Think Inside the Box

Photo by ali edwards (great idea for advent boxes!)

In the event of an emergency.

When organizing the paper in your home office, it is a good idea to place important documents—or paperwork that you absolutely could not afford to lose under any circumstance—in a fireproof box or safe. Think about the things you could need in an emergency. (Subsequently, it is a good idea to update this information before it becomes a necessity.)

Growing up, my parents always kept this box in a hidden place in our home. Even before I understood the value of passports or tax information, I knew that whatever went into this box was more valuable than gold during the 1849 rush. As an added safety measure, consider purchasing a fireproof box that comes with a key or combination lock—and use it!

It is a good idea to store the following paperwork in a safe, fireproof location:

Automobile titles
Birth certificates
Cancelled checks
Copies of bank/credit card information
Contracts
Deeds to the house/property
Diplomas/official school transcripts
Important medical information
Important receipts
Insurance information
Marriage certificate
Passports
Stocks and bonds information
Tax returns (If you don’t want to fill a box with these, consider scanning and saving 3-year-old documents to a disk)
Wills