Home inventory: How can it help you?

What is a home inventory?

It’s a catalogue or list of all the items in a home, right down to the last drawer. Everything from jewelry, to art, clothing, shoes, bags, toys, and so on. Included with each item listed is a short description, what it’s worth, and what it looks like. This can take the form of a physical copy or a digital file, and it is important for everyone to have one. With an inventory list, people can keep track of all their assets. Keep in mind that this could also include items not in a main residence, like items in a vacation home, trailer or storage unit.

This may seem like a unessential activity, but a home inventory can be very useful in the event of a fire, natural disaster, or incident that requires a person to have proof of what they own to submit for estate or insurance purposes. When these incidents occur, they are usually without warning and require people to prove what they own in order to get anything back for what was lost. During a difficult time it can be hard to try and think back to everything that was in a home, and in most cases, an insurance company will not just take a person’s word for it and still require proof of the items owned (especially for high value items or heirlooms like jewelry). As a result, it is important to start putting together a list of possessions and finding a safe place to store it so it is protected and easily accessible. It is also a good idea to let a family member or friend know about the list and where it is stored so they can access it in case of an emergency.

How to create a home inventory

At minimum, the easiest way to take an inventory of a home is to take a video of every drawer, shelf, cupboard, and closet in every room of the home. Film everything that is in the home. Once everything is captured on film, upload the video file to a drive or storage cloud so it can be accessed from anywhere. Consider sharing the link or providing access to a family member or friend, so someone else can find and use it easily. However, this is only one simple way to create an inventory, with only basic information. The best way to create an inventory is to go through each item one room at a time. Take a picture of each item and save it in a file along with a title, description of what it is, and value or approximate value. This file can then be added to a drive/cloud storage, or printed and stored somewhere safe. Don’t forget to keep updating it with any new possessions added to the home!

While it may seem that something like this is not necessary, there are many different events or tragedies that can occur at any given time that will require people to know what they have in their home. Take the time to look over personal possessions and put together an inventory to be prepared for anything that may happen.

Minimalism: Read more about it!

Need some inspiration on changing your mindset? Before you start your next big organizing project, we recommend taking a look at these minimalist bloggers. Browse through their posts to learn more about how you can live a more simple and organized life.  

Change doesn’t happen overnight, but you can start changing the way you live by learning from these minimalists: 

Becoming Minimalist by Joshua Becker 

One of the more famous minimalist bloggers, Joshua Becker's blog offers insights into living with less – from how it can positively impact your life, to how-to guides for decluttering and minimalizing your wardrobe. For those who are new to minimalism, his post on Minimalist Living provides a great break down of what it actually means to live a minimalist lifestyle. 

The Minimalists by Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus 

Inspired by their own experience of changing to a minimalist lifestyle, Joshua and Ryan’s blog provides great advice on how you can apply minimalist principles to the different aspects of your life. For people who need some help getting started, or want to encourage friends and family to try, check out the 30-Day Minimalism Game post and see how well you do! 

Be More with Less by Courtney Carver 

Courtney’s lifestyle blog is focused on living with less stuff to make more time and space for the things and people you love. A popular topic on her blog is how to minimalize your wardrobe, especially for people who may have a difficult time parting with their clothing or saying no to another purchase. You can read more about Project 333, her fashion minimalist challenge, here. 

The Tiny Life by Ryan Mitchell 

At the Tiny Life, Ryan talks about more than just living minimally – he also covers topics related to living in tiny homes and homesteading. All of his posts touch on how you can live a simpler lifestyle whether it is through the size of home you live in, the items you buy, and how you consume them. The extensive blog is updated regularly and contains a wealth of knowledge on how you can change your mindset and lifestyle. 

Miss Minimalist by Francine Jay  

Francine’s Miss Minimalist blog covers topics related to living a simple life – everything from your wardrobe, home spaces, office and more. On Monday’s Francine highlights real minimalists in her segment “Real Life Minimalists” where readers can learn about the journey of others who have changed their living habits to live simply.  

Changing your Mindset

Getting organized requires a change in mindset and being open to learning new ways of living and using your space. However, sometimes change can be challenging to achieve.

 Often when Calm Order works with new clients, we encourage them to start reading and listening to bloggers like Joshua Becker, the minimalist, before we even start working together on the project. This way, they can start to learn about different approaches and ideas on living a more simple and organized life. For example, Joshua Becker posts often about living with less and focusing on experiences in life instead of the “stuff” that we accumulate. 

According to Karen at Calm Order, reading and hearing about different mindsets and ways of living can get us thinking differently about our own lives. It prepares us to move forward.

“I believe that what we focus on is what we create, so when we focus on the type of life we want to lead, it helps us get rid of the stuff,” says Karen.

“We’re able to rethink what we really need, not the other random stuff in our lives.”

If you’re considering undertaking a major organizing project in your life, consider researching other views on living more organized. Whether it is Joshua Becker or another minimalist blogger, there are many different mindsets and points of view you can read about to help you change your own thinking. 

In order to maintain an organized life and organized space, change will be required to your current lifestyle and routine to ensure it stays calm and ordered. In your research, take note of what ideas and lifestyle changes appeal to you, and then use them as a guide to change your own mindset.

Change doesn’t have to be a bad thing – when it comes to organizing, it can be the key to ensuring you spend more time focused on the important things in life.

Get out and get living an inspired life.