When I think of my grandmother, Margaret Harper, the first word that comes to mind is frugal. She was the type of woman who rinsed out Ziploc bags to reuse them, clipped coupons religiously from the Sunday paper, and saved every rubber band, twist tie, and grocery bag like they were precious heirlooms.

To us, her family, she was loving, of course — endlessly so. But she was also, in our eyes, a little old-fashioned, even eccentric, in her devotion to living a life of simplicity and thrift.

Grandma Margaret didn’t have fancy clothes or a flashy car. She lived in the same modest home for over 40 years, with faded floral wallpaper and furniture that hadn’t changed since the 1970s. Every decision she made seemed to be filtered through a single question: Can I do without it?

She would often say, “A penny saved is a penny earned,” and remind us that true wealth wasn’t about what you had — it was about what you didn’t need.

We smiled and nodded, lovingly indulging her quirks. But we never really looked deeper. We never thought to ask why she lived the way she did

That is, until she passed away.

The Gift Card

It was a cold morning in early February when we buried Grandma. Her passing wasn’t unexpected — she had lived a long, full life — but that didn’t make it any easier. In her will, she left each of us a small memento. Nothing extravagant, just little things she thought we’d appreciate.