This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK.
or whatever ball pit -itis you've contracted.
Amazon One Medical, healthcare just got less painful.
Bring spring to your door with Target Circle 360.
Get all you need for Easter hosting, spring get -togethers and more with unlimited same -day delivery through Target Circle 360.
From Easter basket goodies to fresh florals, getting everything the same day is easy.
Open the Target app and bring the magic of the season to your door with unlimited same -day delivery through Target Circle 360.
Visit target .com slash circle or the Target app for more details.
Subscription required.
Same day delivery is subject to terms. Applies to orders over $35.
This is a download from BBC Learning English.
To find out more, visit our website.
Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English.
I'm Neil. And I'm Sam.
Are you a saver or a spender, Sam?
Well, I'm trying to limit my spending right now because I'm saving up for a deposit to buy a house.
Saving money is not always easy, as we'll find out in today's programme, which is all about thrift. Thrift is not a simple idea to define.
It's to do with living a simple life free from the need to constantly buy the latest products.
Today's consumer culture encourages us to spend, spend, spend but it hasn't always been that way.
The Victorians, for example, told people to save up for a rainy day, meaning to keep some money back in case of unforeseen emergencies.
But before we discover more about that, it's time for today's quiz question.
If you're trying to save money, you probably know how hard it can be.
So my question is, What percentage of people in the UK do you think have less than £1 ,000 in savings?
Is it a.) 5%, b.) 15 % or c.) 30 %?
If I'm anything to go by, I'd say c.) 30%.
OK, well we'll find the correct answer out later.
I mentioned before that thrift is a difficult idea to define, so here's Alison Hume, a lecturer at the University of Northampton, – explaining more to BBC Radio 4's program, Thinking Aloud.
Well, there are two dictionary definitions of thrift. The older of the two comes from the word thrive – etymologically – and describes thrift as the ability to live well and to flourish, so it's that sense of human flourishing.
And the more recent definition is the one we are probably more familiar with, which is about frugality.
All of that said, it's been used historically, of course, by various people in various moments in various different places in very different ways and they've often had a social or religious agenda.
It seems the oldest definition of thrift has nothing to do with saving money and is connected to the verbs thrive and flourish, meaning to grow or develop successfully.
It was only later, with the Puritans, 16th -century English Christians, with a reputation for strict discipline that the meaning of thrift changed and became associated with frugality – being careful not to spend too much money or eat too much food.
The Puritans believed that being frugal was a religious virtue and that people ought to save money in order to give to others in need.
Later on the meaning of thrift changed again.
During the Victorian era, it was connected to the idea of managing your own money in order to be a responsible citizen.
Throughout history then there have been different versions of thrift. And this may be because different religions, or social groups, had their own agenda, a specific aim or reason for a particular group to do something.
For example, the Victorian definition of thrift was based on a social agenda about being a respectable member of society.
Ideas about frugality and thrift changed again during the Second World War, when the public was encouraged to avoid waste so that every material resource could go into the war effort.
And in the post -war period, it changed again as peoples' wealth and standard of living increased.
Here's Alison Hume again.
It's the idea that once people had enough to meet their basic needs, there was this moral slide into consumerism.
It's not a view that I subscribe to in a simplistic sense myself.
I think there's a very fine line to tread here.
There's no point denying that certainly in the developed world there's been a rise in consumer capitalism – that's just a truism.
but thrift hasn't declined.
In modern times people's motivation to savour and be thrifty declined once they had enough to meet their basic needs.
The basic necessities needed to survive – like food, clothes and shelter – and nothing extra.
Alison mentions that once these basic needs were satisfied, people moved away from thrift into consumerism – the desire to buy luxury products which were not absolutely necessary.
According to some, this created a moral slide – a decrease in the standards of behaving in good, fair and honest ways.
The rise in consumer capitalism we have seen around the world is an example of a truism – something that is so obviously true it's not worth repeating.
What is worth repeating is the quiz question, though, Neil.
Yes, I asked you how many British people had savings of under a thousand pounds?
And I said c, 30%. In fact, Sam, it's b, 15%.
No, so I guess I'm not such a bad saver after all.
OK, well today we've been talking about the changing meanings of thrift, an idea connected to frugality, being careful not to spend too much money.
The original meaning of thrift was to flourish, grow or develop successfully.
But that definition changed as different religious groups, like the Puritans, promoted their own agenda – aim or reason for a particular group to do something.
In recent times, people's ability to meet their basic needs – the necessities for survival like food and shelter – have reduced the importance of thrift, which some believe has created a moral slide – a reduction in standards of moral behaviour.
And the associated rise of consumer capitalism is an example of a truism – something that is obviously true and generally accepted by all.
That's all for now.
Join us again next time for more topical discussion and vocabulary.
Bye for now. Bye. 27th to March 6th.
2026. It's not just a cruise.
It's a country music experience at sea, an amazing lineup of performers.
Well, we're gonna be there.
The Bobby Boans show, I'm gonna be there.
Keith Urban, Lee Brice, Scottie McCreary, Parma Lee, LeAnne Rhymes, it doesn't end there.
We'll also be stopping in stunning destinations along the way.
Go to TopShelfCountryCruise .com to book any available stateroom.
Gotta hurry though.
These spots are fillin' up fast.
