11 Things People With Actual Street Smarts Never Leave Lying Around Their House
They're careful about how they protect their privacy.
MAYA LAB | Shutterstock Although “street smarts” is typically defined as a mindset that informs the way people behave and interact outside of their living spaces, there are certain rituals that only the most street-savvy people do at home. According to social psychologist Ronald E. Riggio, being “street smart” is simply a manifestation of social intelligence — a learned skill that develops through experience, conversations, and interactions, rather than internal growth.
At home, street-savvy people are careful about their safety and privacy, sometimes because they’ve lived through situations where those things have been compromised for themselves or others. For example, many of the things people with actual street smarts never leave lying around their house are anticipatory protections — safeguarding their privacy and well-being.
Here are 11 things people with actual street smarts never leave lying around their house
1. Their purse or wallet
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If they’re at home or running out of the house for an errand, people with actual street smarts never leave their purse or wallet sitting out in the open. If they have to keep it at home when they leave, they’re always tucking into a safe space or hiding it in a place that only they have access to.
While experts often suggest specific “hiding places” for people to protect their valuables when they leave the house or go on trips, it’s all dependent on your space and where you live. And if you’re truly worried about the safety of your essentials — like a wallet or purse — just take it with you.
2. A set of spare keys under the doormat
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While it might seem like common sense to avoid hiding spare keys in the obvious places, like under a welcome mat or inside your mailbox, some people still do it. Not only is that the first place an intruder would check for an entrance into your home, but it’s also an obvious way for you to lose or misplace spare keys without knowing who took them.
That’s why spare keys are one of the things people with actual street smarts never leave lying around their house. If they have to let someone in when they’re not there, they’re strategic about where to “hide” the keys or even intentional about making time to drop them off in person.
3. Their personal documents
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Whether it’s a social security card or a birth certificate, these are some of the personal documents that people with actual street smarts never leave lying around their house. They’re tucked away in a safe, stashed in a secure folder with personal information, or in a third location that’s easy to access for them, but difficult to locate for someone searching.
Of course, street-savvy people aren’t the only ones urging people to protect their personal documents. According to experts from the Federal Trade Commission, these kinds of documents and any other important files should always be stashed in a secure location, even if it’s just a personal safe at home.
4. Their prescriptions
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If they have prescriptions that they can’t live without or other medications in their home, people with actual street smarts are intentional about where they store them. Even if it’s just for the safety of the people and kids in their home, rather than protection against intruders and guests, they’re putting them in a spot that only they can reach or access.
It’s these small things people with actual street smarts never leave lying around their house that some people completely overlook, whether it’s out of convenience or sheer ignorance. Don’t let that person be you.
5. Important mail
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Whether it’s a stack of unopened mail right by the door or opened bills and sensitive letters on their kitchen table, these are some of the things people with actual street smarts never leave lying around in their home. It can seem like such a simple part of your routine — bringing in mail, opening it in the entryway, and then leaving it by your keys.
But think about how easy it would be for someone to steal that mail, whether they’re visiting as a guest, coming in to repair something, or entering without your permission. One bill, and suddenly they have your Social Security number, bank information, full name, or a million other pieces of sensitive information.
6. Valuables near windows
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Leaving valuables near a window is one of the mistakes people with street smarts never make. It’s an opportunist’s dream to see someone leaving an expensive purse, nice laptop, or wallet right next to the window — if they’re willing to steal it, they’re willing to also break the window to get it.
So, be careful about leaving your work desktop and laptop on your desk at home if there’s a window nearby, especially if you don’t have any curtains. Don’t put your laptop on the couch by the hallway overnight. Be intentional about how you store your things, even if you’re in the house with them.
7. A garage door opener in their car
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If you have a garage door opener, keep it with you at all times. Don’t leave it on your dash or tucked inside your car, even if you’re vigilant about locking it all the time. It’s just as easy as you might imagine for someone to break a car window, take the garage door opener, and go to your home.
That’s why this is one of the things people with actual street smarts never leave lying around their house or even in their cars in the driveway. They’re careful about safety and protection at home, even if it means coming across as “paranoid” or too hypervigilant to other people.
8. Packages left on the porch
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According to a SafeWise study, an average of 104 million packages are stolen across the U.S. every single year from people’s porches. That’s why street-savvy people are careful about not only ordering things online, but planning their package deliveries to ensure they’re home to bring them inside.
Of course, it’s impossible to always be home to accept a package, but they’re intentional about making time to bring them in — even if it means coming home early or asking a neighbor to grab them. At the very least, these people invest in doorbell cameras and security footage, so if they have a consistent problem with porch package theft, they can start to do something about it.
9. Extra cash in the sock drawer
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If you think you’re being crafty by hiding extra money in your sock drawer, you’re not. Not only is it an obvious place to look for intruders and guests snooping around, but it’s less obscure and safe than you might believe.
That’s why extra cash is one of the things people with actual street smarts never leave lying around their house. They tuck it away in a safe, put it in a truly hidden location, or keep it on them at all times — never tucked in their sock drawer.
10. Passwords taped to their devices
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According to experts from the Dynamic Solutions Group, the number one worst place to store passwords is on a sticky note near or on your devices. It’s essentially free entry into your devices to anyone who wants to look at your information.
In fact, leaving the password written out on the device might even be a step worse than leaving it unlocked without a password at all, because now people have access to a password that you’ve likely reused for a million other sensitive devices and accounts.
11. Confidential work papers and projects
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If they work from home or regularly bring back projects from the office, people with actual street smarts are careful about how they protect and safeguard that information. They’re never leaving loose confidential papers lying around their desk or devices from work open near a window — even if their job isn’t necessarily “highly confidential.”
Sometimes, even the most obscure things can be weaponized — from emails at work, to work addresses, and even your position title.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a senior editorial strategist with a bachelor’s degree in social relations & policy and gender studies who focuses on psychology, relationships, self-help, and human interest stories.
