The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-07-04
Wj1GIf Eagle
WHAT MARRIAGE. COSTS.
EXPERIENCE OF A MAN WHO BE-
GAN HOUSEKEEPING ON $780,.

EXPERIENCE OF A MAN WHO BE-
GAN HOUSEKEEPING ON $780,.
How the HcmeyEa Furnished and What
the Various Articles Costa Careful
and Prudent Wife am Essential to Sue
cess-Pointers for Young People.
have been married one year, and have
been keeping house during that time.
The problem Of finance IS always a diff
cult one to solve in the mind of the is-to-be
married man, and likewise TO the man who
Is married this problem is uppermost, at
least for the first and second years.
To gauge the furnishing Of home salts
factor9ly by ones income and savings, and
TO determine how well one may live and
still keep his head above water, and even
to lay by something, is no-e2sy thing to do,
and my first years experience with the
financial part Of married life may be Of in
terest, and perhaps of material value, to
those men who have it in mind to take
unto themselves wives.
When l first met the ledywho is now my
wife it was in the spring OF 1888, and had
about $50 saved. Twas then earning 81. 15
per day, which mad been increased to that
figure gradually from S1.50, and was after
ward further Increased to S3per day.
From that d@te 1ndil my marriage, in the
summer of 1889 I saved enough from my
salary to amount to about $500, which,,
after figuring and refiguring again and
again. concluded. would he sufficient to
marry with and llI-llisb a home.
To furnish ny home, which is a tene-
Taent OF i've rCca.s, at a rental of SIS per
month, cost IS follows:
Kitchen-Ta.ole, Fps; three chairs, 81. 81;
seventeen yards oi2cloth, 81 p; No. range,
$40; oae-half ION coal, g 80; groceries nee
essary to starr with, including barrel Of
-four, which lasted ten months, $40; other
furniture, not including chinaware, which
was received rs a Wedding present by the
bride, 81; refGi seIzoor, $lA The above in
cludes small oil stove, a most useful
article, making the total for furnishing the
kitchen $500
Cham bert Eauty-oight yards wool car
pet at 521]I GEMS, $40; one pair portiercs,
S7.95; two shades, $50; cherry set, S27;
mattress, pillow, springs and comforters,
all the best, 513.J6; rosal, &d4. So
Spare Chanls2er-S:1stccn and one-half
yards tapestry carpets at Go cents, S1072;
one pair lace cur1ains, 50 0S; one shade, 80
cents; one antique ash set. $3S; mattress,
pillows, cCnl1GtrTs, springs, ali the best,
$3.50; total, $500
Sitting -T'wenty-seven yards tapes
try carpet at = cents, so. 10; one pair por-
there's, 80; two shades, $3.50; tapestry
lounge, %; bronze mirror, 50; extension
table, IS; sheet iron stove, SIS; four chairs,
s.; making q total OF $500
Parlor- Thi1ty-live yards tapestry at 81,
S35; three pairs lace curtains, S10.9S; man
tel mirror, $3.50; center table, So; plush
set, SEQ; three shades, - 70; making total
of s121.58.
In the above furnishings all the curtains
and shades were put up at the figures
given, and the carpets were made, laid and
lined.
Wedding expenses, including valuable
gift to the bride, tour, clothing outfit, etc.,
s226.25.
Insurance of $500 on goods for five years,
1910.
It cost me 20 get married, furnish my
home and step into it all ready to live,
1852. Il.
By allowing $50 for tour, $40 for gift to
the bride, $50 for clothes, $40 for clergy
mans fee, and SO for wedding ring, the
wedding expenses might have been reduced
$50 ., in which case the total cost would
have been $685.
Then find by experience that my wife
and 1 can live well on s. per week, and
then, after paying house rent and allowing
an average amount for clothing and the
necessary gradual additions to household
goods, and alter paying certain reason
able amount for literature, amusements,
church MASTERS, etc, l can lay by about
s. per week.
Hence my conclusion is that a man may
get married on salary of $lS per week, if
he has $3.50 or S600 saved to furnish his
home, or, if he earns q salary of only SD
per week, he can furnish his home as well
nsI Furnished mine, and get married, pro-
vided he has saved s., 900.
Whysave so much? / will tell you On |
a salary Of SO nothing could be saved to
meet extraordinary expenses that are
naturally liable TO be met with. For in |
stance, you aTe liable to have an addition !
to your family, ana if so it will cost you |
at least $50, and how can this expense be /
met if nothing has been saved unless !
there is,a balance il the bank?
The 1irst years of married life are often
times financially the hardest, for there are
so many small articles to buy that to save |
much for times Of need IS almost impossi- !
be, hence the Importance Of having a re-
serve fund with which to meet these ex-
penses, or else meet them with good sal
AIRY.
IL young married man will carefully
guide his financial matters, with the aid of
q careful and prudent wife, keeping an ac-
count OF expenditures for awhile, and live
within lis income, ne will prosper.-Bos-
ton S-oUe.