The Thrifty vs. the Spendthrift.

Two nights ago, NBC Evening News showed yet another of their reports on "Hard Times".
What was interesting and different this time was one couple of retirees who was "calmly riding out the storm". The reason?
They have always lived by an "old-fashion" idea of "not buying if you didn't have the money, and saving up til you got it". Wow! What a concept! It was refreshing but it had been ages since I saw something like that on American television.
A sign of changing times?