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Posted By: ryck Home Inventory Software - 09/05/09 05:12 PM
Hoping this is the correct place for this......

Although my Quicken 2006 continues to work, the Home inventory piece does not, so I'm thinking maybe it's time to go with a separate application. What are you using for home inventory and why do you like it?

Right now I'm goofing with a trial version of Home Inventory from Binary Systems and, although it seems to work well enough, I'm not crazy about the reports.

ryck
Posted By: alternaut Re: Home Inventory Software - 09/05/09 05:31 PM
I haven't used it myself, but recently came across the freeware program What You Own Home Inventory. The price is right and it just may fit your bill. laugh
Posted By: Hal Itosis Re: Home Inventory Software - 09/05/09 07:12 PM
Bento maybe? [it would have many other uses as well.]
Posted By: joemikeb Re: Home Inventory Software - 09/06/09 12:12 AM
Hal beat me to the mention of Bento, but I will add to that Yojimbo a general purpose data management system I use for just about everything, and if you have an idea of what you want the database module in NeoOffice or its sibling OpenOffice is easy to use and quite powerful. Best of all NeoOffice and OpenOffice are free and based on open source non-proprietary technology.
Posted By: ryck Re: Home Inventory Software - 09/06/09 01:33 AM
Originally Posted By: alternaut
I haven't used it myself, but recently came across the freeware program What You Own Home Inventory


Thanks I've been giving it a try. It's better than the Binary Systems with a couple of drawbacks. You can't edit the built-in categories and the date entry is confusing. You enter Year/Month/Day but it displays Month/Day/Year. The Quicken reports are Month/Day/Year so you have to stay on top of the transposition.

After a few entries I'm beginning to feel like the guy in the old joke - the Agnostic insomniac dyslexic who stayed awake wondering if there is a dog.

ryck
Posted By: ryck Re: Home Inventory Software - 09/06/09 01:34 AM
Originally Posted By: Hal Itosis
Bento maybe? [it would have many other uses as well.]


Another one to try. They have a 30 day demo period. Thanks.

ryck
Posted By: ryck Re: Home Inventory Software - 09/06/09 01:37 AM
Originally Posted By: joemikeb
....I will add to that Yojimbo a general purpose data management system...the database module in NeoOffice or its sibling OpenOffice is easy to use and quite powerful.....


Thanks...an embarrassment of riches. I'm quite comfortable that I should be able to find just what I need.

ryck
Posted By: MicroMatTech3 Re: Home Inventory Software - 09/06/09 03:45 AM
I use and like both Bento and Yojimbo. I decided to use Bento for home inventory because Bare Bones Software mentioned somewhere that Yojimbo can hold photographs, but is not intended to be a substitute for iPhoto. It can get overwhelmed if there are too many photos.

Bento comes with a simple (not to be called bare-bones) Home Inventory template. It took me about two hours to make it into something roughly ten times as complex, with calculation fields for the volume of shipping cartons, order numbers, date of order, date of receipt, and so forth. I had little previous experience with database software. It has never crashed on my MacBook Pro.

The only problem I see with Bento is that it does not seem to be able to add things from one record to another, such as totalling the prices of all the items having price data.

Bento User Forums
Posted By: joemikeb Re: Home Inventory Software - 09/06/09 05:51 PM
The problem I had with Bento was because of the dependency on other databases AddressBook, iCal, iPhoto, ext. the databases I created were were not easily portable to another machine -- or at least I was not able to make it work reliably.
Posted By: MicroMatTech3 Re: Home Inventory Software - 09/06/09 06:50 PM
I was a bit alarmed when I first started using Bento by its interaction with the other Apple databases and programs, but the Home Inventory template can be used without such interaction.
Posted By: Bensheim Re: Home Inventory Software - 09/06/09 06:59 PM
What is home inventory and why do you need it?

The only thing I can think of, is for household contents insurance.
Posted By: donikatz Re: Home Inventory Software - 09/06/09 08:15 PM
Well yes, that's usually exactly what it's for. Depending on your stage in life, it can also be helpful with will & estate planning.
Posted By: ryck Re: Home Inventory Software - 09/06/09 09:29 PM
Originally Posted By: Bensheim
".......household contents insurance."


In case of fire or a break-in, I don't want to be arguing with an insurance company about what we did or didn't have and, with the ability to store photos, this kind of software is great. I've seen some documentaries with absolute horror shows where the insurer wanted out of their obligations.

Of course, where fire is concerned, you want to keep a copy somewhere other than in the house.

I hadn't thought about estate planning, as Donikatz suggested, but it's a great idea. Right now we just keep a list for allocating specific items with our Wills but, with the software, just create a new field.

Now, let's see....who should get my collection of rutabagas that look like W.C. Fields?

ryck
Posted By: Bensheim Re: Home Inventory Software - 09/06/09 09:52 PM
Originally Posted By: donikatz
Well yes, that's usually exactly what it's for. Depending on your stage in life, it can also be helpful with will & estate planning.


Don, Hi

We re-did our wills some years ago and our solicitor (that's lawyer to you Americans wink ) had us draw up lists of assets at that time.

Regarding household contents insurance, all the insurers need is a round-figure based on how many bedrooms you have, believe it or not. They don't want fully itemised lists either, but <sigh> now you've given me something else to worry about.

<cheers up> I'll just make sure the filing cabinet containing all the guarantees receipts and instructions does not go up in any blaze. That'll sort it.

<phew>

Posted By: Bensheim Re: Home Inventory Software - 09/06/09 09:53 PM
ryck,

what are rutabagas?

confused
Posted By: jchuzi Re: Home Inventory Software - 09/06/09 10:07 PM
Rutabaga. Actually, they can be quite delicious. Cut off the wax coating and cut the vegetable into 1-inch cubes. Add about 2 oz. water and microwave for 20 minutes. You can eat them plain, if you like, but they also are excellent if you put them in a food processor with some butter, fresh pepper and salt. The mashed product looks somewhat like mashed potatoes but doesn't taste like them. (Be sure to process the cooked rutabaga, not the raw vegetable.)

Hint: Rutabagas are best if they have been touched by frost before harvesting. If you're not sure, buy them in November or thereafter.
Posted By: roger Re: Home Inventory Software - 09/06/09 10:19 PM
Originally Posted By: Bensheim
ryck,

what are rutabagas?

confused


you might know them as swedes.
Posted By: donikatz Re: Home Inventory Software - 09/06/09 10:45 PM
Quote:
Regarding household contents insurance, all the insurers need is a round-figure based on how many bedrooms you have, believe it or not.


For buying insurance yes, for collecting on that insurance it's not always so easy, especially if collecting on specific items not a total write-off.

Luckily I haven't been in such a position myself, but I've heard the horror stories. The one time I had a home disaster was back in a college apt where an electrical fire luckily (?) broke out on moving day so I'd only moved in half my stuff by then. I wasn't smart enough to have renters insurance at the time (although it was good to learn my lesson early), but my college junk wasn't valuable enough to collect on anyway. Pretty much the only thing that survived, oddly enough, was my only valuable item -- my PC! smile
Posted By: ryck Re: Home Inventory Software - 09/07/09 12:12 AM
Originally Posted By: Bensheim
what are rutabagas?

confused


They're a kind of turnip....Jon's right about preparation...and Roger's right about the name that is used for them in some places.

ryck
Posted By: ryck Re: Home Inventory Software - 09/07/09 12:19 AM
Originally Posted By: donikatz
Quote:
Regarding household contents insurance, all the insurers need is a round-figure based on how many bedrooms you have, believe it or not.


For buying insurance yes, for collecting on that insurance it's not always so easy


Absolutely correct. The more stuff you say you have the higher the fee. However, when you experience a loss the insurer pulls out something called a Proof of Loss form and you're expected to write down everything you lost...and they're not paying for anything you later say you forgot.

Just think how difficult it would be to remember everything you own and what you paid for it. Not possible.

Further, the insurer is quite prepared to argue about what you have on the list and may decide not to pay if you don't have proof. So, if your old aunt Myrtle left you some expensive Waterford Crystal or a Goya...you want to have a database with pictures.

ryck
Posted By: MicroMatTech3 Re: Home Inventory Software - 09/08/09 08:21 PM
Yojimbo 2.0 is now available. Upgrades are $20.
Posted By: joemikeb Re: Home Inventory Software - 09/08/09 08:58 PM
Last night I was playing around comparing the latest versions of NeoOffice and OpenOffice and discovered in both apps the database Wizard contains a template for home or business inventory. It took me about 15 minutes to have one up and running (although not populated). There are some things I want to play with to make it work the way I want it to work but the same database works in either application and my enhancements are easily doable. It is a full featured professional level database.

FWIW NeoOffice and OpenOffice look and feel just about the same. The toolbar icons are slightly different but that is the most apparent difference. Once you get into it, NeoOffice supports OS X Services and OpenOffice does not and there are several other non-obvious added features in NeoOffice.

Another surprise in my experimentation is the Services menu in Snow Leopard is a very different animal from the one in previous versions of OS X. There is now a Services Preference contained in System Preferences > Keyboard > Keyboard Shortcuts.
Posted By: MicroMatTech3 Re: Home Inventory Software - 09/09/09 12:18 AM
joe,

Your discoveries must have been a pleasant surprise.

If these programs allow you to have photographs as part of the database, keep in mind that there is a good photograph of practically anything in current production on the manufacturer’s Website, and on eBay for items from the past.
Posted By: roger Re: Home Inventory Software - 09/09/09 12:28 AM
Originally Posted By: joemikeb
NeoOffice supports OS X Services and OpenOffice does not and there are several other non-obvious added features in NeoOffice.


just discovered that today. frown
Posted By: joemikeb Re: Home Inventory Software - 09/09/09 01:12 AM
Yes images of almost any type are accepted.
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