When my Aunt Dorothy sorted through my grandfather's belongings after his death, she discovered a lot of clothing that had never been worn. There were dress shirts, underwear and socks still in their original packages, and trousers hanging in the closet with the price tags dangling off of them.

Considering that my grandfather often looked like he could use a new shirt, it didn't make a lot of sense to stash away the clothes taking up space in his dresser drawers.

What occasion was he waiting for as an excuse to break out the new duds?

It's a sort of frugality I can't begin to understand.

Then again, Grandpa Cortez was a World War I veteran. He had a little sheep ranch, ran a small store and was the postmaster for Cerro, N.M. He survived the Great Depression, raised eight children, buried two wives and survived a house fire.

He was a fiscal conservative long before anyone had coined the term. Even in his latter years he had a garden, chickens and a few old sheep running around his ranch.

So he was entitled to his thrift. Living in the time he did and in the very remote and rural place that he did, there weren't a lot of options. There were no credit cards, payday lenders or even much in the way of bank loans. People had to make do.

In this recent economic downturn, we've seen a return to some of those principles.

Several of my co-workers are trying their hand at gardening this year. Some have signed up for food co-ops. Others are trying to cook more meals at home, which has the added benefit of gathering the family around the dinner table.

Cities and counties have debated — and some have passed — ordinances that allow homeowners to keep chickens in their backyards so they can have fresh eggs to eat and share.

Some of these trends have also drifted down to governments. Except for projects funded by federal stimulus money, many governmental entities are dialing back plans or delaying construction projects until the economy improves.

Others, though, are forging ahead with big-ticket bond elections. Today, Nebo School District will ask voters' permission to borrow $160 million for school construction and additions.

That's a big chunk of change in this economy. No doubt elected officials in Utah will be keeping a close eye on the election outcome as they decide whether to ask their respective constituents to borrow money on their dime.

Schools districts have especially difficult choices. They have to borrow money to build schools, unless they have sufficient reserves to pay as they go. Very few school districts in Utah have that luxury.