For years now, there has been much discussion about the economy. Today’s generation is complaining about how goods and services are so expensive and wouldn’t it be nice to have lived in the 1950’s when food, homes, and cars were cheaper. Likewise, the Silent Generation and Baby Boomers are trying to explain to the Millenials and Gen Z that it wasn’t that easy and you certainly wouldn’t be earning the wage you are today. I say the complainers should have lived with Aunt Ginni for a month and they might have learned a lesson or two!
We have already established that when you went out to eat with Aunt Ginni, if it wasn’t nailed down to the table, it was probably going to be snuck into her purse to take home. She was big on coupons and LOVED the Diner Express coupon book. Oh those were the la-de-da of the 1980’s. Buy one get one meal free. And, we are not talking McDonalds, Taco Bell, or Pizza Hut. The restaurants would be anywhere from Max & Ermas to The Wine Cellar. Now, these books were not free. You paid for an entire book up front and then used the coupons inside. In 1980, a book cost roughly $30, which sounds like an awesome deal, but today’s inflation would make the cost around $90.
A common question is “Where do you want to go eat tonight”? If you were with my aunt and uncle and had a hankering for Bob Evans, you may not get to go there because she would need to consult the book to see which coupons were still available for use. If you had your mind set on Chinese and were dreaming of a luscious bowl of egg drop soup, too bad – we have a coupon for Spaghetti Warehouse.
Of course we ate at restaurants that were not in the Diner Express book, but there was always a catch. I remember driving 45 minutes to a new restaurant that opened just because she received a BOGO free coupon in the mail. Oh you thought you were going to get a side of tater tots with that sandwich? Nope! Aunt Ginni had a coupon for a free side of onion rings. The real kicker in all of this – she wasn’t paying. It didn’t matter that the checks would be split into a party of four for my Dad and a party of two for them, by golly she had a coupon for free onion rings so someone was going to use it! It would drive my Mom crazy at times, but afterwards we would laugh our fool heads off.
Another money-saving tip she utilized…breakfast out. After my uncle passed away, she would schedule to have her car serviced first thing in the morning. Why? Not because she was an early-riser, but because the dealership had free coffee and donuts for their patrons. So, take the Buick in for a tune-up or oil change and grab a free breakfast of glazed donuts and a steamy cup of Joe.
She never skimped on toilet paper – 2 ply was always a necessity and if it came in shades of pink or blue then all the better!
Aunt Ginni had a shrewd sense of financial responsibility. She and my uncle did enjoy the finer things in life. They took vacations. She wore a lot of diamonds. They drove nice automobiles and their house was very well-kept. We laugh about the Diner Express book, the free onion rings, and stealing the ketchup packets, but they always paid their bills on time and did not have an insurmountable amount of debt.
Maybe Aunt Ginni was onto something. She had the diamonds, the vacations, the nice cars, and a wonderful home – and apparently the secret to affording it all was never paying full price for dinner and letting the Buick pick up the tab for breakfast.
She may have left this world, but somewhere, I have to believe she’s still asking one very important question:
“Do you have a coupon for that?”
Until next time,
-Molly