I would be remiss in my journey of learning contentment if I didn’t talk about finances. All those words that spring to mind—saving money, frugal living, economical, simple living, thrifty, budgeting—some are decidedly more appealing than others. But the most charming expression for dealing with this topic comes from a favorite book, Cranford, by Elizabeth Gaskell. The term, “elegant economy” is described by the narrator as something practiced with fervor by the genteel middle aged widows & spinsters living in a sleepy little village in the middle of the 19th century. The story glides gently along, but the daily lives and wonderfully vivid personalities and quirks of these worthy women…
