The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1876-04-20
The Cost OF Living.

The question of the cost of living is
Just now provoking a good deal of dis
cussion, and the facts which have been
elected are interesting and instructive,
although they may be neither extraordi-
nary nor surprising. A contributor who
has favored the New York Timfs with the
result of his researches, declares that a
single man in New York city in whom
the consciousness of having sprung from
" "a good family so prevails as to prompt
him to sacrifice a portion of his income
for the sake of keeping up appearances,
finds it all he can do to live within an in
come OF $1,000. II the income reaches
81 800 he can manage to set aside small
portion of it annually, without any great
surrender of dignity, provided he be not
extravagant; while if $4,000 be annually
at his disposal, he can live quite comfort
ably, and lay by from nothing to $500 per
year, according to his idea Of what COM
fort is. Men with families, however, are
not able to live with much appearance of
style on the moderate incomes with which
single men can get along. Little more
than mere existence is promised for the
man who ventures to get married on 81 600
a year. The prospect is not bright for
men with 81 800 incomes, although by u
resolute disregard of appearances small
family can be maintained respectfully for
the sum named. The difficulties do not
vanish when man has 81, 900 year, if
he desires to hold up his head at all in
society, and with even 81, 900 year tami-
lies who would loudly protest that they
were not extravagant nor particularly de-
voted to society, are constantly in that
state OF wretchedness which Mr.. Micaw-
bxr, ,o1 ho lot s,f fhnSa 1Ahnon
expenditures exceeded their ipcome.
Much of course depends upon manage
ment, and some families on IS 600 Year
are able to live as we'll, entertain as freely
and as creditably, and present in every
way as good an outward appearance as
other families whose annual income IS
noticeably larger.
The facts and statements summarized
are only applicable TO bachelors and mar
ried men who make pretensions to more
or less "style." There are thousands Of
single men in the city Of New York, as
there are all over the country, whose in
comes do not exceed the half of one thou
sand dollars, and on this they are COM
PEELED to live. There are in the country
thousands upon thousands of married
men-millions We might safely say-and
New York has large number, whose an
nual income. in each case, falls short of
81 900. These families must live, and
many of them not only live in compare
tive comfort, but are able, by the exercise
of economy, to save little every year.
This they could not do were they to at
tempt to vie with richer or more eStrava-
CANT neighbors in display; but by being
prudently mindful of their own affairs
by measuring their outlay by their income
they not only succeed in accomplishing
wonders with small incomes, but show a
far greater sense of self-respect than the
worldlings who are always in debt and al
ways involved in financial difficulties and
perplexities, because, torsoOth, their high
opinion of their own exalted estate will
not permit them to exist without lavish
external gliding.
The cost of living for family depends
almost wholly upon the liver. 1t ranges
from hundreds to tens of thousands per
annum. The era of feverish prosperity
which existed during the war, when for
tunes were made almost in a single day,
brought with it high living and fearful
extravaganza. The change in the times
has rendered change in the mode of liv-
ing indispensable in many cases and SEN
sible people, who find that they cannot
command the means which they formerly
possessed, will curtail their expenditures
until they are fairly brought within the
income which they can with reasonable
certainty depend upon. This remark will
apply equally to the millionaire and the
laborer. Neither the former nor the lat
ter can now afford to spend the sums Of
money he did when the country was ap-
parently in the height of prosperity. Let
them make an infiexible rule to live with
in their means, and the cost ofliving will
be problem hardly worth discussing
Detroit Free Press.