New-York tribune., 1902-05-19
AFFAIRS OF THE HOUSEHOLD
THRIFT IN BUYING FOOD-RECIPEs FOR
Spring FRUIT"


visions for the house tempt every one to look
into the matter of household allowances. The p
laying OF money for the necessary needs of the f
household is one OF the most difficult problems
that the housewife meets. In nine cases out OF I
ten, if the mistress is young and Inexperienced she
has little idea of what her cook and what is /
needed for her family live in the special style {
they choose. She only knows that her grocery hill
is not beyond what her friends pay, and that her
husband has never complained OF the extent of
the butchers bill She Will confdingy tell you that
her husband is generous in such matters, but she
cannot tell YOU exactly what she in coffee.
tea, sugar and sundry items. At times. when the
butchers bill is extraordinarily large perhaps she
has uncomfortable suspicious that the cook. whom
she has always trusted implicitly is not strictly
honest.
| 1t is such system OF system in house
! hold managemen that is the bottom of most
of the trouble with servants in this country. The
| English hOusekeeper is systematic. She cannot
| as elegant d table so low a price the
| French woman can. but she knows exactly what
| is used in the household and where the groceries
and meat that she orders. There Is no possi-
| bty of dishonest servant taking away stores
! without her knowledge wasting her goods 10y
| gross extravaganza. The English woman 'looketh
well to the ways of her household and eateth not
| the bread of idleness'
The London Queen" gives estimate of the
living necessities of well TO do family keeping
| servants, male and female. and housekecper to
| supervise them
An English mistress with characteristic English
candor and practical common sense, asks what
the exact amount is that will be needed to pay
the expenses of her family or other words. what
should be the household allowance averaging the
matter somewhat roughly. As the individual needs
! OF English and of American family in com
Portable circumstances, with servants. are much
! the same. this allowance is given below:
The weekly allowance for each person i'm the
| family for meat is three and ql.rrter pounds.
! without bones. II there number Of men or
! growing boys in the family and few women this
/ he mot Ilera an =
| FOR each If there number Of women
and little children it would he very large
The bread allowance seems eNtroyagdnt but
| English families probably eat mare bread
! rule than Americans. The allowance is from seven
| TO pounds weekly for each individual a half
pound of butter weekly IS allowed for each person.
| This is an abundance, and in small family II Is
often enough to allow for cooking. Yet an Ameri-
can family consisting of a man and his wife and
two servants. has been known to use up systemao-
cally pounds Of butter two weeks, or CON
siderably twice much as this allowance
which is a good average one.
MIX three and a half pints weekly, or haIt a
cupful a day is allowed for each person for use
in coffee. cocoa or tea. Americans would use
more than this in beverages Th" English are IN
veterate cheese caters. and therefore hali po"ha
Of cheese H. allowed weekly for each person as
one of the sares OF NE. Where meat is served
twice IA day butchers meat is used at dinner and
a smoked meat AT supper Where bacon Is served
every day at breakfast. 10 often Is IN England
about a mound weekly is allowed for each person.
Three and a quarter pounds OF potatoes weekly
is given as the average allowance fpr each member
Of an English family. The writer I'm THE queen
admits that this quantity is a variable one. as
! some people will not eat potatoes at az; VINE
others especially among he servants VIII "'Ne
an entire meal OF them, , NO.,
The English economy I'm their allowance oi N"od
! Is an amusing TO Americans who are used 70
seeing servants whole bundle or "''H ~
making their morning fire. This Is no Goutl a"
| eXtravaganCc. hUudl" OF wood "Alch is tit'
England enough for TWO mes. Half "a pound ot
soap (wteklyl is allowed each maid VINO b''s "i'f
cleaning about the house This is "qua 10 a "'H
dried bar OF American cut In halves II S easy
any person to use twice as muCh as , tils ~ ~,
| cleaning II the soap is sometimes LETT soaking IN
the water. shrewd English housek'"prTs look
after even -lIrh small matters ana Sec t"i' ~"
servant allowed 90 do so "tSi"il "A Ii'''- JAS IL"
The allowance tea and coffee. or for cocoa. Is
liberal one considering that tea ls Eru'TulA used
Twice "A day and 1offe" or cocoa uuii once. " lS
| four ounces for each person weekly IL Is ErauI}-
ing temperance workers that II is u" longer INC
| custom I'm England 90 xiv" female servants ht'T
| with their meals. Vet Il still sounds strange to
| Americans to know on the authority OF II b" Lon
| Queen that quart OF beer 70 day Us the cor
rect and proper allowance fuI "A NAL" servant
When olives. preserved fruits. line salad OIL ana
other costly Items used literally iu thr family.
they must he carefully .rcEou"d i\ themselves
/ The housekteper must also khO" exactly now many
eggs are eaten regularly on the table ANA now
many are used IN cake and desserts. som" COOKS
/ In dishes where they add nothing 70 the quality
/ 0o<S have. for eggs that ladies don know
/ Iuthiu' about remarked 81 dusNy- iuu'I. .ndrut
p cook as she npuut,d out Of the Kitchen, much OF
/ Tended when SHE asked what had become OF
the liberal supply of eggs which had been provided