The gift of frugality

If there's something I’m grateful for, it’s the gift of frugality my parents passed on to me. Sure, I was born and raised in Haute-Savoie, France, where most folks were watching their pennies, and they had to, because when I was a kid, there was not much to spare; we were just poor. We think we also passed that virtue (yes, I mean that word) onto our children and hope it will remain in the family DNA for a few more generations… You see, our American experience has been the antithesis of a simple life. Most of our neighbors and fellow citizens have believed Madison Avenue’s message that in order to be whole you must consume hard and crumble under debts. Now, that the damage is done, it appears cool again to be frugal, but I doubt that it will last long unless it’s burned deep into one’s psyche. God, I’m so glad we’ll be forever frugal!