Count Alexander von Schönburg knows what he is writing about, as his family has gradually become poorer over the course of five centuries. The author wittily and convincingly proves that it is not at all necessary to spend a lot of money on clothes, housing and a car. The quality of life is improved by the correct attitude to the so-called priorities. The real luxury lies not in owning a lot of things, but in the ability to refuse unnecessary ones. A. von Schönburg's book is a protest against consumerism mania and a story about the ability to be happy when the wallet is almost empty.