A Smart Daughter in Law

Have you heard of a woman who left behind more than RM300 K cash in her personal savings when she passed away at age 80?

How did she do it? Basically, she was very frugal and counted every cent she spent. She also billed her husband very carefully for household expenditure.

Born before the second world war, she was educated in a good school and knew three languages so she became a good accounts clerk, well ahead of many educated men in Sibu!! She however married a smart man from a good family and worked for a few more years before she stopped working to take care of her large family including her mother in law.

The matriarch of the family was still alive for years and ruled every one. This lady however was smart and tried to outsmart her mother in law. She was one of the earliest to plan a circuit for her mother in law to stay with her five sons. So she personally made sure that the matriarch of the family was sent to various families according to her schedule.  Each son received the mother for two months. And for one month, the matriarch went to one of the several daughters who would take turn to have her over the years. Every thing this lady did she "billed"  and she made a record in her ledger book.

When it came to daily expenses she also "billed" her husband.

One day when it was the turn of the matriarch to stay with her, the grand old lady took out a wad of red notes (ten dollars) and put them on the table very loudly in front of her son and grand children.

The old lady said, "I am paying for this month's food on the table."

"No bean sprouts please."

Apparently this daughter in law served bean sprouts every day and billed her husband $60 per week for the family food. Her mother in law had seen through her and was annoyed by the way she billed her son.

In the early days bean sprouts were so cheap that 10 cents would provide a huge platter of food on the table.