The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1914-08-14
ESTIMATES ON Home MAKING
THAT ARE INCOMPLETE

Those who estimate the amount of
money needed to make comfortable liv-
ing for girl or woman usually ig-
more the small items, the many nick
ell that may makea round 500 before
the year is up. They assume that when
a room is rented and meal ticket is
bought the girl is provided for. They
usually allow so much for street suits,
summer and winter, so much for shoes,
hats, carefare, etc. but the thousand
and one infinitesimal expenditures
which ara necessary to a woman's toi-
let are rarely remembered. Soap and
tooth powder and pins and needles and
thread and silk and braids and match
es and items of that sort, in the aver
age home are never thought of until
cne estimates expenses by dimes and
nickles, yes and pennies. pair of
good shoes may be decent for six
months or even longer, but what about
the shoe buttons or laces and the 20
cents for Strengthening the heels? The
cheap suit may wear more than a
year, but only if the girl sends it now
and then to the tailor for sponging and
pressing and keeps braids and Innings
| and buttons neat.
Two women who resolved to see
! how far they could reduce expenses
| and yet be comfortable, were living in
an apartment where they paid $3.50 a
year This was more than was imper.
atively necessary, and yet no approxi-
mate sense of having a home can be
felt in less space for two people. There
were parlor and dining room and kitch-
| en- and bath and two bedrooms and a
| neglible bedroom for non-eXistent
maid, Two women can hardly be said
to be making home with less space
than this, though they may indeed be
comfortable in two or three rooms.
Including about $3.50 week apiece
for rent they found that they could
pay all the definite expenses each
week and provide the so-called Europ'
can breakfast of bread and cup OF
cocoa, and sufficient dinner for $21
\ week for both This included small
amount of service and the laundry 1t
! did not cover ice, a necessity In sum
mer, and it made no provisions for sup
plying worn out linen or rug-cleanine
and wndow-washing or mending the
cane-seated chair that broke through
1t covered the actual necessities reg
ularly paid for every day and two
meals. If these women had been earn
ing $12 week, which Is now named
by some as the minimum wage on
which one woman can live decently
there would have been left a margin
of only 50 a week apiece for dress
and all other expenses, luncheon, car
fare, church money, and gifts or "chari
ty"-an item found in most women's
expense accounts, even when most
closely kept
These women could have taken a
small fiat, two rooms and kitchenette
which would have cost $S5 month
about 81 week apiece. This would
have given both $3.50 week more fol
expenses outside of rent. But the mo
ment they reduced their living space
to two rooms as against the normal
number of five, there must be increas
ed expense for laundry, as all the
wsshing would have to be sent out
Many other small tasks, like pressing
ones own street suit and making ovel
summer gown, would have to be pu
out and paid for. since in the tiny
tworoom apartments there is no room
for ironing boards and sewing ma
chimes.
For $40 month they could have al
apartment with three rooms, adding ;
living room to the sleeping places, bu
even this would not solve the problem