When setting up house for the first time, most young adults focus on what they deem the important stuff…things like a flat screen t.v., furniture to sit on and a bed to sleep in. Their concerns rarely go beyond the basic necessities.
This year at Christmas, we gave our married daughter and son-in-law something they probably considered quite unusual. A home safe. I included a list of items to be stored (see below) for safekeeping which they got a chuckle out of since it was printed on Organized Audrey stationery.
Over the years, I’ve seen far too many homes where important documents are randomly stored in piles or files of papers, rarely accessed due to chaos and clutter. Incredible amounts of stress and energy are expelled in locating these important items; and sometimes, important documents have to be recreated or replaced due to the fact that they just can’t be found. This costs money and brings with it unnecessary stress and anxiety.
A home safe is recommended over a safety deposit box solely due to the fact that a visit to the bank is a rare occurrence these days due to the increase of online banking. You will be more apt to safely store something at home with the convenience of a home safe vs. making a special trip to the bank to use a safety deposit box.
There are a variety of shapes, sizes and styles of home safes. Read Consumer Report’s Choosing and Using a Home Safe to find out what is best for you.
Read on for a list of items you should have in a home safe or safety deposit box.
Checklist of Items for Safekeeping
- Adoption Papers
- Banking Information – List of accounts, Brokerage Accounts, Certificates of Deposit, Credit Cards and Securities (with account numbers, branch locations and passwords)
- Birth Certificates
- Car Titles
- Citizenship Records
- Contracts
- Copies of Birth Certificates, College Degree, Credit Cards, Employment Contracts, Passports
- Death Certificates
- Deeds/Titles to Real Estate
- Divorce Papers
- Funeral and Burial Instructions
- Government Bonds
- Homeowners Insurance Policy
- Household Inventory Records with photos/video
- Leases
- Insurance Policies: Automobile, Home, Life, Renters
- Marriage Certificate
- Medical records such as Immunizations
- Passports
- Passwords
- Photos or Videos on CD’s/Flash Drives
- Service Papers
- Social Security Cards
- Stock Certificates
- Tax Returns (past seven years)
- Wills, Trusts, Power of Attorney and Healthcare Directives
