Don't Let Frugality Complicate Your Estate

Don't Let Frugality Complicate Your Estate

By Melinda Gustafson Gervasi

January 21, 2025

It's waiting for that lazy morning when I have time to bake.....

A piece of satire from our neighbors to the North recently popped up in my social media feed.  Woman with freezer full of overripe bananas dies never having made banana bread – the algorithm decided this 2017 piece from The Beaverton (Canada’s version of The Onion) should rise to the top of digital articles waiting for my eyes.  So yes, the algorithm nailed it.  In my professional world I tend to read about end of life regrets and assorted issues; I’ve been practicing estate planning and probate law for 20 years.  And in my personal life, I have a freezer full of ripe bananas waiting for the one lazy morning when I have time to bake.

Show of hands – who else stashes useful items away for the proverbial rainy day.  Bananas in the freezer?  Check.  Twist ties from the bread bag in the kitchen drawer?  Check.  A precarious tower of boxes in assorted sizes waiting to be summoned to the frontlines to deliver a package?  Check.  My inner frugal identity runs deep and strong.  Why buy a box to ship something to my family in Texas when I can hold on to one that recently delivered slippers for my teens holiday gift.  Frugality is great.  But sometimes it needs to have a reality check because our cabinets, drawers and freezer become overrun with good intentions.  So I either need to bake the banana bread already or acknowledge reality and clear out the freezer.  As I often quip to my husband – one day will either move or we’ll die, but eventually someone has to deal with all of this STUFF.

Personally I find a deadline creates a nice boundary to tackle a task.  February is going to be my “use it up” month for kitchen supplies that have been hanging around a bit too long.  At the end of the month, it I still have an item (think of those bananas) I will:

• Offer it to friends or neighbors via email or a social media post
• Donate non perishable and unexpired items to my local food pantry (the entryway of our library has a collection bin)
• If suitable, add it to my backyard compost
• If suitable, drop it in my recycling bin (those boxes towering in the basement)
• Consider if a charity thrift store can sell it to raise funds
• What creative ways do you use to keep your closets and cabinets neat and orderly?  Share a comment!

Remember that a blog is not legal advice; it is a tool to spark thought and conversation.  Always seek legal advice from an attorney licensed in your home state.  Thank you for reading, be well!