In Millbrook, everyone knew my grandmother, Margaret Harper, as a legend of thrift. She reused everything—from tea bags to wrapping paper—and lived by the motto: “Waste not, want not.” Though financially secure after Grandpa’s passing, she chose simplicity: mended clothes, homegrown vegetables, and a coupon collection that rivaled any archive.

After her death at 87, we sorted through her home filled with jars of buttons, labeled rubber bands, and carefully folded foil. Among her things, I found a $50 grocery gift card labeled “For emergency groceries,” tucked in her jewelry box beside her wedding ring. Weeks later, I went to Morrison’s Market and used it.