Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1910-03-07
Home Course
In Domestic
Science
III.-Cost of Food In
Moderate Homes.
By EDITH G. CHARLTON.
Copyright. 1910. BY American Press
Association.
In Charge Of Domestic Economy. lows
State College.

is first in feeding people, then in
dressing people, then in lodging
people and last in rightly pleasing
people with arts or science or any 9th
er subject of thought
If Ruskin is right. and we know he
is, then it behooveS all those who are
interested in homemaking and house
keeping to see to it that their duty is
well performed; that the results of
their labor are not only bringing good
to people. but also making good people
This means improving their physical
conditions, training them to higher
ideals and truer standards Of living.
The standard of life will determine
the character of the home. and when
ever homes and family life are not
what civilization and Christianity
teach they should be the cause will
invariably be found to be wrong stand.
ards.
The cost of living depends on the
ideas and standards of the persons
spending the money. or else 1t depends
on the total disregard for them. The
question Of how much our living
shall cost is more of education than OF
location so scale of expenditures
cannot be given that will be suitable
in every particular to any locality.
Local conditions must be taken into
consideration TO some extent, though
it is generally found that large expend-
iture in one department of housekeep-
ing can be readily balanced by various
economies in another.
Any woman who has right stand
ard of life will not be satisfied to spend
all the income for physical needs She
will want balance for those things
which are termed higher life, educa-
ton and all those advantages which
develop the mental and moral side OF
the family. 1t has been repeatedly
proved that when the family income
is adjusted so as to leave at least 20
per cent of it for matters not connect
ed with material living there is con-
tentment in the family circle and
desire among the individual members
to reach the highest attachments OF
true manhood and womanhood. 1t is
not my purpose in this article to at
tempt to do more than show what pro-
portion Of the income should be re-
served for food and how that amount
can be spent in order to keep within
the margin and to satisfy the physical
needs of the family.
It has been said that one-half the
cost Of living is the cost OF food. and
it has been shown over and over again
that it is not the food actually eaten
which costs so excessively as it is
what is wasted by poor cooking. pre-
pairing too large quantities and buying
out Of season.
Meals at 1s Cents . Day.
An income Of from $1,000 to $500
should allow no more than IS to %
cents a day for each person for food.
or not more than 90 per cent Of the
total incomes. TO feed a family Of
FIVE persons on 80 cents day. or IL
cents each, requires thought and con-
siderable planning on the part Of the
housekeeper But on that amount 1t
is possible to provide good nourishing
meals every day and in amount sufd-
Gent for all the needs Of the body.
This is not a mere theoretical state
ment, for in many homes in this coun-
try less than 81 day is being spent
on the table.
To buy wisely on a small margin
requires some knowledge Of food val
ues, because it is necessary to have
the daily meals represent a given
amount of proteid, fat, sugar and
starch, mineral matter and water.
These food constituents must be pro-
vided every day II the body is to be
kept in normal condition.
AMOUNT FOOD MATERIAL THAT WILL
FURNISH REQUIRED SOCRISHMENT
FOR ONE DAY FOR NAN AT AVERAGE