Savin' Money and Lovin' Life

I just finished reading a fabulous book titled Orchids on Your Budget by Marjorie Hillis.  It is, by far, the sassiest, suave and fashionably savvy book on budgeting I have ever read, down to the wonderful illustrations and handy pocket-size. It was originally published in 1937, but I found it to be very relevant to 2010 - all you have to do is replace The Great Depression with the Economic Crisis that the USA, and the rest of the world, are currently crawling out of and the rest of it rings true.  Below are some of my favorite excerpts.

Written by a woman who worked for Vogue for 20 years...could be called Your Guide to Fabulous for Less!

From the chapter "Pleasure Dress":
"A cheap dress worn with good accessories will fool more people than an expensive dress worn with cheap accessories"

"Any wardrobe that hasn't at least one dress that makes you feel as pretty and as elegant as you can possibly feel is a wash-out."

From the chapter "Can You Afford a Husband?"
"The Smart Poor do not pretend to be rich, which makes everything different.  Once you give up struggling to fool people, you can have a lot more fun on very little money.  You can live in a funny flat in a poor city neighborhood or a remodeled barn in the country.  You can go to cheap foreign cinemas and boast about it, instead of skimping in order to be seen at the Opera.  You can hunt up bargains in clothes and rip off the gewgaws and - if you have the flair and figure - look like a million dollars.  And on the other hand, you can buy orchids when you need a new rug and, if you feel like it, get yourself a husband instead of a bank account"

From the chapter "You Have to Eat"
"There may be those who can get along on peanuts and dates eaten at odd hours, but it is our inexpert opinion that they are queer ducks who like what it does to their ego more than they dislike what it does to their health"


Next on the reading list?  Her other book titled Live Alone and Like It: The Classic Guide for the Single Woman.  As a newly single bachelorette I think this book will be just the ticket!

Cover of Live Alone and Like It

Me at age 2(?) - I was born ready for the bachelorette life!