New-York tribune., 1908-02-06
UNWISE WITH MONEY.
Women 4re Careless lSpen5ers, Says
Mrs. Ellen II. Richards.

The trouble is not that things cost toe much The
trouble is that people want, think they want
many things That is what Mrs. Ellen NJ Rich
ards Of the Massachusetts, Institute Of Technology
told chapelful of young women at Teachers Col
iege yesterday afternoon, In talk on 1.-THE Cost OF
Living and How to Control It
Manufacturers and merchants" Mrs. Richards
said. have carefully educated US to want things
and ss result. much of our money is frittered
away in useless fripperies"
Mrs. Richards had chart on tn. platform show
ing the comparative paid for rent, food etc.
by average families of 81 900, So 900 sa.oo0
year income
The French have a saying" she remarked that
| the person who pays more than one-twentieth OF
MS income for rent is on the way to ruin. One
couldn't bring ones rent down TO that proportion
IN New YORK; but why do spend much. SO
much more than used to, on that part of our
tivins? OF course. the standard is higher-we pay
for bathrooms, for more sanitary accommodations
than people used TO have; but the great trouble is
the feeling that IL is the right thing to live in
tain sections Of the city. We mustn't live around
the corner. or our friends won't call Now.
there are plenty of places in New York where
young couples live pleasantly at q modest
rental and what # these places ere unfashionab
But the trouble is that In these questions Of the
values OF life let other people decide for u.s. and
how apt they are TO decide the expensive thing
we do not really need!"
The personal expenses of women have increased
enormously. Mrs Richards said since the old
times. The gloves, the neckwear all the little
things we women need think we need" she re-
marked, swallow UP more money than We real
lie. Our grandmothers would get along with two
dresses; we think must have a dozen
THE very conveniences of to-day while they
simplify life also complicate 1t and make it ex-
pensve. The telephone requires some one to an
swer II. The more things have the more peo-
pie We must have to take care of them. and the
more service We have the more money we need
Women careless spenders, Mrs. Richards in
sisted. We go to market. and some string
beans. They are very high. but we only think
Oh how nice they would be- and get them We
won't stop to count the pennies.
Then there the bargain counters" Mrs
Richards continued, and ripple of laughter ran
over the audience. Eyes, the difficulty with our
pocketbook Is that are tempted on every side
and we are not strong enough to Withstand. We
go TO a neighbor's and something we fancy
we want, and we go to the shop and buy # and
take it home and-whers can we put itp No we
women not wise spenders.
Yet political economists teach US that civiliza-
ton is to want things We are trying TO civilize
the F'ilipinos and the Porto Ricans now by teach
ing them TO want things. It is the business mans
civilization added Mrs. Richards and Of course
it makes him rich.
1T is really serious question: What value are
we getting out Of the money We spend7 Our real
wealth. I take il, is measured by our margin Of
choice-by the money we can set aside spend,
perhaps on books, perhaps travel perhaps on
something else; but g definite aside. not to
be dribbled out on non-essentials. but be spent
On what we most about. The size of that
sum measures onss sense OF wealth.
"It is nearly always possible to set aside some
thing II one has sufficient aim. The question is
Have you q purpose strong enough to make you
wear last years hat for the sake OF setting aside
money? I knew girl who lived on s. a week
because she wanted TO send her brother TO college
She was happy in ii, because she had an aim"
Keeping accounts, Mrs Richards said, was the
first essential toward saving money. And rernen-
ber, she added, that where q woman trips up IN
accounts is in the incidentals. But keep accounts;
know where you stand. Map out your income;
allow certain proportion for rent certain pro-
portion for food, and so Balance your accounts
every day, and if the food costs too much one
day, cut It down the next Don't wait till the end
Of the month, and then starve your family a week
at time.
The second essential toward saving is 10 de-
eide Just where you can cut down-in rent in less
expensive food, in less stylish But the third
and greatest essential is TO have purpose in life
sufficiently strong 70 you against the foolish
little temptations that asssr your pocketbooks on
every side