She also wrote about frequent Sunday drives to a remote area for a picnic and butterfly chasing.

"Each of us 'kids' had a net, and we searched out butterflies that were not already in our collection. A cyanide jar quickly immobilized the insects, and after we were satisfied with our trophies for the day, we went home tired and happy … I fear our young ones are too sophisticated now to get much excitement from such plebeian pastimes. How sad. Ours were great growing-up experiences!"

I do like the idea of renting a jigsaw puzzle, and a cyanide jar full of butterflies is something I've never seen. But when I think of recent memorable times with my wife and children, hanging out at a beach house in Galveston and visiting friends and family in exotic South Dakota come to mind.

I think the key to solving this riddle is creating low-cost experiences on a daily or weekly basis, all while saving steadily for the bigger trips that build different kinds of memories. That's what we've been trying to do in our little family, and it seems to be working so far.

I'd still like to hear your ideas. Or, if you have financial questions, I need those, too. Send correspondence to gkratz@desnews.com or to the Deseret News, P.O. Box 1257, Salt Lake City, UT 84110.

E-MAIL: gkratz@desnews.com