Home inventory ideas?

[AKgirl99577 0]

Has anyone used Evernote for a home inventory for insurance purposes? It seems so obvious but I'm not sure how to get started. I know I don't want an Excel spreadsheet. I'm thinking one notebook for each room and then a note for major items such as electronics then a description of all electronics in that room with serial numbers and photos. Is that way too much work? is there something easier/faster? I'd also like to be able to share the info with my insurance company. Ideas?

 

 

[brianjb 0]

I used to have a ton of notebooks, then I found it was a pain to find things.

 

I'd suggest using tags; and also nested tags.

 

These tags for example:

 

purchase

purchase:electronic

purchase:clothing

 

So if you're looking for electronic things you've purchase, you can easily pull up all notes with that tag.

[DTLow 5,736]

I would advise you to avoid notebooks, and use tags. Notebooks do have a function, for example sharing and local storage.  Tags are better suited to organization.

I actually start with a note for the item. As you noted, it would be a holder for such things as serial numbers, photos, and also a scan of the manual and other paperwork received. I also include links to receipts/orders which are separate notes.

Evernote works better with small focused notes.

I have a master inventory document, but it only contains links to the above individual notes.  The point is to allow you to start at a high level, and drill down if you need to.  Also, while you can generate this list by doing a tag search, this allows you to specify the item order.

I also generate a QR code with an link to the note.  I print this, trim it and paste it to the back of the major items. An example of using this would be when I need to solve a problem with the TV.  I just point my iphone or iPad, and I have instant access to the manual.

 

[jbenson2 2,147]

Storing receipt information in Evernote would be helpful. Use a tag or a keyword for easy searching.

Also, walk around each room and make videos with your smartphone.  Store the videos on a removable memory card in your safe deposit box or other location (in case of a fire).

[ClutterBGone 152]

On 10/30/2015 at 6:12 PM, AKgirl99577 said:

Has anyone used Evernote for a home inventory for insurance purposes? It seems so obvious but I'm not sure how to get started. I know I don't want an Excel spreadsheet. I'm thinking one notebook for each room and then a note for major items such as electronics then a description of all electronics in that room with serial numbers and photos. Is that way too much work? is there something easier/faster? I'd also like to be able to share the info with my insurance company. Ideas?

This works for me.

1. Take a photo of the objects in each room.
2. Scan receipts of the many items you have purchased.
3. Place all content in a note called Home Inventory 2015.
4. Do this each year, "like New Years Day."
5. Problem solved.

 

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[DTLow 5,736]

3 hours ago, jbenson2 said:

Storing receipt information in Evernote would be helpful. Use a tag or a keyword for easy searching.

Also, walk around each room and make videos with your smartphone.  Store the videos on a removable memory card in your safe deposit box or other location (in case of a fire).

Any piece of paper that I think might possibly be needed in the future gets scanned into Evernote.  I then discard the physical paper.

I would store the video in Evernote. That gives me a copy on my desktop and a copy in the cloud.