I think about this question of "What to save?" a lot, because, just by my innate interest in family history and perserving memories, I have become the keeper of my family's memories. I am the photographer and the saver of momentos. I save receipts and ticket stubs from family vacations. I take photos of local signs and the places where we stay and eat along the way. I take extra brochures and business cards from tourist spots, so I can cut them up and include them in my scrapbooks. I understand that some people would see that as going a little overboard, but wouldn't you just LOVE it if your grandparents or great-grandparents had done that along the way?
My grandmother was somewhat like me, because she DID keep a receipt that meant a lot to her and we just recently found it in some of her old stuff:
So, if you are a saver like me, I say, "Keep on saving!" My great-grandchildren will have all these digital photos and probably a bunch of government documents about me, but it's the little, seemingly mundane stuff like receipts, ticket stubs, recipes, etc. that will help them know what I valued and what was special to me.
©2012, copyright Emily Kowalski Schroeder