As we start looking at downsizing in a few years, I'm going through things and deciding what's important. I need to update our household inventory for 2 reasons: homeowner insurance purposes (should we ever have a loss) and as a way of providing a sort of history of items for my son. I don't think he's all that interested now, but I trust that he will be. I want the stories of those people and how those household treasures fit into those stories to be written down somewhere.
Years and years ago, my grandmother went into a smaller apartment, and there was no room for her doll collection (from her trips, and trips of others) around the world. My mother painstakingly photographed every doll, typed up notes (country of origin, year obtained, person who purchased it, etc.) and arranged a scrapbook for my grandmother so she could reminisce a bit. The collection, in a large curio cabinet, was moved to my parents' house where, of course, my grandmother could "visit" it often. I now have that collection and the scrapbook, so I would want to update and digitize the photos/write-ups. So I'd need to update that but also have something that lists things like Nana's cordial glasses and Grandpa's beer stein and so on - photos and captions of varying lengths. I suppose there might be occasional inclusion of receipts for newer items or appraisals for one or two of my mother-in-law's things, but mostly I'm talking about my own notes or my husband's.
So, what's the best and easiest way to organize this? Have any of you done this and did you use a specific template for it? Who gets a copy of this, and when? Or do you just put it on a thumb drive and put it in the safety deposit box, or store it on the cloud?
Thanks!!
ETA - let me explain that none of these things are hidden in drawers and closets. They are all on display in my hutch or on the mantel, plus the doll cabinet. My son has heard these stories and repeated them for years even though he has not met many of the people. He is not interested right now because he doesn't want to think about us dying, but as my mother is nearing death, he'll probably change his mind. I also have 2 nieces who might like some things although my son will get first crack at things. As my son is in a committed relationship, things may change for him in a few years as well in terms of building a household.
Suz T. LOLOL!!!
Special thanks to all who came up with good ideas and suggestions. Most helpful were the how-to ideas. I hadn't considered PowerPoint but that would work. I often think about outdate technology so the completed book suggested by JB is another good option. I truly appreciate the helpful ideas!
I understand about dust but I'm not looking to rent a storage unit or sell right now - we HAVE sold a lot that has no relevance or meaning. We used an antique dealer, an auction house and a consignment shop, depending on the item and the value. So we already did a ton of culling for stuff that has never or rarely been used, or what we know our son isn't not interested in. Just putting things in boxes doesn't help catalog the stories, of course. Thanks also to those who are really opposed to me doing this at all - that wasn't my question but I appreciate the time you took to tell me I'm nuts and my son won't want anything! Whenever he is home, he loves to use some of the remaining items for his after-dinner coffee or his desserts, and he asks to be reminded about original owners. I know you may think he does not, or that his girlfriend will hate this, but again, even allowing for obvious politeness, that has not been our experience. If it were, I would not be looking to make work for myself.
So we will go through things again with him and use the suggestions from some of you on how to catalog. Many thanks.
organize!
inventory!
BWHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!
:::::::wipes tears::::::::
well, nothing i can answer.
but i'll be reading responses hoping for some inspiration.
:) khairete
S.
Look at it like you're moving. What do you want to take with you? If you want to take it with you? Then you take the time to catalog and write the history of it. Keep in mind? You might be the only one who cares about the history of it.
Since I was a military wife and we moved about every 4 years? I kept an excel spreadsheet with the item, cost, etc. If it was considered "valuable"? I kept the receipt, if any. And scanned it in as well. Once scanned, it was thrown away. Everything is kept on a thumb drive (as technology changed, so did my way of saving the information). And yes, I did keep the other discs they were stored on, just in case.
Anything we haven't used or admired in 6 months to one year is gone. It's excess weight and if we weren't using it, we weren't missing it.
The beer stein? If it's not being used? It's a dust collector. If no one wants it? Take a picture and sell it. I cringe at "cabinets" at people's houses. Why? Because all I see is dust collectors. I try very had to be minimalist, yes, we have "collections" and yep, we have clutter. Unfortunately. But we really try not to have excess.
Focus on doing what you need for the insurance (photos, receipts, proof of value, on a thumb drive and/or in a deposit box) and your own personal pleasure and comfort (the scrapbooks for instance.) You may think your son and his future wife will be interested in these things someday but that's just not how young people function now. They live in smaller homes, are less likely to buy a home, move more often for work, place higher value on travel and experience than on THINGS.
They really don't care to be burdened with all of it, and frankly I've become the same way over the past few years.
ETA: I used to work in a financial business where we often dealt in estates and even back then most of the heirs were overwhelmed with the amount of STUFF their elders left behind. So much of it was given away or even dumped, even when the grown kids KNEW there could be some monetary value to the items. They had jobs and kids and very busy lives and just weren't interested in spending their time trying to go through and catalog or sell their parents/grandparents' old knick knacks, collectibles and china and whatever else.
ETA2: your son and for sure his wife will NOT want grandma's old dishes and other things when they start building their home, they will want items that reflect their own style and taste.
Probably not the answer you are looking for - but here goes...
I'd ask your son first if he's interested in any of it - if not? Then it will be sold after you're gone most likely if you don't have any other family that might be interested in it.
Right now? All that "stuff" is just a dust collector - for you it's a memory of your grandmother - but will it mean anything to your other family? Most likely not. Take a picture of it for YOUR scrap book and sell the stuff off NOW. Invest it something and let it take off.
Our household inventory consists of pictures and serial numbers of our PCs, tablets, TVs, etc. Our fireproof safe holds thumb drives of the said lists.
If you're downsizing? Do yourself a favor - if you haven't looked at it, appreciated it or taken it out and touched it in six months? You won't miss it. It's a dust collector. After water damage from a roof leak last year - we went through our china hutch and found things we totally forgot about - donated or sold it all. It's so nice to go into the dining room and not feel oppressed by the amount of stuff.
How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.
Start by figuring out your "big picture goal". I have a feeling that the truth lies somewhere in the middle of cataloguing the ketchup drawer and selling Pop's war medal.
One "easy" and effective way to catalogue valuables is to pack them away, catalogued by box number. Basically creating an in-home storage unit. That can be nice because the stuff is then also already safely packed away for a future move.
Another idea is to affix small stickers to valuable items with a letter and number, and catalog items that way in, for example, an Excel spreadsheet. That's more like creating an in-home museum.
I would advise against simply cataloguing items by photo. When the stressful time comes that makes the catalogue neeeded (stress of a move, estate sale, etc) having a more specific filing system, with items lettered/numbered, will be helpful.
Take pictures to add to your document or powerpoint so you have a visual record of items along side any written info.
On a thumb drive would be fine but you want to be able to access it to update it if you need to.
Additional:
My mom has been down sizing - she's in her 80s and does not want a house full of things for anyone to have to go through when she passes away.
Anything she wants us to have she sends to us and anything else she doesn't need she donates and send the receipt to us so we can take it off our taxes.
We've had to deal with a few hoarder relatives that passed away.
Really the sheer amount of stuff to go through was over the top time consuming and of course one mans treasure is quite often trash to anyone else.
I mean I do understand - some of these people grew up during the Great Depression - so they saved everything - like jars full of cotton from the top of pill bottles - which certainly isn't collectible but still takes time to dispose of.
Young adults will not get into saving/storing family heirlooms until they have a house with a good amount of storage - often sometime in their 30s or 40s.
If it's important to you then hang onto it until then and then see if they are interested - they might not be.
Move the entire collection to a storage unit. Get this stuff out of your house.
Before doing so increase your valuable property insurance.
Hire someone to organize, inventory, label and photograph the collection. You don’t have time for this neither do your kids.
Put items on consignment, sell sell sell!
Put the money in a high yield investment for your kids.
If you like the idea of having the possibility of printing all of this into a book, maybe organize the photos and text in a way that you could take advantage of photo book sales (like on Snapfish and Shutterfly) and print at least one or two nice versions that anyone who is interested in can look through later? I'd be nervous about doing all of the work and storing digitally and finding out 10-20 years from now that your files or media are obsolete and can't be accessed. You could perhaps either photograph or scan the existing scrapbook pages into slides, then make other ones in whatever format is easiest for you (I like PowerPoint or google slideshow because you don't have to worry about page breaks) and then upload and print the whole file into a book.
