Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1871-07-14
THE MANAGING WIFE.

Ezra Newton has just finished look
ing over his yearly accounts. Well" ="
asked his wife, looking up, how do
you come out ?"
81 find,n said her husband, that my
expenses during the last year have been
| thirty seven cents over thousand dol
lars"
"And your income has been thou
sand dollars p
eyes. | managed pretty well, didn't
IY'
"Do you think it managing well to
exceed your income p said the wife.
What's thirty-seveH cents p asked
Mr.. Newton, lightly.
Not much to be sure, but still some
thing. 1t seems to me that we ought
to have saved, instead of falling be-
hind"
"But how can we save on this salary,
Elizabeth ?'' We haven't lived extrava-
gantly. Still 1t seems to have taken it
ALL"
Perhaps there is something in which
we might retrench. Suppose you men
ton some of your items"
"The most important are house rent,
one hundred and fifty dollars, and arti-
cles of food five hundred dollars"
just half"
eyes, and you'll admit we can't re-
trench there, Elizabeth. | like to live
well. | had enough of poor board be-
fore | was married. Now, l mean to
live as we'll as [ can"
Still we ought to be saving up some
thing against rainy day. Ezra"
THAT would be something like car
rving an umbrella when the sun
Shines"
"Still it is well to have an umbrella
in the house,
~ can't controvert your logic, Eliza
beth, but I'm afraid we shan't be able
to save anything this year. When get
nv salary raised it will be time enough
to think of that
"Let me make a proposition to you,"
said Mrs. Newton. =" You say one-half
of your income has been expended on
articles of food. Are you willing to
allow me that sum for the purpose"
You guarantee to pay all bills out
of it?''
"Yes."
"Then [ will shift the responsibility
upon you with pleasure. But | can tell
you, beforehand, that you won't be able
to save much out of it,"
Perhaps not At any rate, | will
engage not to exceed it,"
That's well. shouldn't relish hav-
ing any additional bills to pay. AS l
am paid every month, | will at each
payment hand you half the money"
The different characters OF husband
and wife may be judged from the con
versation which has been recorded. MIR.
| Newton had but little prudence or fore
sight. he lived chiefly for the present,
| and seemed to fancy that whatever con-
tingencies might arise in the future he
would somehow be provided for. Now,
trust in Providence is a very proper
feeling, but there is good deal OF truth
in the old adage that God will help
those who help themselves.
Mrs. Newton, on the contrary, had
been brought up in family which was
compelled to be economical, and al
though she was not disposed to deny
herself comforts, yet she felt that it
was desirable to procure them at fair
price. The time at which this CONVEX
sation took place was at the commence
ment of the second year of their mar
ried life.
The first step which Mrs. Newton
took on accepting the charge of the
| household expenses was to institute the
practice of paying cash for all articles
that came under her department. She
accordingly called on the butcher and
inquired:
| "How often have YOU been in the
habit of presenting your bills, Mr.. Will
liams ?"
| "Once in six months" was the reply.
"And | suppose you sometimes have
bad bills ?"
"Yes, one-third of my profits, on an
average, are swept off by them"
"And you could afford, suppose, to
sell somewhat cheaper for ready mon
ey?"
eyes, and | would be glad if all my
customers would give me chance to do
So"
II will set them an example, then,"
said Mrs. Newton. Hereafter, what
ever articles shall be purchased of you
will be paid for on the spot, and we will
expect you to sell as reasonable as you
can"
| The arrangement was also made with
the others, who, it is scarcely needful
to say, were very glad to enter into
the arrangement. Ready money is
the great support of trade, and a cash
customer is worth two who purchase on
credit.
Fortunately Mrs, Newton had a small
supply of money by her, which lasted
till the first monthly installment from
her husband became due. Thus she was
enabled to carry out her cash plan from
the beginning.
Another plan which occurred to her
as likely to save expense, was to pur-
chase articles in large quantities. She
had soon saved enough from the money
allowed her to do this. For example,
instead of buying sugar few pounds
at time, she purchased barrel, and
so succeeded in saving a cent or more
on the pound. This, perhaps, amount
ed to but a trifie in the course of a
| year, but the same system carried
out in regard to other articles yielded
result which was by no means a
| trife.
There were other ways in which a
careful housekeeper is able to limit ex-