It took a world economic crisis, but people are finally seeing things my way: Thrifty is chic.

As 36-year-old San Francisco resident Cooper Marcus said in a New York Times article, "I'm frugal and loving it."

The article explains how people throughout the country in all social strata are cutting back and, as the Times puts it "outsaving the Joneses."

I don't enjoy hearing about failing banks and soaring unemployment rates. But if there is some icing on this unappetizing cake, it's that it's no longer necessary to hide frugality. More and more people really do seem to understand that cheap and chic aren't always mutually exclusive.

I tend to agree with Vicki Robin, the author of "Your Money or Your Life." I've never read the book, but based on her comment to the Times, I bet I would enjoy it.

“There is no joy in other people suffering," she said, "but this validates the choices I’ve made.”

I would exchange that validation for a sound economy in a minute. After all, thriftiness gets you only so far; you can save only the money you actually make. Thriftiness may provide a cushion, but it does only so much to break the fall.