Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1891-04-03
THE FAMILY ACCOUNT BOOK.
How to Curtail Unnecessary Expenditures
in the Household.

How to Curtail Unnecessary Expenditures
in the Household.
1t would be interesting to know Just
how many housekeepers in the land
keep systematic account books, putting
down all their daily expenditures and
their receipts, and balancing the pages
regularly. For some reason or other
great many housekeepers sheer at the
idea OF keeping accounts, or seem to
shrink from it, not because of the really
trifing trouble as because they are un-
willing to acknowledge to themselves
exactly how many foolish, unnecessary
expenditures they make. They seem to
feel as though they might drift along
indefinitely financially, and yet some
how escape by luck the inevitable. 1t
requires self-denial and courage to live
are less than we have been accustomed
to in the home of our childhood, or less
than the world has set us down at. Yet
it is just such bravery as this that
builds up the greatest blessing we can
receive In this world-a happy,
contented homeland lays the founda-
ton for substantial prosperity. The
first thing necessary is to know as
definitely as we can what will be our
income. 1t is wise to make no possible
reckoning Of ventures, but only count
in what we are quite certain of. Then
we should settle what we can afford to
| spend and what is to be devoted to the
bank account or good investments 1t
may be the wife has no account to keep
beyond the expenses of the house, but
she should keep these as Systematically
as If 1t were every thing. 1t will often
be found that this and that superfuous
article may be dispensed with and some
thing valuable purchased with the ag-
gregate Of saving from petty sources,
Some financier has said that every man
should save at least q fifth of his in
come. Individuals themselves are the
best judges of what proportion of their
income they can save. When there are
children to be educated the saving
of family is apt to be pro-
portionately small but there should
always be some thing put away,
some margin for day when the crops
fail or losses occur which could not be
foreseen. There is only one way of
regulating the expenses, and that is by
the account book. Its pages tell I'M
erringly, when properly kept, where the
family finance has been drawn on too
heavily, exactly what the members of
the family can afford to books, benevo-
lence, millinery, music, and a hundred
and one things that make the expendi-
lures of modern living. The cash book
is a wise monitor if you heed it. It
tribes in expenditures may be-
come when multiplied, how
necessary it is for most of us workaday
people to take care of our pennies; it
spurs us to greater efforts in economy,
if we have been lax in this matter; it
tells certainly where we are going,
whether to ruin or prosperity. 1t is
only sum in arithmetic, but one most
women sadly need, that of balancing
their expenditures and income, and re-
ducing the outgo to it's proper place.
Remember that all that should be dear
est to you lies in the scale, and usually
only few paltry sacrifices must be
made to reduce the expenditures to the
proper limit. If the income is so small
that you find it difficult to make the
two ends meet" be sure to look to
every thing, and you will often find
that there are many things that were
overlooked in which you can save.
There is no man working in this great
country who, with economy and thrift,
can not save money. There is no call
ing from which some one has not risen
by thrift and industry to ease and
wealth. No man who began by living
beyond his income has ever made sue
cess in life tall he abandoned this mode
and began to save money. A man with
wife who is extravagant is hopelessly
trammelled. Every woman should be
entitled to an allowance for her owr
expenditures, however, and one for the
house, if she buys the household stores
and she is much more likely to keeI
careful accounts and be prudent II
money matters if stated allowance
is given her than If she is grudgingl,
given money from time to time, which
if she is an intelligent being, she knows
is her rightful due, and would be allow
ed her by the law of every civilized
land,-N. Y. Tribune.