Grandma Parsons is the queen of frugal living. That's because she raised 17 children. No, that's not a typo. She had seventeen children in the span of 21 years. You may say that times were different back then--that many people had large families. But it really wasn't that long ago. The youngest of the Parsons kids is just 33 years old.
As I said, Grandma Parsons had to learn to be frugal. Afterall, the family lived on Grandpa Parsons earnings as a truck driver. He never accepted any government aid. Grandma Parsons didn't work outside the home. She spent her days canning vegetables from the large garden, baking and tending the children. Every fall they would butcher a cow or two and a couple of hogs. With the help of the older Parsons children (my mother-in-law, Beverly, was the third oldest), they would form an assembly line to cut and wrap the fresh meat. It would last them all winter.
I was always amazed that, after preparing meals fit for an army, Grandma Parsons would offer her family a dessert of a fresh baked item, like a cake, cobbler, coffee cake or several pies. A few weeks ago, Grandma Parsons told me her secret. There was typically just enough food for everyone to have one helping each. A homemade cake or pies made from fruit grown on the farm, were cheap ways to make sure everyone had enough to fill their bellies.
Can you imagine the laundry that a family of nineteen would accumulate? I can't keep up with laundry for my family of four. Grandma Parsons told me she paid particular attention to getting her laundry clean and removing any stains. That way, she explained, the garment could be handed down to the next child.
Grandma Parsons saved on meals out and entertainment, too. It simple wasn't feasible to take seventeen kids to a movie or McDonalds. In fact, the only place they all went together was to church, and even then, Grandpa Parsons would made several trips back and forth to get everyone there before the service started.
Grandma Parsons devised a plan for getting the kids out of the house. She grocery shopped twice a month in the closest big town. Each time she went, she would take two children with her. Those kids would get a special treat, such as candy from the store. So every four months, my mother-in-law would have her turn to go.
As for entertainment, when you have sixteen brothers and sisters, there is always someone to play with. The family
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