Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-11-29
ECONOMICAL HOUSEKEEPING.
The Word Ecouomy" Bugbear
Many a Young Housekeeper.

The Word Economy" a Bugbear tc
Many Young Housekeeper.
Economy and the saving of money are
to many people synonymous terms. IL
them the word economy represents the
foregoing of many agreeable things, the
rigid adherence to a standard of living
which regards the indulgence of personal
tastes as wasteful luxury, or as the obliga
ton to spend no more than fixed weekly
sum for the household expenses. To other:
it means the buying of inferior articles
because they are cheap, a mistake that
frequently leads to waste and loss, greater
than can be covered by the trife saved il
the purchase.
The word economy" is bugbear tc
many young housekeeper. "Why should
l be economical? | have plenty of money
There is no need for me to be scrapine
and pinching." True economy, however
does not consist in merely saving money
1t is sometimes shown in spending rather
than in saving. In matters of health, edu.
cation and recreation parsimony is nc
economy. Neither does it forbid the in.
diligence of personal tastes, or even vani
ties, provided the indulgence does moi
overstep the limits of the income.
Economy is simply the avoidance of all
waste, and economical housekeeping means
the endeavor to obtain for the whole house.
hold the utmost amount of health, com.
fort and enjoyment of life. In this sense
it is surely the duty of every mistress of q
household, from the highest 10 the lowest
to be economical. Much has been written
,,,l oh ha .nocfaf,1paer Of tbr
poorer classes, a reproach which is un.
fortunately only too well deserved; but is
equally deserved by most well-to-do house.
holds.
To take only the item of food: How
much is often wasted in the preparation oil
a single dish, which forms but part oil
one of The courses of a dinner. The plea
that it can be we'll afforded is no iustiiica.
ton for waste. The present style of living
has many advantages; it has superseded
the coarse profusion of former times, and il
has introduced more delicate and re.
fined mode of cookery, but it has also
banished many nutritious substances from
the family dietary, and has fostered 3
craving for luxury which is extending
with enervating effect through all classes
of society.
Benjamin Franklin, in his auto
biography, says that at his fathers table
no notice was taken of the quality or cook.
cry of the food; whether good, bad or in.
different it was eaten without remark
Such indifference is certainly not to be
commended, nor is it likely to be initiated
in the present day, when the danger lie:
in the other extreme. Young men pride
, themselves on their critical discrimination
of the merits of dish, and even children
refuse plainly cooked food. In the latter
case the evil Of the tendency cannot be
doubted; nor the danger of its indulgence
In all ages each class Of society ha:
striven to initiate the habits of the one
above it; and each household is uncon
sciously pattern from which another
tries to mold its. Efforts are being
made to elevate the mental, physical anC
moral standard of the lower classes, bu
there is one lever more powerful, il rightly