1 of 1

Write now Article Tools

If somebody came to your door and said that you were on a radio spot competition and that if you could produce your youngest child's social security card within 30 seconds you would win $100.00, could you? Or how about any of your children's birth certificates for $50.00 bucks? I know, maybe you could find their shot papers you know, the yellow ones that the County Health Department gives you of their entire immunization history? Or maybe not.

Okay, okay, I know that scenario is pretty far fetched, but my point is: Where are all of your family's important papers? Are they scattered from one file to another with some of it in the kid's scrapbooks? Think about it. Okay, enough thinking. I'll bet that you don't have everything together where you can find it in a moment's notice, but don't worry I have a solution to what I have just pointed out as a problem.

I bought three 3" notebooks, a box of sheet protectors and a couple of packets of divider tabs. I then took one afternoon and gathered ALL of our important papers together and separated them out. The first notebook was for each of our personal papers such as: birth certificates, social security cards, baptismal records, priesthood and young women advancements, patriarchal blessings, scouting advancements, passports, immunization records and such. Anything that is important and the original document would be difficult to replace. I then put each document into its own protective sleeve. I separated each person by using the divider tabs (I made a little slit in one of the sheet protectors for the tab to fit through if you don't, the tabs just don't extend far enough out.)

This is NOT a scrapbook. Put the pictures back into the photo album. This is an Important Personal Document File. If you want little Johnny's birth certificate in his photo album, fine, go down to a color copier and copy it off, but put the original in with the Important Personal Document File. We only have four people in our family and so that only took about half the book up. The other half of the book I put any car titles, boat titles and trailer titles. This is also a good place to put water shares, large and expensive furniture paid-in-full receipts or stocks and bonds.

The second book I used for insurance paperwork. I set it up the same way each documents had its own sleeve and I put a divider between each section. The types of insurance I include are: house insurance, car and vehicle insurance, health

• 1
• 2
• next page >>

Add your voice

Know something about Preparedness: Storing important documents to survive an emergency?
We want to hear your view. Write now!