Saving in case

Almost 10 years ago we lost my Grandpa K to cancer, ten years before that we lost his cousin, Auntie M, and my Grandma K. One of the things I distinctly remember before Auntie M died, was him, my mom and my Auntie E, all in her house looking at all her belongings thinking, how are we going to sort through all of this. When my Grandpa K died, we had that thought all over again. Auntie M, had no children, her husband had passed a little over 10 years before and lived in a one bedroom house they had either bought or built in the 1940s or 50s. My Grandpa lived in a farm house he and Grandma had bought and added on to in the 1980s and 90s. Inside were the belongings of about 4 houses, Grandma and Grandpa K’s, Grandpa’s mom, Grandma’s parents, and one of her cousins, Anton. When M died, a lot of her belongings moved into GK’s house, so when we cleaned it out we were really cleaning out the belongings of 5 houses. Luckily that didn't mean we had 5 couches, and 5 dining room tables but it feels like we did sometimes.

My Grandma's clock that hang over her kitchen sink.

There are things I distinctly remember beyond all that too. They all had a garden, they all had laundry lines outside, tools with easy access, didn't turn on lights until they absolutely felt they needed them, they saved everything, were good with their money, careful with their money, were handy in their own ways and they took care of family no matter what. A lot of that I have taken into my own daily life but still wish I had a bit more of them in me. One thing I have noticed myself doing most recently is the light thing. I am currently on the hunt for a laundry line set up for my new home, meanwhile I have jerry rigged a clothes line through my laundry room and my back yard. (I have to take it down when I am not using it or I will clothes line myself) I am planning a garden. Some of the things the previous owners left behind will make up the edges of the garden. I save things I should throw out, and reuse as much as possible. The thing that I most proud of is the fact that my family still takes care of each other. I do wish though I could cook and bake as well as my Grandma but I am working on that.

Luckily because they did save everything, and although they died long before I found my own place, when it came time for me to be on my own feet, I didn’t have to buy a thing. I had a whole house of furnishings, a dining room table, a couch, a sewing machine, a sewing table, silverware, plates, pots and pans, dressers, and knickknacks. Some of it needs little repairs, like the clock my grandma had over the sink, but other pieces are still as nice as the day they purchased them.

My Great Grandma E'ssewing machine. It works better than my newer one.

As I am learning and working, I think one of the reasons that they did things the way they did, was when they grew up, the 1930s. My Grandma was the daughter of Swedish Immigrants, she worked hard and most of the food I remember eating at her home was made from scratch. Her father sent her to finishing school (but not college, so she made sure we could all go if we wanted too) and she could speak 5 languages. Grandpa was the second son of Chicken farmers. He didn’t talk a lot about his childhood but I know him and M were as close as brother and sister, I know he was close to his father and was a little trouble maker in his own right. (That last trait I see in his son and grandson.)  I think growing up in the Great Depression is what really helped them with their “saving in case” mentality. It was the hardest time financially in history. We were coming out of World War I and the Roaring 20s. Credit was the word, and in the end the disaster.

A common enough siteduring the 1930s which had a 25% unemployment rate,

Unemployment rates where at a record low and the fear of getting from day to day was almost traumatizing for many. Father’s left home to find work elsewhere. It was common for housewives to sew, do laundry and even keep chickens for eggs for extra money. Hobo’s appear for the first time in American History, making the way across the country doing work here and there and camping out where they could. Any work was good work, even if all you got paid in was a loaf of bread.

My Grandfather’s family made it through as chicken farmers. I guess they did pretty good because my Great Grandpa stayed home and didn’t have to go elsewhere for work. During World War II my Grandpa still had his mind on the chickens. His letters often referenced his work at home. Asking how the chickens were, and saying he’d be on leave for a week so he’d come home and help clean out the coop. Letting his dad know about the best truck out there, When his dad wrote to say the truck had broken down again and he was thinking he’d buy a new one. (As farmers during the War they would have been eligible to purchase a new automobile where others weren’t.)

A 1940s World Wortwo poster that encoraged citizens to be thrifty where they could.

Now we are in a new age of rich and poor, as not only is the gap getting larger but so is the difference between what $1.00 would have gotten you 20 years ago verses now. With the advent of the TV. we are bombarded with buy now and save, or this limited time offer, or my favorite buy one get one free. Most of them are for things we don’t need, or things that we buy maybe a few times in our lifetime, like cars or couches. We spend half our time blocking  out advertisements and the advertisers spend a fair time trying to find new ways to grab our attention. So we struggle through. We are told to save, but it is hard sometimes as we live paycheck to paycheck. Those of us who are clever and want to save money by keeping a garden, mending our clothes and looking at packages of food and thinking how many meals is this good for. It seems for an information society we still don’t have all the answers do we?