The Thrift Book: Live Well and Spend Less - India Knight

This book was first released in hardback in 2008 at a time when everyone was starting to tighten their purse strings. Knight is a popular journalist for The Times who has previously co-written the "Idiot Proof" diet books. I will say early on, that this is aimed at women. Knight begins her book by pronouncing her love of 'thrift', emphasis on 'thrift' rather than tightness or frugality. Her philosophy is that 'thrifty' principles can be incorporated with notions of simplicity, and getting back to nature whilst embracing modern ideas and technologies and how these can make life easier. This is refreshing, as some naysayers would otherwise ...  Read the complete review

I have a of fair amount of credit card debt to clear and was given this book at Christmas by a good friend. I guffawed a little and thought it was a bit of a joke - however when I curled up with it on 1st January 2009, I began to see that there was light at the end of the tunnel, without huge compromises ! Its written by India Knight and its really upfront, straightforward approach to living a happier, more fulfilled life on less money. I particularly loved the fact that she has been so honest about her own debt situation - this is a woman who had 2 books in the top 100 booklists in the UK..... and also had demand letters coming ...  Read the complete review

Finding ourselves in a declining economy, many of us are trying to curb our excessive lifestyles in an attempt to staunch the flow of money from our wallets - only to find that we have forgotten how to live frugally. The author, novelist and journalist India Knight, admits that cutting back is not an especially appetising prospect, but that after being served with bankruptcy papers, she realised that she had to get a grip on her finances. To her surprise, she found that she had developed a "new-found love of thrift," which did not mean that she had to compromise too much on her lifestyle. Knight's book on living well and spending less is divided ...  Read the complete review

At the moment, like many people I assume, I am addicted to saving money, and get unbridled, over-the-top pleasure each time I make a little saving somewhere. As a regular on money saving websites, I thought I would give this book a go and get some more tips. I found the book an interesting and witty read. Ms Knight has a comfortable and friendly writing style, which draws you in and makes the pages turn quickly. She draws on her own experiences as someone who is not that financially minded, and offers a plethora of tips, resources and perhaps previously unconsidered ideas to help you live frugally but, importantly, live well. She points out that she is not ...  Read the complete review

A perhaps unexpected offering from India Knight and a book that holds a lot of appeal in the current climate, it would be easy to hold the cynical view that she is simpy cashing in by jumping on the latest bandwagon. However, the book itself makes interesting reading and a brief description of India's own money troubles in the introduction (she admits that, despite not being poor by any means, she was hopeless with money and always in debt) soon convinced me that she was writing from experience and I soon began to find the book a really interesting read. Living within your means is a message that is being repeately reinforced by recent events and, lets face it, ...  Read the complete review