Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1875-09-08
Cheap Shopping.
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One day Fanny Herbert. who was a clever
h0usekeepcr. said 10 me, Did you ever buy
your meat at one Of the large markets ?"
No, never did"
." always buy them vt the Harrington
Market. The train brings me 10 within
five minutes walk Of the place. | take with
me a large straw bag in which to carry my
meat when ! have made my purchases,
hire a boy, at the small charge Of penny,
10 carry my load 10 the station, and ,n leav-
ing the train, railway porter or small
boy is generally to be- found who will assist
me ia conveying my provisions to my resi-
drnce. Go with me, and doubtless you will
effect q material saving
When Jack was told Of our plan, he said
he could do better than that. lie could 90
to the market for me- and bring up what /
required This was charming quite
longed for the time 10 come when ! could
save little money IN the purchase Of a joint
Of meat.
Let us be careful about one thing, dear
Annie said Jack, " and that is. not TO buy
more than we positively need feel sure
that is hc great mistake with young house
keepers. They buy too much Of a thing
aud so any saving that they make in buy
ing chcaply is swallowed in the unnecessary
outlay"
was obliged to assent to this, though
my spirit was beginning to rebel against
the constant illusions to my one unlucky cs-
capade.
The next evening a cab drove up to our
door rather before the usual hour for Jacks
reum. Cabs were 80 unusual with US fru-
gal people that We were, that melancholy
vision immediately crossed my mind, Of my
husband run over by brewers van, and
brought home, manned and injured for life.
This fear was soon dissipated by the appear
ance Of Jack, triumphantly bearing a straw
bag, from which he speedily produced
large leg Of mutton.
" This is the way to save. evidently, An
ME, said he, scarcely waiting to lay aside
his coat and hat before he entered on the
subject, How much do you say YOU pay
jackson per pound for leg of mutton p
" "Ienpence halfpenny," replied.
Tenpcnce halfpenny Fancy that
Here is a fine leg Of mutton, weighing seven
pounds and a half--ninepence per pound
five and sevcnpence hafpenny only for that
splendid Joint my dear. Why, let me see.
At tenpence halfpenny per pound you would
have paid six and sixpcnce three farthings
for that leg of mutton. Here is clear saw
ing effected on one Joint of meat only of
eleven pence and one farthing, But there is
no question, this sort Of shopping ought TO
be done 10y a man. 1t is not at all the sort
of thing for a lady. 1t is necessary to bar
gain, and that you would not like, and
should not like it for YOU"
" But, Jack. the cab ! suppose you took
the cab 10 carry the leg Of mutton. How
much did you pay for the cab
Ah!" said Jack. " that was two shil-
lings but"
"Oh Jack, cried, " we're quits, we're
quits Never mind, darling, you'll learn
wisdom by experience. Better luck next
time--only we can't af-"
But Jack had rushed out Of the room.
This was in my early housekeeping days.
Since that time | have made several at
tempts to buy things at the cheapest, and
have often found paid considerably more
in the long run than ! should have done if
had bought them in the regular way.
have been taken 10y ohliging friends TO
wholesale warehouses. where they had an
introduction, to find that there could only
buy articles 10y the dozen, | have brayed
the pressing attentions Of furuiture-dealcrs,
and bidden at auctions, TO find that when
they reached home, the goods thought so
excellent were damaged. have exchanged
something ! did not want for something |
did, to fud that-on my part at least--ex-
change was no robbery; aud think may
now congratulate myself on having learned
from experience few lessons, which
would gladly give to wives and mothers de-
sirous of cultivatng the art of shopping.
One Of these lessons is, that there is no
economy in buying third-rate article be-
cause it is cheap. The best is usually worth
the highest price. OF course, in many in
stances. this kind of economy cannot be
practiced, because the money is not at hand;
but it is well worth a thought whether it
would not be wiser to put off buying any
thing at all until one can afford to buy it
good. With children's dresses, for example,
now good material can be passed from one
child 10 another, then turned, returned, made
up again. altered. refitted. trimmed differ
entity. and brought out at last once more rs
good as new. OF course, | am supposing
now that the mother can use her fingers. If
the dress has to be put out each time,
there will not be much saving. Oh that in
these days of enlightenment it were a little
more usual for girls to be clever with their
needles
Another lesson is that thing is not nee
essarily good because it is expensive.
Here experience and common-sense must
come in 1t is astonishing how soon little
attention will enable person TO tell at once
whether material is likely to wear, or to
wash or to shrink, or to fade, or to fray, or
to cut, or any other horror Like every
science, the art OF shopping requires learn
ing study and forethought; and when it is
thoroughly acquired by wife or mother,
she may by its aid procure comforts, and
even elegances, fora sum, which, without it,
merely suifices for ecessaries.-Erchdnge.