Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1879-04-28
HOW TO LIVE CnEApLY.

nave always hepe IdHlly expense
book, and on various occasions have
habit, like most people who keep accounts
and weather statistics and diaries, of
referring to 1t any time when | want
confirmation or condemnation of any
theory relating to the subject. l took
the nine months just past, and found
the whole cost of uncooked provisions
for each member of my family, sligo per
week, or "a cents per day. The only
rules that had governed the family mar
keting were: What we wanted, and
prudence-which should always govern
the family expenditures whatever the
income may be. Had there been stern
er necessity for economy, the expense
might have been considerably reduced.
and yet left plenty to live upon comfort
ably and healthfully, and to entertain
friends occasionally at our table.
Now, somebody will sneeringly ask
how can anybody live decently for SLIGO
per week for food for each person? So
I am going to tell you how it is done in
this family:
First. we can pay for everything we
buy, and in that way we can buy when
ever the price and article suits us best.
Then we are not tempted to buy more
than we need or can properly afford, as
we should be if payment was matter of
the vague future. Again, we always
take the advice of the publishers of the
great dictionary. and ''Get the best" for
the best has the least amount of waste
or shrinkage in cooking. And, lastly,
we have many ways of gathering up the
fragments, SO literally that nothing
is lost"
AS to what we do have to eat, l can
give you bill of fare for the year round,
varied in minor particulars by the sea-
son: For breakfast, always a dish of
hominy or cracked wheat, two kinds of
bread and butter, usually cold, and al
ways the fruit or berries of the season.
Part of the family have tea or coffee,
and part drink water, from choice; but
water-drinking is no economy, for more
food is required than if tea or coffee is
taken. For dinner, there is always some
appetizing soup. of which the variety is
nearly endless then course of substan-
tial roast beef, or mutton or lamb, or
poultry. with one or two vegetables of
the season; and lastly, dessert of fruit
or berries, either fresh or cooked. For
supper we have the many varieties of
bread, except hot bread. which is both
unhealthful and fearfully extravagant;
fruit again, usually stewed, and some
kind of plain cake for those who have
not yet entirely outgrown their New
England bringing up. Of course there
is always butter and the "cup that
cheers
This list only names the unvarying
substantials, but my expense book has
numerous other items, such as fish, eggs,
rice and edible grains of all kinds. We
are Jews after the strictest sect in the
matter of pork. never suffering it on our
table, whether by the name of pork, ham,
sausage or lard. Many housekeeper
will exclaim, "What do you do without
lard % but we should be puzzled to
know what to do with it. Good, sweet
butter serves for the little pastry we
have, and for everything else roast beef
drippings and suet are much better than
lard. Sometimes we indulge in unhealthy
but beloved since our childhood
baked beans, and we find suet much
better for cooking with them than pork.
Golden Rule.