To think I might have been burgled?

[Kittensat36]

Having a bizarre and upsetting 48 hours. Just need to vent really.

Got up yesterday morning and was preparing to leave for work when I realised that my handbag was not in the hall. It normally sits on an ottoman I have, which is about 10 feet in. I know it was there because I remember taking my phone out of it the other night to send a text

Had to have an emergency day off , expecting to find it any minute - my flat is very untidy, but I expected to find it at some point. I even checked the washing machine in case I had taken it into the bathroom and scooped it up with the washing I was about to do.

But how on earth did it happen if I was burgled? The front door was shut, the back door was locked and the only open window opens onto a secure garden (and you would have cross my bed to get in).

I have to say that my bag is not the only thing that has disappeared over the last couple of weeks. My pill container for my meds disappeared from my living room, I thought that the cats might have bapped it somewhere, but they aren't talking. A batch of paperwork is also on the missing list- a receipt for a large purchase I made recently and a prescription for flea meds. All highly useful (not), but a bit odd as laptops were in the same room and were left untouched.

A ring doorbell/cameras would have been useful and I will have to get some. But I have nothing now. I suppose that if they put something through the letter box, they might have been able to get the door open, but isn't that a bit risky in the middle of the night? Wouldn't it have been easier to get in while I am at work?

Thank goodness for my marvellous upstairs neighbour lending me some cash, or I would be really stuck.

Got to go to work to sort out getting a new workphone and getting my locker broken into to retrieve my work kit. Then sorting a new barrel for my front door lock...

Thanks for reading my rant.

Side door down the side of the house. If someone is good a picking locks I’m not sure whether there would be signs of forced entry. The burglar had gone through other stuff and left a mess so it was obvious what had happened. I don’t know the ins and outs of her locks but it unnerved me too, being a neighbour with a similar style property.

I really think you should spend time sorting the house if it's as untidy as you say its no wonder things are missing really.

Were all your windows shut? We were burgled once when we left a downstairs window open. Laptop and my bag stolen. Bag was found in a neighbouring front garden a couple of days later. We came down to find the front door slightly open so they’d left that way.

We know why she’s hiding it, it’s what the whole thread is about.

Honestly as a fellow messy house owner I very much doubt you’ve been burgled. Stuff goes ‘missing’ in my house all the time. It’s because it’s a mess. I’ll move things. Or put them down and because it’s messy I can never find them again. It’s infuriating, but the list of things you are missing aren’t things that would be stolen. You’ve just misplaced them in the mess. I’m sure your bag will turn up, probably when you’re not looking for it

Change the locks for piece of mind, and tidy up 😀

Of course she’s not been burgled, who breaks in and steals a pill container or paperwork.

Sleepwalking?? 🤔

I think your bag is there somewhere. The fact you usually put it in the same place might mean you're confusing the time you took your phone out of it with another night.

I 'lose' things all the time. They generally end up to be in quite an obvious place that I checked first but probably missed in my haste. I then spend far too long checking in ridiculous places that I know they would never be.

Once I was sure I had left my glasses on the ironing board. Turned the whole house upside down with no joy. Retraced my steps and remembered I'd also packed some Next parcels on the ironing board too. Called the courier to bring them back and yes, I'd packed them as well 🙈

Have you got time today to go through the rooms methodically, @Kittensat36?

“She's hiding it because she's aware some people break into homes during the night.

I expect you have funny ways too”

My understanding is that the advice is to leave your handbag in the hall overnight so that, if someone breaks in, they can grab that and go rather than being motivated to come further into the house looking for something to steal. That’s why I leave my handbag in the hall. (I have my phones with me overnight though).

I lose stuff all the time and usually in trying to find one thing I find a previous lost item. I would suggest calm and see if you can recruit a friend to have a blitz on the place. You will probably find all the items. And while you are at it get a eufy doorbell and internal camera. Piece of mind and no subscription. I set mine up easily and means I can check on the cats when I am away. Good luck ;-)

You say you are in a flat. To you have an outer door to the building? Do any of the other flats have Ring doorbells?

Have you got carbon monoxide alarms? Any confusion like this reminds me of the infamous reddit thread - please nip out and get one today, then take it round your whole house room by room to check.

Well if being over-anxious means I have no idea whether I have been burgled or not yeas good be an issue, no idea why this perfect word gets thrown about 'Oh everyone and their perfect life' not sure what replies the op was expecting really

If you've been burgled, do you need to cancel your bank cards? Check your account now to see if it's been used.

Hopefully you've just lost things in the clutter but it is worth considering whether your trusted neighbour is trustworthy or whether someone they live with or who visits them may not be

Op, it reads like ypu may have misplaced some things.
I mean, don't get me wrong, you could have been burgled, but it seems you're losing a lot of stuff.

How are you feeling in yourself? Are you stressed or anxious? Losing things was the first sign that my memory wasn't right (I'm not specifically talking old age related here, my memory issues started at 32)
It's worth keeping an eye on, and maybe speaking to a GP.

Practically, I think you need a day to tidy. Find whatever it is that you can. If you don't find the bag then it may have been stolen but you won't be able to narrow that down until you've tidied up.
But you should change your door barrel cos it'll make you feel safe.
Then order yourself an over door hook, so when you get home, you can put your bag on it and that becomes where it "belongs" so you know for certain where it is, maybe put your keys there.
Get a bowl for your medication. You know like the big decorative ones. Don't move the boxes away from it. Stand in front and take your medication.
Paperwork etc- just buy a safe. I have one. I don't specifically even lock it, but I know where all the important stuff is.

My house is constantly being torn apart because there's something I can't find (usually part of a set of one of the kids outfits)

Is slightly better since I decluttered though.

And yes, ring doorbells. I've picked up on the local addicts trying to get into my house, and ransacking my car, numerous times.

I don’t know what you can do if you can’t find them. But I would change the locks and get a ring doorbell. If you’re not a tidy person it’s a tough one but I would clear the clutter in hope that I would find them. One room at a time.

It's really really easy. Definitely think you should do it!

Seriously? You think someone broke into her house on 3 separate occasions, once stealing a pill container, once some random paperwork and once her handbag? You feel this is way more likely than she misplaced them in the mess?

When I was in a flat someone from next door was coming in through the loft hatch. He was taking silly little bits, a Christmas ornament, a non valuable ring etc. He opened my jewellery box and scratched my Grandmother's face out of a solid gold locket, I thought I was going mad. Never got to the bottom of why he did it. Could someone get into your flat that way, OP?

Yes, it's a walk in the park - just get one the right length :)

Doesn't need to be a ring camera right now, just get any old wifi cam from Amazon and sit it somewhere it can see the door/livingroom/wherever stuff seems to be going missing. I have one sat on my front windowsill so I can see people on my drive.

The carbon monoxide alarm is also a good shout though.. just in case.

I have a decoy safe in my wardrobe (one of the kids bought it when they were little, and then forgot the code to get into it - I think it's got a comic and about 12p in it, and and airtag in my purse, keys and bag (due to me also being a bit messy and often getting distracted when I come in the house and putting things different places)

I had a little wager with myself that it wouldnt be long before someone would suggest a loft dweller, thanks for not disappointing 😂