Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1893-05-20
LIVING on LOW WAGE.
HOW TWO YOUNG FELLOWS MAN
AGED TO EXIST IN NEW YORK.
Twelve Dollars "a Week Does >ot 60 Very
Far In Zig city, but These Two
Economical Men Made Their Money 60
n Pretty Coed Distance for a Time.

have investigated the subject, recently
stated that there are several hundreds
sf young and old bachelors in this town
who spend all the way from $4,000 10
s1j, 900 year for their personal comfort,
There Is a certain delirious excitation
even in reading the details Of how these
fortune favored chaps get rid Of the
time and enrich the community. To an
ingenious youth who earns twenty dol
lars week. FOR instance, the account of
how So, 900 per amnum bachelor wards
off ennui and retains his flesh reads like |
q saturnalia.
| know tue effect of all this on SEQ q
week man, because myself belong 10
the SEQ week class. Twenty dollars u
week is about 81 900 a year, and have
had lot of fun ont Of life for the past
three years ON that sum. know a lot
OF other fellows who do the same thing,
for 500 "A week is about the average in
come OF half the neat looking chaps
wearing chrysanthemums pinned TO ker-
sey top coats that YOU rnn across in the
course of day.
When | came TO this town from farm
In western New York. | thought the
man who offered me permanent job as
salesman At a salary of sic n week was
widely extravagant, for had already
learned some scrimping lessons. 1t did
not take me long TO find out my mistake.
and SO devised "A system OF expcndi-
lures. and though in five yeHres my in-
come has increased, as have told YOU,
have stuck to II ever since. Here 1t is:
discovered to my complete satisfac-
tion that single man can I get any sort
of uourishment. comfort or repose in
boarding house in New York city for
less than eight dollars week. Even
the eight dollar variety OF New York
board is not in all respects desirable.
and when some dismal experiences had
hammered this knowledge into me set
about 10 find better scheme. In the
same store with me was another young
fellow. who was contributing his colos-
sal intellect and energies for twelve dol
lars a week and we entered into "A con
spiracy 10 shake of forever the land
ladies who were getting most Of our pay
We decided TO hire a room together
and to get our meals in pot luck fashion
hustle for our grub on the outside"
as my chum put it, Aftera pretty care
full search we hit upon IA large. comfort
able ground floor rear room in the home
OF an elderly widow in Harlem, whom
we soon jollied into the belief that we
j were the salt of the earth, with the re
suit that she couldn't take too good care
/ OF us We agreed to pay her five dollars
a week for that room, which took $3.50
of my wages. When we had stuck up
on the walls the cabinet photos of all
the girls we knew, and had distributed
the knickknacks which these girls had
given us the room looked simply i'm.
mense.
The eating problem was then to be
overcome. After sundry experiences we
adjusted it on this basis: Breakfast Of
rolls and good coffee in little shop a
block from where we lived, ID cents;
luncheon of "A sandwich, glass of milk
and piece of pie, III "A lunchroom near
the store, 10 cents: first class entire din
ner, from soup TO French coffee. in q
neat little obscure restaurant which We
ran across, 35 cents. Total for day 5
eating, 65 cents. for the week tof six
working days.. $3.50. On Sunday we
stuck to the week day programme as far
as breakfast and luncheon were con-
cerned and paid fifty cents for good
Sunday dinner. Thus a weeks good,
substantial food costs me ~ 20. which,
with the $3.50 room rent. amounts 10
$720
1t costs me sixty cents n week to ride
TO and from my work. Figuring at ten
cents a week for my Press, seventy cents
is added to the $120 My smoking is
confined to couple of pipes every even
ing, and ten cent package Of tobacco
sees me through the week. Total. eight
dollars.
have permanent arrangement with
Celtic lady to do my washing for fifty
cents week. and have my collars and
cuffs polished at laundry at weekly
outlay OF twenty-five cents. Total, s., 70.
Once every week invest one dollar
for two balcony seats at first class
theater-Sg.75. invariably lay aside
two dollars week for raiment Of all
sorts. fixed on this basis: Two dollars a
week is $iO4 year. have two suits OF
clothes every twelve months, each suit
costing mo twenty dollars. and can get
natty clothes made To order at that fig.
ure. don't get new overcoat every
winter, but when do get a good, well
made heavy one for fifteen dollars. Call
it fifty-iye dollars. Two pairs of shoes
at four dollars pair get me through a
wear, and two hats. also at four dollars
each, are my allowance for the twelve
months. Two pairs of gloves winter,
at one dollar pair, keep my hands
sheltered from the blasts. and eight
fifty cent crayats are enough for the
year. This figures mp seventy-sever
dollars, aud the remaining twenty seven
of my dress allowance Of $l0i year arr
spent In collars, cuffs, underwear and
80 on.
.. The S15, 600 yenr bachelor will b'
astonished 10 read that | am frequently
referred 10 n a man who looks a
though he Ind Just jumped ont OF q
bandhox,
When have laii aside the two dol
lars A week for dress | have just eS.2'
left for hilarity and tempestuous plung
9 ing into the boisterous stream OF New
York life. 1t very frequently happen
that have some Of this still in N,
! right hand pantaloons pocket when
! get through the week.
. That's the way live, do It becausi
/ It's a case of must, although neve
/. haya a novarty strickep sensation.-Nev