Section 2 (weeks
5-12) Organize Your Papers:
Week 5: Organize
Your Personal Information
With things the way they are and could potentially be in our
country and world, it is never a bad idea to be prepared for a disaster or
emergency. I have a fantastic list for an emergency kit that I may post up here
one day. However, a former-AF friend of mine likes to scare me with “if there
is an actual emergency, you won’t need a kit or a plan”. But, I like to be
prepared nonetheless. Personal information
is something you store away in your brain; but what if you had to access this
in an emergency? I know I should know the VIN to my car, but that’s a SUPER
long number. We do have our important documents in a fire-proof safe just
outside the garage, so it’s easy to access in an emergency. I want to stick
some cash in there too. Other ideas?
Goals & tips for the week:
- Decide where you’d like to store this information. This is non-tangible stuff, which I will list next. Ideas for storage are on your computer (be sure to back up either online or on a disk that is maybe stored in your safe).
- Label each category. Some examples:
- Finances:
- Your credit score (not sure why?)
- Credit/debit card numbers & phone numbers. Take it from me, it’s hard to report your card lost/stolen when the number to call is on the back of the lost/stolen card.
- Bank account numbers & contact info. Same as above.
- Budget. Again, not sure why this is “personal information” I know my budget changes often enough. And (I peeked ahead), next week’s project is all about budget. So I’m going to ignore this.
- Health:
- Allergies. It’s also a good idea to keep this in your wallet.
- Health issues. Same as above. I’m also going to add list of medicines. When I was on a particular blood thinner, they gave you a card to slip into your wallet so to ensure you were treated properly in case of an accident.
- Blood pressure score. Because when you’re in an emergency your BP will rise so it is good to know what it usually is. Yeah, I don’t know either.
- Cholesterol. Again, not sure why this is important to keep handy. Can any medical peeps fill me in?
- Blood type. I remember the Iowa Blood Center sent you a super handy card with your blood type on it. I haven’t received anything from the blood bank here. I’ll give them a call. Because, honestly, I can’t remember what my blood type is!
- Safety:
- Emergency contact numbers. Kids, those cell-phones won’t last long once the power is out.
- License plate number & VIN. Again, a long string of numbers. But like the credit card, it would be hard to identify your car if you don’t know its info.
- Flight numbers if flying. I’m uber paranoid. When I fly, I forward my information to nearly everyone I know.
- Current photos of everyone, labeled with weight, height & identifying marks. I hadn’t thought of this and I’m really glad my book did!
- Just in case:
- Measurements & clothing sizes. Yeah. I don’t think of this as important/emergency information. Nice to know though. When I read this aloud to the Hubs, he was all “oh yeah, I need your sizes so I can buy you clothes”. Never once has he bought me an article of clothing…
- Purchase a fire-proof safe. Stuff to store inside:
- Marriage, birth & death certificates. We have these! Well, except for the death certificates.
- Titles & deeds. We have our car titles.
- Wills. We don’t have wills to store. Bad us. I know.
- Stocks & bonds. I don’t think I own these. I’d know, right?
- Household inventory list. The biggie stuff. The huge TV. Jewelry. Furs. Etc.
- Passports & Social Security cards. Because you shouldn’t carry around your SS card. Like I do. Please don’t rob me.
- Once a Month: File away any new/updated personal information. New credit cards, medicines, bra size.
- Every 3-6 Months: Add new household items to your list. You finally got to redo your kitchen! Stash away the value, warranty and ID numbers of your new appliances, etc.
- Once a Year: Take new photos of you and your family. Update with current weight and height.
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