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Protect
yourself!
Your
computer and peripherals make
excellent household inventory tools
We've
all heard it before: Save your receipts. Keep track of your
serial numbers.
Unfortunately,
with so much to do every day, most people delay acting on
this important advice. They overlook a simple way to
organize and store their household inventory records —
computerize them!
It's
in your best interest to keep your household inventory
information accurate and handy. Should anything happen,
you'll be able to prove ownership to your insurance company.
Even better, you'll be able to reduce the clutter in your
file cabinet.
First,
take stock of what you own. To keep the task from becoming
overwhelming, look for patterns. Are there a lot of valuable
home entertainment electronics in the same area? Or, break
up your physical inventory into segments. For example,
record one room at a time to make things easier.
One
fast way to take inventory is to use a digital camera.
Digital photos help prove ownership, record serial or model
numbers, and more - and not just for large items. Make sure
you open cabinets, closets and bookshelves to get a picture
of everything inside them. If nothing else, these photos
will help jog your memory. Consider the current state of
your bedroom closet: If everything were lost, could you
recall the correct number of pants, jeans, sweaters or
blouses you own? Can you recite all your kitchen and cooking
items, such as utensils, cookbooks, appliances, etc., from
memory?
For
added protection and more thorough records, try to locate
owner's manuals and warranty information for your big-ticket
items such as televisions, stereos, computers, or other
major appliances. Then, using a flatbed scanner, you can
make electronic versions of the books and toss the hard
copies. This will eliminate clutter in your file cabinets.
Here's
a bonus to maintaining electronic records: They can easily
be copied. You can send one copy to your insurance company
and store others for safekeeping at your office, or in a
safety deposit box, for example.
Hint:
If you're planning to move, now is the ideal time to update
your home inventory. All your belongings will be centrally
located, giving you much easier access to serial numbers,
model numbers and more.
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