The cashier could barely contain herself. She held up the old gift card like it was a winning lottery ticket and said it was part of a long-forgotten promotion — one with a million-dollar prize that had never been claimed.
I just froze.
A minute later, the store manager rushed over, checked the numbers, and confirmed what I already suspected. My grandpa’s “cheap” little gift — the one we always joked about — had turned into a life-changing fortune. In a single moment, everything about my future shifted.
The takeaway? Being frugal isn’t a bad thing. Some people just want every dollar to stretch as far as it can.
But every now and then, it’s worth spending a little on the people you love. Not because you need to buy something expensive, but because even a small, thoughtful gift can mean the world — and sometimes, as in my case, it can change everything.