Comments on: How to Make a Family Time Capsule

on 3/30/2008 There is a nice website that allows people to make a online time capsule. It's good because different family members from all over can add to the capsule.

http://www.myfamilycapsule.com

on 1/12/2007 I thank that a time capsule is a good thing to do.

on 11/22/2005 Are you considering burying money... for whatever reason? Here's a plan that I came up, and so far it works great for me:

1) Buy a big jug of wine (big, like the ones on the bottom shelf). A Carlo Rossi wine jug worked good for me (I'll explain later why you should use a jug, and not a jar).

2) Once the jug is empty, clean and dry it and the lid thoroughly (clean and dry the underside of the lid too).

3) Obtain some packets of silica gel (see my other tip).

4) Select a dirt area covered by gravel, on your property, that is not easily seen by neighbors or even your own house. The area I selected is my own basement. It has a dirt floor covered with pea gravel and a couple of wooden planks laid down for a walking path. The reason for the gravel is because it easily hides any disturbance to the soil. This time capsule is meant to be accessed on a regular basis to deposit money, so the ground will be slightly disturbed on a regular basis. Gravel hides all traces that anyone's been there.

5) If you've found the perfect spot to bury your jug, then get digging. Dig the hole deep enough so that when you cover it back up (dirt first, then the gravel!), the lid is only a couple inches under the surface. This will make fast and easy access for you later. Try to make it a spot that you are familiar with - a spot where people don't walk or drive on.

6) Before covering it back up, drop in some money (preferably paper money) and a few packets of silica gel.

7) Mark the gravel over the lid temporarily with something like a 2-liter bottle lid, and draw a map indicating exactly how to get to it. Use whatever method you need to in order to find it. Count footsteps, use a consistent reliable method to find it the first time, and every time you go to it. With mine, I mark the spot with a plastic bread bag clip that I found already laying there. Since my spot is covered with a wooden plank, the little clip always stays in the same spot. I buried it near the corner of the basement which itself also acts like a marker. If you can bury it in your basement or other area that is completely sheltered from the elements, that is ideal. You just have to make sure nobody is going to be home for a while when you dig the hole for it, and it's probably best that nobody's home when you put money in it. All this is still better than burying it outdoors where neighbors can see you. They are nosy and could use binoculars to see what you are up to.


Now, the reason I used a wine jug is because the lid is small. That means that just in case someone walks over that spot, there is only a lid the size of a quarter there, and it will make virtually no noise when stepped on. Ever step over a spot where something is buried just below the surface? You can hear the hollow spot. This won't happen with a wine jug.

Also important: When you need to access your buried treasure wine jug, scoop the gravel away carefully, and then the dirt. Don't mix the dirt and the gravel together at all! Dig away the dirt so that the lid and some of the glass below it are dirt free. Unscrew the lid and blow off any dirt clinging to it. Fold your bill in half a couple times, don't roll it up. Rolling it up takes up more space in your jug. Before replacing the lid, brush away any dirt that may be on the jar's threads, then secure the lid tightly. Scoop the dirt only back over the lid, then the gravel. You want the gravel to match the gravel around it, so adjust it accordingly. Level it back out.

If in time, you notice that your wine jug's lid has succumbed to the elements, all you need to do is go to the store, buy another jug of the same brand of wine, and when you are ready to throw away your empty jug, save the lid and wash it so you can replace the lid on your buried jug the next time you deposit money in it.

on 11/22/2005 Put packets of silica gel in your time capsule. These are the little packets that you find in a shoebox, electronic item, coat pockets, and certain expensive food items. Silica gel packets typically have the word "Desiccant" and "Do not eat" on it. These little gems attract humidity and keep it from attacking your items. The best place to find them if you don't have any on hand is in a store like K-Mart, Wal-Mart, etc. - any place that has a shoe aisle. There are usually at least one or two laying on the floor around or under the shelves. If there are none on the floor, ask an associate if he or she will just give you some. I really don't think they'll mind. I peeked in a few boxes of shoes and saw them sitting there, so I swiped them. I really don't think K-Mart is going to prosecute anyone for taking packets of silica gel. Don't take my word for it though. It's still wrong to steal, no matter what it is. :)

on 11/22/2005 Some people think that they have to store it in and actual time capsule that is shaped like this: (Sorta)
____________
|___________|
But you dont have to. get a large tupperware dingy with an airtight lid and some superglue or that cauke stuff. Put everything in and seal it up. That is IT!

on 11/22/2005 If you are only going to store it for a year or so, record info about what is going on in the world (important issues) on a tape.

on 11/22/2005 In plastic acid free see
through loose leaf pages
for a note book I keep my thank you notes from people for funerals, weddings, baby showers, special events. This I keep in a notebook labeled by year. Friends help with detailed notes.

on 11/22/2005 Plastic page savers to
hold antique photo which
will fit into a notebook. With the back of the next photo holding a bare sheet of paper for notes. See work at
http://www.
electricscotland.com/
history/america/donna/
index.htm Bellzona's Book.

on 11/22/2005 Make sure you keep your time capsule anywhere except for underground. Over the years it will sink and then it might never be found.

on 11/22/2005 Also, a good thing to do is to write letters to other members of your family. Don't let them read them! Put them in an envelope, seal them, and address it to them, and then put it in the capsule!