Mr. Peasant On The Power Of Thrift

Farmer with Pumpkin, 1890 Charles Frederick Naegele

Industry, thrift and self-control are not sought because they create wealth, but because they create character.

CALVIN COOLIDGE

I stopped having money problems in my twenties. I didn't win the lottery or get a high paying job or an inheritance. I stopped going to school and settled into working for a living. From then on, I never lacked the money for what I needed in life. The underlying lesson is that I didn't need to pay for the education that was available for free at my local public library.

Once you understand how little this world has to offer, you end up saving a great deal of money. I knew this from an early age. Little boys grow up getting toy cars, boats, and BB guns. Little girls grow up getting doll houses and toy horses. Naturally, they end up wanting the real things as adults. What did I get growing up? I got a shovel and a lawnmower. I am actually grateful for this because it taught me that the real pleasures in life come from work and not from things. This is why I prefer tools to toys.

Hard work is the first element of the thrift equation. I recommend making hard work your sport and hobby. This saves you money you would blow on toys. It saves you money by doing things yourself. And, it makes you money when you work for a wage. And, if you can unlearn some bad programming, you find that work is fun. I find it more fun than flipping a Jeep over in the back country on the weekends.

Men get bored. With work, that boredom gets channeled into productive things while saving money on booze, toys, and spendy women. This is why hard work is essential to thrift because the greatest enemy of thrift is boredom. You won't be bored if you have work to do.

The second element of the thrift equation is simple living. Keep your needs few and your pleasures simple. I have the unearned reputation of not being much fun and being some kind of Puritan. The reality is that I don't think you need a Jeep, a bass boat, and a set of golf clubs to enjoy life. Looking at the rust and dust on those items in the many garages I have visited, I think many people will agree with me. These people buy the illusion of happiness and enjoyment instead of the real thing.

Happiness in this world is kinetic. This means that true pleasure comes from doing things and not owning things. You figure this out when you see an old fisherman fishing from a bridge with nothing more than a cane pole and a plastic bucket. Meanwhile, guys are slaving to make the payments on boats they don't have the time to use.

The Simple Life. Thomas McEwan, 1914

My simple pleasures are reading books, listening to music, watching a movie or TV show, and writing blog posts. Except for the blog posts, these are the same pleasures I enjoyed as a teenager in the 1980s. My lifestyle inflation has been virtually zero, and I am old enough to say that it will remain this way.

Hard work and simple living are what thrift is all about. Mrs. Peasant takes care of the coupons and the thrift store shopping. Mr. Peasant tries to not be a hole in the bucket of our finances. My ability to work has been greatly diminished due to injury, but I do what I can with what I have where I am at. God provides. The Peasants strive to be good stewards of what God has provided.

I think we live a relatively happy and peaceful life. I know that the wisest way to live is not in maximizing pleasure but in avoiding pain. I don't need a cruise or a second honeymoon. I just need to remain secure just like I am right now which is not being homeless or destitute. Thrift is what makes this possible.

Thank you for reading!

Peasants Proceeding to Their Work, 1924 Václav Brožík