I'm a technology guy and love the high-tech solutions everyone has given. That cellphone camera looks so cool!

Of course, I am here to suggest a "low-tech" way. Setting the ground rules is a great idea (as someone suggested) and I'd obviously try that first.

Mark the bills somehow. Maybe circle the last digit of the serial number or something. It doesn't even have to be hidden -- just so that someone taking the bill wouldn't know it's there.

Wait till a time when money is missing and everyone else has left the house. Go through their wallets and see who has it. Confront them when they return.

OK, maybe going through their wallets is a bad idea. Instead, maybe you could casually "ask them for change" or some other reason to see the money before they leave the house.

Maybe point out that every $20 bill has the number 5 as the 1st digit of the serial number (or some other useless made-up trivial fact). This will make them open their wallet to check if theirs do too, so you can see the bills.

Neal

I'm gonna take a serious note on this. As was brought up earlier, this can be a sign of drug abuse. If that is the case, the missing cash is the least of the problems. Do the electronic thing and find out who. Then find out why. If the person is just being dumb, great. If something more is going on, ya gotta get 'em help fast. Either one of them show any changes in behavior lately?
Good luck and I hope it's just a kid being dumb.

You can do this easily if you have a USB or Firewire camcorder and there is a ton of free software.

Mark all the bills so you could identify them somewhat easily, then go through there wallet.

Put a micro switch under the wallet. Hook this switch up to lights and sirens at a loud volume. Check the suspects underwear :D

If you dont mind ruining your wallet, you can always lace it with diesel oil.

How much earlier do the sons get up? Might it not be worth the trouble to set your alarm a few minutes earlier? (then again, they could be getting up at 2am to pilfer your wallet)

Whatever you do, I hope you figure out who it is, and why they are taking it. Then again, you could always "get even" and take merchandise of the same value from his posessions (secretly, of course) - see how he likes to be thieved.

Have you tried asking them? I would sit them down and not let them get up until the guilty one fesses up.

I have not tried asking them yet. i wanted to be sure that it was them and not a friend of theirs.

My son gets up earlier than everyone else cause he has to walk the dog then walk to his friends house for a ride to school.

The stepson wakes up with just enough time to brush his teeth and run to the bus stop.

I think that I have narrowed it down further to my son this afternoon. He was dozing in the famly room and I peeked in his wallet. There was 38 bucks in there.

Remember I mentioned earlier that he was broke yesterday and wanted to buy pizza with his friends.

I am missing 40. 40 minus crap he bought at school is 38.00

I think it is important to catch him. Confronting one or both without proof will let them know that I know, and they will stop and say, dang, he does count his money.

Where/what how? Is it difficult?

I really want to catch them in the act. It will be more fun that way.

I forgot to mention that I was going to mark the bills last night but forgot. Had I done that, I would have all the proof I need with the cash in his wallet.

Because it's my house and I should be abe to leave my wallet where I damn well please w/o having to worry if my own kids are stealing from me.

Basically if your camcorder has a usb or firewire just plug it in and google webcam software, you set the "hot zone and if theres any movement it starts the recording.

http://www.digi-watcher.com/

Do either of them ask for money for legitimate things? ie., new shoes, Dolphin's hat etc? If so then there may be something else going on.

I would leave a note saying "Son we need to talk. Dad."

I like this one, except I'd not bother with the threat.

Or even simpler you might just get the family together and gently tell everybody dishonesty hurts your heart, especially within your family. If the thief has any interity left, that should help reinforce it. Then NEVER again leave money where it can be a temptation. It's certainly not your fault that the thief took the money, but we don't leave money where folks will be tempted, do we?

They both have littel part-time jobs and they don't lack any necessities plus all the usual spoiled kids $hit from the modern era.

Now that they are working, if they want any extra stuff, we make them pay for it. If it's beyond their means, we offer to help if they do this or that.

My son is the one with the expensive tastes. He loves to go to the mall with his friends, hang out and he likes to spend money. Sort of like how I was and still am.

Botnst, you are correct that I should not leave my money laying around tempting people.

After I find out, it will be put away in my room, away from prying eyes.

Get a lockbox.......shame you have to do this in your own home....but you have to do what you have to do.

If you have a computer that runs MAC OS X there is a program out called SecuritySpy it free, and it's available from the apple website www.apple.com it's motion activated, and works with any usb or firewire cammera. Hope this helps, I'm going to give it a try and see if I can catch my sister stealing anything of mine (I know she does, I just need a little proof)

spencerbandit88

either that or you can put your walet in a room that has a closet you can hide in and watch for them, and to make things interesting you can introduce them to paintballing at the sametime ;) I was going to do that with my sister and her friends but I really don't have much of a closet.