[dotti105]

We have 45 yrs with of photos that I really don't know how to best store, and move. Most are at least separated by year into bulging manilla envelopes.

I know that is surely NOT the best way to store them. I worry about the heat and humidity. And I'm afraid that I'll never really get them organized or into albums.

Any suggestions out there?? What did you do with all those memories?

[Indydealmaker]

Originally Posted by dotti105

We have 45 yrs with of photos that I really don't know how to best store, and move. Most are at least separated by year into bulging manilla envelopes.

I know that is surely NOT the best way to store them. I worry about the heat and humidity. And I'm afraid that I'll never really get them organized or into albums.

Any suggestions out there?? What did you do with all those memories?

Scan your pix into a computer. Then load some digital picture frames with the photos. You will see a different memory each time you walk by one of the frames.

[LI SNOWBIRD]

Originally Posted by Indydealmaker

Scan your pix into a computer. Then load some digital picture frames with the photos. You will see a different memory each time you walk by one of the frames.

I'm in the process of scanning old photos. I then upload them to photobucket and send a link to relatives/friends who may be interested.
I also edit the photos to maximize their quality

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by dotti105

We have 45 yrs with of photos that I really don't know how to best store, and move. Most are at least separated by year into bulging manilla envelopes.

I know that is surely NOT the best way to store them. I worry about the heat and humidity. And I'm afraid that I'll never really get them organized or into albums.

Any suggestions out there?? What did you do with all those memories?

Dotti.

Since you are going though and getting rid of items that had value to you and you worked for and you liked which is HARD enough, please don't subject yourself AT THIS TIME to going through all of those visual memories and bring them with you until you can take a little emotional breath.

We are ONLY capable of so much, no matter how sane we are and secure and confident.

Enough already, Just pack 'em and deal with them later. Mine are hanging out in cupboards in the garage and have been there for two years since we moved here full time. I am just about ready to tackle them. They don't seem to be getting damaged out there.

Kindest wishes,

Gracie.

[jblum315]

Nor a good idea to store photos in heat and humidity of garage

[NotGolfer]

Since we rarely viewed all those photos...some in books and most just dumped in a large box we did a purging. I divided them as evenly as possible and put them in boxes for each of our kids to deal with. In looking back, I wish I had kept a small amount for us here. The purging we did was fairly quick since our house was for sale and we needed to move things out fast. I'm sure in looking back it would have been nice to have "some" of our "stuff" here. I viewed this purging as a "gift" that our children wouldn't have to deal with some day down the road when we were gone. Here---we're living more simply.

[Midvale]

There are services which will scan your photos for you such as http://www.scanmyphotos.com

1500 photos for $160.

[Indydealmaker]

Originally Posted by LI SNOWBIRD

I'm in the process of scanning old photos. I then upload them to photobucket and send a link to relatives/friends who may be interested.
I also edit the photos to maximize their quality

One year, my wife and I gathered together old family photos from everybody that we could think of, as well as period photos of the birthplace of my parents. We put them in a 15 inch digital photo frame and gave it to mom and dad for Christmas. Lot of work, but they loved it.

[JPC55]

Originally Posted by dotti105

We have 45 yrs with of photos that I really don't know how to best store, and move. Most are at least separated by year into bulging manilla envelopes.

I know that is surely NOT the best way to store them. I worry about the heat and humidity. And I'm afraid that I'll never really get them organized or into albums.

Any suggestions out there?? What did you do with all those memories?

Scan on the computer then you have the option to burn them on a CD disk or just keep on the computer in a folder. When you get the time and want to get creative, you can add music to them. Does take time and work .

[cquick]

Originally Posted by Midvale

There are services which will scan your photos for you such as Photo scanning, negative & slide scans : ScanMyPhotos : Photos Etc Corp

1500 photos for $160.

that's a deal!


We first went through our photos and threw away all the ones of trees, rocks, mountains, roads, clouds, and "oh that doggie is so cute" snaps.
Kept any of family, children, and the ones with people in them.
Historical ones of course we kept, like the first church we went to, where we got married, etc.

That really cuts down the number of photos!
I had a lot of trees and mountains!

[JeffAVEWS]

You really should scan them into your computer and identify them. Here is a example of what I did with an old photo in Photoshop

[angiefox10]

Originally Posted by cquick

that's a deal!


We first went through our photos and threw away all the ones of trees, rocks, mountains, roads, clouds, and "oh that doggie is so cute" snaps.
Kept any of family, children, and the ones with people in them.
Historical ones of course we kept, like the first church we went to, where we got married, etc.

That really cuts down the number of photos!
I had a lot of trees and mountains!

Same here.... After I got rid of the photos that meant nothing to me. There really weren't as many to scan as I thought.

I had to consider that we were paying to move our items and I didn't want to pay to move the pictures. I also had to consider that we weren't going to have the space here to store those pictures. I also figured that if they were sitting in boxes all those years... I probably wasn't REALLY all that interested in them anyway.

I scanned all that were important to me. Gave each of the kids the hard copies of their pictures.... and we are living light..... In The Villages.

[Barefoot]

Originally Posted by Midvale

There are services which will scan your photos for you such as Photo scanning, negative & slide scans : ScanMyPhotos : Photos Etc Corp 1500 photos for $160.

I have a huge bin of pictures, even some of my grandparents, and I'd love to use this service. The pictures obviously aren't awfully important to me since they've been in the bin for ages ... I just can't bring myself to throw them all out. I keep promising myself that I'll go through them "some rainy day", which never comes.

A scanning service would be perfect. But I think it involves mailing the actual pictures to California. Not sure I trust the postal service. Is there anyone local who offers a scanning service?

[dotti105]

Thanks for the great suggestions. I think I will take Gracie's advice and haul them down there and stuff them under a bed on in the top of the guest closets until I "get time to go through them". If that day ever comes.

I think the scanning service sounds great!! Thanks so much for the suggestion. We want to live light and that sounds awesome! Thank you Midvale!

And thank you Gracie for helping me feel not so guilty for putting this off for so long. It is not that they aren't important to me, they are just overwhelming to tackle.

Once we are down there and retired we "should" have time to take that on. Now isn't the time. It is overwhelming as it is to get rid of stuff and downsize. Especially since I work in Ca and am home to Utah only about 10 days a month. Not wanting to spend that time doing anymore chores than necessary. Just want to get rid of the excess and start fresh and light.

Thanks for the voice of reason, AND it makes me feel much better to know that there are lots of you in the same boat!!

Can't wait to meet some of you in person one of these days! You have all been so helpful!!
Thanks again!!

[boomerbaby]

My husband put them a digital frame. It is wonderful looking at pictures anytime of when we were little all the way up to my grandchildren.