Lauren Weber grew up with a father who rationed toilet paper and rarely used his car's turn signals (to prevent them from burning out). She was formerly a staff reporter at Newsday and Reuters, and has also written for the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and other publications.
Are cheapskates born or made?
We all want to understand ourselves a little better, preferably without spending a fortune in therapy. So I’m not surprised to find that my chapter on “Cheapskate Psychology” has elicited the most response from readers. In it, I delve into Freud’s theory that cheapness springs from unresolved potty-training issues, along with some of the latest behavioral economics research on “tightwads vs. spendthrifts.” Turns out that the future feels closer for cheap people — we sense challenges or outright crises around every corner, and so we’re compelled to save money just in case.
Adam Sternbergh, a reporter at New York Magazine, used my book and my family’s example as a jumping-off point to investigate whether cheapskates are born or made…. and he comes to the conclusion that frugality might be a character trait similar to shyness, in the sense that it’s something we’re born with. You can shift your habits/psyches a few degrees through conscious effort, he says, but basically, if you’re cheap, you’re cheap, and you’re always gonna be that way.
PS: The article is illustrated with a family photo from my brother’s bar mitzvah, circa 1982. Note the giant specs, the wall hanging in back, and my dad’s Gabe Kaplan Jewfro. The racy picture of the naked lady was painted by my grandfather.
Posted by Steve Jaworski, October 28, 2009 at 5:17 pm |
Steve! Wonderful to hear from you, and thanks for writing. I’ll transfer this over to email so we can properly reminisce about junior high school.
Posted by lauren, November 30, 2009 at 10:12 am |
Recent publications
In Cheap We Trust
The Story of a Misunderstood American Virtue
Little, Brown and Co.
Sept. 7, 2009
You can probably find the book at your local library. But if you'd like your own copy, you can buy it at
Wow, I guess I’m stuck in my cheapskateness! Your work is fascinating me as I read through your blog, listening to your interview. Some great thoughts. Hope all is well for you. Found you when a funny thought from junior high popped into my brain. -Steve