The weekly herald. [volume] (Cleveland, Tenn.) 1876-1888, 1879-12-04
The Science Of Saving.

scious that their pockets are made OF
such materials that whatever money is
put ints Thorn will burn a hole until it
gets out, j would advise them, whenever
they take the air, to leave their money
at home, or better still, to keep an exact
account OF every penny they spend. II
Is astonishing how foolish small extrava.
gancies appear, when they have to beput
down in black and white, after the temp.
tation TO indulge in them is over. Aud
they must be put down in detail, and not
conveniently classel tog ether under the
general heading Of 'sunlries.' The item
'sundries' is never admitted into we'll.
kept household accounts. No one who
has not tried it would believe what a
check it is upon personal expenditure to
keep athorough account OF money spent,
and not only q check, but a help; for
prices may be compared, and thus les.
sons learned from experience.
Generally speaking, whenever large
savings have been made, they have been
effected in little sums. Very few per
soma Of ordinary honesty, deliberately
set TO work to make large purchases
which they can not afford, and yet mum.
bers spend just az much in the long run
in little things that they scarcely think
worthy OF notice. 1t is very difficult to
realize fully the value Of small sums. II
the pennies and half pennies that lie
loose in the pockets we're properly ap.
preciated, there would not be so much
pecuniary embarrassment in the world
as there is. Many a mickle makes q
muckle;' this is true of nothing more
than half pennies and pennies.
These little savings, as a rule, must
be made in personal expenditure more
than in anything else. What is spent
over the household is generally needed,
but the small personal Injuries which
cost so little are not. Aud when any
saving is made in this way, the money
should be put aside as saved, instead of
being mixed with the spending fund, and
additions made TO it as frequently as pos.
sible; that will make you understand as
soon as anything what small economies
amount TO. When money is put aside to
be saved, it should be put in some place
where it can not be directly got at. I
can not speak too highly of the savings
bank for this purpose. The very fact a
little trouble and formula has to be gone
through with before it can be obtained
prevents its being spent many a time
when it most certainly would be If it
we're close at hand. / have said that
what was spent for the household was
generally necessary outlay, and yet there
are two or three ways in which money
can be saved here that I should like to
mention.
The first is buying in large quantities.
OF course the danger is when there is a
stock of things to run at as the servants
say, they will be extravagantly used
All that l can say on this point is, that
they must not be run at A proper
quantity must be proportioned out and
the rest put away. Then it will be found
that articles may be bought both cheap.
er and better in larger quantities than
J in small ones
Another way to saw expense is to pay
for everything as you get it. If you do
this you avoid o~vercharge, and will buy
far less. If the money had to be paid at
the moment, many an unnecessary pur-
chase would be avoided. People who
have limited incomes are those who can
least afford to live OF credit, and unfor.
tunately they do it more than any
others.
Before | conclude, l must say one
word of warning in reference to small
economies. We continually read in the
newspapers of people who die in misery
and poverty, who have perhaps received
help from the parish; and after their
death money is found, which they have
hidden in all sorts Of odd hooks and cor.
ners. With these unfortunates saving
has become a mania; of all manias |
think it is one of the most deplorable;
for after all, money in itself is absolute.
ly worth nothing-it is only v~aluablefor
what it can procure. II it will only
bring comforts and necessaries for those
we love while we are able to work, and
secure independence for ourselves when
we can not do 80, it is worth small econ
omies, f%orethought, hard work, energy,
care and self denial. But even gold is
bought too dear when the desire for it is
allowed to overpower e%veryother feeling.