Can you list everything you own?

[susieq]

Grab your camera and take pictures of every room in your house from all 4 corners.  Open the closets and kitchen cabinets and take pictures.  Any heirloom valuables or jewelry also need to have their pictures taken.  Download these pics to an online source or burn them to cd and put them in a safety deposit box.  Storing them offsite is key.  Do this soon and once every year!

If anything ever happens to your house (fire, theft, flood, ect) you have proof of what you owned and it is much easier to do an itemized list for insurance.   

I had a conversation with a friend today, that also happens to be my insurance agent, and he recommended doing this.  He said the more information you have the easier it is for them to get money to you and should a disaster occur it is very difficult to remember everything that you once owned.  I came home and snapped pictures!  Beds were unmade and dirty dishes were on the kitchen counters but if I had waited till everything was spotless I would have never done it. 

Any other "just in case" tips that you all have?

[Deleted]

I have this on my yearly checklist. But I've been too lazy to get them offsite. In my neighborhood and with fire monitoring, I'm a lot more worried about theft than fire or flood, so I keep them on discs that no one would bother stealing (I think). Great advice!

The best one I have is first aid kits everywhere, which is sort of lame But when DH's softball teammate sliced open her finger, the Costco kit in the trunk came in handy! Oh, and I always keep tennis shoes and a case of nutrition drinks in my drawer at work, just in case we have an earthquake and are stuck in the city/building for any length of time or need to walk far or over broken glass/etc.

ETA: Pitter's comment reminded me.  Family members have lists of our accounts, beneficiaries and financial institutions.

[pitterwoo]

I don't have offsite storage yet, but I am storing more pictures and important documents online so that's getting better.

I keep a full outfit change at work in case something bad would happen or I need to look better for a meeting and I'm dressed down. It's only happened once in 8 years, but I still feel like it's worth it.

I keep emergency contact info everywhere. If you are petsitting my dog you would have to try hard to NOT find the vet's number.

[emoflamingo]

Check your homeowners policies and see what is included and what needs scheduled. I need to schedule some jewelry but need appraisals. Limits vary by company, though, so check!

[heygrey]

I can! And I can leave my house with all my important papers and valuables in under five minutes.

I live in an area prone to forest fires. We had a five minute warning to evacuate in September while we weren't home. I was so thankful I could direct my landlord to the stash and have him get out in time. Being without clothes and toiletries was frustrating, but the gov gives us vouchers for that.

It seems like overkill until you NEED to have all that information or organization, but then its so worth it.

[Deleted]

Good idea!
I honestly though, don't own much of value. So much so I wish somebody would steal something so I can upgrade. Jk. Our insurance is also combined with our farm policy, so it's more of a lump sum, you get you listed it's worth as..not much is itemized. That and when I'm talking about a million dollars worth of machinery and cows, my $400.00 TV doesn't seem like a big deal.

I can however get my paperwork in about five minutes. I have copies both on site and off and in a central place. There are land titles and things I'd be pretty screwed without.

[stephm0188]

We've done this with electronics, but not much else.

It's also helpful to take photos of serial numbers on things in the event of a theft.