As we pack up to leave in our RV, I am taking photos of stuff in our house in case we ever need it for insurance purposes. I was struck by the fact that I haven’t done the same in our RV. We have collected a lot (too much) over the past eight years of full-timing. What if something terrible happens and I don’t remember or have records of things for insurance? It is time to take RV inventory!
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Taking RV inventory
Photo record
Photo records are great, as are receipts and lists. My first easy solution is to take wide-angle photos and then also close-ups in the closets, cupboards, and basement storage. I made an album and stored it on “the Cloud.” I also made a digital copy of the photos to two external hard drives. One comes with us and the other is in a safe.
Inventory lists
There are also inventory lists available online. Most deal with home inventories but can be easily substituted for an RV. One is from New York City government offices. I found this is the same list State Farm uses but with a different title.
There are an incredible number of mobile inventory apps available. Just type “inventory” or “home inventory” into your phone’s app store and you will find a huge number of them. Some are free, some charge a minimal fee and some are on a subscription basis. Check out reviews before purchasing or downloading.
Know the value
It is good to save receipts or scan them and save on big-ticket items. Is your insurance for replacement at full market value or depreciated value? You may find you are underinsured. Good to know in the event of a catastrophe.
It is always good to be prepared, even if over-prepared. It can bring peace of mind in an emergency and one less thing on the proverbial to-do list.
##RVDT2135
Great idea, thanks Nanci !
Thank you, Nanci! Do you ever travel in/to the southeastern US? I’m wondering if the chances of ever running into you and hubby while DW and I are RVing are greater than zero. Thanks again!
You have an awesome double-decker RV, LOL (ref: picture).
This is outstanding advice Nanci! We suffered a total home fire in 1988. We were well insured with “replacement coverage” – however, those terms mean exactly what they imply: “exact replacement”! The first task was to list, on company forms, everything from safety pins to food to everything else including the cost of each item and where purchased!
If you want to have fun tonite challenge your husband or wife to list every item in one room – see who has the best memory! These days, a digital camera and computer are priceless for this purpose – along with a box of receipts! One accumulates an incredible amount of “stuff” over 50 years or so….
Incidentally, our fire was caused by (industry standard) aluminum wire from the power company service to the electrical panel. All other wiring in the house was copper. (There was a big ball of aluminum found in the bottom of the electrical panel! Also, it was in July and no one was home).
Every time we need to look for something sorta lost in our trailer we are amazed by the stuff we find (while still looking for the original ‘thing’). And then we find a reason to still keep this stuff because “you just never know”.
Your story is informative but, what if you have no computer, no cloud? No printer… I can take pictures. But only print them out at Walgreens or Walmart. When we went full time DOWN SIZED MAJORILY from 2000 Sq. FT. Lake front home in MI to a 26 ft. Travel trailer. Still living minimally hence no computer/printer etc. And yes I have a smart phone. Just not very computer savvy. Computers fit in rooms not your hands when I was growing up. Again, I do enjoy your articles! And they are very informative.
For less than $50 you can buy a digital camera with a removable SD card. Take the pictures and no need to print them, just save the SD card. Print them only if need be. To add to Naci’s last line under Photo record, don’t just put the SD card in a “safe” put it in a “safe place” which would not be in place where a fire could destroy it. Send it to a relative or put in a safety depost box. As the man/woman said, “I didn’t plan to fail, I failed to plan”.
Always had digital photos of house (by rooms) vehicles, shed and RV.
Good for proving items for insurance claims.
Never thought about this. Good idea.