How to Prepare Inventory with Engaged Couples
When two individuals become one household there are many new possibilities and many new responsibilities. Preparing an inventory of all the items brought into the your new shared home is one an item that may be overlooked. However, this document is important to create for many reasons, including having something to give your insurance company if your new joint residence is damaged or robbed.
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Instructions
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Determine what format to use for your inventory list, such as Excel, Word or online software programs, or even a hand written list that you each keep a copy of. As you prepare the inventory list, determine if what you started is something that will be maintained as the relationship grows and you become a family, or if it will be kept intact as a pre-engagement inventory.
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Divide your document into three columns to make a "yours-mine-ours" division of possessions. Include a description of each item in the appropriate column. It's best to include photographs, receipts, serial numbers and any other descriptive information.
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Include your insurance policy information, drivers license number and banking information to make this list comprehensive and useful for insurance claims. The Insurance Information Institute (III) provides a detailed list of items to include in the inventory.
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Back up and store your inventory information away from the house, either on a CD or in an online storage area, recommends the Federal Citizens Information Bureau. If the inventory is burned onto CDs, ask a friend who does not live in the same town as you do store them in case there is a natural disaster that affects the entire town.
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Tips & Warnings
Use a home inventory software product to keep your possessions listed in an organized and easily up-datable program. A free online home inventory software program called "Know Your Stuff" is provided by the III.
