Take Inventory of Your Life (Chance to win!)

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What if you experienced a house fire, or perhaps your home was torn apart by tornado, flood, or other natural disaster?  Would you know what to have replaced by your insurance policy?

Sadly, many Moms wouldn't know what all they had in their home at the time of the horrible event, leaving them to try to come up with a list of their possessions from memory.  This would almost surely result in missing something valuable -- and the small things really add up, too!  Taking a home inventory BEFORE the event is the best way to make sure you'll have everything covered.

If you are a mom with an iPhone, you'll love this app called MyHOME Scr.APP.book from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC).  It's free, and it lets you store photos, descriptions, bar codes, and more to help you maintain an accurate list of your valuables. 



The NAIC also has some useful tips for getting your survey done right (you can find their inventory checklist for those without an iPhone here):
10 Steps to Conducting a Home Inventory
  1. Make a list of possessions, including ‘celebration’ purchases such as jewelry and fine art. Think about family heirlooms, collections and furniture. Also consider items related to everyday leisure time, from flat-screen televisions to custom guitars.
  2. Take note of commonplace items such as toys, CDs, and clothing. And don’t forget items you rarely use such as holiday decorations, sports equipment, tools and high-ticket items kept outside your home such as landscape art and swing sets.
  3. Attach copies of original sales receipts and/or appraisal documents to your inventory. Be sure to note model and serial numbers.
  4. Group your possessions into logical categories, i.e., by hobby, by room in your home.
  5. Carefully photograph or videotape each item and document a brief description including age, purchase price and estimated current value.
  6. Remember to open drawers and closets to document what’s inside.
  7. Store your home inventory and related documents in a safe, easily accessible place such as online, a fire-proof box or in a safe deposit box. You may want to share a copy with your insurance provider so he or she can make necessary updates to your coverage.
  8. Review and update your inventory annually and whenever you make a significant purchase.
  9. To get started, download the free myHOME Scr.APP.book app for iPhone® users by visiting the iTunes® App Store or searching ‘NAIC’ in the app store from your phone.
  10. Or go to http://home.insureuonline.org to print a simple home inventory checklist.

Wanna Win?  We are giving one lucky reader a Kodak EasyShare C122 digital camera (valued at $49.)

To be entered to win, just tell us which valuable in your home you would add to your inventory first.  We'll give you until May 15th at 11:59 pm CST to get your entries in. You can enter one time total per day (for each entry after the first entry, simply comment with "Today's entry!".) Giveaway is open to U.S. 18+ only, and be sure to give us a way to contact you if you win! (Don't forget to enter our other blog giveaways while you're here!)

And remember: You can get started now by:

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