Check it Out

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Week 14  (April 8-14)

Prompt: Check It Out

#52ancestors 

 April 8th was my Father's birthday and I couldn't help but think of him as I started thinking about this prompt.  He was certainly a product of the great depression. He saved an incredible eclectic collection of things that he might need in the future or had plans to use at some point.  He believed in saving for anything he wanted and rarely used credit cards for things he wanted as opposed to what was needed.

 When he passed away, he was saving to buy a new pickup.  For things that he wanted, not needed, he would hide away any extra dollars that he had or earned  at odd jobs after his retirement.  Mother knew of several of his hiding places, like his old 35 mm camera case.  Mostly she wasn't concerned about his hiding places as the money always turned up when he was ready to spend it or if they had a minor emergency use for it. 

 He had boxes and boxes of old bills and bank statements with tons of old checks under the bed and in the top of the closets.  A  few months after he passed away, Mother started shredding those checks and bills.  Luckily, she went through each envelope as she shredded them.  In the first box, she found several hundred dollars in fives, tens and twenties stuck in different envelopes. For the next year or two, anytime she ran out of cash, she would shred some more.  Then would say a quiet Thank You to Dad.  She knew that he was still taking care of her.

 It certainly paid off for Mother to check all of the paper files Dad had saved over the years.