I recently finished reading Thrift: A Cyclopedia by David Blankenhorn. I hadn’t intended to review the book on this site, or even to discuss it much. It’s simply not the sort of book that the average reader would enjoy. (I loved it.)
Thrift: A Cyclopedia contains 300 pages of quotes and images exploring the nature of thrift. A typical chapter offers a short biography of a thrift advocate (Daniel Defoe, Benjamin Franklin, movie director Frank Capra) followed by quotes from that person’s work. As I say, the book’s target audience is narrow: thrift geeks like me. (I wouldn’t be surprised if I were the only person to have purchased a copy from Amazon.)
Although I still don’t intend to review the book here, I was excited when the publisher contacted me last week to ask if I would promote their efforts to restore National Thrift Week. “Absolutely!” I said. This year (and every year?), National Thrift Week runs from January 17th to January 24th, so for the next several days, much of the content at Get Rich Slowly will focus on the virtues of thrift.
Here’s an abbreviated history of National Thrift Week:
In 1916, with the First World War looming imminently on the horizon, the leaders of America’s major civic organizations launched an ambitious education campaign designed to ready the American public for a wartime economy…
The activities of National Thrift Week were guided by several specific principles and behaviors and each was given its own day. Hence, Americans joined together every January in celebrating:
- Have a Bank Account Day
- Invest Safely Day
- Carry Life Insurance Day
- Keep a Budget Day
- Pay Bills Promptly Day
- Own Your Home Day
- Share with Others Day
Then, as today, critics often maligned thrift as simple hoarding, but these principles demonstrate how the founders envisioned Thrift Week as so much more — they saw it not as a way to encourage miserly behavior, but instead to cultivate responsible consumerism and civic progress. Rather than self-denial, the goal was self-control…
National Thrift Week fizzled out in 1966, after being passed from one sponsor to another. Around that same time, thrift as a national virtue seems to have faded from the collective public consciousness as well…
“Pay Bills Promptly Day.” I love it!
If you have ideas for articles about thrift, please drop me a line. Meanwhile, pop on over to the Bring Back Thrift Week site to enter their thrift contest. Simply submit a thrifty idea in 50 words or less and you could win a $100 U.S. savings bond!
I’m a fan of thrift for fun actually. I like looking for second hand goods (either in a thrift store, or more often craig’s list) – it makes me feel like a child again, digging in the front yard looking for that pirate’s treasure that I knew was there.
You just never know what gem or gem of a memory you’re going to dig up, when you go through the used items category!
Oh and as an unintentional byproduct, it saves me money – but where’s the fun in that?
Patrick
veryevolved.com
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Hey J.D., I can respond with another quote from that era (found recently in a Jan 1918 The Telephone Review magazine) :
”
Fancies are all right, if we have no special reason for saving, but if we have, and we all have, let us guard against them ourselves by putting that money where we cannot reach it, and where it can work for us, on Sundays as well as Mondays.
”
(Replace War Bonds with your favorite investment vehicle here
)
Full reprint of the 1918 article here: http://www.spendwize.com/archives/credit-crunch-got-you-down-read-about-savings-90-years-ago
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My current favorite thrifty ideas:
-Use sugar + soap instead of facial scrub.
-Use body wash in foaming soap dispensers instead of liquid soap (I avoid antibacterials that way). I refill the ones from Body Works. The cap has a tab you can break open if you turn the lid hard enough, and then you can refill it. Use half or less of the amount soap and still get all the foamy goodness!
-Use body wash instead of shampoo or vice versa – whatever you happen to have more of or can get cheaper. It’s basically all soap with the same purpose of getting you clean.
- I use vinegar instead of fabric softener and instead of Jet Dry. Works great, doesn’t leave a vinegar smell. I get the big Costco bottles.
Those are my favorites, so I’ll stop there!
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Most American advertising seems to be about breaking loose and having it your way and doing what you want … thrift, eh, that’s about limits and boundaries and decisions. Those are soooo uncool.
Of course, limits and boundaries and decisions are also necessary if you decide to deal with reality instead of living a fantasy life.
There’s an idea there, but I’m not sure I’ve got it clicked in yet.
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Rather than self-denial, the goal was self-control.
Love that! It perfectly describes the frugal vs. cheap debate.
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I’m enjoying the blogosphere debate of frugal/cheap. I’m cheap but experimented with frugality in college.
I mostly prefer the term thrifty though, so now I have to read this book.
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Two of my favorite thrift things are no poo (I have not used shampoo or conditioner on my hair in more than a year – I use AC vinegar and baking soda instead) and using a deodorant stone. These two things are much safer for my body, cheaper and less expensive!
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I got my mother to teach me how to darn, and I know how to sew. Result: when socks get holes, I darn them in front of the TV. Investment is virtually zero (I knit as a hobby so have lots of dog-ends of yarn), as it’s time that would be wasted anyway, and my socks last way longer.
When socks get beyond the point where it’s worth darning, I cut off the bits that are ok (usually above the heel is fine), and use them as patchwork patches. At the moment, I have a larger-than-single-bed quilt in construction, which I’m really looking forward to finishing, as the material will be naturally soft, snuggly and stretchy.
Oh, and I’m going to be backing it with discarded T-shirts.
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Thrift is easy. The challenge is being thrifty and living the good life at the same time. I think over the past 10 years that goal has been realistically put into grasp. It’s just up to those wise enough to snatch it up.
I love this idea. Thanks for the contest link.
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It’s funny reading about National Thrift Week. I can’t imagine American’s getting behind something like that now, not even with the current financial mess.
A day to think about budgeting and owning your own home? Would be nice, but I don’t think that message could overcome today’s pro-consumerism culture in the media.
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love the idea of a quilt made out of sock tops and t-shirt pieces.
interesting that several thrift ideas posted are about cleaning products… I guess I just don’t find them to be very expensive. A 99 cent bottle of shampoo lasts me 3 months. but I like the spirit of washing your hair with baking soda and vinegar, it’s like girly MacGyver.
Some of my favorite thrift games for myself:
I save all the scraps and get creative with them. I cut the fronts off pretty cards and then paste them on card stock paper to reuse them, or pull out the inside layer if it’s a double-layer card, you can also use the front piece of a card as a postcard. And of course I save all the gifts that I don’t want or need and try to think of people who would love them.
- Finding the cheapest gas station I pass by in a day and trying to time the gas fillups… even better using grocery points to increase the gas discount
- Making gifts, cards, and wrapping paper out of old gifts, cards, and wrapping paper.
- Freecycle.
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I love that one of the days in thrift week is devoted to sharing with others.
I’ve always felt that “thrift” was about making the most of what you have, which is also in a sense about transcending limits…yeah, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
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Some days it is really hard to see the value of sacrifice – whether that be one less cup of coffee or biking to work instead of driving. So we keep a “thrift book” to record the money we have theoretically saved… and then we are able use recycle those savings into dinners out or overnight trips to the beach or purchases at charity events.
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National thrift week?
I love it!
I am most definitely going to incorporate that into The Non-Consumer Advocate.
Go team thrift!
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”
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This is so fantastic! I’ve never heard of National thrift week, but now I’m off to blog about it.
So nice that we became debt free today, at the start of national thrift week, too!
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Hmmmmm. National Thrift Week makes me think of Thrift Stores. My daughter has taught me how to shop at Good Will and other thrift and second hand stores. Many a good item has found a second life of usefulness in those stores. Perhaps very day should be National Thrift Day. “A Penny Saved is a Penny Earned.”
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As a white collar “professional” we’ve practiced thrift most of my career. Still purchase a good portion of our clothes at Goodwill and second hand shops and my wife hasn’t purchased clothing for more than 50% off ever. We rarely eat out and have even cut off the cable in recent weeks in order to save a bit, but more importantly to increase the family’s creativity and reading time.
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JD, as a thrifter for over 30 years, I am pleased to see the younger generations loving the thrifty life. However, there is one flaw in the system which is never discussed, and I think it would make a great article:
Whether you are spending 1 cent or a 1,000 dollars: if you DON’T Need it, DON’T buy it. I read on many blogs how so many people are so “thrifty”, all they do is shop at thrifts and bring home things because those things are cheap and thrifty. Then they wonder where the money has gone and why their houses are bursting at the sames with unused “stuff”. Or, many are collectors of certain objects or styles and when finding these items in thrifts, buy them all, without paring down their original collections so, again, we have the “too much stuff/not enough cash” syndrome. Things that are cheap, are really expensive because no matter how little cash you use to obtain them, if they are of no use to you–ethsetically as well as materialistically, they cost your spirit, your life force, your life’s blood. How about addressing the “obessession of thrift”?
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Take up frugal hobbies! I knit, sew, and garden. Instead of entertaining myself with expensive hobbies, I create something out of very little. I get many of my supplies for free or very cheap, from freecycle, craigslist, and our local Habitat Restore.
I also take advantage of free classes. I’m a volunteer at our local museum, where I got a year’s worth of college education in History, Art, and Humanities in exchage for my volunteering. Frugal fun is everywhere!
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“In 1916, with the First World War looming imminently on the horizon…” [history of national thrift week]
LOL
No, the First World War had been going on for a couple of years for millions of people. Just because the US joined it later doesn’t mean it hadn’t started yet!
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The single largest savings in my household’s budget is transportation: we do not own a car and bicycle / walk / take public transport
Cutting down automobile expenses by cutting back on how much you use it in the first place (not necessarily by finding the best gas deals) will probably make the biggest difference in most budgets. This is true even if in the short term you incur more expense by moving closer to work in order to cut down on driving.
In addition, we save even more money because we only go to the effort of going shopping for stuff when we really need/want something.
*Yes, I know this is not an option for everyone or every area, but for anyone who does have a choice, car-free or car-lite is a huge money-saver.
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@okgirl … great note on museum volunteering and local classes, etc. Most big cities have cultural institutions that offer free admission in exchange for docent or usher duties. A friend of mine got a full season at the L.A. Philharmonic, every concert for free, for ushering.
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Where’s the winner?
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@Nikc
I couldn’t figure out what you meant, but then I re-read the article. I think you’re talking about the contest at the National Thrift Week site. I checked their contest page, and they don’t have info about who won. If you’re curious, you should check with them. I have no role in the contest.
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Yeah you got my point, I wasn’t clear. I’ll check with them though. Enjoy your blog immensely!
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Thrift week, hunh? Sounds like a fun time; I’m only sorry I’m a bit slow in getting around to reading it.
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