St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-06-04
ONE WAY TO DO 1T.
How Families Can Be Supported
on Small Sum.


on q Small Sum.
Boston Journal.
The possibility of the support of a
man with wife and two children upon
$3.50 per week has met with much ques-
tioning since the statement was made
that the problem had been solved, but
an interesting experiment in New York
has demonstrated the utmost achieve
ment of economy within the prescribed
limit. For a family of four the rent
was 81 per week, fuel so cents and
lighting II cents. The food expenses
were compressed to S2.4S per week by
the most careful management A bill
of fare contained two Stews for four
square meals, each made of 10 cents
worth of meat and bones, handful of
rice and flour worth l cent and a little
salt and pepper, Each stew eaten with
bread served for the next meal in
of the principal meals were pro-
vided from fried salt pork at a cost
of IA; boiled beans furnished two meals
for III cents; a pot roast of beef, three
pounds, Sc cents, and five cents worth
OF potatoes made a royal dinner. Bread
and molasseS formed the luncheon i'll
the middle of the day at cost of 50
cents, making the total expenses for
food during the week, $2.4S. Comfort
able clothing was provided at $3.50 per
week, and it is said that even with the
addition of a few luXuries of food
the family were able to deposit
S7S in the savings bank during the
year. Whether the story adequately
living may be perhaps questioned, since
nothing is provided for the wear and
and tear" in every household, but it is
useful as an Illustration of economy.
Scientists have decided that the aver
age wOrkingman requires daily in his
food not less than four ounces of pro-
teins, two ounces of fat and eighteen
ounces of carbohydrates. Bread,
oatmeal, milk, sugar, potatoes,
beans and lard at cost 1874
cents will supply all the food alb
solutely required by one per-
son for living. At the increased eX-
pense of 1886 cents, more elaborate diet
can be made with 20 ounces bread, 9
ounces Goldfish, 2 ounces lard, 16 ounces
potatoes, l pint milk, ounce sugar and
3 cups tea. AS food is the most eXpen-
sive factor of living, it is capable of the
most intelligent selection and depends
more upon individual taste and judg-
ment than on other conditions of life,
since rent and clothes are fixed more
for eXtraneous circumstances and
less yielding to choice. The intelligent
workingman gains by a careful study of
bill of fare. 1t is useful for him to
know that among vegetable foods in
common use, oatmeal, beans and pOta-
toes are the cheapest, that one of the
greatest dietary needs of the working
man is sufficient supply of an mex
pensive, wholesome fat, and that cheap
meats may be as nutritious as costly cuts.
The prevention of waste by judicious
cooking is an important matter for the
consideration of the workingman in
which he can be helped by his wifes
-earefulness. 1t would be difficult
to estimate the amount of waste
10 American kitchens caused by ignO-
rance of the true value of food, but it is
known to be necessarily large. The
average workman is not ready to be
convinced that a dinner of roast pork
IS more eXtravagant than meal of
simpler and more digeStible food, and
that by a diet of cake and pie he will
require more food to supply the needs
of the system than by meal of soup
and bread. One of the missionary aims
of the public cooking school is the sim
plitying of the taste so that the living of
the wOrkingman will be less eXtrava-
CANT and more wholesome.