Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1917-04-20
WHO DISTRIBUTES
THE INCOME
A Preachment About the Best
Way to Meet Family Expenses
and to Share the Wealth-A
Bank Account Versus Pin
Money For Modern Women.
subject Of the family In
come and Its distribution Is
one uppermost just now A

mi uppermoSt just now. A
wife will say she has only
so much for "house money" The hus-
band pays the rent, lodge and possibly
the fuels. He may think she doesn't
manage" and she may think he
doesn't give her enough to u the
house with.
Now. while in many families there
are perfect agreement and the most
efficient distribution Of the income, In
hundreds of families the finances of
the home are managed in a haphazard
way. In the first place, the wife often
doesn't keep account of her expendi-
lures. This Is simply suicidal, and 1t
is impossible to help any woman to a
better management who doesn't know
how much she receives and what she
spends and for what items. 1t is just
as di~sgraceful as 1t would be to go
into an extensive plant or factory and
find that no record of costs had been
kept or that the owner did not know
how much his yearly income or ex-
penses were.
But before any accounts are kept
there should be the most definite kind
of understanding between husband and
wife, partners in the business of home
making. They must first know toward
what objects they wish to save and de-
eide mutually in what style they wish
to and can live and other details the
nonsettlement of which so often causes
disagreement.
Then there must be no handout
schemes of giving money to the wo-
man on whom the whole burden of
home management falls. 1t has been
often enough joked about, and 1t is
certainly not fair or digniied for the
to have to ask for five dollars,
please" or in any way degrade her.
self to ask for money the half of
which she rightfuliy earns.
Better than pin money is a mutual
understanding which shall allow u
woman freedom to a mutual bank ac-
count just as much as the man has
access to 1t. In the buying Of fmpor-
tant things. equipment and large ex-
pcHulIuleS, tnet SnOuIu DOln Soucuit
each other beforehand, but in the buy
ing of smaller articles and needs for
the home each should be free to choose
what each wishes. II they have a per-
feet understanding as to their aims
neither will be selfish, neither will be
extravagant, and both will consider the
needs of the other and of the family
before spending money.
In order to find out what sum she
needs for a week or month to cover
family expenses the woman must keep
careful records, either in a small ruled
book (many of which come for the
purpose) or on cards, after the filing
idea. These records should serve as
the basis for an annual budget, as 1t is
only by the budget plan that expenses
can be apportioned more fairly and in
some degree of reliability. Keeping
account of expenses already made Is
a good step, but making a budget for
future expenditures is the height of
efficiency and good sense.
Both are partners In the business of
the home. There should be mutual
understanding, mutual aim for the ex-
penditure of all money, and careful
records must be kept, as a basis for
future expenditures. If this is done
there will be no disagreement and un-
pleasantness because of a poorly adj
justed financial problem in the home.