| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| FARMALLChick |
Posted - Apr 30 2012 : 2:45:10 PM
As many of you know, we lost our home in fire in October 2011. We lost pretty much everything. Thankfully we had insurance. I want to offer some valuable advice to you. Inventory your possessions before you have a tragedy.
I have spent the last 6 months trying to remember everything I owned and where it was. This has been a very emotional and extremely frustrating task. Oh, remembering the furniture and appliances was no problem, but -without looking- can you remember every single item that is in your medicine chest, makeup drawer, utensil drawer? What about that junk drawer. How many Christmas ornaments do you have? Pictures, important papers (car titles, deeds, wills...) How many pairs of underwear and socks do you have. Do you know all the colors? How about your craft supplies - how many yards of fabric, buttons, zippers, spools of thread, needles, pins, paint brushes...How many canning jars do you have - empty and full, how many cans of veggies, whats in your freezer. You get my point. Oh - and do you know when and where you bought it and how much you paid for it? I have a stack of paper on my desk that is a good 2 inches thick. I know I am forgetting things, but the insurance adjuster is getting antsy and so are we. The construction has begun on the new house and I don't have any idea how long it will take for the insurance company to review the paperwork before they send a check. I want to be able to move in with furniture - not without it.
Please do yourself a favor and make an inventory list. Trust me, its worth the time. Save it on the computer, give a copy to a trusted friend or family member, keep a copy in the car and maybe a copy in the barn or garage or garden shed.
I'm just sayin....
Lora
"Courage is being scared to death and saddling up anyway" -John Wayne
www.CountryFriedAcres.etsy.com
www.farmallchick.blogspot.com
www.farmallchickphotos.blogspot.com |
| 7 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| acairnsmom |
Posted - May 15 2012 : 10:57:45 AM
Great advice! I'm with Alee though and have too much stuff going on to sit down and do this but I think I'll take the camera around and video or take stills of everything. Even if we didn't keep the other records you suggested at least looking at those pictures will give us a place to start. You are so right that we all squirrel away a whole lot of "stuff" that we take for granted.
Audrey
http://prairiecairncottage.blogspot.com/
.jpg) Good boy Hobbs! I love and miss you. |
| oregonatural |
Posted - May 12 2012 : 06:25:28 AM
My husband lost his hand-hewn log cabin on his off-grid homestead to a wildfire in '92. In some ways, I don't think he ever fully recovered. Some things are just not replaceable, like 15 years of hard work. On the other hand, he doesn't have much attachment to material 'stuff' anymore. We still live off-grid and although our cabin is up to code we can't get insurance. This puts a different spin on things. Self-reliance to the enth degree. We have many many gallons of water in various tanks all over our property, and a 500 gallon fire trailer at the ready during fire season. We're pretty much on our own up here.
Here's hoping you are snug in your new home soon and can celebrate all that you still have; mainly, each other. So very sorry for your loss.
Susan
Farmgirl #4053
My off-grid homestead blog: http://oregonnatural.blogspot.com/
ETSY Shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/OregonNatural
Blessings to you from my mountain girl heart! |
| Tall Holly |
Posted - May 01 2012 : 4:42:21 PM
That is great advice. A friends house burned three years ago this month. She had 93 pages of items when she finished her inventory. Most of the stuff she had bought at yard sales but the insurance adjuster did not question it because to replace it would be from the store.
What I have done is put a barrel with blankets out in the hay barn so if the house burns down I can at least keep the children warm until we can get organized to go somewhere. I wanted to put granola bars or something in it so the children would have something to eat but I believe the children will eat it as soon as they explore in the hay barn.
A video is a good idea. I must do that soon.
Sorry for your loss.
Holly
farmgirl #2499
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| rough start farmgirl |
Posted - May 01 2012 : 07:49:24 AM
Great advice Lora. But, oh how I don't feel like doing it. But, as you said. It sure would be a lot easier to do it now than to try and recreate it.
Thanks for the nudge.
Marianne |
| Alee |
Posted - Apr 30 2012 : 6:11:02 PM
Wow! That is good advice! Next year we are moving to our permanent home- our first owned house. When we pack up I will be sure to take an inventory. I honestly don't have the energy to do it now after two moves!
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
www.allergyjourneys.blogspot.com
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| Bear5 |
Posted - Apr 30 2012 : 3:26:41 PM
Lori: I agree with you 100%!!!!! I keep the video tape of everything in a fire-proof vault which is in a different location than the house.
Inventory list are worth taking the time to have, just incase. Thanks for sharing.
Marly
"It's only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth- and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up- that we will begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it was the only one we had." Elisabeth Kurler-Ross |
| marlee |
Posted - Apr 30 2012 : 3:02:11 PM
Hi Lora, I video taped everthing, and nit-picky stuff wrote down. So hopefully that'll help.--marlee
God is the painter, he paints the picture. And his son builds it, for he is the Master Carpenter! |
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