How can you tell?

The first of Isaac Asimov's "Black Widowers" stories was titled "The Acquisitive Chuckle." The only thing I recall about it, or at least think that I recall, is that it had to do with someone who'd had something stolen from him, but had no idea just what it was--he only knew that he'd been robbed. The thief's intent was to create that situation, and thus bug the heck out of the victim.

One hears from time to time of inventory losses in SL. It occurred to me that while I think I've managed to escape that problem so far, how could I tell? I may well be the counterpart of the fellow in that story, and have lost something but not know it... but like him, in that not knowing would drive me crazy.

So, perhaps there is a use for something less than a full inventory backup, but more than nothing, i.e. an inventory listing, one line per item, so that you could at least periodically save that listing and run diff on it... so you could at least tell!