Thrifty by Marjorie Harris

About Marjorie

Marjorie Harris has been called a "force of nature" and "a survivor with a will of iron and a heart of gold." At an early age, she learned how to live an independent life on very little. Born in Shaunavon, Saskatchewan, Harris lived in Goose Bay, Labrador, Vancouver, Hamilton, and Toronto, where she eventually settled as a freelance writer and became the modern-living editor at Maclean's, covering food, fashion, and design. She is now considered the country's best-known gardener. She is the national gardening columnist for the Globe and Mail, and the author of several gardening books. She lives the rich but frugal life in Toronto, with her husband, writer Jack Batten.

Visit Marjorie's official website.

Q&A with Marjorie Harris

Q: Why is living a thrifty life so important to you?

A: I grew up in a family that believed in being thrifty by both nature andnecessity. The idea of waste was horrifying to my parents who had lived with true deprivation (both being immigrants) and in a lower-middle-class life we didn't starve but there wasn't a lot of money to throw around either. We automatically recycled everything: food, clothing, furniture. 

Q: What do you hope readers will take away from your book?

A: A feeling that it's both fun to be frugal, and that it's not all aboutdeprivation. And if you do it with some style, you'll feel really good about the way you live.

Q: Which thrifty tip do you put to use most often?

A: I ALWAYS take 10 percent of what I bring in on any level into a savingsaccount. This is my fallback money, bridging financing. I trust nothing to chance.

Q: If you had to choose the most important thrifty tip in the book, what would it be?

A: Don't confuse being thrifty with being cheap. Being cheap means notunderstanding the real value of money; being frugal means knowing thereal value of stuff.

We all have too much stuff anyway. Get rid of a third of it, someone else needs it more than you do.