Albuquerque citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1907-1909, 1907-09-09
LIVE AS CAEAPLY
AS 81 PER WEEK
When They Had a Garden. They
Cut Expenses Down to a MIN
imum- Now Vegetables and
Fruit Add to Cost OF
Living.

Can a young married couple save
money on a salary of $50 per month
at present prices of staple necessities
and vet live with that common decen-
CIV which society requires?
They certainly can, according 10
Young man in Albuquerque, clerk
who makes just $50 per montn anu
the saving habit, though she's not
bit "stingy."
eve have been married two years
and we know just what every week
has cost us during that time, for we
keep books" said the clerk. EVERY
time the groceryman brings an order,
or anything else comes into our
house. down goes the cost, and It's
paid for the moment it's delivered.
When we have no money, we don
buy anything"
glance at the well kept account
book, dainty with feminine writing
and figures showed the following as
the cost of what this couple needed
TO maintain three pretty rooms at
their well kept home last week, IN
Guiding the time from Sept. L TO
Sept. Z:
Daily Expenses.
Monday morning Mrs. Clerk went
down town to do her marketing. She
buys round at different stores be-
Way and you get better treatment
than when you stick too close TO one
firm.
Fifteen cents worth of round steak,
rs cents worth of potatoes, one loat
of bread for 5 cents, 15 cents Wortn
of strawberries, and 5 cents worth OF
canteloupes made up her purchases,
and when hubby got home to dinner
he found his wife with potatoes
enough for the whole week. straw
berries for the day, bread for two
days and meat enough for dinner and
small piece for breakfast. Inc
whole lot cost 65 cents.
Tuesday 15 cents worth of meat
10 cents worth of peaches, ~ Genus
worth of radishes and onions, ana
Is cents for small sundries COM
pleted the program. Fifty cents IN
Wednesday, meat cost 20 cents as
there was a visitor at dinner. Bread
and a small cake 20 cents, fruit and
Strawberries 35 cents, and vegetables
Is cents. Total 80 cents.
Thursday, fuel had to be bought
and one dollar for the week went
for that necessity. Meat 15 cents,
fruit Is cents, bread cents, and 10
cents for those mysterious sundries
made a total of SLAB for the days
expenses.
ter 35 cents (these will last a week)
fruit and vegetables 25 cents, total
800.
Saturday, a bar of soap (Mrs. Clerk
does her own washing and ironing),
cents, bread and buns Is cents,
meat, including Sundays supply, 40
cents, vegetables 25 cents, fruit 80
cents, sugar rs cents, expense for
lights, 25 cents. Total 1.70.
During the week she purchased
seven pints of milk for 80 cents
Their rent is $12 per month, which
makes a weekly average of SO.
Total Weekly Expenses.
Their total expenses for the week,
including rent, fuel, light, and food
including entertainment of one guest
at dinner, was $3.50. The week pre-
vious, their expenses were $7.25. They
economical on meat that week
Last spring they had a vegetable
garden and, with slight cost for seed,
they cut off their vegetable expense
altogether, saving an average on that
item of 81 per week for six weeks
They are now about TO purchase a
dozen chickens and this will cut OFF
the egg bill of 40 cents or more per
week.
Their clothing bill is not heavy
averaging less than 50 per month.
Last week they saved $40 out OF
the SIS weekly salary. The previous
$7.75. For FIVE weeks last spring
during the garden period, they saved
IS on an average per week. OF this
amount about IS per month goes for
clothing and SO for recreation.
The monthly savings on an average
are 500. They are not making any
effort TO save anything extraordinary
but are merely not spending any
money that is not necessary. They
live we'll and have ali they desire
They number their friends by the
legion and treat them all nicely but
they don't spend lavishly in enter
tanning.
ut costs US 10 per cent more to
live now than ii did last winter but
we can still save on that basis" de-
clared the clerk Their home Is a
model Of neatness but it represents
Mrs. Clerks work for every moment
of the day
How They Started.
I'VE have had no sickness during
our married life, but We We're not so
lucky as the couple the Citizen
quoted in Saturdays paper, for we
had no extra clothing when We got
married" said the clerk 1--WE had
not intended to marry for nearly a
year later than the time when the
ceremony took place, but when we
found that my wife's sisters were
planning on big wedding, we con-