Why I created Family Inventory

The idea for Family Inventory started during a trip with my mom. We were talking about everything my parents have accumulated over the years, including a lot of things my dad has bought on eBay and several pieces of heirloom furniture that have been in our family for generations.

I realized I didn't really know what was valuable, and I couldn't fully remember the stories behind some of the things I knew were important.

It reminded me of something my family did before my granny died in 1998. My mom and aunt went through her house, put colored and numbered stickers on her belongings, and kept a handwritten book explaining what each one was. It was their version of a family inventory.

Today, no one knows where that book is. The furniture has spread through our family, with pieces now in different households, while much of the information that once went with it has been separated from the things themselves.

But it wasn't only the furniture and valuables I wanted to keep track of. I wanted one place where we could always find the recipe for Granny Spaghetti or my grandmother's Christmas cookies. I wanted somewhere to record the memories and stories we all think we'll remember, before some of those details begin to fade.

I kept thinking there should be a simple place for all of it: the things we keep, what they're worth and why they matter, the recipes we want to keep making, and the memories we want to pass along.

So I decided to make it real. I bought FamilyInventory.com, and months later I found the tools that made it possible for me to build what I had been imagining.

Family Inventory started as a solution to problems in my own family. That shaped how I built it and still guides me today. I want it to be simple enough that families will actually use it and useful enough that the details are there when someone needs them.

I hope Family Inventory is as useful to your family as it has been to mine.

Warmly,
Sarah