Frugal French

When I started on the French Chic journey I almost singlehandedly plunged us into debt. I thought I had to have all the books, beauty treatments and accoutrements (La Bonne Cuisine de Mme E. Saint-Ange, check, at $40.00/expensive cream from Jane Seybroyen to cleanse my face, check, at $100/Lampe Berger, check, at $120. etc). What I know now is that the French, while epitomizing chic, are among the most thrifty people in the world. And that is another thing I love about them - they don't make economizing look painful and cheap - they elevate it to the height that they are seen as being super discriminating about EVERYTHING they bring into their lives. Not cheap, not thrifty, not flintskints, not tightwads - but discriminating consumers seeking only the best. As a result of war and scarcity, they use every part of an animal for cooking. Many of us would run screaming from pig knuckles and tongue, snails and tripe. The French make them into sought after delicacies. They might buy one terrific skirt and wear it forever - maintaining a stable weight (bien sur) so they always fit into it properly - perhaps having it tailored to fit perfectly, or altered slightly to better express their fashion personality. Maybe she'll change the buttons on a sweater to alter the look rather than buy a new one. Take her beloved shoes to the cobbler for an overhaul.
Now that I am focused on eliminating our debt I took La Bonne Cuisine to Half Price Books (it's such a big cookbook that I think shipping via Amazon would be counterproductive) and they offered me fifty cents!! Needless to say I brought it back home and began to really think about what I've learned from the French concerning thrift and I'm going to make it a point to economize a la Francaise. Not a penny pincher will I be, but a discriminating consumer in every thought, word and action.