David Blankenhorn and Andrew F. Kline string together an impassioned collection of essays, articles, and course syllabi from the last 150 years that defines thrift, reflects on its role in United States history, and stresses the importance of thrift as a positive daily virtue that needs to be revived.

Our debt culture has spiraled out of control, and in the wake of the Great Recession many families and individuals want to save money and climb out of debt. Blankenhorn and the Institute for American Values are working hard to bring thrift back into mainstream values and conversations. This book provides hundreds of examples of thrifty practices producing positive outcomes for communities small and large across America.