Mike’s blog about his Grandma’s bowling money jar brought back a memory I have of my Mom. His Grandma lived through the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl. My Mom and her family lived through being interned in a Japanese prison camp during WWII.
Our life experiences leave an indelible mark on our minds and hearts in both good and bad ways. My Mom had learned through her experience of near starvation to be very frugal and to scrimp and save in every possible way. When we ate out, she would take every little scrap left on the table including the butter pats and little jelly containers. We used to tease her that she should probably leave the salt and pepper shakers!
One day, when I was visiting her, she wanted to show me something in her bedroom. We walked into her room and she pointed to boxes lined up in a row on the back of her dresser. They were perfume boxes. She asked, “Do you know what’s in those boxes?” “Perfume?”, I replied, all the while hoping it wasn’t left over food. She said, “No, silver dollars!” There must have been at least 20 perfume boxes packed full of silver dollars. While I was thinking through scenarios of her being robbed or how much we could have grown her money if we’d invested it, she was tickled pink! When you have nothing to eat but boiled grass, 20 boxes filled with silver dollars is a wonderful thing. I imagine she spent many nights looking at those boxes with a smile on her face as she’d fall asleep, knowing if she needed some money she just had to open one of her perfume boxes.
Some of us need a mason jar filled with bowling money. Others need perfume boxes filled with silver dollars. And others a portion of their money invested in bank CDs. What it takes to help us sleep well in an uncertain world is a very personal thing. It matters not whether it makes sense to anyone else.
These are the opinions of Linda Eden-Wallace and not necessarily those of Cambridge, are for informational purposes only, and should not be construed or acted upon as individualized investment advice.
Linda Eden-Wallace is a Registered Representative offering securities through Cambridge Investment Research, Inc., a Broker/Dealer, Member FINRA/SIPC. Investment Advisor Representative, Cambridge Investment Research Advisors, Inc., a Registered Investment Advisor. Legacy Wealth Management, LLC and Cambridge are not affiliated. Cambridge does not offer tax advice.
Copyright ©2019 Linda Eden-Wallace. All Rights reserved. Commercial copying, duplication or reproduction is prohibited.
