The Washington bee., 1908-06-13
ON BUSINESS BASIS
WISDOM OF KEEPING KITCHEN
ACCOUNT BOOK.
With Absolute knowledge of Running
Expenses Economy Is Made Easy
Hired Help Always Prone
to Extravaganza.

The head of the household some
times concludes that il costs too much
TO live, and when he makes this deci-
sion nothing commands his respect
like an account book wherein bal
ances are made without accommodating
'sundries." In fact going to market
and keeping household accounts are
the housekeeper's weapons of self-de-
tense against the charge of extrava-
gance, writes Alice E. Whitaker.
It is comparatively easy TO account
for rent, fuel, light and wages, and
even the larger bills for clothing can
be fairly well itemized from Teceipted
bills and memory. Therefore the
most common point of attack is the
food supply. The mistress of the
household may insist that nothing is
wasted and that the family would not
be satisfied with cheaper food but IN
less she can keep an account book she
has nothing to prove that she could
not have spent less for food material.
A hOusekeeper frequently says to
lACA oClAs II SCCAA4S " me tLldL VIC olC
buying butter every other day" or
I'm sure that we are using a dozen
eggs a day" II she has an account
book she can prove the truth of her
surmises or otherwise. One house
keeper annoyed at the recurring calls
for coffee and butter for her family
oil three sat down to her account book
and in five minutes found that six
pounds Of coffee and ten pounds of
butter had been used during the pre-
viOus month. She Immediately cut
two pounds from the future coffee sup
ply and cautioned against extrava-
gance in butter.
Another way of saving is buying in
small amounts. Our grandmOthers
extOlled the plan OF buying in a whole
sale way because wholesale prices are
less than retail, but our grandmOthers
had constant oversight over the use
CT both groceries and provisions, and
this is now frequently impossible. In
most kitchens TO-DAY everything that
is brought in will cooked by the
servants at one go. and the surplus
thrown away. Therefore if a pound
of 3O-cent steak is enough it is waste
full to buy 1n pound, or a quart o.
oysters when pint will be sufficient,
under the delusion that the left overs
will be used to advantage.
1t is wise to dispense with the order
clerk at the door, and especially with
liberty given to servants to order as
they please. Often from ignorance,
and as often from mere lack of in
tersst, they order needless things Go
to the grocery stores and markets,
see what you can buy, and how much
IL costs. This means a little effort,
but it soon becomes a habit and a
pleasure. Many housekeepers will
testify that il is not so hard to think
what to buy when in the presence of
the various good things, some of which
on that particular morning can be
bought at an advantage
1t is not unlikely that there will be
a premeditated block to this system
of looking closely after the table sup
plies, and in the middle of the after
noon the cook may announce that she
has no baking powder or that she
must have some more eggs. Then is
the time to be firm and to change the
menu, or, if anything be imperative.
to go for it yourself After a time it
will be understood that there is to be
no more reckless and indiscriminate
ordering.