Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1872-10-26
A Specimen Of Cheap Living.

will tell you in confidence little
Of my personal private experience
during the past week. On Sunday
morning last l thought 1 would try
for a week the experiment Of living
cheaply. Sunday breakfast, hulled
southern corn, with a little milk, My .
breaE fast cost three cents. took
exactly the same thing for dinner.
Food for the day, Sly cents. ! never
take any supper. Monday break
fast, two cents worth Of oatmeal, in
the form of porridge, with one cents
worth Of milk. For dinner, two
cents worth Of whole whear, boiled,
with one cent worth Of milk. Food
for Monday, six cents, Tuesday
breakfast, two cents worth Of beans, /
with half cents worth Of vinegar.
For dinner, one quart Of Tich bean
porrilge, worth one cent, with four .
Slices Of coarse bread, worth two |
cents. Food for Tuesday, five and a
half cents Wednesday breakfast, .
hominv made OF southern corn per
hans the best Of all food for laboring .
men in hot weather two cents
worth with one cents worth OF sy.
RIP. For dinner. splendid beet
stew, the meat Of which cost two
cents. 4 little eXtravsgant, you see
But, then, YOU know, "a short life
and a merry one" Perhaps you
don't believe that the meat was pur-
chased for two cents? But 1t was,
though. The fact is, that from an OK
weighing 800 pounds net, you can
purchase certain parts weighing
about 100 pounds, for three cents
per pound. Two-thirds Of d pound
make more stew than | could eat.
There was really enough for two OF
us. But then, you know how care
| less and reckless we Americans are
in regard to our table expenses, al
yays getting twice as much as we
need. must not forget to say that
these coarse, cheap portions OF the
animal are the best for stew. Ihe
very genius Of waste seems to have
taken possession Of me on that fatal
day. Ipoured l into my stew all at
once, slap dash, a quarter OF cent
worth of Leicestershire sauce, and as
if to show that it never rains, but 1t
pours, | closed that gluttonous scene
bv devouriug cents worth OF hom
inv pudding. Food for Wednesday,
, eight and quarter cents. The gross
excess of Wednesday led to a very
. moderate Thursday breakfast, which
! consisted Of oatmeal poorldge ano
y milk, costing about two and hal
9 cents. Fer dinner, cracked whea
and baked beans, two cents worth o
> each, milk, one cents worth. Foo
~ for Thursday cost seven and a hal
cents Friday breakfast, southern
hulled corn and milk, costing thre
cents. For dinner, another OF thos
a gourmand surfei.s which so dlsgrac
. ed the history OF "Wednesday. tx
I penses for the day, eight and a quar-
ter cents. This morning when
- went to the table, l said to mysel
u "Whats the use of this economy
= - And | made up my mild that tc
- this day at least | would sink a
~ moral restraints and give up IL
q reins to appetite have no apolD
~ gv or defense ior what followed
#. Saturday breakfast, | began with on
q cents worth Of oatmeal porrdg
=, with a teasp5oriul Of sugar worth
h quarter of a cent; then followed
~ cent's worth Of c!acked wheat, VII
bo half a cents worth Of milk, then IL
70 breakfasr closed with two cent
~ worth of milk and one cents wort
~ of rye and Indian bread. For dim
or I ate half Of a small lobster, Whit
ne cost three cents, and one cents wor
A. of coarse bread, and one cents wor
N. of hominy salad, and closed wi
.ns two cents worth OF cracked whe
,es and milk. Cost Of the days foo
twelve and three.quarter cents
ON all these statements only the cost
or material is given.
Cost for the week fttytor ana
,ot quarter cents. OF course, | don'tpl
tend that everybody can live in Il
az. luxurious way 1t isn't everybo
who can afford it. l could have liv
for ius. as well, so far as health a
strength are concerned, on half
od money. Besides on three days, Ii
,ls, too much altogether, and sutfel
mo from thirst and dullness. But Il
,cR Imay plead that worked very ha
and rea ly need a good deal IN,
on food than id,ers. x X BY
md way, 1 weighed myself at the beg
ming of the week, and found that
five was lust two hundred and TIVE
hat pounds. Since dinner to-day
weighed again, and found that |
non alfced two hundred and twelve an
two half pounds, although it has bee
of week OF warm weather, ard l b
had unusual demands for exertiol
various kinds.
4 But let me feed a iamily of
O2 instead of one person, and |
s72 give them the highest health
re- strength upon Il diet which will
in not much more than two dollars
the ten persons for week. Let
transfer my experiment to the
k of West, where wheat, corn, oats
,yer- beef are so cheap, aud the COS
ting feeding my family of ten would b
ever ridiculous that l dare not men
hich it, lest you laugh at me. And sc