So far, what I've argued is basically a case for quality. That is, keeping your negatives gives you the best chance to have a quality reproduction of your original image. But there's an even better reason for keeping your negatives: you'll have a backup copy of your precious images.

If you're really starved for space, don't toss your negatives. Instead, send them to Mom and Dad, or to a family friend. Keep them off-site. This way, if something really bad happens to your home, you won't lose all your precious family history. Instead, you'll have backups of your photos, and you'll be able to reconstruct some of those favored moments.