The holiday season has a way of adding quite a bit of value to your home.
New TVs get mounted on the wall. Laptops, tablets, gaming systems, jewelry, furniture, appliances, tools, and other gifts suddenly become part of your household. Even before the holidays arrive, Black Friday and seasonal sales often lead homeowners to make larger purchases they have been putting off throughout the year.
That makes the weeks leading up to the holidays a great time to create or update your home inventory.
Fortunately, you do not need an elaborate spreadsheet or an entire weekend to do it. With your phone and about 30 minutes, you can create a basic record of your belongings that could make things significantly easier if you ever need to document property after a fire, theft, storm, water loss, or another covered event.
The Pennsylvania Insurance Department specifically recommends photographing or videotaping your belongings, saving receipts when possible, documenting model and serial numbers, and keeping your inventory somewhere safe.
Here is a simple way to get started.
Why a Home Inventory Matters
Think about everything you own inside your home.
Furniture, clothing, electronics, kitchen appliances, sporting equipment, tools, jewelry, artwork, collectibles, holiday decorations, and dozens of smaller items can add up quickly.
If something happened to your home, trying to remember everything you owned after the fact could be difficult.
A household inventory gives you a record to reference. It can help you document personal property, remember purchase details, identify higher-value items, and provide useful information when dealing with a homeowners insurance claim.
The Pennsylvania Insurance Department notes that an accurate home inventory provides an insurance carrier with information that can help with the claim settlement process.
The goal is not to catalog every fork in your kitchen drawer. The goal is to create a reasonable record of what is in your home.
Step 1: Walk Through Your Home With Your Phone
The fastest way to create a home inventory is simply to walk from room to room while recording video.
Start at one side of the room and slowly pan across everything you see.
Open closets. Open cabinets. Capture bookshelves, entertainment centers, furniture, appliances, electronics, artwork, and other belongings.
You can also narrate the video as you go.
For example:
“Samsung television purchased in 2025.”
“Living room sectional from Ashley Furniture.”
“MacBook purchased this year.”
“Jewelry box contains wedding rings and several watches.”
You do not need professional-quality video. You simply want enough detail that you can identify what was in the room.
The Pennsylvania Insurance Department recommends carefully photographing or videotaping belongings and even opening drawers and closets so their contents are documented.
Step 2: Take Individual Photos of Higher-Value Items
Some belongings deserve more detailed documentation.
Consider taking individual photographs of items such as:
- Televisions and home theater equipment
- Computers, tablets, and smartphones
- Jewelry and watches
- Artwork and collectibles
- Musical instruments
- Cameras and photography equipment
- Expensive tools
- Furniture
- Sporting equipment
- Antiques and family heirlooms
Holiday purchases are particularly easy to document because the item, receipt, packaging, and purchase confirmation are usually all readily available.
Take a quick picture before throwing the box away.
Step 3: Save Receipts for Major Purchases
Receipts can help establish when an item was purchased and what you paid for it.
Fortunately, keeping receipts is much easier than it used to be.
You can create a folder in your email or cloud storage called something simple such as:
Home Inventory Receipts
Whenever you purchase something significant, save the emailed receipt or take a photo of the paper receipt and add it to the folder.
This is particularly useful during the holidays when households may purchase several higher-value items within a short period.
The Pennsylvania Insurance Department recommends saving receipts when possible, particularly for high-value property.
Step 4: Photograph Serial and Model Numbers
Electronics and appliances often have model numbers and serial numbers printed on the back, bottom, packaging, or original documentation.
Take a quick photo whenever you purchase a new:
- Television
- Computer
- Gaming console
- Appliance
- Camera
- Power tool
- Audio system
- Other major electronic device
You can keep these pictures in the same home inventory folder.
Model and serial numbers can help clearly identify specific property, and Pennsylvania’s home inventory guidance specifically recommends recording them.
Step 5: Pay Special Attention to Jewelry and Other High-Value Property
Jewelry is one of the most common holiday gifts that homeowners may want to document separately.
Take clear photographs and keep purchase receipts, certificates, or appraisal documents together.
The same applies to fine art, collectibles, antiques, expensive watches, and other valuable property.
It is also worth reviewing your homeowners insurance policy or speaking with your insurance professional about valuable items. Standard policies can include coverage limits for certain categories of high-value personal property, including jewelry, fine art, collectibles, and electronics.
Simply owning an expensive item does not necessarily mean it has unlimited coverage under your standard policy.
Step 6: Store Your Home Inventory Somewhere Other Than Just Your Phone
A home inventory does not do much good if the only copy disappears along with your phone or computer.
Store your photos, videos, receipts, and documents somewhere secure and accessible.
Options might include:
- Secure cloud storage
- An external drive kept somewhere safe
- A fire-resistant safe
- A safe deposit box
- A secure online file storage service
Pennsylvania’s Insurance Department recommends keeping your inventory and supporting documents in a safe location and suggests options such as secure online storage, a fireproof box, or a safe deposit box.
You may also want to maintain more than one copy.
The Easy Holiday Habit: Document It When You Buy It
Once your original home inventory is complete, keeping it current becomes much easier.
Any time you make a significant purchase:
- Take a picture.
- Photograph the serial number if applicable.
- Save the receipt.
- Upload everything to your home inventory folder.
That entire process might take two minutes.
If you buy a new television on Black Friday, document it.
If someone receives an expensive piece of jewelry for Christmas, document it.
If you replace your living room furniture after the holidays, document it.
A few minutes throughout the year can save you from trying to recreate years of purchases from memory later.
You Do Not Need a Perfect Inventory
One reason homeowners put this project off is because they assume it needs to be incredibly detailed.
It does not.
Start with a simple video walkthrough.
Then document your most valuable possessions.
Add receipts and serial numbers when they are available.
You can always improve your household inventory over time.
The most important thing is simply having something to reference if you ever experience property damage or loss.
What If You Do Experience Property Damage?
Even with excellent preparation, dealing with damage to your home and personal property can become complicated.
If you experience a fire, storm loss, water damage, theft, or another property insurance issue and need help understanding or documenting your claim, you can contact Property Adjustment Corporation.
Our team works on behalf of policyholders to help evaluate property damage, document losses, and navigate the insurance claim process.
Hopefully, your home inventory is something you create and never need to use.
But spending 30 minutes creating one before the holidays can give you one less thing to worry about if the unexpected ever happens.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should be included in a home inventory?
A home inventory should include major furniture, electronics, appliances, clothing, jewelry, artwork, tools, sporting equipment, collectibles, and other personal property. Photos or videos, receipts, purchase dates, model numbers, and serial numbers can make the inventory more useful.
What is the fastest way to create a home inventory?
The easiest method is to record a slow video walkthrough of each room in your home. Open closets, cabinets, and drawers while recording so you capture belongings that are not normally visible.
Should I keep receipts for everything I own?
You do not necessarily need a receipt for every household item. Focus on keeping receipts for major purchases and higher-value belongings such as electronics, appliances, jewelry, furniture, artwork, and collectibles.
Where should I store my home inventory?
Store your inventory somewhere secure that you can access even if your home or computer is damaged. Cloud storage, secure online storage, a fire-resistant safe, or a safe deposit box are common options.
How often should I update my home inventory?
Review it at least once a year and update it whenever you make a significant purchase. The Pennsylvania Insurance Department specifically recommends updating an inventory annually and after major purchases.
Should I include Christmas gifts in my home inventory?
Yes. Higher-value holiday gifts such as jewelry, electronics, computers, gaming systems, furniture, watches, and collectibles should be added to your inventory along with available receipts and identifying information.
Can a home inventory help with an insurance claim?
A home inventory can help document what property you owned and provide useful information when preparing a homeowners insurance claim. Photos, videos, receipts, descriptions, and serial numbers may all help establish the details of damaged or lost property.
What should I do if I have trouble with a property insurance claim?
If you experience property damage and need help evaluating or documenting your loss, you can contact Property Adjustment Corporation. A public adjuster represents the policyholder during the property insurance claim process.
