing (apart from dog) that I’m worried about. Dh would be Upset by the loss of his collection of new naturalist books (which have their own glass fronted bookcase in our room and I haven’t at all fantasied about selling them off one by one)

Like many on here we've nothing worth nicking. Everything is old and battered.

The only thing of value (to us) is our 12 year old Border Terrier.

Like Skylar I worry about him when he's alone in the house.

We’ve been burgled three times in past 20 odd years in different homes. I assure you they won’t take your sewing machine, though they may vandalise it unfortunately. They probably won’t take pets, though unfortunately might harm them, if they have enough time to do so. What they will do is go for the quickest, high value items they can find that relatively small and easy to pack, run off with. I lost all my jewellery and family inherited jewellery.

I don't have anything of much financial or emotional value but I'm more worried that a burglar would find my old diary entries and judge me as a person....

Especially my teenage poems.

We were burgled when I was in the shower years ago. They stole my jewellery box. I had thought that it had contained my expensive stuff, and a sentimental 50p piece. When the the police came by I kept mentioning the 50p piece. Eventually the young policeman told me that I was unlikely to be reunited with my 50p piece.

Managed to claim it all on insurance.

We were in the middle of packing to move house. Turns out that the expensive jewellery had been moved into another tiny box. So all they got was our iPod (was expensive at the time), a jewellery box and loads of costume jewelry. And my precious 50p piece

Someone once broke into my dads shop and took 2 packets of biscuits. Till was untouched.

@Sunny345H I really felt for child you! My 10yo DS sometimes worries that burglars will steal his teddies.

We were burgled at night when DD was a baby. They took my knackered laptop (but not the charger), exH’s laptop, his wallet, the pram and his Audi. They also took my car keys but threw them out of the window down the road. That was annoying as the spare key was on H’s keyring and my car had to be taken to a lock-on on the back of a truck to secure it while the insurer arranged for new locks.

As far as I’m concerned, they can have whatever they want as long as they leave the kids’ things alone. I’d be annoyed if they stole my work notebook though - I write down everything and refer back to my notes often. Everything else is replaceable.