Emily Living
Focus
DOTTIE BROMLE
Somerset Co.
County Extension
Director
What’s In Your Basement?
If I asked you to tell me every
thing in your kitchen, could you
doit?
What about the basement?
I couldn’t even begin to tell
you half of the things in my attic.
You may think I am trying to
get you started on fall house
cleaning, but my motive is really
to make you aware of something
far more important than clean
ing.
Suppose you returned home
tonight to find your house badly
charred. Or consider this situa
tion: you return from vacation to
find your house has been broken
into and robbed. Could you de
cide what was missing?
Although most homeowners
and renters buy homeowners’ in
surance to protect their posses
sions, not many take that extra
step and complete a household
inventory.
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With Every Building Purchase
• 50-year protection against snow load damage to
structures with no weight limit.
• 50-year protection against decay or insect attack on
preservative-treated columns and lumber.
• 20-year protection against red rust, fading, chalking,
cracking and peeling on roof and sidewall panels,
including damage from atmospheric pollutants
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PO Box 399, Morton, IL 61550
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©1999 Morton Buildings, Inc.
WV Conti actor’s License #WVOO7B4B
“It takes too much time.”
“I’ll probably never need it.”
“I really don’t have enough
stuff to make it worthwhile.”
Do these excuses sound famil
iar? If you have heard yourself
saying these very things, take a
minute to rethink the idea of
making a household inventory.
A household and personal
property inventory can be of
great benefit to you no matter
how many possessions you have.
The inventory gives you a per
manent record of the contents of
your home and their value. It is
useful as a verification of owner
ship in case of a loss. The inven
tory is also a quick way to de
termine what is missing or
destroyed in a robbery or fire, es
pecially if you have taken pic
tures.
By listing the serial numbers of
“theft-prone” items such as tele
visions and VCRs, the items can
• 10-year protection against windload damage to Morton
Buildings' AlumaSteel sliding doors with no velocity
limit.
• 5-year protection against windload damage on the entire
structure with no wind velocity limit.
• 5-year protection against roof-leaks on Morton
Buildings' hi-nb steel panels.
Gettysburg, PA 717-624-3331
Mt. Pleasant, PA 724-542-7930
be identified more easily. For an
added benefit, this inventory can
be used to determine adequate
insurance coverage and to assist
in accurate estate planning.
Now, where to begin? The first
step and probably the hardest is
just deciding that you are going
to do this. After you have made
up your mind, set aside a specific
time or times to get started. You
don’t have to do everything in
one setting. Work on one room at
a time.
The inventory can be and
should be a family project. Chil
dren who enjoy working with
numbers can record serial num
bers. Have children look through
ads and catalogues to help de
termine replacement values of
items. Older children may enjoy
taking pictures of special items
you want to record. They may es
pecially enjoy being the photo-re
corder for their room and posses
sions.
Many insurance agents pro
vide special forms or booklets to
record the information. You can
check into computer programs
that provide a similar format. In
volve the computer savvy teen in
your home to help set up a
household inventory on your
computer.
Let me share some guidelines
to get you started.
• Do your inventory room by
room.
• Separate personal property
Meadville, PA 814-336-5083
Phillipsburg, NJ 908-454-7900
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, September 23, 2000-811
in categories: for example, appli
ances, wooden furniture, and
dishes.
• Don’t forget the garage and
basement.
• Indicate how many of each
item you own.
• Record the serial number of
each article if it is appropriate.
Determine the year you pur
chased the item. Record how
much you paid for the item when
it was new.
You may need to estimate on
some things, especially less valu
able items. Determine a replace
ment cost.
• Take photographs of rooms
as evidence. The best camera
angle to capture the room’s con
tents is usually from opposite
comers of the room.
• Take close-up pictures of
valuable items such as jewelry
and antiques.
A video camera is a quick and
easy way to make an inventory.
If you don’t own one, you might
want to borrow or rent one to
complete your project. Before
you begin to videotape, write
down the item’s cost, year pur
chased, replacement value, and
serial number. Then when you
film, you can give this informa
tion verbally.
Hopefully, I have given you
enough information to get
started on your household and
personal property inventory.
Now it is up to you.
Bakers,
Decorators
Wanted
DELTA (York Co.) Bake
the best apple or pumpkin pie?
Decorate the scariest or funniest
pumpkin? Then Mason-Dixon
Fair needs you.
The first annual Mason-Dixon
Fall Harvest Festival is Septem
ber 30, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. to
help raise funds for the 2001
Fair, there will be an apple pie
and pumpkin pie baking contest
as well as a pumpkin-decorating
contest. The Festival will be lo
cated at the Mason-Dixon Fair
grounds on Route 74 and Route
165 on the Mason-Dixon Line in
Delta.
AH pies should be made from
scratch (no canned fillings).
Bring the entries to the “Peco
Bara” on the fairgrounds by 11
a.m. on Saturday the 30.
Judging will take place at 1 p.m.
Prizes will be $2O for first place,
$lO for second place, and $5 for
third place. Pies will be auction
ed off after judging is complete.
Proceeds will benefit the 2001
Mason-Dixon Fair.
Bring your decorated pump
kins to the “Peco Bam” on the
fairgrounds by 11 a.m. on Satur
day the 30. Judging will take
place at 2 p.m. There will be an
adult (ages 13 and older) and
child (up to age 12) category
with prizes awarded in both cat
egories. First place will receive
$l2, second place will receive $9,
and third place will receive $6.
Pumpkin entries should be pick
ed up at 5 p.m.
Any questions regarding these
events, contact Sharon Kahl at
(717) 456-7783.
WEAVERLAND VALLEY <OAL
Formerly H.M. Horst
717/355-9358
Clean Quality Coal
Bags or Bulk All Call Washed
Delivery Available And Screened
(Weather Permitting)