March Challenge #14 Organization and Back Up

Today's challenge is to get organized and ensure that all of your important things (files, documents, pictures, etc) are backed up.

First, get organized:

• Scan all of your important documents onto your computer.  Documents include but are not limited to your driver's license, passport, birth certificate, marriage certificate, loved one's death certificates, adoption paperwork, military records, car titles, deeds, Wills and power of attorney, etc.  Be sure to store these original documents in a safe place.
• Scan all of your old pictures into your computer.
• Scan other paper items into your computer (children's art work, old recipes, etc)
• Keep a current list of all of your important information: financial account info, online user names and passwords, medical information (health record, vaccinations, allergies), info on debts/creditors/monthly bills, etc.
• Update your resume.
• Organize your computer files (delete items you will never need again, group your computer files and sub files, etc).
• Clean out your email files and organize your calendar.
• Do a home inventory video and store this on your computer.
• Try to digitize as much as possible (in a disaster do you want to be hauling crates of stuff or a tiny thumb drive?)

And then back up all of these digital documents on a thumb drive or an external hard drive and store this unit off-site so that in the event of a disaster which ruins your computer, you will still have all of your files available.