Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-10-09

How TO LIVE ON FIFTY-FoUR CENTS A
NEEK,-lt is now Saturday afternoon, and |
will tell you in confidence little of my personal
private experience during the past week. On
Sunday morning last | thought would try for
a week the experiment of living cheaply. Sun
day breakfast, huled southern corn, with lit
tie milk, NV breakfast cost three cents
took exactly the same thing for dinner. Food
for the day, six cents. / never take any supper
Monday breakfast, two cents worth of oatmeal
in the form Of porridge, with one cents worth
OF milk. For dinner, two cents worth of whole
wheat, boiled, with one cents worth of milk
Food for Monday, six cents. Tuesday break
fast, two cents worth of BEANS with half cents
worth Of vinegar. For dinner, one quart of rich
bean porridge, worth one ceut, with four slices
of coarse thread, worth two cents. Food for
Tuesday, five and a half cents. Wednesday
breakfast, homny made of southern corn (Der-
haps the best of all food for aboring men in
hot weatherl, two cents worth, with one cents
worth of syrup. For dinner, splendid beef
stew, the meat of which cost two cents. A
little eXtrava9ant, you see, But, then, you
know, "a short life and and amerry one" Per
haps you don't believe that the meat was pur-
chased for two cents. But it 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
lwO-thrdS of pound make more stew than
could eat. There was really enough for two of
us. But then, you know how careless and reck-
less we Americans are in regard to our table eX-
penses, always getting twice as much as we need.
must not forget to say that these coarse, cheap
portions OF the animal are the best for a stew
The very genius of waste seems to have take
possession of ms on that fatalsday. | poured
into my stew, all at once, Slap-dash, a quarter of
cent worth of Leicestershire sauce and as if
10 snow that 1t never rains but it pourS, | closed
that gluttonous scene by deYouriug a cents
worth OF hominy pudding. Food for Wednes-
day, eight and quarter cents. The gross ex-
cess OF Wednesday led to a very moderate Thurs
day breakfast, which consisted of oat meal pOr-
ridge and milk, costing about two and half
cents. For dinner, cracked wheat and baked
beans, two cents worth of each, milk, one
cents worth. Food for Thursday cost seven
and half cents. Friday breakfast, southern
hulled corn and milk, costing three cents, For
dinner, another of those gourmand surfeits
which so disgraeed the history of Wednesday
Expenses for the day, eight and quarter cents
This morning when went to the table said TO
myself, Whats the use of this economy p
And made up my mind that for this day at
least would sink all moral restraints and give
up the reins to appetite. | have no apology or
defense for what followed. Saturday breakfast
| began with one cents worth of cat meal Dor
ridge, with teaspoonful of sugar, worth a
quarter of cent; then followed cents worth
oil cracked wheat, with half cents worth of
milk, then the breakfast closed with two cents
worth of milk and one cents worth of rye and
Indian bread. For dinner | ate half a small
lobster, which cost three cents, and one cents
worth OF coarse bread, and one cents worth of
hominy salad, and closed with two cents worth
Of cracked wheat and milk Cost of the
days food, twelve and three-quarter cents, In
all these statements only the cost of material is
given.
Cost for the week, ftvtour and a quarter
cents Of course | don't pretend that every
body can live in this luxurious way. 1t isn't
everybody who can afford it, ! could have lived
gust as well, so far as health and strength are
concerned, on half the money. Besides, on
three days ate too much altogether, and suf-
iered from thirst and dullness But then NAV
plead that worked very hard, and really need
q good deal more food than ders. II 4 4
by the way, weighed myself at the beginning
oil the week, and found that it was lust two
hundred and twelve pounds. Since dinner to-
day weighed again, and found that balanced
Two hundred and twelve and a half pounds,
although it has been a week of warm weather.
and have had unusual demands for exertion of
various kinds.
But let me feed family of ten instead OF one
person, and will give them the highest health
ana strength upon diet which will cost not
much more than two dollars for the ten persons
Tor week. Let me transfer my experiment to
the far west, where wheat, corn, oats and beef
are SO cheap, and the cost of feeding my family
OF ten would be so ridiculous that dare not
mention it, lest you laugh at me. And so far
from my family group being one of ghosts or
skeletons, / VIII engage that they shall be
plumper and stronger, healthier and HAMMER
with clearer skins, brighter eyes, sweeter breaths
winter teeth, and, in addition, that they shall
i've longer than your Delmonco diners each of
Whom spends enough at single dinner to feed
my family Of ten for week. And last, but nor
least, they shall enjoy their meals more than
your DelmOnico rs.--Di0 LelDiS.