These books always surprise me as it just seems like common sense. My parents grew up working class in northern England through the Great Depression and passed on their rules of thrift and saving to me. My Mum would never use credit, my Dad gave his entire pay packet to her and was given an allowance for beer. But my Mum was not cheap for cheapness sake as she always bought the best she could afford....."because it lasts longer". My Mum and Dad had a comfortable retirement and left money to me and my brothers. I've taken my Mum's rules and used them to retire as a millionaire at 53 and I hope to pass at least a million on to each of my my three nieces when I die.
I think what you have to realize is that what was "common" when we were kids is no longer that "common".
for example like you, I grew up in the 60's and 70's. My parents did not have cc's. No one really did. I remember when my mom got her first store card. It was a HUGE deal. it was a store named "montgomery ward". all my aunts came over to gaze at this thing . Now I'm surprised at how many of my kids friends had cc's in high school. now of course their parents justify it by saying "what if they need money in an emergency" or "it's easier to keep track of how much they spend" and a kid having a cc is not inherently evil but it does send a certain message.
Also when I was a kid, societies emphasis was on saving. Does anyone remember how banks would give you a toaster if you opened up a savings account or anyone remember the old S&H green stamps? you got so many after making a purchase and then pasted them in this book to get a free reward.
Now we are a consumer spending based society. We go to the PHillies games in the summer, the nano second your kid walks through the turnstile he can get a "free" phillies cap if you sign up for a phillies mastercard. Kids see that and unless we explain to them that the "free cap" isn't really free, it's easy to see how they would get the idea of "credit=cool stuff".
I had to teach my kids budgeting. When I was a kid the banks were closed from friday evening to Monday morning. You got your check and whatever you had in your pocket you had to make it last because you weren't easily getting anymore.
My kids though did not have that lesson, they see me pull up to the ATM any time I want to get cash and after some really interesting comments I realized I needed to show them what goes on behind that magical machine.
Their "common" reality is instant cash. get paid on Friday, money is available thursday. lol. they don't have any clue about getting paid, depositing a check, waiting for the check to clear, then go shopping, yada yada yada.
So I love the book because of the fact that a lot of the stuff we considered "common" actually is really not all that "common" nowadays and needs to be taught.