Do you have a box of photos like this somewhere lurking in the garage or attic of your house? Come on. Be honest. ;-) Well, even if you’re not as disorganized as I am, I’m confident we all have old photos and videos sitting in the dark SOMEWHERE that would be much more appreciated if they were converted into a format that we could actually utilize and view.
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I have SO many memories wasting away in boxes, it pricks at my conscience constantly. I’d much rather be enjoying and sharing our precious photographs and videos than feel guilty about them languishing in darkness. So when the good people of Legacybox approached me about their innovative service it was a game-changer for me! Now I can actually enjoy my memories, rather than feel guilty about them!
Allow me to explain how this magical box works! Legacybox sends you this largely empty box, you fill it with photographs, VHS tapes…even Super 8 film…and send it back in the same pre-paid box. A few weeks later you receive the box (and your originals) back with one special addition….your memories are now all digitally preserved on these DVD’s and thumb drive…ready to be shared and enjoyed!
I have to admit, when the box first arrived I was a bit skeptical. I had a hard time believing it could be THAT EASY! I literally pulled old VHS tapes out of drawers, and photos out of boxes, put them in the Legacybox with the special bar codes that were sent with it, and sent it off. It was that simple.
When I opened the box and discovered these DVDs and thumb drive on top of all my photos and videos I was a little bit in awe. I couldn’t wait to see what treasures awaited me.
Within minutes I had grabbed the thumb drive and popped it into my laptop (that rarely leaves my side) and that quickly I was smiling, laughing, and even shedding a few tears of joy, as I relived precious memories with my husband and kids.
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A few days later we viewed more photographs and videos on my laptop as we sat around a backyard fire (a Sunday night tradition in the summer.) Ahhhh…the beauty of the digital age. We take our memories with us anywhere and share them anytime!
Some of the biggest laughs came at my expense while viewing video of my old reporting and anchoring days from 1987. Hey…shoulder pads and big hair were MANDATORY in the 80’s! ;-) But even while my kids got a good laugh out of watching their Mom in her serious “reporter mode”….they also got something else…a previously unseen peek into my life B.M. (Before Momhood). Priceless.
Other gems we got to enjoy….Erik’s first haircut….Britta’s dance recitals….Dad’s epic water-skiing moves on the lake he grew up on in Minnesota….and a whole lot more (that I won’t bore you with because I realize they are a lot more interesting to US than to you!) :-)
I hope this inspires some of you to go rummage through that box or drawer full of old photos and videos and take advantage of this wonderful service. Think of how much fun it would be to share those memories at the family reunion this summer….or gift to a parent or grandparent, or child this Christmas! Follow Legacybox on Facebook at @legacybox.
Compensation for this post was provided by Legacybox. Opinions expressed here are my own.
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Thanks for letting me know Karla. We will update the links. The bad news: The discount offer was already claimed by the 25 people. The good news: Legacy Box always has some great discount offers! :-)
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Does Legacybox put the pictures in order or do you have to. That’s the hard part. How much does it cost to change a vhs tape to a disk?
This is a great discount, but if it’s still too $$ for you based on the volume of stuff you have, keep an eye on Groupon. They periodically do a HUGE groupon. I scan my own photos, but the hi-8 and vhs tapes are totally worth it.
I have a lot of photos that are living in floppy disc, that used to be used as the negative for photo developing in the olden days! Do you know of any company that could digitize this old technology?
I jumped on this right away. My husband has old 8mm film of his children when they were very young. They have been in the closet for almost 30 years. What a great Father’s Day gift to finally get around to getting them digitized to be enjoyed by the whole family. Pictures you can scan, but all the old films and videos – not so easy. And with 40% off I paid about $6 a reel. Way easy and he will be so surprised! So will the grandkids!
I also jumped on this right away. I have researched Legacy Box and I understand that they are quite reputable. If you return the Legacy Box directly to FedEx instead of USPS to send your precious tapes etc to them they get there safely and also are returned safely back to you.
This discount through Jillee made it an affordable price so I could finally order one!
I also jumped on this offer as I have been wanting to get a Legacybox for a long time. Now there’s one that I can afford with the great discount! We have movie reels of our son 45 years ago that we haven’t even been able to view as said son lost our reel to reel as a teen!
My biggest concern, aside from cost, would be the (small) risk of the box of originals going missing in the mail.
Pictures aren’t something easily replaced.
I bought a cheap scanner (under $150) a few years ago that did an excellent job of getting my photos into my computer, at the rate of about 10 seconds for each 4″ by 6″. I could scan hundreds a night while watching TV. It’s quite possible the quality is inferior to a professional scanner, but then, so are my originals!
I have to agree with you, Helen! Our postal system has become so questionable that I would really have a hard time putting all these precious photos in a box now days. I just found a bunch at my mom’s & told her we need to identify people & places before everyone forgets. It’s especially hard now that my daddy & all but two of his brothers & one sister have passed!
I like your idea of buying a scanner & doing it yourself. Good plan!
Julie
I would also suggest sorting through your stash first and being VERY selective about what is really worth keeping. Not only will it save money, but those who view them later will enjoy them better not being bored by things that are not interesting.
For just photos I used Flip-Pal to digitize. I’ts a wireless scanner, anyplace, any size, no taking out of albums or frames. The batteries they recommend hold their charge good. Then paid a few hundred dollars to have my dozen or so movies and video tapes put on CDs.
Would you mind telling me where you got your Flip Pal Scanner?
Thank you very much and have a great day!
Thank you so much for posting this. I will use this for our family pictures!
Flip Pal is a great way to scan the photos yourself. ..anyone can operate it and if your pictures are in an album you don’t have to take them out. It is not a large unit so it is portable. It requires no electricity…I use rechargeable batteries. Large photos..no problem, it will seamlessly knit them together. I love mine, and you are also able to put vocal discription with a photo if you desire.
Don’t the pictures in an album appear different than the pictures out of the album?