We like to think we are prepared for almost anything and that what we aren’t prepared for we can work through. A catastrophic loss affecting our homes and possessions can change that thinking quickly.

A fire, flood, severe storm or other natural disaster can destroy in a matter of moments a home and its contents that have been a lifetime in the making. Rebuilding a home and replacing the contents can be a tedious job. But it can be easier if you’ve done some planning and especially if you have an organized inventory of your belongings.

Getting such a list together seems daunting, especially if things seem to collect in your living space when you’re not paying attention. Making a master list of your home’s contents got a lot easier with some free computer software from the nation’s insurance industry trade group.

The Insurance Information Institute, or I.I.I., offers a simple-to-use program for creating a complete list of the contents of every room in your home. Once it’s complete, you might sleep a bit more easily, knowing that you have a better handle on your belongings.

“You’re only cheating yourself if you don’t have a list,” says Bob Neal at Neal Associates in Lincoln. The longtime insurance agent says the I.I.I. software takes a lot of the drudgery out of keeping track not only of your valuables but also of the little things that make a house a home.

You can find the software at a Web site that’s appropriately named: www.knowyourstuff.org (NOT .com, which is VERY different). You can download the software and have it run right away and complete your home inventory right then. Or you can download and save it, running the program later, but don’t wait too long.

The software is free and secure. It walks you through the process of listing items, sometimes room by room, in some cases by category. If possible, take digital photos of everything. You can save receipts separately or scan them and add them to the digital file. Then you save all that information on a storage device, probably a compact disc.

The I.I.I. does not have access to the information you’ve entered. Bob Neal advises that you keep the CD in a safe deposit box, where it’s protected from all those disaster scenarios you’re trying to prepare for.

“I’ve always suggested that people take pictures, and add to the list as necessary,” he advises. That new digital TV should be added. Neal advises that jewelry be appraised and insured if it’s valuable. Photo records are important here, too.

“It’s one thing to claim that you have it; it’s another thing to prove it.”

The digital inventory is recommended when students head for college. They could take out a policy or include belongings on their parents’ homeowners insurance. High school students can account for their electronic gear this way. Wise parents might press the young folks into service in creating the household inventory.

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