Thrift is poetic
Thrift is the really romantic thing; economy is more romantic than extravagance. Heaven knows I for one speak disinterestedly in the matter; for I…
Read More1.3 Thriftiness
A story of yogurt: The path from frugality to richness
Editor’s note: Each Thursday, we feature a throwback piece from Topology’s predecessor, catapult magazine. In this essay, Laura Menze traces the origins of a…
Read MorePurchase substitutes
Once we have sacrificed our time to the extractive economy, there is even more money to be made, because we now must use our…
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The mad and the mundane
According to Google (and who would ever argue with them…it?), thrift reached its zenith sometime just before the Great Depression and has been in…
Read MoreSimply a tool
Money is simply a tool. We use money as a proxy for our time and labor—our life energy—to acquire things that we cannot (or…
Read MorePea-Shelling Pantoum
Raindrops’ procession percussion on porch metal awning matches the cadence of empty soldier-green hulls striking the timpani-tight bottom of No. 2 washtub as our…
Read MoreAt a loss
Without a supermarket, fast-food joint, gas station, prescription drugs, shopping malls and television, many Americans would be at a loss for how to meet…
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Original thrift
Ma was boiling molasses in a pan. When Laura’s kettle was full of popped corn, Ma dipped some into a large pan, poured a…
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