It is very important to keep accurate records of purchases, insurance polices, banking information, and other useful data. Organizing and maintaining files are not something most people (including myself) like to do but it makes life easier in the end. A little extra time on the front end saves a lot of time on the back end. It’s much easier to be organized than to spend half a day trying to locate one document that you desperately need.
If you are lucky enough to find old family journals or family Bibles, read them! They are a wealth of information. The internet only became available to most people in the mid 90’s. Prior to that, everything was pen and paper. The previous generations were great record-keepers. They documented successes and failures. Learn from them.
A Homesteading/Gardening Journal
I started keeping a canning journal many years ago when my mom gave me a blank journal and told me I should start tracking my canning projects. Well this was one of the best suggestions she ever gave me (see mom, I do listen!) I tracked what I canned and other various information like how many quarts of berries I used to make X amount of jelly. I also tracked how many pounds of meat, like chop meat, equals how many pints of product. I know approximately how many pints of applesauce I will get out of a case of apples. Year after year this information became valuable. If I am wondering if it’s almost time for blueberry jam, I just look back to see the dates of when I made the last few batches.
I started expanding the canning journal into a homesteading journal. I am slightly obsessed with the weather, so I started recording frost dates and other major weather events. This proved to be valuable information also, especially the frost dates. I then branched out into recording gardening information and wow! this was great! I was able to track successes and failures, track my seedling start dates, what varieties of seed worked well, and other great stuff. I used to stand in my greenhouse and say to myself that I must remember next year to grow some more of, fill in the blank here, and of course by the time next year comes, it’s way out of my head. Now I just jot it down and reference back when ordering seeds or starting seedlings. Prayer requests and answered prayers are always great to look back on when I review the year.
I also track our incubator information. How many eggs, when they were started, what hatched, and what days they hatched. For any animal or livestock breeding, vaccine information, size of litters, etc. is important especially if you are selling your animals. Potential purchasers of animals like to see records. You should always supply the purchaser with the date of birth of the animal, the parents info, vet visit dates, worming and vaccine information. If you are going to be selling farm goods or homemade items, such as soap, candles, or so forth, it may be required that you keep accurate business records for tax purposes. Saving receipts will help you know what to charge for an item as you will be able to add up the cost of the materials used. You don’t want to shortchange yourself when selling products. ‘
Some public farmer markets require tax certificates or business licenses. You will want to save receipts and keep accurate profit and loss information. Keep track of your deductions. This will help you monitor your business’s health. If you are ever audited, good record keeping may save your butt. Showing up to an audit with a Hefty bag full of papers does not present a good image. Best to always be organized, especially if you have a business.
HOUSEHOLD PAPERWORK
It is important to keep your files and paperwork in good order. Tearing through every piece of paper in your file cabinet to get one needed document is not efficient. Label your files and take the time to set them up properly. We have files for insurance policies, vehicle repairs, banking information, appliance manuals with receipts attached, medical records for us and the pets, along with other needed folders. All of this paperwork fits nicely in a small metal, two-drawer file cabinet. It’s great to have everything in a computer file but what happens when the computer crashes or an extended power outage occurs? Paper backup is key. A word about insurance paperwork. Document and have photos of contents of your home, serial numbers for firearms, and copies of banking and credit card information in a fireproof safe. Make sure you have a copy of your homeowner’s policy also. If you don’t own a fireproof box or safe, have copies of this info in your friend’s fireproof safe. Hopefully, your home will never burn and you will never need these documents but in the event it does, you will be grateful to have them.
I have a beautiful spreadsheet every year of my medical insurance premium payments and another spreadsheet for medical expenses. Tax time it’s so easy to go and download those two Excel spreadsheets and send them off the accountant’s office. If I needed to prove I paid those premiums and medical expenses, I head for the paper file. Maintaining the files is critical. File daily or weekly depending on how much paper you generate. This keeps things tidy and efficient. Towards the end of every year, purge older bank statements, tax forms, etc. Burn those unneeded documents. You don’t want your personal information ending up in the wrong hands. Before the computer age it was recommended to keep seven years of banking and tax information, now it’s three years. That is a lot less paper and occupied space.
My mom was just very ill for over half a year and I had scraps of papers with doctor’s names and numbers, hospital numbers and other phone numbers of people I might need to connect with. A new file was created with her power of attorney documents I may need and all the pertinent phone numbers I might also be needing. I also wrote down the contact information for the funeral home she wants me to use and started drafting her obituary. I will unfortunately need this information someday and it’s all at my fingertips. It’s better to have this ready so when something occurs you are not overwhelmed and forget important names, numbers, dates of birth, etc. I hope to not need to use this particular folder for a very long time.
Why Keeping Records in a Disaster/SHTF Event is Crucial
The department of Vital Statistics is responsible for recording births, deaths, and marriages. Local towns also have most of this information available too. It is called vital statistics for a reason, this is important information.
Hospital personnel, EMS, and other rescue workers have people whose job is to record the disaster. Places, times, injuries, and deaths are all recorded. But what happens if those professionals are not there to record the information? All this data must be documented. You may become the new department of vital statistics or recording secretary if things are bad enough and everyone is running around like a chicken without a head. Keep a small notebook and pen handy in your vehicle or in your backpack/handbag. Better make that two pens.
Anyone can step into the role as a recorder of information and if the event is overwhelming, several recorders may be needed. If a major event unfolds in your area, immediately jot down the date and time. Add all pertinent information, what occurred and where, size of impact zone or anything else you feel may be important now or later on when reconstructing the event. If time permits, write a short, comprehensive report on what occurred. Have others write down their observations also and compare information. What happened on road A may be very different from what occurred on road B. It may take data from many sources to get a fully accurate picture of what occurred.
As morbid as it may seem, recording death details is so vital. It may help a person who has been searching for a loved one be able to know that the loved one was cared for properly and buried. They may even be able to visit the burial site and that may help with the grieving process. I cannot imagine not knowing what happened to a loved one in a disaster. Unfortunately, some people are not recovered.
Keeping records of the injured and where they have been sent for treatment is necessary as well. As I mentioned, several people may be recording data. You may have one person identifying the deceased and location of interment and another at other locations recording the injured and where they are being sent to or currently located. Step up and do your best to help document the information.
In a long emergency or disaster keeping a record of births, deaths, and marriages will need documentation. Maintaining a record system will bring some sense of order to an ongoing disaster or aid in the rebuilding of a society process.
A NOTEBOOK OF ARTICLES
Any pertinent articles or instructions that are only stored electronically need to be printed and filed in a notebook accordingly. If you have no power for a week and the instructions for troubleshooting the generator are only on your laptop (which you can’t charge), then you have a problem. Go and get the notebook and have some peace of mind that what you need is still at your fingertips.
Organizing your paperwork is every bit as important as having your food or tools organized. Take it seriously and spend a rainy afternoon with some folders, a black magic marker for labeling, and a file cabinet. You’ll be thankful you did this one day! Stay well and God bless you and your families.