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In CHEAP We Trust: The Story of a Misunderstood American Virtue
by
Lauren Weber
Cheap.
Cheap suit. Cheap date. Cheap shot. It's a dirty word, an epithet laden with negative meanings. It is also the story of Lauren Weber's life. As a child, she resented her father for keeping the heat at 50 degrees through the frigid New England winters and rarely using his car's turn signals-to keep them from burning out. But as an adult, when she found herself walki...more
Cheap suit. Cheap date. Cheap shot. It's a dirty word, an epithet laden with negative meanings. It is also the story of Lauren Weber's life. As a child, she resented her father for keeping the heat at 50 degrees through the frigid New England winters and rarely using his car's turn signals-to keep them from burning out. But as an adult, when she found herself walki...more
Hardcover, 288 pages
Published
September 7th 2009
by Little, Brown and Company
(first published August 20th 2009)
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This book explores the historical side of thriftiness, beginning in the pre-revolutionary days with Ben Franklin, up to the present day. Thriftiness is practiced for all kinds of reasons, some out of necessity, some because of environmental concerns, moral or religious reasons, and some just absurd.
The author explores all the reasons for being "cheap" or thrifty, and delves into her own family's history of thriftiness.
I was a little disappointed in this bo...more
I picked up this book after hearing the author being interviewed on NPR. I'm not thrifty but lately we've been trying to pay down our debt and build up savings and that has meant cutting back on my spendthrift ways where I can. It's interesting how this country has see-sawed between overspending and saving, between being profligate consumers and conscious savers. It's not just recently that there's been a sea change toward thrift--cutting corners and increasing our savings balance is just a p...more
http://www.lovelylittleshelf.com/2009/11...
The Story: The first half of this book was basically a brief history of America’s spending and saving habits. It started from the Puritans who first settled here and went through May of 2008. She talked a lot about the role that women have played in household finances and what scrimping and saving looked like 100 years ago versus now. She also talked about how thriftiness was viewed by the masses and the different government pushes to either spe...more
The Story: The first half of this book was basically a brief history of America’s spending and saving habits. It started from the Puritans who first settled here and went through May of 2008. She talked a lot about the role that women have played in household finances and what scrimping and saving looked like 100 years ago versus now. She also talked about how thriftiness was viewed by the masses and the different government pushes to either spe...more
I often let interesting covers and titles lure me in and this was also the case with Lauren Weber's book. Sometimes this can be disappointing, but not this time, on the contrary.
While there are a lot of books on buying and spending out there, this one stands out for me, both in the topic it deals with and its great quality.
Presenting a fascinating and powerfully written survey through the history of frugality in American history, in combination with Weber's own "history" of f...more
While there are a lot of books on buying and spending out there, this one stands out for me, both in the topic it deals with and its great quality.
Presenting a fascinating and powerfully written survey through the history of frugality in American history, in combination with Weber's own "history" of f...more
this book is an interesting look at the entire culture of american tightwads. there's a lot of history and strange obscure facts about a subsection of our culture that is looked upon with almost universal scorn, even though it totally makes sense. i admit to being on the parsimonious side myself, mainly cuz i've had little to no money for most of my adult life & it was a choice between thriftiness or homelessness.
one really interesting part was how the author compared thriftiness to sexual...more
one really interesting part was how the author compared thriftiness to sexual...more
In an era when a president encourages us to buy-buy-buy in the aftermath of an enemy attack and "consumer confidence" is measured by how willing we are to shell out our shillings for things we may or may not need, a book about our complicated attitudes toward consumption and thrift is timely, to say the least. Written in lively, engaging prose, this exploration of thrift helps to explain our American spending habits.
Lauren Weber begins with some snips of personal history, d...more
Lauren Weber begins with some snips of personal history, d...more
A history of thrift in American society throughout different eras. During wartime, thrift was encouraged so that material could be directed to the war effort. During the modern mass-consumption age, thrift continues to be discouraged to encourage economic growth.
It also delves into the forms of thriftiness found today in its chapters "Eco-cheap" and "Living Cheap in the Age of Mass Consumption" - the latter chapter was an especially interesting description of freeg...more
It also delves into the forms of thriftiness found today in its chapters "Eco-cheap" and "Living Cheap in the Age of Mass Consumption" - the latter chapter was an especially interesting description of freeg...more
This book was so much more than I expected. I expected a history of cheapness and thrift in American history, which I got. But Weber blended in a fair amount of economic theory (and mapped the relevant theories with their historical drivers), plus a healthy dose of psychology. The result was a well-rounded, enthralling book that comprehensively examined: 1) What is thrift?; 2) How did it evolve in the US, from Puritan times to the 2009 economic crisis; 3) What role did prevailing economic theori...more
I got this book as a how-to, and although it was not particularly guiding, it was really, really interesting. I appreciated the review of economic history in the US. The book reminded me that in our early wars, thrift was a measure to support the troops and war effort, and it wasn't until after Keynes developed his "supply and demand" theory that politicians began telling the public that the best way to support the country was by spending money. I like the chapters on saving as a way o...more
Allison
added it
An interesting read, going through the history of frugality and thrift in America, and other considerations that may effect "cheapness".
One of my favorite quotes:
"I think too about the law of diminishing returns, the economic principle that tells us that the more of something we have, the less pleasure we derive from each additional unit of it. That first bowl of strawberry ice cream is heavenly; we revel in the richness of the cream and sugar and the sl...more
One of my favorite quotes:
"I think too about the law of diminishing returns, the economic principle that tells us that the more of something we have, the less pleasure we derive from each additional unit of it. That first bowl of strawberry ice cream is heavenly; we revel in the richness of the cream and sugar and the sl...more
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The list price for this book is $24.99 (hardcover) but I bought it online (Used: Like New) for only $12.50. I know this because I saved the packing slip to use as a bookmark. It had actually been sitting in my "books I intend to read someday" pile since late 2009.
I am thrifty. I hate waste. Part of the reason I finally read the book is because the topic has been on my mind lately. I've slowly realized that being reluctant to spend money is interfering with my ability to run...more
I am thrifty. I hate waste. Part of the reason I finally read the book is because the topic has been on my mind lately. I've slowly realized that being reluctant to spend money is interfering with my ability to run...more
I really enjoyed this book. Having to live on a fixed income has given me no choice to be frugal. Lots of history here, interspersed with stories of frugal people.
"Frugal people are nonconformists. They don't worry too much about those social risks - impressing other people or fitting in." Keeping up with the Jones is not their style.
On a macroeconomic level, we as a society have "lazily followed exactly the wrong approach." "-cutting back when ...more
"Frugal people are nonconformists. They don't worry too much about those social risks - impressing other people or fitting in." Keeping up with the Jones is not their style.
On a macroeconomic level, we as a society have "lazily followed exactly the wrong approach." "-cutting back when ...more
Mostly a history of saving and spending through America's past, with some modern commentary thrown in. I enjoyed the trip through America's history through a totally different lens than it is usually taught. It turns out that Americans really aren't all that good at thrift and saving - in fact, in good times, we've always been big spenders (beyond our means), even before the Revolutionary War. I also enjoyed the stories of the author's cheapskate dad and how the author has recently learned to...more
I picked up In Cheap We Trust: The Story of a Misunderstood American Virtue because I liked the cover, and I liked the subject.
At times, I've been accused of cheapness. I worry whether or not I'll seem generous, I over-tip or worry about undertipping. I wanted to explore what "cheap" was, a bit. I wanted to read someone else's take on it.
Mission accomplished. Lauren Weber's book is packed with information, and looks at so many facets of cheapness, and it's har...more
At times, I've been accused of cheapness. I worry whether or not I'll seem generous, I over-tip or worry about undertipping. I wanted to explore what "cheap" was, a bit. I wanted to read someone else's take on it.
Mission accomplished. Lauren Weber's book is packed with information, and looks at so many facets of cheapness, and it's har...more
I do love nonfiction and I'm enjoying a lot of books on frugality and voluntary simplicity. This one was a mixed bag - it was interesting (the author grew up in a household led by a father who would be described by others as certainly "cheap") but maybe because Weber attempted to take so many angles - historical, taking on ethnic stereotypes, psychological, the new "green" perspective on cheap - it sometimes felt a little jumbled.
I'm certainly glad I got it for t...more
I'm certainly glad I got it for t...more
A history of thrift in America with an emphasis on why we being considered cheap/thrifty is frowned upon. I didn't like how the same stories kept appearing again and again. Are there only a few case studies of frugal people that she can draw upon? The most interesting section was where she talked about how at the turn of the century, the Chinese railroad workers were "stealing American jobs" and living with many people in a small house or apartment. Replace Chinese with another gro...more
Fascinating sociological details about the history of cheapness/frugality in the United States and the way people have perceived this trait through the ages. This history was so interesting and well-written, I found myself enjoying it far more than expected.
Disclaimer: I'll admit I picked up the book because the author and I hail from the same home town and her father, whose paradoxical cheapness/generosity is the basis of the author's quest, is a friend and colleague of my father. I ...more
Disclaimer: I'll admit I picked up the book because the author and I hail from the same home town and her father, whose paradoxical cheapness/generosity is the basis of the author's quest, is a friend and colleague of my father. I ...more
A very interesting look at the social history of frugality in America dating back to the founding fathers (namely Benjamin Franklin).
The chapters dealt with the American response, necessity and dependence of consumerism through various eras of our history. There is a huge list of titles at the end, both in resources and in the chapter-by-chapter bibliography, for readers who want to learn more.
Overall I liked the book and found myself questioning my spending habits duri...more
The chapters dealt with the American response, necessity and dependence of consumerism through various eras of our history. There is a huge list of titles at the end, both in resources and in the chapter-by-chapter bibliography, for readers who want to learn more.
Overall I liked the book and found myself questioning my spending habits duri...more
It's a fascinating premise, and there are lots of interesting nuggets of information in this book. But it drags, it really, really drags. While carrying the book around and reading it in various locations, I had at least half a dozen people tell me that they'd picked it up but never finished it. And I totally understand why.
On the upside, the book put the current financial crash into perspective for me by illuminating how Americans have outspent their income pretty much since the Pi...more
On the upside, the book put the current financial crash into perspective for me by illuminating how Americans have outspent their income pretty much since the Pi...more
The author relates the history of frugality in the United States. She traces its journey from its beginning in colonial America and follows the it through modern times. What I most enjoyed about this book was its accessibility. Although the author does not delve deeply into any of the topics it broaches in relation to cheapness, it is a great overview for anyone interested in discovering what it means to be "cheap," either by choice or by circumstance. The down-side is that I often did...more
Very interesting read. It reviews the role of thriftiness or cheapness, whichever term you prefer, over the course of this country's history. Seems like someone has always extolled its virtues and demanded we get back to living more frugally without spending so much on stuff. Especially eerie were chapters four and five that are very similar to the times we live in now. Liked the wrap-up looking at the psychological reasons and explanations as well as the fact that its up to each individual t...more
The book is very dry. The author retells the history of Americans and thrift/cheepness, but offeres no new insight. The best parts are the beginning and the end which are present day and talks about her and her father's thriftiness, and members of compact, freegans, cheapskates, and other people who dedicae their lives to simplicity and frugality. Both parts are slim and the author only delves in depth into the freegan envirnoment, so I was underwhelmed.
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Lauren Weber is thorough without becoming dull and she manages to make her history lessons relevant. Half the book is spent putting cheapness in American historical context and half the book describing contemporary forms and motivators for cheapness. I especially liked that she included a section that provides resources for those looking to strengthen their thrifty muscles.
This is an interesting read, about how the virtue of frugality is not something that comes easily or often to people. It is an historical trip from the past to the present and has some surprising facts about spending and how and why people do or don't do it. Apparently, being cheap can be as intoxicating as being a spendthrift.
well worth reading (or skimming some parts). a fascinating overview of our country's uneasy relationship with money, either spending too much or too little. You can obviously over spend or be too cheap, but the author presents a compelling argument for living well below your means, so you can be generous in meaningful ways.
A thoughtful social history of America's schizophrenic attitude to thrift. Excellent writing and compelling chapters on thrift and the Founding Fathers, government-sponsored saving during wartime and the current day return to thrift during the post-Bush economic meltdown. Weber has a real talent for breaking down economics for the average reader.
This was a bit more academic than I was expecting (based on hearing an interview on NPR). I wished it had more about psychology and modern attitudes towards cheapness/thrift. Mainly, it focused on the history of thrift in America. Interesting book and well-written, but I found myself skimming most of it..not the most compelling bedtime reading.
Being a frugal Yankee myself, I enjoyed reading this history of the "virtue" and get some insights into my own and my family's personality traits...It also touched on the manipulations of ad men and the government (war-time influences) on our culture's attitude toward's frugality. Nothing is ever simple.
Weber's research on the topic of thrift is exhaustive. I found the book exhausting- I was drowning in dry details. Can one slog through a dry book? If so, that's what I did here. The introduction was funny, where she talked about her cheap upbringing. I would really like to read a memoir from her.
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