Oxford Democrat., 1914-01-20
Five and Teu.Cent Meals.


Every small -salaried Jack and Jill o.
ma is anxious to reduce living expenses
to minimum figure, in order to stretct
our income over some few luxuries anc
claim them as our OWL. 49,
had been frugal all the year so tina
I could invest in an August vacation
NV trunk was packed and I was trans
ported to a tree-shaied city In New Jer
sew. a city with some country privileges
I resolved to try out the experiment o
cheap food. Up with the early bros
did my marketing along the main street
I bore home my first days provisions
One half dozen mixed rolls and buns
Eve cents, three corn mullins, i've cents
one banana, one peach, and one pear
five cents.
IE,Rsr GROUP OF FIVE AND TEN-cEN,
MEALS
Breakfast, one roll, bun, corn muf
fin, and peach. Lunch, ono corn muf
flo. a roll, bun, and a pear. Supper
the remaining roll, bun, corn mufnn
and the banana.
Nv stock of housekeeping appoint
ments consisted of penknife, teaspoon
and bit of salt. Without ice, milk ex
cept for i'm ediate consumption was for
bidden; butter was denied, likewise
bread and canned goods, from lack oil
large knife and can-opener.
The next day 1 tried restaurant rare
result as follows: Breakfast. rolls, but
ter and cup of hot milk; lunch, beef
stew, bread and butter; supper, on!
nam and one tomato. .and-lettuce sand
sich made with graham bread. Ines'
were all ten.cent meals.
In my purchases aimed at STANDARD
values, prices paid by the rank and hie
not BY the upper tendon. Each article
proved of good, though not OF superior
value. The third day returned to i've
cent meals iu my room, which itemize'
AZ follows: One pint OF milk 70 cents) 10
breakfast, drunk very slowly; lunch, tw'
rolls, one bun and one-hslf cake OF mill
chocolate (fve cents); supper, two buns
Que roll and the remaining chocolat
five cents).
HOME GROUP OF TEN-cENT MEALS
For my-teu. cent meals, self-preparee
(the others, you will remen Der, Wer
restaurant meals), boug BIT jar OF pea
l.ut butter, ten cents; three, each, o
rolls, buns, crullers, and cookies, on
,iozsn in all, ten cents; three peache
and three bananas, ten cents. The meal
were all composed of the same list,
roll, bun, cookie, cruller, peach and
nanana.
Mid singing and signing, l kept thi
up for one month. 1t was a pleasure t
serve myself daintily in my own room
bu, on the other hand, my meals wer
robbed of the highest charm, social on
i ,yment. Each alternate day at the res
i.urant was not satisfactory, socially
for there was scarcely any one but tn
waiter to smile at and talk to. had NO
relished the undertaking at the outset
but all the difficulties, except the on
Just mentioned, proved to be like Joh
Bunyan's stone lions, fiercer in the antit
ipation than in the realization.
With this unpretentious food wa
hale and happy. l make no claims tina
nv cheap meals contained food element
| in the correct proportions necessary TO
the repair of days waste. The trut
is, | think they were not very we'll ba
anced, as evidenced by the ten-cen
IN eals in my room; those contained to
much starchy substance.
thrived so we'll on this diet that
concluded l would try a similar pla
when returned to work. | was les
hungry in vacation days, and at my reg
ular employment 1 feel sure l can prof
per famously upon ten-cent meals, alter
uating between those at restaurant an
those self-prepared in my own room
Sundays and holidays will contine my
self 70 five-cent meals, unless am II
vited out.
Emerson did not care to live In tn
woods on twenty seven cents a week
bu, he had no objection to friend
living so, il the friend (rhoreau) foup
| it prof able" Each must live accord
ing to his ideal.