Reason #461 it’s great to own a digital camera:

I discovered recently that I hadn’t adjusted our renter’s insurance since we got married (yikes!) and now we have a lot more stuff. My insurance company suggested that I document all the contents of my house, make a list with values of all my worldly goods, but that seems like a real pain. I have an easier solution. Here are some simple steps for documenting all your worldly goods with your digital camera in less than an hour with no picture printing. Read on for details:

1) This is the most important step: Photograph wide shots of the walls of each room in your house (don‘t forget the attic, basement, laundry room, foyer and closets). Then go outside and take shots of the yard, sheds, garage and a wide shot of your home from the front and back. If you have trees or exterior lighting that add to value to the house, include those in the shots.

2) Take some detail shots of the most valuable items in each room. Here are some suggestions:

Living Room: Photograph each piece of furniture, the television and other entertainment equipment, including CD’s and DVD’s. Don’t forget the rugs, the pictures on the walls, lamps and valuable accessories.

Kitchen: Take pictures of the major appliances, small appliances, etc. Rather than shooting every single skillet, just open the cupboards and shoot inside so you will have a general idea of what you own.

Bedrooms: Shoot wide shots of the clothes and shoes in your closet. If you have expensive jewelry, lay them out and shoot pictures of each item.

Garage: Shoot any power tools you have, toolboxes, etc.

Office: Shoot the computer, desk, accessories, items valuable to your business, etc.

3) Download your pictures into a separate folder on your computer

4) Burn a CD of your house images and keep it with your homeowner’s or renter’s insurance policies in a safety deposit box.

5) At the end of the year, photograph any new expensive items, such as a swell new camera, computer, dining room set, etc. Burn a new CD and add it to the safety deposit box. It’s also a good idea to burn a CD of your family pictures taken during the year and add it to the safety deposit box just in case.

These photographs don’t have to be works of art. It’s not the Pottery Barn catalog. If you’re like me, you’ll be appalled at how cluttered your house looks! But the idea of these pictures is to show the insurance company what you own. It can really add up. It’s easy to forget what it would cost to replace curtains, underwear, sippy cups, and all those DVD’s, not to mention furniture, beds and clothes!

This is an easy, just-in-case way of keeping your valuables safe and properly insured.