The Opelousas courier., 1905-04-08
HARRIET BASKET EXPENSES.
STATISTICS AS TO AMOUNT AND
APPoRTloNMENT.

reau-An Average That May FUR
nish a Sort Of Standard for Amer.
lean Families
How the average family divides
sB expenditures among the various
articles that go into the market bas-
ket," remarked Fred c. Croxton, an
expert of the Bureau of Labor, to the
Washington correspondent of the
New York Evening Post, Ought to
b. interesting to other families in
about. the same circumstances, while
IT. those who spend many times as
much, this average may furnish a
sort of standard scale.
Bread is termed the staff of life
It does not occupy this place in the
table of household costs. Bread,
-four, and meal combined cost the
average families less than three-fifths
as much as it's fresh beef. Out of
every dollar which this family spends
forty-two and one-half cents goes for
food.
LAS a preliminary to the recital OF
our findings, some definition OF the
average family is obviously neces-
sury. 1t contains, according to this
bureaus experience, 5.31 persons; its
ircome, during the year 1901, which
wss under review, was $S27.19, and
it's expenditures for all purposes
amounted to $786.54. This composite
picture represents studies in thirty
three States, covering enough per-
sous to make a city of $4,000 inhablt-
ants.
"The average American family
likes fresh beef. it uses during the
year :49 pounds, which is almost a
pound a day. This amount of beer
costs s50.O5, and represents 1873 cents
of every dollar spent for food. Sec
ont in Importance is butter. The ave-
rage family consumes III pounds, a
little less than a third Of a pound a
day. This means a yearly expendl'
tuie of $28.76, Or nearly nine cents OF
every m~arketbasket dollar.
4 little less than a quart OF milk a
day, or 345.5 quarts for the year,
makes that article third i'll import
ance to the average family. 1t re-
quires S21.32 to pay the mllkman.
This is six and one-half cents out CT
evary n of these dollars. Ihree
eggs a day seem a small matter, but
the e%ighty-fve dozen consumed dur
ing the year require an expenditure OF
s1e.79, OF a little more than five cents
out Of every dollar. Flour and
are combined. OF the two $50 pounds
are used, having a value of $3.50,
or almost exactly the same as the
cost of the eggs. Sugar, to the extent
of 26S.5 pounds, goes into coffee ana
tea and for cooking. 1t costs $l5.to.
Fresh pork requires an expendl-
sure of s14.O2, and the amount 0 n
yuraed is 114.2 pounds. Salt pork IS
slightly less important. The
consumed is 10 pounds and the cost
1883. The expenditure for fresh
and salt pork combined as an item' Is
exceeded only by fresh beef; by
-four. meal and bread combined; and
by outer. It takes a little more than
y peck of potatoes each week. or
TAT bushels in a year, to supply Inc
average family. They ) Sl2-9o.
the baker is doing a large business,
Scr he sells to this family almost i've
roayes each week, " 1921 loaves;
these retail at $12.44.
"A pound of coffee sufices for a
little more than a week. A pound OF
tea lasts five weeks. The total
amount of coffee bought during the
wear is 46.S pounds. at a cost OF
s1Oi., Tea costs only $3.50 a year
ras,nd and a half of meat, other
thai, beef and pork. are bought each
wees. This costs only about $l0 a
yea:, Poultry is another item OIL
abo,t the same monetary value. The
ea1l, cost is s9.49, and the numDer
Of y,oands stands at CT. The weekly
purchase of lard weighs one pound
and asn ounces This Is "a POUNDS
Ior the year; it costs 1885.
"The average American family does
not eat fish like the japanese. FOL
both fresn and salt, it spends only
s8.O1 from Easter to Easter. Fol
this sum it gets so pounds. Salt bee'
il an item that should not be over
looked, The family uses. nearly
hound a week. The yearly cost Il
1926. 1t takes sixteen pounds O
cheese to last a year. These cos
s2.G2. Every two weeks a pound O
rice is eaten. This amount costs onl'
81 a year. The molasses bill wa:
only $1.69. This paid for SO gallons
mo separate enumeration of the
many vegetables, other than potatoes
aas been made, but it has been learn
ed that their total cost for the yea
was s1s.85. The cost of fruit OF tn
yarious kinds amounts to 1852. he
ports Of quantity would be so scat
tering as to be valueless. vinegar
nick1es and condiments cost S4.l2 10
a twelvemonth.
"Food which is not included in an,
Of these specified groups, or classes
require an expenditure Of 5000
year. It thus appears that the ave-
age family's expenditure for meat o
ali kinds is 500. If fish and poultr'
are included it is $110.50, or almos
a cents of every dollar spent TO
food. Where does this money go
To those who raise the cattle goe
she first price OF butter, milk an
cheese. which together cost the aver
age family SO cents out OF every do
lar spent for food. The pig indus
rrv gets II cents. The products Q
tha truck farms cost $31.79 a year