Most of our clients are really looking for an Organizing Fairy, someone who will magically clean, sort, and display their things while they aren’t looking. But what if there were an organizing app? I mean, technology has helped in so much of our lives, there’s got to be a way to improve organizing, too, right?

Enter SNUPPS, which isn’t so much unique as new and slick. It’s like Instagram and the popular rich girl in high school had a love child. That should tell you where I come out on this, but let me give you some deets so you can make your own decision. Do you think I’m off the mark? Or am I just over 40?

In theory, the idea makes sense. The founders say they developed the service after their own luggage went missing, and they wished they had pictures of their items to give to the insurance company. So far, so good. I’m a staunch supporter of having a photo record of your most important assets.

To use it, you snap a picture of your item, alone or as a grouping, add it to your virtual “shelves”, and either keep the item private or allow other people to look at and comment on it. You also have the opportunity to browse the photos of other people’s belongings and comment on them. Their site states: Snupps is a simple way to organize and socialize around the stuff you own and cherish, accessible for free from your iPhone, iPad and the web. Snupps makes organizing the stuff that matters to you quick and easy. You can take your stuff with you, anywhere you go.

The biggest theoretical reason that people want to inventory their stuff is to be able to document it in the case of loss, as in the case above where the family needed to prove to an insurance company the value of their items.

In reality, the biggest and most common reason that I see people needing an inventory of their stuff is to avoid re-buying more of the same. Do you need to buy another black T-shirt if you already have a dozen just like it at home or in your online inventory? Let’s say you collect Barbies, and you have a sizable collection. But many of your collectibles are packed in tubs in the basement. Then, yes, I can see having an mobile-accessible inventory system being useful for you, so that when you attend the next National Barbie Doll Collector’s Convention (did you know there is one?), you can easily pull up which one you already own, and avoid re-buying. But really, if you were that into it, you’d most likely know which ones you already owned.

Or let’s say you love fashion. Like really, reeeaaalllyyy love it. Then you might like to have a slick way to show off your collection of high end handbags when you get together with your besties. At the mall, of course.

One of my favorite clients is into Dungeons and Dragons, and has a ton of intricate little pewter character figurines, each about two inches tall. He might want to set them up in action displays and putting stories about them up on SNUPPS, or document what stage of a game he’s at.

These are all cool ideas, but these people all really exist, and they are so busy that they call me to help them dig them out of their clutter. See, this is where I shake my head. I’m not sure that I need to “socialize” around my stuff. And I’m not sure that we as a society have time to set up the shots, take the pictures, edit the pictures, add the details about the items or displays, and then delete the item when it’s no longer useful or in our lives.

We have enough trouble taking care of physical things, let alone the digital record of things. Keep it simple.

The SNUPPS app is free, and you might have heard the old adage that if you aren’t paying for the product, you are the product. Be certain that this is another advertising platform. If they aren’t using it to push product yet, they will be soon.

But there is one thing I can get onboard with. There is a direct connection between SNUPPS and eBay. With just a click or two, you can list your items on eBay. That’s good, right? Definitely, but again, only if you follow through with selling things that are no longer serving you.

One of my clients uses a site that is similar in concept but specifically for knitters and crocheters. It’s called Ravelry, and it allows enthusiasts to inventory, share photographs about, and sell their yarn to other site members. How do I even know about this? Because she has a hard time keeping up with her physical and, you guessed it, online records of her beautiful yarn, and we’ve been called in to help with both.

So, yes there are apps to inventory your personal belongings, but they do not “organize” them, and I’m not sure that they actually solve any of my clients problems.

I do highly, highly recommend a physical inventory of your belongings. Take a 1-minute 360-degree video in each room each year for a quick but effective home inventory. Then store those videos on a camera card or jump drive. But be sure to store them off-site in a safety deposit box or online storage service, in case of emergency.

[ctt template=”4″ link=”Edoy4″ via=”no” ]Take a 1-minute 360-degree video in each room each year for a quick & effective home inventory. #Simplify #Organize https://ctt.ec/Edoy4+[/ctt]

For higher net worth individuals, and for folks with valuable collections, a more detailed photo inventory or a service like HomeZada might be a better solution. Yes, we can come and create that for you, as well.

What are your thoughts on home inventory systems and apps? Have you found one that you love?