Books like Tips for Meanies by Jane Thynne

Cheap. Cheap suit. Cheap date. Cheap shot. It's a dirty word, an epithet laden with negative meanings. It is also the story of Lauren Weber's life. As a child, she resented her father for keeping the heat at 50 degrees through the frigid New England winters and rarely using his car's turn signals-to keep them from burning out. But as an adult, when she found herself walking 30 blocks to save $2 on subway fare, she realized she had turned into him. In this lively treatise on the virtues of being cheap, Weber explores provocative questions about Americans' conflicted relationship with consumption and frugality. Why do we ridicule people who save money? Where's the boundary between thrift and miserliness? Is thrift a virtue or a vice during a recession? And was it common sense or obsessive-compulsive disorder that made her father ration the family's toilet paper? In answering these questions, In Cheap We Trust offers a colorful ride through the history of frugality in the United States. Readers will learn the stories behind Ben Franklin and his famous maxims, Hetty Green (named "the world's greatest miser" by the Guinness Book of Records) and the stereotyping of Jewish and Chinese immigrants as cheap. Weber also explores contemporary expressions and dilemmas of thrift. From Dumpster-diving to economist John Maynard Keynes's "Paradox of Thrift" to today's recession-driven enthusiasm for frugal living, In Cheap We Trust teases out the meanings of cheapness and examines the wisdom and pleasures of not spending every last penny.

Economics graduate and former businessman Mark Boyle spent a year living entirely without money, documenting his experiences of thrift, self‑reliant living and subsistence economics.

A practical guide packed with engaging activities, it helps girls learn budgeting, saving, and smart spending while offering fun, relatable stories that reinforce financial lessons.

Three best friends fight school cliques by burning mean‑girl slips, only to become mean themselves. With help from the local beauty shop owner, they must reverse the spell and restore their kinder, sweeter selves.

An accessible month‑by‑month plan that walks readers through classics from The Odyssey to Vanity Fair, offering insightful themes, character highlights, reading tips, and historical context.

Liz and Nate Thames trade city jobs for a 66‑acre Vermont homestead, achieving early retirement through conscious frugality and sustainable living. Their journey shows how joyfully spending below your means can lead to freedom, contentment, and a richer life.

Low Cost Living shows how ordinary Britons can boost their standard of living by saving money, cutting energy bills, and producing food at home – from gardening and chicken keeping to solar and wind power.

A practical guide that helps readers declutter, save money, and streamline their homes through step‑by‑step organization, reuse, and savvy buying habits.