Orchids on Your Budget: Or Live Smartly on What You Have

by Marjorie Hillis

First published in 1937, Orchids on Your Budget gives advice on all manner of subjects, from entertaining and creating the perfect capsule wardrobe to relinquishing the family estate. Lest you worry about how to put the advice into practice, each chapter concludes with a case study providing examples of women who heeded - and those lamentable souls who ignored - Marjorie's wise words.

'It's not difficult to have fun out of economising (up to a point), both because of the sense of achievement it gives you and because everyone else is doing it, too ... A slight financial pressure sharpens the wits, though it needn't sharpen the disposition. But it takes an interesting person to have an attractive ménage on a shoe-string and to run it with gaiety and charm ... Maybe you would rather play polo than pingpong, but if you've got an old pingpong set and no ponies, you'll get a lot more fun out of life from being a pingpong champion than from taking a dispirited whack with a polo mallet every now and then.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Fashion, Lifestyle, Money Management, Personal Finance, Reference

186 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1937

About the author

Marjorie Hillis was the second child of Annie Louise Patrick Hillis of Marengo, Illinois, and Dr. Newell Dwight Hillis of Magnolia, Indiana, both authors. Mrs. Hillis wrote The American Woman and Her Home (1911). Dr. Hillis was a famed, though sometimes controversial, clergyman who had served as pastor of Plymouth Congressional Church, Brooklyn, from 1899 to 1924. Miss Hillis had a brother, Richard Dwight Hillis (born 1888) and a sister, Nathalie Louise (born 1900). The Hillis' resided for many years in Brooklyn, New York. Dr. Hillis passed away in 1929, Mrs. Hillis not far behind in 1930.
Educated expensively at a private school for girls, Miss Dana’s in Morristown, New Jersey, Miss Hillis spent a year abroad before going to work for Vogue.

Hillis worked for Vogue for over twenty years, beginning as a captions writer for the pattern book and working her way up to assistant editor of the magazine itself. In 1936 she wrote Live Alone and Like It, the superlative guide for 'bachelor ladies'. Although determined to write a "how-to" book, Miss Hillis was not sure initially exactly what topic she would cover. She found that the “how to please a man” angle had already been pretty well covered, so decided to write about how a women living alone could have a “cheerful life.” The concept was a somewhat shocking one, and Miss Hillis found herself a media sensation. “Sophisticated Miss Hillis honestly believes there are advantages in a husbandless state!" one critic wrote. It was an instant bestseller and was followed by Orchids on Your Budget.

She was the champion of bachelor girls everywhere until she got married on August 1937 in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, to Thomas H Roulston, the widowed owner of a Brooklyn grocery store chain. She was 48 years old and many of her fans at the time were indignant considering her new status from Miss to Mrs a betrayal.

Reviews

[ALLEN · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unless we are stuck in the most straitened of circumstances, there's no reason why most of us can't enjoy the occasional bit of champagne, or scent, or luxury food. Or even travel and theater. Yet so many of us don't, either because we consign ourselves to living poor or because we expect others to come to our aid. In this 1937 follow-up to LIVE ALONE AND LIKE IT, journalist Marjorie Hillis strongly asserts the virtues of pluck and creativity in coming to our own defense, whether the solutions have to do with inexpensive home decor, shopping ethnic grocery stores. or championing artsy non-conformists. Case examples abound, all but three of whom are female. Despite this book's advancing age, its wit and assertiveness still make it stand out.

[Bloodorange · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not much to learn about budgeting from this one, although her tips on capsule wardrobe are excellent, and these on entertaining - pretty interesting.

I know Hillis also wrote an advice book for widows, although having read this and Live Alone and Like It I think I have a pretty good idea of what the advice might be.

[Renee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Note: I actually read Chronicle Book's reprint version (retitled Bubbly on Your Budget), but thought this cover had more personality. I believe the contents of both editions are the same.

I wanted to read this for 3 reasons:

1) I enjoyed author Marjorie Hillis' Live Alone and Like It. She has a no-nonsense style that's refreshing. As a Vogue editor, too, her version of thriftiness promised to be more glamorous than most.

2) Vintage advice books are fascinating. Their assumptions and concerns can reveal so much about everyday life for that era. This one (a budget book written in 1937, not even a decade after the Crash) seems esp. pertinent and ripe for comparisons.

3) I like being thrifty, and am always looking for saving tips.

After reading it, I recommend this book for the first two reasons. The practical advice is limited and dated, but the period details are fascinating and the author remains as no-nonsense as ever. If I can, I'll revise this review later with some excerpts.

[roguereader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written with a light-hearted, yet serious and knowledgeable tone, the small book goes through how to create a budget without living like a pauper. What I love is how Hillis stresses enjoying life - no matter your income, and how you can have a small income, yet be creative with how you manage your money so that you still enjoy life, don't feel too constrained, and live like you mean it. This book was written in 1937, during the years of the Great Depression, when people were struggling or tight on funds.

Hillis provides the argument that it's not how much you have that makes the life but how you manage what you have that makes all the difference. Her point is that everyone's poor, but not everyone has to live like it. With good management, planning, and resourcefulness, anyone can have their cake and eat it too - though in moderation. She's not pushing spending like a profligate - but also not supporting living like a pauper. Her aim: to be smart about your money and live the best life you can - all in style, all within budget, and all without missing out on the bubbly.

Of course, today's financial lives are a bit more complicated than what the book has to offer, and investing in bonds, like the author proposes, may not be the wisest financial move, but just for the glance into the 1930s is well-worth the read. Bubbly on your Budget is great for anyone looking for a common sense approach to simpler aspects of budgeting, a fun vintage and period piece, and/or a fun and bubbly author voice.

[Michele · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was written in the depths of the Depression as a guide to living through hard times. The author is a very amusing writer who clearly believes attitude is everything when faced with adversity. The first chapter is called "Well, who isn't poor?" matter-of-factly. Another asks "Can you afford a husband?". The writer is unfailingly witty as she considers various aspects of life during an economic downturn & offers advice that is still generally useful. She has a surprisingly modern approach to working women with none of the disapproval I remember from the 1950s when staying home was the thing to do. It's very entertaining to see this glimpse of a different way of life where servants were or had been commonplace & gay used to describe people or events instead of sexuality. I'll be on the look out for more books by this author.

[Hol]

I picked up this 1937 advice manual in the free book room after noticing, on the copyright page, that it was republished a year or so ago by Virago. The back cover of the new Chronicle Edition says "these tips have stood the test of time." This is untrue. Tips include: learn how to wash your own hair; buy tailored underwear rather than hemstitched (?) because it costs less and lasts longer; and when planning a dinner party, remember that "almost all men" love codfish balls. As a period piece, however, the book has some real interest. The best part is the penultimate chapter, titled "Nine Old Ladies," which presents case studies of women crafty and strong-minded enough to have ensured their independence in old age.

[Aneesa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as charming, timeless, practical or inspirational as the author's Live Alone and Like It, but I do love budgeting.

[Ginger K · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not nearly as entertaining as the author's 'Live Alone and Like It.' This particular self improvement piece is much more tied not just to a particular time, but to a particular class and culture. Also, the tone of this book is much more chiding women's magazine than clever and put-together friend. My budget certainly never stretched to the minimum standards set in the book, and there's really only so many times one can be told that one is impoverished and therefore beyond the scope of the budgeting book before it wears thin.

[Alexandria Blaelock · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is written in such an engaging style that it could almost have been written today. Ms Hillis offers the basic advice to stop whining and move on - things are not going to change unless you do something about it. Importantly, she asks whether you can afford a husband, or to give up entertaining.

Amusing, with delightful illustrations.

[LaRae☕️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a quirky look at “being a thrifty woman in London, and still affording a few frivolities,” written in 1937.

The budgeting advice is common sense, but the author’s style is sassy. There are some clever ways to live with verve on a shoestring. It is an interesting, quick read, leaving one with a feel for the era.

[Alice · Rating 2 out of 5]

First published in USA 1937. It had some interesting and amusing stories. There were a very few useful ideas. However, it wasn't really aimed at someone of limited means and is so dated as to render itself obsolete.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read and re-read this book, and enjoy it every time. I'd love to find some of her other books.

[K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Basically this is an advice book by and for Auntie Mame. Whats not to like?

[Lara Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Orchids on your Budget was a lifestyle book first published in 1936. I found this book so fascinating for my quest to enjoy my life because it was about just that with similar conclusions that I have discovered.

This book targets people of all levels of wealth with no apology even though it comes on the heels of the Great Depression. The writer talks about people with multiple cars and servants in the same breath as those who live in a “girl’s club” (dormitory) with a tiny wage. The point of the book in not to pretend to be rich but to make the most of what you have to enjoy each day to the fullest.

She talks about that your house and utilities should only cost you 20% of your income if possible (if you are very poor it will have to be higher), that food should only be 30% of your income (though I think food is cheaper today than it was then), and then you have taxes, charity, and savings, but your goal is to get your fun money to be as high as possible so that you can entertain friends and enjoy life.

In a time when a person did not expect to collect unemployment, NEVER had a credit card, and did not expect social security, a person was forced to live within their means or would have to miss meals and bills. The writer of this book still had the expectation that a person could look great with what we today call a capsule wardrobe, entertain friends at their house creatively, keep up a beautiful home decor with a little ingenuity, and feel content in whatever place in life they happened to be. As she very well puts it, “Even quite dull people can live smartly if they have plenty of money, and the money often makes them duller. A slight financial pressure sharpens the wits, though it needn’t sharpen the disposition. But it takes an interesting person to have an attractive menage on a shoe-string and run it gaiety and charm.”

[Julia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love, love, loved Marjorie Hillis' Live Alone and Like It and I've had a glance through her later Keep Going and Like It (for older women) which also looks like a winner. But this book? Give it a pass. The advice is so dated it is almost entirely useless and I have my doubts as to how useful it was back when it was first published in 1937. But really, I didn't read it for advice, I read it for the atmosphere and here too, the book let me down. The sparkling humor and wit from Live Alone and Like It are largely absent, the jokes seem strained, there's little charm. What happened, Marjorie? Did the publishers force you to write this book? Or were you, like everyone else, feeling the financial strain of the Depression and felt like you had to write *something*? Clearly, her heart was not in it.

[Cameron Toney · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was amusing, and interesting. A budgeting book from the era of the great depression, it is both very relevant to today, and an interesting historical document. For all the advise that can easily apply to your own modern budget, it also has references to ladies maids, ideas that you might need $40 to rent four room in New York City, and all sorts of details that are not relevant to today.
But, the underlying advise is decidedly sound, and there is no reason that, with a little thought, you cannot apply the good advise, full of gumption and spirit, and apply it to your life today.
After all, life is more that just surviving, and this guide reminds us all that we can have orchids and still stick to our budgets.

[C.G.Koens · Rating 4 out of 5]

I admit that I am surprised, and thoroughly enjoyed this little book. This post-Depression era writer has nailed the way I view budgeting and spending, and she's done it in a fun and unique way. If you can get your hands on a copy (or Kindle version) of this little book, do it. I'll end with a quote that stood out to me in the chapter titled, "Almost Balancing The Budget."

"The idea is to live within your means, and if you do it comfortably and without too much worry, the method and records seem unimportant."

[Krista · Rating 4 out of 5]

First published in 1937, the author's advice stems from experience with the Great Depression; we, of course, have our own contemporary parallel with the Great Recession. Some of the book, of course, is dated, and occasionally reads quite humorously--I especially chuckled over the chapter entitled "Can You Afford a Husband?". Overall, though, an entertaining look into the past with advice that is still relevant today.

[Susan W · Rating 4 out of 5]

I expected this to be an out-of-touch book about life with limited servants, but it actually has some sound advice. One thing the author mentions is clothing worn at home, and recommends an inexpensive house dress. Although that's dated information, it certainly has more flair than sweat pants & flip-flops.

[Anie · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's certainly a bit dated -- it's about 85 years old, after all -- but it's still a thoroughly enjoyable book, and still has quite a bit of advice that's relevant for anyone who's not worried about where the next meal is coming from but still wants to afford more good things in their life.

[Mayo · Rating 4 out of 5]

funny and cute little book

[Avid Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining

[Navya · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Can you afford a husband?

Well, can you?"


5 -stars, straight-away

[Marci · Rating 4 out of 5]

Naturally a little dated, but overall holds up surprisingly well. Some really rational budgeting advice that many would benefit from.

[Elena (bookinistka) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the spirit!

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Snarky, amusing, dubious final chapter, but overall enjoyable.

[Kylie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a really fun little read - basically a budgeting book for ladies from the 1930s. The author wrote for Vogue and it was very fashionable and witty.

[matty creen · Rating 3 out of 5]

ok enough

This was enjoyable but kind of a letdown too. Live Alone and Like It is SO great and I was hoping for more of that. The focus here is more on guys and dating.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Allison Becker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! Surprisingly these budgeting tips from 1937 still stand true! Super cute and funny read.