Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1896-06-23
LIGHT HOUSEKEEPING.
How Two Girls Lived 70 One Room
for Ten Weeks.

:. OOOu housekeeping Luc oIuuCH'
finds that she can live cheaper,
and, in many cases, more pleasant
i ly, by sharing expenses with
one, or perhaps two friends, and
young married people often live this
way for the sake of economizing
their resources; and, as home-m
ing, if not housekeeping, is natural
to most women, it is great deal
more comfortable than the average
boarding house
Two girls lived in one room for
ten weeks in New York They had
a delightful time, and their weekly
expenses averaged four dollars
apiece, which included the rent of
the room. The outfit with which
they started consisted of screen, a
single burner oil stove, a fiat-topped
trunk and some tin cooking utensils.
Each girl brought from her home
her own plate, cup and saucer,
spoons, knife and fork, and few
odd dishes for serving food. A
small tea kettle to boil water on the
oil stove, two-quart can for the
coal oil, a broiler adapted for cook
ing on gas and oil stoves, very con-
venient for making toast, and an as
bestos mat were found to be quite in
dispensable, therefore they were
purchased, each paying half the cost.
The screen was made from plain
wooden clothes horse covered with
blue silkoline, and concealed the
wash stand-an object more useful
than decorative.
A folding bed, folding table for
eating upon, sofa, sketches on the
walls and pretty feminine belong
ings scattered about made the room
look coy and home-like. A full
cretonne curtain hung over some
hooks from a shelf at one side of the
room, and behind this, on clean pa
per spread to protect the carpet,
stood the stove, oil can and tin
things. A drawing board was laid
upon the trunk when the stove was
to be used, and the stove set on it, a
chair was brought, and there the
cook might sit at ease and make
toast, coddle eggs and prepare what
ever she liked. On a shelf in the
closet the china and silver were kept,
as we'll as the dry provisions, like
cocoa, tea, cornstarch, gelatine.
The window ledge made capital
refrigerator in cool weather for bot
ties of milk and dishes of vegetables,
though a box of eggs fell off when
a high wind was blowing.
Cooking, when done in the living
room, has to be restricted to articles
that do not have much odor. Cab
bage and onions must be excluded
from the bill of fare, and meat that
must be broiled. Hamburg steaks
are an exception, for they may be
put in the frying pan with a little
butter and covered closely while
they cook. Chops may be cooked
this way. In New York the deli
catessen shops sell cooked meats,
roast beef, lamb, veal and ham. The
cold slices can be put in The frying
pan with a very little butter, heated
through, and when served tastes al
most like the original roast.
Chickens can be bought cooked,
ready for eating, as can little tins Of
baked beans.
Groceries may be purchased atde-
partment stores at discount from
the regular price. These girls kept
list of their needs and ordered
every two weeks. They used pull
verified coffee and condensed milk.
Beef extract and clam bouillon fur
nished the foundation for soup, when
it did not furnish the soup course
itself. Pressed chicken at 40 cents
can was not considered extrava-
CANT, as it afforded seveRl dishes.
1t must be removed from the can
and kept in cool place. II warm
dish is desired it can be minced with
a knife and put on the stove with a
little butter and hot water When
it boils, thicken with cornstarch and
serve. Nice soup can be made from
canned peas and. tomatoes by cook
ing either with milk, straining
through oolander- and adding a lit
tie beef extract.
Desserts may consist of fruit,
dainty sweets from the bakers and
delicate dishes can be made from
gelatine and cornstarch. A pretty
and palatable dessert is made of a
stiff cornstarch blancmange. On
each mold drop a generous spoon
full Of preserved fruit or jam. Pre-
served plums are delicious, and both
currsnt and raspberry jam are good
to serve this way. .a "A
1t can readily be seen that these
suggestions may be applied to the