Use Your Camera to Inventory Items

If you are one of those talented do-it-yourself people who can do everything from fixing a broken bicycle to remodeling a bedroom, consider keeping a photographic record of each project you undertake. Not only will the pictures be useful if you have to repair that bicycle again, or decide to remodel another room, such a record could prove invaluable if you run into problems and need to call in a professional. Describing what you’ve done, using pictures as your guide will bring the other person up to speed faster.

Create a Household Inventory

Use your camera to make an inventory of household items, which you can refer to if a disaster – fire, flood, burglary – occurs.

Making this inventory isn’t difficult. It just takes time. Start in any room – the living room often contains some of your most expensive items – and begin by taking pictures of the whole room, from various angles. After that, take individual pictures of furniture, rugs, electronics, artwork, etc. Try to get as much detail as possible in these shots.

Photograph the kitchen appliances, and the contents of the cupboards. Take pictures of personal items such as jewelery, and of any special collections. Bathroom fixtures – tubs, Jacuzzis, toilets, vanities - should be photographed, as well. Take your camera down to the basement, and out to the garage, to photograph valuables stored there. Remember to take pictures of the outside of your house.

Don’t forget the smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, security alarms, and special locks on doors or windows. Such pictures let your insurance agent know that you have adhered to or even exceeded requirements to safeguard your home.

Date your Photographs

Be thorough. If you have a digital camera, set the date and time feature to remind you when you took the photographs; if you are using a camera with film, write down the date, and when you get your prints back transfer it to the back of each picture.

Keep your Inventory Current

Once you have finished creating your household inventory, update it each time you add something to or remove something from the house.

Use Your Camera in the Garden

Your camera will come in handy in the garden, too. If you grow vegetables, photographs will remind you what you planted last season and whether it thrived or failed. If the tomatoes didn’t do well in the back corner, you will remember to plant them somewhere better this season.

Also, keep a photographic record of your flower gardens. Not only will this help in deciding what plants need to be moved, or removed, it can show you areas that require more colour or height. When the summer sun is shining, and your flowers are blooming, grab your camera and take pictures of them. If you ever have to move in another season, when the only thing blooming is the flu, your garden photographs just might help sell your house.

Storage of Pictures

Digital photographs can be stored on the card that comes with your camera, or on your computer, while prints from film can be put in albums or in labeled boxes. However you decide to store them, be sure to back up your pictures by creating a CD or DVD of digital photographs or having an extra set of prints made. Store your back-up copy away from home, in a safety deposit box, or another secure location.

Photograph Valuables for Household Inventory

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