Few things are more enjoyable than curling up with a great novel and getting lost in a wonderful story that takes place between the pages. It’s even better when those characters are relatable, acting in ways and taking actions that inspire us to make changes in our own lives.
Readers can even find inspiration in frugality from the characters in great novels. There are many great literary characters who live budget-conscious lives while remaining realistic and inspirational, and those characters can nudge us to make better frugal choices ourselves.
Here are six great book characters that demonstrate frugality in their fictional lives — and how you can apply their strategies to your own life in the real world.
[A heads-up: Some of these character descriptions contain spoilers.]
[Read: How to Get the Most Value From Reading a Personal Finance Book.]
Molly Weasley. The matriarch of the Weasley clan in J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter” novels is a paragon of frugal living. Even with the ability to conjure up items with her magical abilities, she and the rest of her clan are careful with their resources. They live in a simple home, don’t indulge in expensive items and still nurture a wonderful family with open and caring hearts. The Weasley matriarch shows us that frugality doesn’t have to be about selfishness and scraping together every penny for your own benefit. It is often about giving all you have to make sure the people you love have all they need.
Silas Marner. The title character in George Eliot’s famous novel goes through a series of ups and downs that are easily recognizable today. Readers can find their hearts going out to Marner. He starts off as devoutly religious, only to be falsely accused of theft. This causes him to become a loner who is extremely careful with his money, only to find all of his accumulated wealth stolen. He’s about to give up on humanity until he finds an orphan who changes his life … and you’ll have to dig in to “Silas Marner” to find out more about his journey. From Marner, we can learn that frugality is more than just hoarding money in your pocket. Rather, it often becomes a way of seeing the world and perceiving what things are really worth.
[Read: 5 Timeless Pieces of Financial Advice from Greek and Roman Philosophers.]
Bilbo Baggins. The main character of J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit” adores simple pleasures. He enjoys his garden, a good meal and a quiet day at home almost more than anything else. He lives in an inherited family home and well within modest means until he finds himself incredibly wealthy (thanks to a dragon and some mythical dwarfs) near the end of the novel. Even after he earns his riches, he maintains a modest and quiet lifestyle. Not only does Baggins show that there is much joy in a simple life, he also demonstrates that a big financial windfall doesn’t mean that you need to inflate your lifestyle. Often, your life is perfectly joyful just the way it is.
Jack Reacher. The main character in a series of thriller novels by Lee Child, beginning with “Killing Floor,” might seem like a surprising choice for this list. After all, he’s a former Army major who spends his time digging into suspicious situations. If you look a little deeper, however, you’ll often find Reacher budgeting his limited resources carefully. He has minimal possessions, finds ways to maximize every dollar, gets a ton of mileage out of the simple pleasures in life, dresses simply and cleanly and makes do with almost no money at all. Reacher shows us that heroes don’t drive fancy cars or wear expensive suits or stand out from the crowd. Often, great heroes are incredibly humble in their actions and their possessions.
[See: Dear Younger Me: 12 Financial Truths We Wish We Knew Earlier.]
Wilkins Micawber. A significant character in the novel “David Copperfield” by Charles Dickens, Micawber befriends young Copperfield and goes on to help him significantly throughout life, even playing a key role in unmasking his rival’s unethical behavior. Micawber is a literary poster child for learning to avoid debt, as made clear in his famous quote from the book: “Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen six, result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pound ought and six, result misery.” Micawber’s financial struggles and honest nature make for a character you can’t help but root for. Micawber is a walking advertisement for the value of spending less than you earn, as every struggle in his earlier life comes from overspending and his later improvement in standing comes from adopting that principle.
Katniss Everdeen. The heroine “The Hunger Games” novels by Suzanne Collins practices frugality both inside and outside of the Games themselves. Before the Games begin, her family lives a frugal lifestyle, having to manage their limited resources in clever ways just to make ends meet. Once she’s in the Games, she’s effective at getting every last bit out of the resources she has, finding a way to get some of the Cornucopia of goods for survival without putting herself at too much risk, then getting as much mileage as possible out of those items. Everdeen exemplifies the creativity inherent in frugality. In making do with whatever you happen to have on hand, you can meet your needs (and most of your wants) with just the simplest things.
These characters find themselves at the center of many of the most beloved novels of yesterday and today, yet they all practice frugal behavior. They’re careful with their money and their resources, enjoy the simple pleasures in life and don’t give in to society’s temptations to spend more on unnecessary items, while also often performing heroic and caring deeds. Curl up with these novels and you’ll be both entertained and inspired.
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Learn How to Manage Money From These 6 Frugal Book Characters originally appeared on usnews.com
