The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1884-09-11

ont milk, and in warm weather we only
have meat once in four or FIVE DAYS.
How much do you think it costs me i
week to supply our table? Please give
4 rough guess"
-, about twelve or fourteen dol
lars" promptly answered tie newspa-
per man. making what he thought was
low estimate.
81 spend four dollars a week, and no
more, for provisions, replied Mrs. r.,
with en- emphatic toss of the head. This
dinner to-day is extra, because we have
company, but shall not allow it to in
crease the aggregate cost Of our food
for the week"
That's so, she won't" groaned Ed
ward. Tomorrow there will be moth
ing bnt herrings, soda crackers and
cold water on the table"
Il resent that imputation," said the
Young wife, laughingly. Edward
knows that we always have plenty of
good, wholesome food. In fact. we
are obliged TO have it. for both he and
| exercise a great deal each day, and
then our baby is two years old, and she
has rayenous appetite. | know that
to persons who have kept house it will
seem almost incredible that family of
three can be well fed on sixty cents
worth of food each day. We could hot
get along on what sixty cents would
buy if | should purchase my supplies
from day to day. But go to market.
sometimes twice week and sometimes
once week, and buy enough to last
two or three DAYS or week, "a the case
may be. Flour buy by the bag, and
sugar ten or twenty pounds at time.
l make my own bread. cakes and
pastry, and have learned how to dress
up fancy little dishes out of the simplest
kind OF fare. We have ham quite often.
One ham will last Us long while. vet
we do not get tired of it, because there
are a dozen different ways of preparing it
for the table. Whenever | buy roast
OF beef we have it in many different
forms | can get good roast at ny
butchers for one dollar. and that will
last us three or four DAYS. We will
have from that single piece a meal OF
roast beef, a meat OF Stewed meat with
potatoes, Il platter of cold meat with
pickles, and perhaps some good beef
soup. We eat a good deal of oatmea..
cracked wheat, hominy and rice. Such
food is not only nourishing, but it costs
bit little. and can be served in great
variety of WAYS. Fried hominy and
sirap or rice pudding makes very nice
dessert. BY the way, shall ask your
opinion of some OF my rice pudding as
5, ,on as you have finished Your beef and
potatoes
The pudding was served few min
llciouS compound OF rice and egg and
sugared frosting.
"Now let me do a sum in addition"
said the husband, taking out his pencil,
after the meal was over. "My wife
says that we pay forty cents day for
rent, sixty cents a day for provisions,
eighteen cents day for fuel and about
one cent day for oil; that makes just
one dollar and nineteen cents. Is there
anything else?"
80, yes" exclaimed the wife, '.there
is Kate, the washerwoman; l pay her
one dollar and twenty-five cents week,
which is about eighteen cents day"
"Well, that brings our necessary ex-
penses, not including clothing, up to
Sl.37 a day." continued the young
man, putting on thoughtful air. My
salary, As You say, is about 1913 day.
Last year we saved nearly 1910, which
is tribe more than seveniy-three cents
a day. Take that out and it leaves us
Just about - a day to live on. We have
already accounted for Sl.37. What be-
comes of the rest?"
1--WE spent about $3.50 for clothing
last year. suggested the wife You
had that $50 suit and your summer suit
which cost $40, ami | hal dress and
my new cloak. which. with what the
baby had to have. and shoes and hats
for all of us brought the whole amount
up to nearly $50"
That makes about forty cents dav
to be added to the SI.37, making in all
Sl.7S of our y. There is twelve cents
4 day or little over S43 yet to be ac-
counted for. That, l suppose we can
put down for incidentals."
The young wife nodded her head
atlirmatively. and the newspaper man
asked, with some surprise, whether it
was possible that the S43 would cover
whole years expenses for two per-
sons in car-fare, amuSementS, lunches
in New York. etc.
60" said Mrs. r. eagerly, ''but we
don't have any such expenses. 1t is
very seldom that my husband or N.Y.
self has occasion to take a street-car.
[ walk to market and back; it is not
very far, and Edward always walks to
and from his place of business. His
daily expenses are just two cents-one
cent for crossing the bridge in the
morning and one cent for coming back
at night"
.'But it is two miles and half from
your house to the bridge" exclaimed
the newspaper man.
That is nothing" interposed Ed
ward. walk it twice a day. rain or
shine, and | enjoy it. 1t is the only
physical exercise that | have. 1t is but
a short distance from the New York
end of the bridge 10 the store, which is
in the dry-goods district, as you know.
l take my lunch with me-"
Don't you ever go to places of
amusement?'
"Once in great while my wife and
l spend money for such things. but not
very often. We cannot afford it, and
we both had much rather put the
money thus spent into books and stay
at home and read. By the way, there
is little item we left out of our calcu-
lation. We pay fifty cents a month for
the privilege of drawing books from
circulating library. That takes six dol
lars out of the forty-three dollars that
was not accounted for. Fortunately
for my wife, she had a great many &C
quaiGtances in Brooklyn, and she had
all of the social recreation that she had