If you had to leave today, would your essential items be ready to go?
With recent fires and evacuations in California, many families had to leave their homes with little notice, sometimes grabbing only what they could carry. It’s a reminder that in an emergency, every second really does count. The last thing you want to be doing is scrambling to find important documents like passports, social security cards, and photos.
Vanessa Croshaw shared some quick and easy ways that you can organize and store these essential items so they’re easy to grab on a moment’s notice.
The Important Documents Folder
One of the simplest but most effective ways to prepare for an emergency is to put together an important documents folder. “I’ve had one for over 20 years and it’s really simple, but it’s so important and it just gives us peace of mind that everything that we need is in one spot in case we have to go,” Vanessa emphasized. This folder should include passports, social security cards, birth certificates, car titles, marriage licenses, and any other essential documents.
When it comes to storing these documents, Vanessa suggested using a compact and functional pouch or folder. “I choose something really simple because it doesn’t take up too much space instead of, like, a bulky binder or something,” she explained. The goal is to have a storage solution that is easy to grab and go without taking up too much space.
Digital Backup of Important Documents
In addition to having physical copies, it’s important to have digital backups of your documents. Vanessa recommended using Microsoft Lens to scan documents and then storing them in a folder on Google Drive. “You may want to call it, like, ‘red folder’ or something like that so it’s a little more discreet,” she advised. Sharing this folder with a trusted family member helps you make sure that your documents are accessible even if you can’t reach them.
Organizing Non-Essential Documents
For non-essential documents like children’s projects and photos, Vanessa suggested creating a bin for each year of their life. “One idea is to do a folder for each year of their life and you contain it to one bin. So you do one bin per kid, per child, per person in your house,” she suggested. This helps you decide what is most important to keep and what can be let go.
How DO you decide what to keep and what to throw out? “ It’s important that we go through it with our kids because we might be surprised what they are excited about as opposed to what we think is special,” Vanessa recommended. “ And, you’re not the mean mom who’s making them get rid of it. It’s their decision.”
Throughout the years, you can edit down the bins with your kids, when something that was important in third grade maybe isn’t so essential any more. “ Just occasionally going through it and talking through things, talking about the memories. It’s great,” Vanessa said.
As you have kids leaving the nest, you can send those bins with them. “ They really don’t have a lot of space, which is why it’s important to minimize and just keep the most special items so that they have it in one bin,” Vanessa emphasized.
Special Item Videos
Make a video version of your kids’ special items box. “ Keep their special documents for the year, and then at the end of the school year as you’re headed into summer, you have them select a few to talk about on video,” Vanessa explained. “ You have now captured this special item, their voice, their personal story that goes along with it, and then you can say goodbye.” This option then contains those special items to a folder of videos rather than a physical bin, saving even more space.
Creating Memory Books
To keep physical storage to a minimum, consider turning important items into memory books. “ It’s so fun for kids to see their special things, but they don’t need the actual things,” Vanessa emphasized. “Take a picture of the dance posters or the special art things… and put it in a book,” she recommended. This way, you can preserve the memories without needing to keep the physical items.
Find more advice from Vanessa at everyneedfulthing.com, or on Instagram @every.needful.thing.ut.
Use coupon code “NEEDFUL” for a discount on Chatbooks.
Vanessa also has a discount on her website if you want to book an organizing session. Use code “SPRING20” at everyneedfulthing.com.
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