Designed and sold by Wilson-Crawford & Co. of northwest suburban Wauconda, the kit is the kind of paper-and-ink record-keeping system that doesn't take a computer software genius to operate.

The idea behind the kit is specifically to help homeowners save on taxes, said Larry Schwager, president of Wilson-Crawford.

"Many homeowners are not familiar enough with the various tax laws that pertain to the ownership of their homes and, more important, they do not keep adequate records to support their home-cost expenses for tax purposes," Schwager said.