Consider using your home inventory list you slaved over for insurance purposes to organize your belongings and simplify your life.
You took the time to list and organize your home's assets and personal property. You feel pretty good about being able to account for losses in case of a disaster or theft. But instead of tucking that list away for a year or more, consider using it to organize your life.
A cook likes having her spices neatly stacked for easy reading. A mechanic appreciates the orderly placement of his tools. Ever notice how the dentist has his gadgets organized for easy access? Consider using your home inventory list you slave over for insurance purposes to synchronize your belongings and simplify your life.
Closets
That inventory list requires picture taking so you can prove to your insurance agent that you possessed items now lost. Closet clutter is hard to itemize enough in person and much less in an old photograph. Organize your closet with labels, containers and stacks. See-through containers are available at discount stores.
Not only can you remember what you own, but also you can easily see what needs discarding and what might be out of style when you coordinate your clothing. You can reference the silk scarves in container 3 on the master closet's second shelf or see all the women's blouses on the upper short rack versus the long dresses on the full-length rack. Managing your hanging clothes in sections gives you a sense of expired style as well as value of investment. Shoetrees, shelves or even racks on the back of the door demonstrate what you own as well as preserve them for a longer life.
Drawers
Office supplies have dividers and containers for small items. You can obtain velvet covers jewelry holders for dresser drawers. Most people don't bother with snapping pictures and itemizing most drawers except in generalizations like office supplies, costume jewelry, or hosiery. Bed and bath-type stores have dividers for everything imaginable including your socks.
Garage
Whether you purchase custom shelving or stackable containers from the hardware store, find some way to itemize your material possessions in the place you most often forget - the garage. You forget about Christmas decorations, gardening supplies, automobile needs, and tools. Replacing those items would cost a fortune. Even pegboard with hooks places your tools and repair gadgets in plain view for accounting and for easy reach. Screws, nuts and bolts need clear or easily identified containers whether you use leftover mayonnaise jars or multiple drawered containers with preprinted labels.
Freezer
While this appliance has a turnover of produce and meats, you can take pictures of the contents on a few different dates to have a representative accounting of the contents. And the only way to identify the contents is with clear labeling and careful stacking. This also allows you to monitor the age of your frozen foods for safety purposes. Just a simple loss of power for a few days can cost you several hundred dollars in foodstuffs, so don't overlook this storage site.
Cabinets
Organizing cabinets into easily recognized divisions, stacks and compartments keeps you from duplicating purchases and makes you aware of your inventory. Entertainment cabinets can contain an alphabetized row of CDs, DVDs and tapes. Monitoring these in a database, spreadsheet or just on a piece of paper gives a better sense of what you have and allows you to put your hands on the right music or movie when you need it.
Even kitchen cabinets need organization. Opening a cabinet and easily seeing eight place settings of china or a dozen hand-painted wine glasses makes inventory easy. Small appliances disappear behind bread machines and large boilers, so learn to sort kitchen gadgets so they are easily seen and reachable.
Under beds and over head
With space limited for many people, some items become forgotten when out of sight like under beds and on top of furniture, high shelves and in attic storage. If you have things stored in out-of-the-way places, prepare a list of them and tape it inside a door where anyone can find it.
In general
While you inventory your home for insurance purposes, capitalize on the effort and manage your assets as well. Organization can be as simple as:
Sorting by color, size or style
Storing in see-through boxes
Hanging items on walls, doors, or in cabinets
Buying compartments for drawers, closets, and cabinets
Naming boxes, drawers, shelves and racks with tape, labels, or coded identification
Making lists and keeping them in obvious and multiple places
In organizing your home, you gain personal satisfaction because you provide efficient means to show ownership, manage outdated items, and control future purchases. Organization will actually save you money not only if you have an insurance claim, but also in keeping you aware of what you already possess and preserving them for many more years to come.
