As a child, John D. Rockefeller's mother would preach frugality to he and his siblings. One of her favorite sayings was, "Willful waste makes woeful want." This followed him into adulthood. Rockefeller hated needless waste. Two stories speak to this hatred.

Shortly after purchasing his first home in Cleveland, Rockefeller wanted to expand his gardens. So, he purchased the adjoining lot. He didn't particularly like the look of the house on this lot so he immediately saw to getting rid of it. He decided to donate it to a new girls' school being built a block away. Rockefeller had the house lifted onto dozens of greased logs and rolled it down the street.

On another occasion, Rockefeller was inspecting a Standard Oil plant in New York City. Cans of kerosene were being soldered shut before being shipped all over the United States. He asked the engineer, "How many drops of solder do you use on each can?" "Forty," the engineer replied. "Would you mind having some sealed with thirty-eight drops and let me know?" The engineer used thirty-eight drops of solder, found that a few leaked. Rockefeller then advised him to try thirty-nine drops. None of the cans leaked. "That one drop of solder," said Rockefeller, "Saved $2,500 the first year."