I once kept a ledger where every farthing was recorded, yet I found myself spending much on trifles that pleased only my vanity. One evening, I bought a new coat of fine cloth because it looked well in the mirror, though my old one served me perfectly. That night, by the candlelight, I marked the error in my list of virtues. I realized that true frugality is not about hoarding coin but ensuring every shilling spent brings some benefit to another or to my own station in life.

What do you ask of yourself before you close your books? Do you have a place for each tool in your workshop so you never waste time searching for them when work calls? Do you check that no meal is thrown away and no word spoken serves only to amuse rather than instruct? Begin tonight by examining one small act of waste you can correct, then resolve to perform without fail what you have resolved.