FREE NEWSLETTER
OVER THE PAST TWO years, we’ve seen everything from tornadoes to devastating fires to hurricanes, often at unusual times and in unexpected places. That got my husband and me thinking about how to prepare for what may come our way—and how we could document what we might lose.
We decided to make a home movie. Our new phones are perfect for taking videos. What better proof of what we have? You’ve probably seen the suggestion that you do this, but did you do it? We did many years ago, but that record of our possessions is now outdated.
Out came the phones. In addition to making a video of the rooms in our house, we also took pictures of the contents of drawers. Our closets hold all kinds of things we would miss, so we took pictures of those items, too. After all, would you remember what was in your closets if asked?
An upside of this exercise: We can throw away the old video and save this new one on our phones. We always have our phones with us—and would even if a calamity struck.
After looking at what we have, do we have enough homeowner’s insurance to cover all those things we would miss? Maybe it’s time to research construction costs in our area to see if we should increase our coverage. There’s another benefit to all of this: When we’re no longer around and our family must dispose of our items, perhaps they won’t give away that painting that could cover a year of college costs.
Thanks for the reminder. This is one of those boring, yet essential tasks that’s so easy to neglect.