Frugal Planning for Visiting Relatives

Serving Dinner at home, 1942, Massachusetts. (LOC)

 

Every other year, when I was a child, my parents packed us all up and drove on a long journey to visit our relatives. This always happened during the summer, when everyone was on vacation from school and work.  Mom and Dad would wake us up in the middle of the night and settle us in the car for the start of the trip. In this way, they knew we would sleep for much of the ride.  To save money, Mom brought along food and drinks from her kitchen. Once we arrived at the residence of our extended relatives, we were welcomed and made to feel at home.

Our Aunt and Uncle took excellent care of us, made sure we were comfortable, and saw that we got plenty of rest.  My Aunt set a bountiful table at each meal. Everything was homemade, some of which was gleaned from her garden.  Yet it was plain, simple, old-fashioned home-cooking.  She served us the normal food that she always made for her own family on a daily basis. Because of this, there was little extra cost to her grocery bill.  It was comforting to be in their humble home. They were a working-class family, living on a few acres of land out in the country.  Grandmother lived on the property with them. We loved seeing her and visiting our cousins. 

During our visits, we attended church with the family. I loved hearing the sermons, listening to prayers, and singing the hymns. 

Husband and wife, leading singing in Sunday School. (LOC)

Visiting our relatives and going to church was a precious way of life for our family. This was old time living.  It helped create a bond of togetherness and moral character.  

Very little money was spent for these visits, other than the cost of gas. We rarely did any sight-seeing and mostly spent our time talking, visiting, laughing, and enjoying fellowship and good food.

It used to be common to host relatives in one's home for both short and extended visits. It was easier to travel when one didn't have to worry about the cost of lodging and food. 

These days, I am trying to recapture the nostalgia of those journeys. Most of the older generation, in our family, has gone home to Heaven. There are few left who are able to welcome us for such old-fashioned visits.  We have become the older generation.  We have enjoyed welcoming our own grown children and grandchildren in our humble old house. 

Sometimes, we also want to travel back to the old hometown in Massachusetts where some of our extended family still resides.  We are planning a trip that is coming up very soon.  I am trying to remember how Mother and Dad managed to travel with little money. They made it work. I am sure they saved and planned. I am sure they packed their own food to save money. I also know they did not drive around more than necessary in order to prevent the waste of gas. 

In our current culture it seems strange not to spend money on souvenirs. It seems strange not to dine in restaurants.  It is more common to go on vacation than it is to simply visit relatives.  If we are not careful, somehow, the two can become mixed up, making us think we must have a great deal of money available just to visit our extended family.  

Some of what I hope to do, for this trip, is to find a way to bring as much of our own food as I can. I believe food tends to be one of the biggest expenses for long journeys.  I am trying to think of what can be safely packed and prepared to last a few days. I realize I will still have to visit the local supermarket when we arrive, to get some fresh things as well. But I need to keep costs as low as possible. 

For recreation, I hope to take pictures of the ocean, enjoy walking along the shore, and just find peace in things that do not cost any money.  Visiting our relatives, who we haven't seen in a few years, will be such a blessing.  

Family has always been the most important thing in this life.  We want to keep those relationships strong.  Old-fashioned visits, like the ones Mother and Dad provided, ought to be more common in this world of materialism, glamour, and high spending.  The old ways hold great appeal for me. I want to keep walking that old path, the one that Mother and Dad led us along . . . by their precious example. 

Blessings

Mrs. White

From the Archives -

Ration Books from 1942 and helpful advice - Adapting to the High Cost of Living.

Good Manners and Thrift - Adding Loveliness to the Day.

Beautiful Living - Feminine Grace.

- To find out more about this blog, or Mrs. White, please visit our About page. -

- It is an honor to be the bookkeeper for the house! - 

Find detailed instruction and inspiration in budgeting on a small income, along with a method for keeping a handwritten ledger, with lots of thrifty ideas, in Mrs. White's book:

 -An Old Fashioned Budget: Humble Financial Management for the Christian Housewife. 

 Paperback, 77 pages.