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The Thrift Book: Live Well and Spend Less [Hardcover]

India Knight
3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (66 customer reviews)

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Book Description

6 Nov 2008

Feeling poor because of recession? Feeling guilty because of global warming? Feeling like you'd quite like to tighten your belt, but aren't quite ready to embrace DIY macramé handbags?

No need to panic. Put down the economy mince and buy this book instead - it's a blueprint for living beautifully while saving money and easing your conscience.

India Knight (no slouch when it comes to extravagance) shows you how even a dedicated consumer and child of the more-is-more 1980s can mend her ways, embrace the New Thrift, and find her life - and bank balance - dramatically improved in the process. She will show you: How to make wonderful dinners with very little money; How to grow things; how to make jellies, chutneys and pickles and how to can vegetables and fruit; How to dress on a budget and still look fabulous - and what to do with your mum's old sewing machine; How to make the most of living in a community, from borrowing preserving pans (that's right, we're making jam) to starting a toy-swapping group; How to holiday in new and imaginative ways - with only the merest whisper of a carbon footprint; How to make your own fun, from crafts to making presents, from parties to affordable pampering; and finally...How to manage your money - because, frankly, it's about time we all got a grip.

Above all, India Knight will show you that saving money and tightening your belt doesn't have to feel like a penance - it can be both fun and glamorous (and a great deal more satisfying than buying the latest It-bag).

Try it - you have nothing to lose but your overdraft.



Product details

  • Hardcover: 272 pages
  • Publisher: Fig Tree (6 Nov 2008)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1905490372
  • ISBN-13: 978-1905490370
  • Product Dimensions: 16.1 x 2.7 x 22.4 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (66 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 73,254 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Product Description

Review

India Knight shows you how to say no to waste, save pots of money and look good while you are doing it (Sunday Times )

A joyous read, The Thrift Book might be the only surefire investment out there (Harper's Bazaar )

A blueprint for living well, however broke you are, with thrifty tips on looking fab, cooking, pampering and partying (Cosmopolitan )

A triumphant treat and a useful and sensible manual (Independent )

Brims with tips on how to live well on little cash (The London Paper )

Endearing and informative (Fay Weldon Observer )

Belt tightening at its most fun (Closer ) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

From the Author

Thrift is a book for anyone who's ever been a disaster with money and who'd quite like that to stop. It's for anyone who feels the need to tighten their belt and hunker down until the storm is over, but doesn't want to stop having fun or living graciously. It isn't a book called How To Be Tight, so anyone interested in gathering up all their elastic bands to turn into a marvellous rubber ball for the children's Christmas present might do better elsewhere. Nor is it a book called How To Be A New Puritan - my tips for having cheapo fun don't involve wearing a hair shirt and lying with your face turned to the wall, contemplating the sinfulness of shopping. Thrift is a book about all sorts of small (and some big) ways of saving money without feeling like your life's gone down the dumper, with precise advice (websites and so on) and recommendations. If you liked The Shops, I think you'll like this one: we're talking saving rather than spending, but the ethos is the same - it's about finding joy in small things, except this time around the small things are likely to be home-made or extraordinarily cheap.

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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
348 of 358 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars Patronising and disappointing 24 Nov 2008
Format:Hardcover
As a big fan of India Knight and someone who is actively trying to cut back I was delighted when I saw she had written this book. Having read it though I have to say I am quite disappointed. It's written in her usual entertaining style but the content consists mainly of patronising rubbish backed up by endless lists of websites which anyone good at Googling could have put together. It's also clearly aimed at townies/Londoners which is highly annoying for the rest of us. The suggestions for saving money seem to be split into three categories - a) things lots of people already do because they don't have much choice like taking a packed lunch to work or holidaying in the UK, b) 'trendy' ideas that people have actually been doing for years like making jam or handing down clothes and c) 'investment buying' such as the suggestion that you buy one Diane von Furstenberg wrap dress instead of 10 Primark tops which is all very well is you have £200 up front but that's not the case for most of us. She claims to advocate thrifty living but every chapter is packed with references to 'good' food (why do writers/chefs insist on referring to everything in this annoying way? - 'some good olive oil', 'some good bread' etc) and how you should buy organic/natural whether it's food or beauty products. She also contradicts herself, in one chapter suggesting we shop at Lidl because it's cheap then in the next advocating M&S (definitely not cheap) because of their environmentally friendly fishing policies. Most of the tips are common sense such as planning your shopping list and the stuff about joining the WI and knitting scarves for friends are just bandwagon jumping.... Read more ›
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20 of 20 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars TheThrift Book: Live Well and Spend Less 22 Feb 2009
Format:Hardcover
If you were a younger person than I, then perhaps this book would be of more interest. It was enjoyable, but a lot of the tips and hints are ones I already implement. This is probably more useful to those who have had a really nice life-style which has suddenly come to an end. It is still a well-put-together book, however, and a good read.
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102 of 106 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully written but... 21 Nov 2008
Format:Hardcover
Written by the wonderful India Knight,so i was looking forward to this book.Yes, it does have her usual humour and lovely language but I cant help feeling that she was more at home in The Shops- her incomparable book on where to buy almost anything.Funnily enough that tome has saved me from numerous expensive mistakes by directing me to the best place each time for quality and style.Sadly the Thrift book doesnt have the same infectious enthusiasm.It seems a bit rushed and lightweight- most of us know how to bake cakes or make jam.I can balance my chequebook because i have always had to! Its not a novelty for most of us. My childen have always worn handmedowns alongside their new clothes and we have swapped toys etc. Holidays in UK are the norm.I felt close to being patronised in parts of this book

Bandwagon? maybe. Well written- yes.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars Not India's best, but not all bad. 27 Sep 2009
Format:Paperback
I love India Knight's writing, adored The Shops, and was really pleased to get this book as a gift. But my feelings are mixed.

The bad points:
* Whatever IK says, this book is very London-centric, and where it's not London-centric, it's urban-centric. The country is where you go on your UK-based, money-saving holiday, not where you might actually live, apparently.
* If you need to save money because you're completely broke, i.e. to the point of being so worried about money that you cry, this book will be no help and you'll want to find the author and brain her with it.
* If you've been trying to be thrifty for a while, you'll be doing 50% of the stuff in this book already, and some of it you'll be doing more thoroughly than the author.
* Some of the really thrifty options are skirted over. For example, buying veg plants is a really pricey way of growing your own - seed is way, way cheaper, and also greener because it costs less to transport. And you can swap seeds with friends, making it even cheaper. But this is 'difficult' (it's not) so it's not explored.

The good points:

* The writing is warm, witty and engaging.
* The stuff about how bad excess consumption is, and how we need to conserve resources, and how good it is to share stuff, is all absolutely true and I'm glad someone is saying it.
* If you are having to cut back on the extras, this book may well make you feel better about it.
* If you are completely and utterly clueless about money then I can imagine this being really useful.
* If you sew, cook or knit then there are some really very good links to websites and blogs where you can get how-tos, free patterns and inspiration. For me, the web resources are the best bit of the book and well worth a few quid.
... Read more ›
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars An enjoyable read with some useful ideas 31 May 2009
Format:Hardcover
This was an enjoyable read, I read it cover to cover in an afternoon, and I'm now going back through it to pick out the ideas I can use in my everyday life. There are loads of great blogs and websites listed in the book for further reading on each of the subjects she covers.

A lot of the points India makes are things I already do, and so I think it's aimed at people who are more wasteful with money than I am. If you're already thrifty you might find this book to be stating the obvious, or even quite extravagant (suggesting Paris as a day trip, for example!) I actually found the lifestyle the book promotes to be aspirational rather than about 'cutting back'. Aspirational in a good wholesome way though, combining old-fashioned homemaking with contemporary environmental concerns.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars bit preachy on the website to check bits but thought provoking and...
I enjoyed it , it felt lie a real person trying these things , a lot of recipes would have been better in the appendix as they broke up the narrative
Published 13 days ago by Hectate
5.0 out of 5 stars Happy
This book was a present and it arrived in good time was of good quality and packed adequately. Very happy
Published 1 month ago by susan abdel-kerim
5.0 out of 5 stars Great for the coffee table
I really enjoyed reading this book as I found it knowledgeable and interesting on a variety of subjects I'd never considered before, especially the money section. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Sophie Sanderson
5.0 out of 5 stars Just had to buy this!
I borrowed a copy of this from the library, and wanted to keep it, but obviously it had to go back. So I checked Amazon, and there it was, for the usual amazing low price. Read more
Published 5 months ago by The Searcher
4.0 out of 5 stars Useful ideas
some useful ideas, and links to various suggested thrifty websites. A book you can keep and refer to over time
Published 6 months ago by T. Jennings
4.0 out of 5 stars The Thrift Book
The Thrift Book was well writen,funny and full of common sense advice. A nice gentle read, not preachy in the slightest
Published 12 months ago by mrs t
5.0 out of 5 stars Worthwhile read
India Knight writes with flair, enthusiasm and most importantly humour, this is not the first book by this same author that I have read and she is consistently on the ball and up... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Dollar
5.0 out of 5 stars A common sense book
I first bought this book a couple of years ago and found it a great read but I was too busy working full time to put much into action (such window boxes and going on thrifty... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Lara54321
5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining Thrift
Above all else, I enjoyed reading this book - it's very clear and amusing. Basically it is on the "introductory" side of thrifty living but ideal if that is what you are looking... Read more
Published 22 months ago by lylyth
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book!
This book just keeps giving! Full of helpful tips, not only on how to save money but on what to spend money on! Read more
Published on 13 Mar 2011 by R. Ward
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