Creating an Inventory
The hardest part of creating a home inventory is getting started. There is no right or wrong way to create an inventory, as long as you do it. If you work best with pen and paper, then that would be the best way for you to do it. Other people might prefer to create their inventory on a spreadsheet, and still others might wish to purchase software created especially for home inventories.
You will want to go room by room, listing all of your possessions, when you acquired it (or your best estimate of it), and how much you paid for it. If you ever need to make a claim, your insurance adjuster will want that information. It may take a while to finish everything. To get started, you may want to list your largest and most expensive items first, like furniture, electronics, and jewelry.
Updating Your Inventory
What you own today will be different than what you own several years from now. You should update your inventory annually, to make sure that you have your newest items listed, and erase the items that you have sold or gave away. Experts recommend that you review your insurance coverage annually as well, so you may want to do both at the same time.
When Disaster Strikes
If you put together an inventory and update it annually, if something happens to your home, making your personal property claim will be a lot easier. Your inventory will be less than a year out of date, and it shouldn't be too much work to remember the items that you acquired in the past year. It certainly would be a lot less work than if you had to piece everything together after a fire, flood, or other disaster comes along and destroys everything.