Foiling Grandma

My grandmother is the ultimate money saver.

Last weekend, I stood in my grandparents’ kitchen, drying the dishes after a large Thanksgiving dinner. Cleaning up after 34 people is quite the task and requires a team effort, so one of my uncles stood next to me, washing the dishes, while another uncle and an aunt put them away. As we talked, we laughed at a plastic container we couldn’t lose; the company does not make it anymore, and Grandma would be mad. At one point, Uncle Ray, the washer, turned to us and furtively held out a used whipped cream tub.

“Quick,” he whispered conspiratorially, “hide this in the trash before she sees.”

I quietly laughed at our scheme with the others. It is a familiar scene in Grandma’s kitchen: when she leaves the room, we throw away items we find ridiculous. A survivor of the Great Depression, farmer’s wife and mother of eight, my grandmother is a testament to frugality. Not only does she sew her own aprons and grow and can her own food, but she also saves everything. And I mean everything—store-bought food containers, tin foil and plastic bags—you name it, we’ve washed it in Grandma’s sink for reuse. While we love her homemade items, most of us roll our eyes and secretly dispose of the others. We understand why Grandma is the way she is, but we really don’t like washing Ziplock Bags. 

Recently, however, I’ve started to wonder if her frugality could teach many of us a lesson.

Each Thursday evening, I drive to campus to attend my night class, Literature Philosophy and Economics: Critical Representations of Commercial Life. I spend the 10-minute drive listening to NPR economic news on the radio. It seems fitting, considering I am headed to a class focused on our economic history. While tonight’s news seemed to be positive—apparently the stock market has been performing well—the headlines often have largely reflected the dire state of the American economy and the fears it has generated. After listening to brief stories about businesses failing and high unemployment, I sit in class, listening to my professor blast consumerism and capitalism.

Surrounded by this, I can’t help but think of my grandmother. We laugh at her stingy saving habits, but with each reused piece of tin foil, she breathes s bit easier, knowing her economical behavior will pay off. Perhaps the next time I wash her dishes, I will defend her Ziplock Bags so they may see another day.