I worked with a woman who thought her grandfather was crazy for deciding, at age 99, to have both bathrooms in his farm house remodeled. She said that he was not likely to get much enjoyment out of the expense My thought was that this old guy has the right attitude, that at 99 he still is looking ahead and wanting to get more satisfaction out of how he lives. And after all, you can't take it with you.
My grandparents were also in their 90's and would not spend a dime for anything. The roof needed replacing, the TV broke and would not be replaced, and they would not turn lights on in the evening because it "wasted" electricity. Christmas presents of new clothes were put in a cabinet to be saved, even though their current wardrobe was tattered. Their way of life was to "safe" everything.
I often cut their grass and tried to bring over decent food to eat. They rewarded me heartily for working at their house, but they were aghast because I brought over bologna if it was not on sale because they preferred to eat boiled potatoes that were cheaper.
I understand how growing up in a dirt poor family would guide your future life. Nevertheless, all that saving amounted to a windfall in the bank.
Living like paupers served no purpose, since the nursing home eventually took all the savings.
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I sure hope she is using them for a long time to come.
