Why did Nicholas II's wife try to save money on everything?

Alexandra Feodorovna, born Princess Alice of Hesse-Darmstadt, grew up in a small, modest court in Darmstadt, Germany. Her grandmother was the famous Queen Victoria of England, whose court was characterized by a puritanical spirit. It was precisely these years that shaped her attitude toward money. As Anna Vyrubova, the Empress' closest friend, once wrote: "Raised in a small court, the empress knew the value of money and therefore was frugal and thrifty."

The ladies-in-waiting recalled that the empress would mend the lace on an old dress, instead of ordering a new one. She consistently instilled moderation and thrift in her daughters. The Grand Duchesses slept on hard camp beds and took cold baths every morning. Dresses and shoes were passed down from older sisters to the younger ones. The empress herself, modest in her clothing and choice of hairstyles, did not allow her daughters to dress up.

Alexandra Feodorovna's diary contains the following entry: "Children must learn self-denial. They cannot have everything they want. They must learn to give up their own desires for the sake of others."

Historian Igor Zimin notes that this was not stinginess, but a habit ingrained in them from childhood.

The paradox of Alexandra Feodorovna was that she was obliged to spend a lot. In modern terms, this was part of her official duties. Her annual wardrobe budget was 40,000 rubles. This sum was equal to the annual income of the average landowner's estate. However, the most expensive item of her wardrobe was her 1896 coronation dress, which cost the treasury only 5,857 rubles.

However, these expenses accounted for only 15-17% of the empress' personal budget. Her annual state allowance was 200,000 rubles. A quarter went on her wardrobe, another quarter on gifts and the rest on charity, benefits and pensions.

The empress tried to use the money she saved to help those in need. When a famine struck Russia in 1898, she donated 50,000 rubles from her own funds to the victims. With the outbreak of World War I, the royal family's personal expenses were reduced to a minimum: all funds were directed to the needs of the front and hospitals.