Are you a shopper? I am not a shopper! In fact, shopping is one of my least favorite things to do. So when it comes to Christmas, I work best under pressure so typically wait until the last minute to do most of my shopping for gifts. However, throughout the year, if I find something particularly meaningful for a loved one, I’ll snatch it up and put it in my super secret hiding place, which likely is really not so super secret anymore. Except to me, as I usually forget what I’ve put there until I go to wrap Christmas Eve, after my last minute shopping trip.
I’ve met others who love to shop and shop for gifts all year long, like my twin sister. How this happened, I’m not sure!
Regardless of your love for shopping or lack thereof, holiday gifts come with a few minor challenges:
- Keeping track of who you would like to give a gift to
- Keeping track of which gift is for which loved one
- Remembering the gifts you’ve already made or purchased
- Keeping track of the receipt for a purchased gift in case it needs to be returned or exchanged
Home Inventory to the rescue
As you create or purchase gifts throughout the year to give to your loved ones over the holidays, documenting the details about each one in Home Inventory is an easy way to stay organized and reduce unneeded stress during the holiday season.
Tips and Tricks
- Create a new category called ‘2017 Gifts’ and assign this Category to each gift you create an Item for.
- Use the Tags field in the Item definition to assign the intended recipient of the gift.
- There are typically one or two gifts under the tree that have no label and you can’t remember who they’re for. Take a photo of the gift before and after you wrap it and add the photos to the item. Now you’ll always know the intended recipient whether it’s labeled or not.
- Store purchase receipts with the Item. You can scan a receipt, take a photo of it to add it to the Item, use Home Inventory Remote Entry, or if it’s a digital receipt send it to the Home Inventory Inbox using the Home Inventory Print Plug-in. You’ll need these receipts if a gift needs to be exchanged or returned.
- Filter your Item list by Tag to see all the gifts for each loved one. This is a good way to keep track of how much is spent for each one.
- Filter you Item list by Category ‘2017 Gifts’ to keep up with all the gifts you have made or purchased throughout the year. No need to go digging around in your super secret hiding place!
- And finally, the most important tip: If others in your household have access to your home’s inventory, then create your own inventory file just for gifts and use the Password Protection feature to restrict access. You don’t want to spoil any surprises!
We hope Home Inventory helps keep you organized for stressfree and joyous holiday season!
Don’t forget to sign up for our Home Inventory Tips and Tricks Newsletter delivered monthly.
Do you have other interesting ways you’re using Home Inventory to help in your household? Send us an email or video clip to diane@binaryformations.com. We’d love to hear from you!