The Art of Money Getting by P. T. Barnum

The Art of Money Getting by P. T. Barnum

THE ART OF MONEY GETTING
In the United States, where we have more land than people, it is not at all 
difficult for persons in good health to make money. In this comparatively new field 
there are so many avenues of success open, so many vocations which are not crowded, 
that any person of either sex who is willing, at least for the time being, to engage in any 
respectable occupation that offers, may find lucrative employment.
Those who really desire to attain an independence, have only to set their minds 
upon it, and adopt the proper means, as they do in regard to any other object which 
they wish to accomplish, and the thing is easily done. But however easy it may be 
found to make money, I have no doubt many of my hearers will agree it is the most 
difficult thing in the world to keep it. The road to wealth is, as Dr. Franklin truly says, 
“as plain as the road to the mill.” It consists simply in expending less than we earn; that 
seems to be a very simple problem. Mr. Micawber, one of those happy creations of the 
genial Dickens, puts the case in a strong light when he says that to have annual income 
of twenty pounds per annum, and spend twenty pounds and sixpence, is to be the most 
miserable of men; whereas, to have an income of only twenty pounds, and spend but 
nineteen pounds and sixpence is to be the happiest of mortals. Many of my readers 
may say, “we understand this: this is economy, and we know economy is wealth; we 
know we can’t eat our cake and keep it also.” Yet I beg to say that perhaps more cases 
of failure arise from mistakes on this point than almost any other. The fact is, many 
people think they understand economy when they really do not.
True economy is misapprehended, and people go through life without properly 
comprehending what that principle is. One says, “I have an income of so much, and 
here is my neighbor who has the same; yet every year he gets something ahead and I 
fall short; why is it? I know all about economy.” He thinks he does, but he does not. 
There are men who think that economy consists in saving cheese-parings and candle-

ends, in cutting off two pence from the laundress’ bill and doing all sorts of little, mean, 
dirty things. Economy is not meanness. The misfortune is, also, that this class of 
persons let their economy apply in only one direction. They fancy they are so 
wonderfully economical in saving a half-penny where they ought to spend twopence, 
that they think they can afford to squander in other directions. A few years ago, before 
kerosene oil was discovered or thought of, one might stop overnight at almost any 
farmer’s house in the agricultural districts and get a very good supper, but after supper

he might attempt to read in the sitting-room, and would find it impossible with the 
inefficient light of one candle. The hostess, seeing his dilemma, would say: “It is rather 
difficult to read here evenings; the proverb says ‘you must have a ship at sea in order 
to be able to burn two candles at once;’ we never have an extra candle except on extra 
occasions.” These extra occasions occur, perhaps, twice a year. In this way the good 
woman saves five, six, or ten dollars in that time: but the information which might be 
derived from having the extra light would, of course, far outweigh a ton of candles.
But the trouble does not end here. Feeling that she is so economical in tallow 
candies, she thinks she can afford to go frequently to the village and spend twenty or 
thirty dollars for ribbons and furbelows, many of which are not necessary. This false 
connote may frequently be seen in men of business, and in those instances it often 
runs to writing-paper. You find good businessmen who save all the old envelopes and 
scraps, and would not tear a new sheet of paper, if they could avoid it, for the world. 
This is all very well; they may in this way save five or ten dollars a year, but being so 
economical (only in note paper), they think they can afford to waste time; to have 
expensive parties, and to drive their carriages. This is an illustration of Dr. Franklin’s 
“saving at the spigot and wasting at the bung-hole;” “penny wise and pound foolish.” 
Punch in speaking of this “one idea” class of people says “they are like the man who 
bought a penny herring for his family’s dinner and then hired a coach and four to take 
it home.” I never knew a man to succeed by practising this kind of economy.
True economy consists in always making the income exceed the out-go. Wear 
the old clothes a little longer if necessary; dispense with the new pair of gloves; mend 
the old dress: live on plainer food if need be; so that, under all circumstances, unless 
some unforeseen accident occurs, there will be a margin in favor of the income. A 
penny here, and a dollar there, placed at interest, goes on accumulating, and in this 
way the desired result is attained. It requires some training, perhaps, to accomplish 
this economy, but when once used to it, you will find there is more satisfaction in 
rational saving than in irrational spending. Here is a recipe which I recommend: I have 
found it to work an excellent cure for extravagance, and especially for mistaken 
economy: When you find that you have no surplus at the end of the year, and yet have 
a good income, I advise you to take a few sheets of paper and form them into a book 
and mark down every item of expenditure. Post it every day or week in two columns, 
one headed “necessaries” or even “comforts”, and the other headed “luxuries,” and you 
will find that the latter column will be double, treble, and frequently ten times greater 

The Art of Money Getting by P. T. Barnum