Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Works for Me Wednesday: Fire Box Updating

Let's face it, none of us want to think of the real reason that we should all have a fire box. It is a scary thought, but an important item to have. I update ours on a regular basis, but have had an overwhelming need these past few days to include all of our digital photo disks into the box. All of K-'s life has been chronicled by digital photo and I really don't want to lose that.
So, I decided that my Works for Me Wednesday would be our fire box and what we have in it. Here goes:

1. Updated copies of our insurance policies. I switch those out when the updates come in.
2. Birth certificates. K- and I have been adopted, which means that our local copies of our birth certificates have been destroyed. We have to file to Columbus to get new ones and that would take some time. Since it took almost one full year to get K-'s the first time, I really want to make certain that this is safe. (BTW, I was adopted at the age of 15 by my step father, thus resulting in a legal name change and a new issue birth certificate.)
3. Social Security Cards. I don't know about you, but I really don't like traveling to that office if I don't have to.
4. Savings bonds. We've collected a handful of savings bonds for K- from a variety of occasions. We'd like to keep those safe!
5. Marriage License. We'd like to think that is important!
6. Warranties. Extended warranties for the rings on my fingers and the car. We also have one for Bailey's stone.
7. Tercel title and memorandum title for the new RAV4. Because, well, we don't own it yet. When a company crashes into your already paid-in-full car and totals it, you get blue book for the totaled car, a pittance for pain and a car with a car payment. Sounds fair, yes?
8. Yearly property re-appraisal. Why not save the paper that says that my house is worth $9000.00 less than it was last year? Oh, it sounds super to me!
9. Gift certificates. The ones that we give as gifts, generally, but we have another one in there for stone that I have yet to pick out for the front walk that we still don't have. Don't worry, it's on the to-do list.
10. A stack of new $2.00 bills and a couple of $1.00 silver certificates that I've been collecting since I was a kid.
11. House purchase paperwork. Yes, we've been here for 9 years, but I still have all of the paperwork for the mortgage and all that. I kind of thought that should go in there, too.
12. A stack of digital photo CD's. I learned from the neighbor that you can store so much more on a CD-R. I sat a couple of evenings ago for a good couple of hours and transferred all of the photos that were on our computer onto a CD-R to store into the fire box. I will be transferring photos from the old disks to the more compact CD-R. I also plan on purchasing a little CD book to keep all those disks organized. At least they will be happier in there than the quart-sized freezer bag that I currently have them in!
13. Adoption paperwork. You know, the stuff that states that K- is legally our kid? Yup. That's in there. We worked hard for that stuff!

So that's it for us. We're keeping our paperwork safe. Hope you are, too!

Edited to add:
A master prescription list-- a must for those with many life saving prescriptions!
Shot records
Passports (I admit I don't have one.)
Child safe kits (Fingerprints, DNA sample, hair sample . . . I'm getting more info from Jamie at Mrs. Sour Britches to see exactly what she has.)

Obviously, there are many other things that can go in here. These are just a few more items that came to my attention today. Be safe, my friends!

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Timely post. January is a great time to update all those important papers. Thanks for the reminder.

Dawn @ simply transparent said...

wow impressive..very organized..I should do this..and I'm wondering now why I haven't.

Jamie said...

Whoa, I am kinda freaked out here. I was adopted by my "step-dad" when I was 8, so I have three SS cards and a new birth certificate too.

Second- I have all the same stuff in mine, minus car and house deed since those are still financed and the adoption paperwork. I think I even have the same box. Except add to that my paper photos and some jewelry.

I'm copying your post. Seriously.

I still have 10,000 pix on my hard drive that have not yet been put on disc because I am lazy and know it takes sooo long to do.

Wanda said...

This is great! What a perfect post....especially in the season we are in. In the town I live....in Indiana....we have had several house fires in just a few months.
Devastating!
So....good tip on being prepared!

Heather said...

We have a fire box also, but I haven't updated the pics in there since last spring! Thanks for the reminder!

pcb said...

Thanks for the great checklist. I always fear fire loss and yet have no firebox. It's on my list to buy tomorrow now that I've had this reminder!

Kristin - The Goat said...

we have a firebox but I don't have any of the really important stuff in it, for some odd reason -- all of the car titles are in there, but I think the passports and SS cards are in a drawer. duh.

I have a copy of all of my photos online -- I have a photobucket account. I download my pictures (seriously) every single day. sometimes it's just three or four pictures, so it's a breeze. I have a copy of photos on my harddrive and I use Carbonite.com that makes sure it's up to date copying everything 24/7.

This is an excellent post - and a firebox is an absolute must.


Come visit me today at The Goat
Kristin