Etiquette For The Non-Consumer Set
The following is a reprint from a previously published post. Enjoy!
I love books.
Big books, little books and most everything in between. But I'm able to mostly able to satisfy this craving with my handy-dandy library card.
But there are a few books I must own for myself:
- The Complete Tightwad Gazette, by Amy Dacyczyn
- A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, by Betty Smith
- Joy of Cooking, by Irma Rombauer and Marion Rombauer Becker
- Any book by Judy Blume
- Etiquette: The Blue Book of Social Usage, by Emily Post; 1942 edition.
I picked this massive book up at a thrift store god knows when, and it sits proudly in a prime spot right next to the fireplace. I find it very interesting to read up on what was considered important just a scant 67 years ago, plus it's simply a cool looking book.
I was leafing through Mrs. Post's infinite wisdom this evening when I came across this passage under the subject of "Modern Man and Girl:"
"To every thoroughbred, money is like his toothbrush -- it is a necessity, quite true! But it is neither an object for worship nor for display! One great thing that these past years of depression may do is to give us back our sense of intrinsic worth and our standards of culture, which were temporarily lost sight of in the rated-by-money era of the great inflation!"
This quote could be lifted out of a hundred modern day articles, yet comes from a 1942 book that also features an entire chapter on The Debutante. The notion that lean times can lead one to intrinsic worth is an idea that is core to simple living.
Some teachings are too classic to ever go out of style.
Now if I can just figure out all the complicated expectations for the 41-year-old debutante.
Katy Wolk-Stanley
"Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without"
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Another book, as pertinent now, as when first written -- The Frugal Housewife: Dedicated to Those Who Are Not Ashamed of Economy, by Lydia Marie Child, 1830. "The true economy of housekeeping is simply the art of gathering up all the fragments, so that nothing be lost. I mean fragments of time as well as materials. Nothing should be thrown away so long as it is possible to make any use of it, however trifling that use may be."
That's a fantastic quote.
Since you're a Judy Blume fan, perhaps you'll enjoy this one:
http://images.icanhascheezburger.com/completestore/2008/6/24/areyoutherec128587922673737236.jpg
Here's a book I think you'd like: Little Heathens, by Mildred Armstrong Kalish. It's about growing up on a farm in Iowa durring the Depression and will really appeal to your frugal nature. And you're right about the valerian, although there are two varieties. The one I was thinking of is the one that provides the sleep aid supplement.
"A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" is one of my all-time favorite books! Finally acquired a hardbound copy 🙂
Love it!!
You just can't beat _The Joy of Cooking_! I have my grandmother's copy.
I'm fond of Peg Bracken's I Try To Behave Myself.
These are all great book suggestions, perfect for summertime!
Katy
Where we live makes a big difference to both our spending and our sense of intrinsic worth. I think that living in SE Portland, as both you and I do, helps us keep our focus on our intrinsic worth (and spend less than if we lived, for example, in NYC).
And what am I currently reading? A nonfiction book called "The Man Who Quit Money". I think I'll add it to the Books I Love page of my website, under the category 'Progressive Takes On Money'. I wouldn't want to live as he does -- but he is so free inside himself that it makes me feel more free to read about him.
If you like that, you might love the story of her life. Far from being an uptight prude as some project, she was rather daring for her era. I loved this book!! Need to get it (from the library) and read it again! http://www.amazon.com/Emily-Post-Daughter-Mistress-American/dp/0812967410