My Grade (So Far): Thrift

thrift: economical management; economy; frugality.

Prior to grading myself, I must admit I'm relieved my dictionary does not list "cheapness" as a synonym for thrift. Having been raised by people who were children of the Great Depression, my relationship with money has always been...complicated. And though I've never considered myself cheap or stingy, I suspect at times my "economical management" might have made me hold onto dollars a bit too tightly. In particular, I've never been too good spending on myself.

That aside, given the definition, I'm comfortable giving myself an "A" for thrift, at least so far. Aside from the modeling of my parents, coming of age in the 60's probably contributed to this strength. Possibly the biggest benefit derived from my lifelong thrift is the way it helped me save enough to pay for my daughter's college education, a source of genuine pride. What is your grade (so far) for thrift?

Having received just one suggestion (for optimism - covered in December 2012) in my last request for additional attributes to cover in this series, it may be time to wind down. Thrift represents the 35th attribute covered since the series began in February, 2012. If no other suggestions arrive and/or no ideas occur to me over the next few months, I may issue a final report card. In the meanwhile, I'd love it if a few of you joined me and shared your self-grades for some or all of the 35 I've covered.