What Would You Grab In A Fire?

Several months ago my wife and I packed up all our stuff and moved from Florida to Oregon.

While packing we got the opportunity to go through all the stuff we had acquired, and it was incredibly eye-opening to see just how much money we had wasted on things we didn’t need.

It got me thinking though…

Of everything I owned what was really important to me?

Or, what would I grab in a fire?

Update: My life has changed a lot, and I’ve come a long way since I first wrote this. It’s now easy for me to say I don’t care if any of the things below get lost in a fire. The only thing I’m grabbing is my family.

Here’s What I Would Grab In A Fire

• ASUS ROG G751 Laptop. I know it’s weird, but I love my laptop.
• Tamrac Aero Photo Backpack. I take this backpack everywhere. It’s not the backpack that’s as important as what’s inside:
  • Canon EOS Rebel T2i DSLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens
  • Canon EF-S 55-250mm F4-5.6 IS STM Lens
  • Slik Mini-Pro III Tabletop Travel Tripod
  • Fotodiox Intervalometer
• Beginnings. This is technically the first book I ever wrote, and it’s a book of poems that I handmade for my wife when we were just dating.
• Samsung Galaxy S5
• WD 1 TB External Hard Drive
• LG Tone HBS-730 Bluetooth Headset
• Gerber Paraframe Knife. This knife doesn’t leave my let pocket (unless we’re going through an airport).
• Wallet
• Keys (my wife pointed out this seems pointless, but I think I’d still grab them)

(Note: Obviously I’m grabbing my wife and dogs before anything else)

One Thing I Wouldn’t Carry (But Would Really Miss)

As I was compiling the above list I started thinking about anything else that would suck to lose in a fire.

I happen to have this wooden box that my great uncle made for me when I was a kid. Ever since I left for college this box has been under my bed, full of all the little trinkets that have sentimental value to me.

It’s probably too big to grab in a fire, but if I got to run back in this would be the next thing I took.

Here’s the top view of even more things inside…

So, what is all this stuff?

Well…

• Pocket Bible with my name engraved that my wife gave to me. It’s the first Bible that ever had my name engraved on it.
• A wooden cross that belonged to my grandmother.
• Wooden “Treasure” Box that I got atop Grandfather Mountain during vacation as a kid.
• McDonald’s French Fries toys. My grandfather used to collect these and at one point (probably 20 years ago) they were worth $100. At that time I thought if I kept them I’d be rich.
• Baseball card of myself in a Yankees uniform, taken at Disney World.
• Flash action figure that I’ve had since I was a kid.
• Motorcycle toy that my dad gave me when I was young.
• World War II knives, binoculars, and chain/necklace from my grandfathers.
• My grandfathers money clip and shaving blade.
• Sharks teeth that I collected with my parents and grandparents at Coquina Beach.
• A dog whistle that my dad gave me when I was a kid.
• Flattened coins from multiple visits to Disney World.
• And a few other knick-knacks…

What Some Other People Would Grab

If you’re curious how your list stacks up against people besides me, then check out The Burning House, a website where people post photos and a list of what they would bring in the event of a fire.

Also, I highly recommend reading some of the statistics about how much stuff people own. It really makes me want to become more of a minimalist.

Over to you, let me know what you’d bring by leaving a message in the comments below!