Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-08-05
The Managing vic.

Ezra Newton had 'just finished looking over
his yearly accounts. Well" asked his wife,
looking up, chow do you come out?"
al find," said her husband, "that my ex-
penses during the last year have been thirty
seven cents over u thousand dollars"
"And your income has been a Thousand dol
larsp
eyes. managed pretty well, didn't"
"Do you think it managing well to exceed
your incomep said his wife.
whats thirty-seVen cents r. asked Mr., New
ton, lightly.
"Not much, to be sure, but still something.
1t seems to me that we ought to have saved, in
stead of falling behind"
But how can we save on thisfsalary, Eliza
beth? We havn't lived extravagantly Still it
seems to have taken it all.
"Perhaps there is something in which we
might retrench. Suppose you mention some Of
your items"
" The most important are house rent, one
hundred and fifty dollars, and articles of food,
five hundred dollars"
Gust half"
eyes, and you'll admit that we can't retrench
there, Elizabeth. l like to live we'll. l had
enough of poor bread before | married. Now,
mean to live as well as | can"
"Still we ought to be saving up something
against rainy day, Ezra.
"That would be something like carrying an
umbrella when the sun shines"
"Stil it is well to have an umbrella in the
house."
al can't controvert your logic, Elizabeth, but
l am afraid we shan't be able to save anything
this year. When get my salary raised, it will
be time enough to think of that"
"Let me make proposition to you" said
Mrs Newton. You say One-half Of your in
come 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%
dyes"
"Then will shift the responsibility upon you
with pleasure. But can tell You beforehand,
you won't be able to save much out of it,"
perhaps not. At any rate, will engage not
to exceed it,"
CHATS well. l shouldn't relish having any
additional bills to pay. AS | 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 conversation which has
been recorded. Mr.. NewtOn had but little pru-
dence or foresight. 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 Provi-
ddnee is 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 although she was not dis
posed to deny herself comforts, yet she felt that
The time at which this conversation took
place was at the commencement of the second
year of their married life.
The first step which Mrs Newton took, on ac-
cepting 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 in
quired
Chow often have you been in the habit ofpre-
senting your bills, Mr.. WilliamsP
"Once in six months, was the reply.
"And l suppose you sometimes have bad
bills~
eyes; one.third of my profits, on an average,
are swept off by them,"
"And you could afford, suppose, to sell
cheaper for ready money!
eyes, and would be glad if all my custom
ers would give me chance to do So"
81 viii set them an example, then" said Mrs
Newton. Hereafter, whatever articles shall be
purchased of you will be paid for on the spot
and we shall expect you to sell as reasonable as
you can"
This arrangement was also made with the
Others, who, ii is scarcely needful to say, were
very glad to enter into the arrangement Ready
money is the great support of trade, and 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 purchase 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 a time, she purchased barrel, and so sue
ceeded in saving cent or more on the pound.
This, perhaps, amounted to but trife in the
course of year, but the same system carried
out in regard to other articles yielded result
which was by no means trife.
TlaA1a fIaaR NrFtas nf f..l
housekeeper is able to limit expense, which
Mrs. Newton did not overlook. With an OBJ
ject in view she was always on the lookout to
prevent waste, and to get the full value Of what
ever was expended.
The result was beyond her authorizations.
At the close of the year. on examining her
bank book-for she had regularly deposited
whatever money she had not occasion to use in
one of these nsttutions-she found that she had
$50, besides reimbursing herself for the money
during the first month, and having enough to
last another.
"Well, Elizabeth, have you kept within your
allowancep asked her husband at this time az
guess you have not found it so easy to save as
you thought for"
81 have saved something, however" said his
wife. "But how is it with your
"Thats more than | can say. However,
have not exceeded my income, that's one good
thing. We have lived full as well, and don't
know but better than last year, when we spent
five hundred" A
"Ifs knack, Ezra" said his wife, smiling
She was not inclined to mention how much
she had saved. She wanted some time or other
to surprise him with it when itwould be of some
service.
"She may possibly have saved up twenty
five dollars" thought Mr. Newton, "or some
such trife," and so dismissed the matter from
| his mind.
At the end of the second year, Mrs. Newton's
savings, including the interest, amounted to
three hundred and fifty dollars, and she began
to feel quite rich
Her husband did not think to inquire how she
had succeeded, supposing as before, that il could
| be but a very small sum.
However he had piece Of good news to COM
municate His salary had been raised from a
$1,000 to 1920.
He added: "As before allowed you one-half
nay income for household expenses, it 10 no more