The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1892-01-08
AS 1T LOOKS TO WOMEN.
Every Housewife Should Keep Track
Of Expenses.
A VERY SIMPLE METHOD.
value of a system of Household Book
keeping-How a Little Attention to
BIS and Purchases May Save Consid-
cradle Unnecessary Outlay.

"why should keep accountss" says
the young and inexperienced housekeeper.
"When want money my husband gives
{ to me, and when that is gone ask him
Tor more. All the bookkeeping in the
world can't bring money back when once
Ii is spent" True, my dear madam, but
II you try the experiment OF comparing
your expenditures for given period under
your present system-or rather want OF
system-with your disbursements for the
same length OF time during which you
have kept an account Of them, you will
see. i'm all probability, very clearly that
during the latter period you have spent
less and got more for your money. or
course in making such comparison you
must take into consideration any unusual
payments such as do not occur regularly.
The principal purposes of keeping house
hold accounts are two. Firstly, to enable
you to see how much has been spent for
each specific purpose, and If such expendi-
ture seems excessive, TO ascertain the rear
son, and il possible eliminate It, Secondly,
to- prevent the possibility Of paying for
what you have not got, or Of paying twice
for what you have purchased.
The machinery required for keeping
housekeeping accounts is very simple, and
money received and paid Suitable files
for receipts and unpaid bills. A book for
each of the tradespeople with whom nc
counts are kept.
SIMPLE SYSTEM.
The cashbook is kept in the following
manner: On the left hand side Of the page
are entered all amounts received, and the
dates on which they wee received. On the
right hand side are entered all amounts
paid, with the date and the purpose for
which they were paid. and to whom. IL is
of the greatest Importance that the cash
book should be written up at least once IA
day, as if longer interval In allowed TO
elapse items become forgotten and omitted.
For every amount paid "A receipt should
be obtained, and it Is from these receipts
that the cashbook should be written up.
The receipts should then be put away on
file so constructed that any receipt can be
readily found and referred to without dis
turbing the others.
Accounts should be opened with baker,
butcher. grocer, greengrocer, milkman and
butterman, and with any other trades
people with whom it may be desirable to
do so, and these accounts should be paid
every week. II accounts are allowed to
run longer than week difficulties are very
likely to arise, owing to the impossibility
of remembering necessary details.
Tradesmen with whom accounts are kept
must deliver with the goods each day a bill
stating distinctly the quantities supplied
and the price.
PAY EVERY WEEK.
Having satisfied herself Of the accuracy
of the bills, the housewife places them on
file Ia common spike" will answer the
al nff1 4 ha md a. ha
On Monday morning each tradesman
having written up the book which he pro
vides till the Saturday night inclusive, de
ivers 1t to his customer. At the earliest
possible moment the housewife should
compare each book with the daily bills
which are on her file. Should there be any
discrepancy she should Immediately call
the tradesman's attention to it and have
the error rectified. By Tuesday afternoon
all the accounts should be che0ked of and
paid: the daily bills can then be destroyed,
and it is advisable to do so at once to avoid
being numbered with useless papers.
Receipts for the weekly accounts should
be taken on separate paper, and not in
the book, rs this Is constantly in the hands
of the tradesman, who may, accidentally
or purposely, mislay ii in case of any dis
pute.
BALANCING THE CASH.
The cash account should be balanced
every day, so as TO insure that every item
expended has been duly entered, as any
very small amount for which it may not
be worth while to take receipts, and also
small sums paid for cabs, buses, postage,
etc. will be remembered when making up
the account if this is not left too long The
system too frequently in vogue of. habitu-
much to be deprecated.
A friend of mine once complained TO me
very bitterly of his wife's carelessness in
entering her accounts and cited the follow
ing entries as an example of her book
keeping, Stamps Is, omnibus 3D., sun
dries 81 9s. sJGd." Perhaps this might
have been slight exaggeration, but the
moral 1t points is very obvious. London
Tit-Bits.