I Am Actually Doing A Home Inventory

Yes, you read the title correctly. I am actually doing a home inventory.

Before I go any further, let me introduce myself.

I am Robyn and I work behind-the-scenes here at Cordell Insurance Agency. I help with a little bit of everything: website, social media, vacuuming the office, updating the filing cabinet. It’s a little unusual, but so am I. I enjoy what I do, learning about insurance, and working for Kay.

Well, this year I decided to tackle my Home Inventory.

And because I find the project so daunting, I’m giving myself 1 year to do it.

• Don’t know what it is? Look here to see more.
• There are a couple ways to tackle the challenge: writing it down, using a spreadsheet, and using an app are a few ways to approach this. If you choose to use an app, your insurance carrier may offer an app for home inventories.

I chose a combination that I think will work for me: Photos and Google Sheets. Here’s why:

• It’s saved online so that, unlike paper and pencil, I don’t have to worry about fire or theft damaging it.
• I switch apps a lot, so I chose not to use an app (though I suspect it may be much simpler.)
• I can access Google Sheets on all of my devices.
• I can use my phone’s camera to take the photos and upload them directly to Google Drive.
• I can email my insurance company quickly if I need to make a claim. And I can send them a combination of photos/spreadsheets.

Planning for the Home Inventory has been fun, but I enjoy planning. It’s the actual doing that has been a big challenge.

Here’s what I have done so far:

1. Choose a spreadsheet template. I don’t want to recreate the wheel.
2. Set up a folder on Google Drive just for my home inventory. It’s called Home Inventory (I don’t want to forget where I saved it).
3. Block out time to take photos and enter everything on my spreadsheets.
4. Divide my house into sections so that I can tackle one section each month. I’m hoping this will make things less daunting.
5. Create monthly goals to help me complete this project in 1 year:
   1. January: Bathrooms (we have 2 small bathrooms)
   2. February: Front Hall Closet & Laundry Room
   3. March: Kitchen
   4. April: Living Room & Dining Room
   5. May: Patio Closet & Garage
   6. June: Master Bedroom (and closet)
   7. July: Kids’ Bedroom (and closet)
   8. August: Office
   9. September: Office Closet (it serves as our attic)
   10. October: Submit Updated Amounts to my Insurance carrier
   11. November: (extra time if I need it)
   12. December: no goal here – we’ll be too busy

As I go through each section, I’ll keep you posted on my progress. Wish me luck!