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If there was a natural disaster or heaven forbid intruders were to enter your home, do you have an inventory document of everything in your home?
Some ideas:
1. Without going through each room, you forget what you have. It’s impossible to go off memory. Having an inventory of your property is useful for homeowners’ insurance.
2. As you move from room to room, make a list and take pictures or videos of each sentimental item and furniture that you find special.
3. Later, you can type the information into a Word document and save it to a cloud-based document, or make copies and preserve them in a fireproof safe. Don’t forget to note where you stored the pictures. Videos can also be stored on a thumb drive and labeled. There are also digital tools and mobile apps available to make the process even easier.
4. Tackle each room of your apartment or home and note the room where it was stored. If you have collections, make sure to note the number of pieces, manufacturer, size, color, material, and so forth.
5. Don’t worry about everyday dishes and glassware; it can be replaced unless it is super special to you.
6. Don’t forget to inventory items in the basement, garage, storage unit, and shed. This task will take some time, be patient.
7. Recommendation: Take an index card, fold the length, and write on it with a sharpie what the objects are before taking a picture. This allows for items to be easily identified in the photo.
8. While you are going through your items, you’ll probably find items that you no longer want or need. Now is a good time to re-purpose or purge.
9. Don’t forget to include lamps, artwork, pottery, book collections, exercise equipment, and hidden items in your china cabinet or closets.
Creating a home inventory may seem like a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be. Once completed, all of your important “vital life documents” will be digitized and a hard copy will be kept in a fireproof safe or file cabinet.