What’s in Your Home or Office?

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-- Virginia Morgan

I love those commercials in which Attila’s hordes try to take over the city, or once out of the pillaging business, try to fit in to more acceptable jobs. As re-habilitated pillagers, they continue to cause havoc—except where smart individuals have taken the precaution of using the right credit card.

Consider the havoc caused by a break-in, fire, severe weather, or other disaster that can hit your office or home. In the aftermath, you have to remember what used to be there. When did you buy that piece of furniture? Did you have three or four digital cameras in the equipment closet? How many education kits were in the supply closet?

Your home contents can be even more difficult to recall. How many pieces of Great Grandmother’s china were in the cabinet? How much did that piece of art cost? What tools were in the shed? When did you buy the computer, printer, and that 52-inch flat screen television?

The easiest way to remember all those details is to create—and maintain—an inventory. Consider supplementing your list with photographs or video. One way to approach the task is to take a room-by-room inventory. You may also wish to categorize items in each room. Make a regular date to update your inventory list and store copies of the list off-site. When the untimely event occurs, you’ll be prepared to accurately report your losses.

So, what’s in your home?

You may find these resources useful when you create or update your inventory.

eXtension.org. Household Inventory, Household Inventory Form, and Organize Your Important Papers

University of Arkansas. Household Inventory

University of Florida, IFAS Extension. Keeping a Household Inventory and Protecting Valuable Records

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