Thrifty Beatnik

A 'Thrifty Beatnik' is a term used to describe someone who describes a person who strives to remain educated, affluent and fashionable on a minimal budget regardless of class, age or background. Examples include Milo Minderbinder in "Catch 22" and, to a lesser extent, Cosmo Kramer from Seinfeld in "The Bottle Deposit". Unlike a Recessionista, it is also a term to describe those who reject consumerism and shop second hand for books, clothing and art rather than justifying newly made products by carbon offsetting.
In Literature
The writer Jack London is the epitome of the term. From a working class family in San Francisco he worked 12 to 18 hours in menial and unskilled labour whilst never losing his enterprising spirit or intellectual enthusiasm for reading and writing.
 
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