I save family photos and everything else on CDs and DVDs way more reliable and damn near bullet proof short on stepping on them and breaking them.
I use a backup system that I really need to write about, but stuff like that is all stored in multiple ways and in multiple physical locations. If your house burns down, I hope you have a copy of all those DVDs stored in someone's basement somewhere. (I do.)
I also don't backup everything, or even diligently. Like, my OS isn't even remotely backed up, but my ~/ is backed up well. Then, I really only care about some config files and I've kinda eliminated the need for those in some ways. I'm not even a tiny bit concerned about the OS failing to start or breaking. That's trivial, and quick, to recover from. All I need to do is move my config files back.
I can even restore and have the same exact browser tabs open (and you know I have a whole lot of those) in the same place. If I can't retrieve that, I have a recent export from a tab manager, so I can restore 'em with just a couple of steps.
I dunno when I last broke my OS. So, that's not even remotely on my list of things to backup - though I suggest everyone else do so. If my OS breaks, I can fix it. If it'll take more than 30 minutes to fix it, I'll just recover ~/ onto an external disk, install the OS, and move those files back.
I'll still have my documents, pictures (that aren't important), and even my ~/Downloads! It'll be like nothing happened. I might even decide to install a different OS and it'll still be like nothing changed.
I really need to do 'how to backup properly' article. I've been saying that for like two years now.