Copyright: Visual Help ® 1993-1994 Firas Bushnaq


Topic1
Family Jewels

 Introduction

 Categories

 Assets

 Reports


Intro
Introduction to Family Jewels

Family Jewels is a simple, easy-to-use Home Inventory System. While there are numerous products such as this on the market, I think you'll find this particular program very uncomplicated and priced within anyone's budget.

There are several reasons why you might consider this product to be valuable.

1 	In case of a disaster such as fire, flood, etc or theft, you'll need to file a claim with your insurance company. If you have logged your assets into this program and have a copy of your reports in a safe place (at work, safety deposit box, etc), you will find the little bit of time you spent well worth it. In fact, it could save you thousands of dollars, not to mention your time.

2 	This program really saves you time when you are trying to check into whether or not a warranty has expired or you are trying to get maintenance done on an asset such as an appliance. The comment section for each asset lets you ramble on for up to three hundred characters per item. This should be enough to log in warranty terms, phone #'s, etc. And, believe me, it is a lot more convenient you click on the item and retrieve the information instantly than to rumage through your receipts looking for this same info.

3 	If you ever have to prepare a personal balance sheet, this program will help you to quickly identify all your assets. If you make a donation of an asset, you'll quickly find the vital information you need for your tax return.

 CATEGORIES


Categories

Categories can be classifications such as jewelry, vehicles, furniture, etc and/or can be locations (kitchen, vacation home, work, etc). You can even have a category to represent items which you've loaned out to someone - that way you won't forget who has it.

1 	To add a new category, click on the button titled ADD CATEGORY. Then type in the category description (up to 30 characters) and click SAVE.

2 	To delete a category, click on the catgegory in the category list, then click DELETE category. You will be asked to confirm your decision.

3 	To see a list of assets in a particular category, just click on the category description in the category list. If you print any of the reports while a particular category is selected, only that category will print.

4 	To see a list of assets in all categories, click on the category item ALL. Now if you print any reports, all items in all categories will be listed.

 ASSETS


Assets

Assets are things you own such as cars, furniture, computers, etc. In this program, assets fall into categories which can represent classifications or locations.

1 	To add an asset, proceed as follows. If you know the category you are going to use, click on the category first. Now click ADD ASSET. Fill in the various "fields" that are appropriate such as description, cost, purchase date, serial number and so on. In the comments section you can use up to 300 characters. Notice that you are informed of the # of characters remaining as you type. You can move from field to field by pressing the ENTER key or the TAB key. You can move directly to a particular field by clicking on the field or the label beside the field. To save your entry, click the SAVE button.

2 	To edit an asset, click on the asset in the asset list, then click on the field you want to edit, make your changes or additions, then click the SAVE button. The program will not save the information you enter unless you click save. If you are making a change and change your mind, just click CANCEL or click on another item.

3 	To delete an asset, click on the asset in the asset list, then click the DELETE ASSET button. You will be asked to confirm your decision. Once you delete an asset it is completely gone. The only way you can retrieve the info is to manually re-enter it.

 REPORTS


Reports

There are two basic reports available - a summary report and a detail report. The summary report prints one line per item showing the description, date purchased and cost. The detail report includes all information about each item.

Which items print on the report depends on the category you have selected. If you select ALL, then all categories will appear on the report. If you have selected a particular category, only that selected category will print.

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