Moneysaving in your family history

faithcecilia

Okay, this is a random topic but I thought of it after reading a couple of other threads:)

My maternal grandparents got married in 1933 because they 'had to'.;) They were very young - 18 and 21 - and my grampa earned very little at the time (South Wales during the Depression).

The wedding was an extremely quiet event and there were no photos, no reception etc due to my grandmothers condition. They did have a ring, however, a narrow, plain band that grampa paid 6d for in a pawn shop.


When my grandmother died my mother inherited this ring as she was the only surviving daughter. She needed it making bigger fairly recently so took it to a jewellers - who offered to buy it!!!! She assured him it was not for sale as, to her, it was priceless, but asked what he considered it to be worth. He told her its worth over £7k:eek::eek::eek: Turns out its 22c Welsh gold and older than he could date it to, so not bad for grampa's 6d investment!


Does anyone have similar stories?

ifonlyitwaseasier

no but i wish i had one like that!!

Nottoobadyet

What a lovely story!

My family have been pretty uniformly rubbish at money saving, as far as I can tell! Love them anyway :-)

gingin_2

Nice story

I have the opposite! I was given a chunky gold bangle by my Grandparents for my 18th, my Grandad had given it to my Grandmother many decades before. Grandma said sell it, or keep it, it's up to you. Fast forward to a few weeks ago and this bangle was still sitting in my jewellery box, 14 years later, never worn. OH had bought me a special stone for our wedding anniversary I thought now was a good time to sell the bangle and use the money towards having this stone made into a piece of jewellery. I take it to be valued and apparently it's not gold at all, despite us all thinking so! Poor Grandad had bought a dud ( it was hallmarked and everything).

The irony is, I've now worn the bangle every day since finding out. And Grandma will never know.

squirrelchops

My family are very MSE to the point though I wish they had spent a bit more of it enjoying themselves rather than saving to be honest. I should point out my family had children at a late age so I am mid 30s but my granparents, if alive would be well over 100 years old!

My maternal grandparents built their own house and when I say built it themselves they apparently would buy a few bricks or whatever each week they got paid and did it that way.

My paternal great grandfather went from being a tailor and through saving his money ended up owning 160 acres and 3 houses!

However, all did not end well. Due to various things and part of it that my Dad didn't leave a will and my Uncle farmed as if it were pre industrial revolution the farm has mostly been sold now.

meritaten

lol - nice stories!
my ancestors were all as poor as church mice! I have very very few mementoes from them - however one great aunt did marry well (for our family anyway) a bookmaker. she died back in the early 1970s and my mum and aunts cleared out her house. dividing her china, etc between them. her jewellery however had mysteriously disappeared! I remember her as this small lady who looked permanently disapproving but dripped with diamonds and wore fur coats even in summer! I had a shock when I came across an old photo of her with her husband and she was young and laughing and they looked so happy! wish I had known her then!
well as time as gone on some of this china has come down to me, because most of the family thought it was rubbish and I am the only one interested.
little do they know that most of it were antiques when my great aunt bought it! and believe me she had a good eye.
I know own a nice little collection of
Coalport china
Doulton
Sevres
most of which I have researched on tinternet and most of the pieces are quite rare and valuable (some of them would get four figures at auction). I am still trying to find any mention of some pieces!
I wont sell them - to me they are family heirlooms and i saved them from the bin in most cases! my kids can have them when I go - or if I find myself in dire straights I will sell them, but only then!
it gives me a lot of pleasure to look at them and know that my great aunt bought them, and cared for them, and loved them - as do I.

jackomdj

my story is the opposite too....

Mr Uncle swapped my Grandad's OBE medal for some marbles!!! oops!!!