The Topeka state journal., 1919-11-22

ELIZABETH JOHNSON address not
Ny husband insists on ny writing on the
subject Of the high cost OF living He Is
of the opinion that a large part Of 1t Hes
in the kind of wife a man has
1 help TO keep down the cost or living
for our family by economies in several
ways, a few Of which I will name as fol
lows: Raising a large garden, caring Tor
it myself; that is working and irrigaung
it, doing my own housework and mouse
cleaning. washing, ironing, sewing and
We live within the city limits, pay, s12
per month house rent, were married in
April, 1917, and things have continued TO
raise in price. and seem to be still going
upward on most eatables and wearing ap-
parel- Each year I have raised more gar
den truck than we could use. the balance
Of which 1 sell Last year | also irrigated
our patch of potatoes. raised 80 bushels. of
which l sold o bushels at $1-75 per bushel-
digging them with spade myself In the
fall Sold sic worth Of tomatoes after
canning 100 quarts for our own use and
working up some into butter and catsup,
We have our own eggs to use and
butcher and cure our own pork for the en-
tire year. We now have on hand one and
one-halt hams from last years butchering
and they are fine Last year l fed and
looked after two hogs which at the time we
sold them netted Us 1855 clear profit My
husband was so enthusiastic over this that
he bought two pigs this summer at - ~
cents per pound making them cost $50,
but hogs have dropped so in price and
corn is still high so I presume l will lose
on these Looks TO me as tho wheat, sugar
high considering the way livestock has
dropped. [ believe people will quit raising
them If things do not change
1 have not had new hat, coat or dress
for dress wear since I have been married
as there seemed TO be other things that
were more necessary and I had a nice
supply of clothes when L was married.
style changes so much do not try TO
keep up with it and l am not interested
zrTTk
busy TO do the work I named before and
sew for my two step-daughters and to do
the extra work they make
I was raised on Il farm and have done
everything in the way of teaching school
and keeping books TO milking COWS and
We buy our sugar by t-e 10O-Ib- sack
and buy our fruit in season. and can
it myself that way avoiding to buy the
high priced goods in tin cans and home
canning is much better. We buy our ap-
pies out OF the car for our winter use,
Ny husband is superintendent OF the
light and waterworks here and works
until IL O'Clock at night except two nights
out of the week when he has to work
later. Thru the day when he is not busy
with the city affairs he works on the side
which helps our savings account
At first his salary vas $59 per month 4;
is city marshal also and they raised his
salary to S125 AID We have our lights and
water furnished Since 1917 We have paid
off debts had before we were married.
paid for everything we bought and II
We keep we'll Intend to buy and pay for
a home Of nv own Including the little l
have saved before we were married to
help outD within another year in spite Of
the h c. OF L
F. NJ. STSCO, I'll East 5th St. Topeka
have been reading some Of the letters
written to The State Journal in regard
to the high cost OF living; also some
pointers as how to cut down the grocery
bills But 1 don't think that any OF them
have touched the root OF the evil There
are too many motor cars in the country,
and too much money spent for gas
Now 1 raised my family down on the
farm as all other farmers did. and we
raised a little Of most everything that
bage. our ppta toes, our EouTkraut. apple
cider. pumpkins. beets. Every farmer
would have his cellar full But today how
many farmers do that Take it out Of
the Kav valley where e few gardeners
make a business Of raising truck to sell
there the balance Of the farmers are living
out Of paper sacks and tin cans fast as
the town people are doing and the grocery
man knows this They are retailing pGta-
| toes at s cents a pound when tAey are
buying them for 65 cents q basket OF II
pounds, which makes them only 81 q on a
basket. and so on nearly everything. But
then the groceryHlen knew that they have
the farmers trade added to the town trade
We all know that supply and demand have
great deal to do with prices and when
it is al demand and 40 supply the price
l is sure to Be high There are too many
people sneading their time and money for
gas Take the men from the ages OF Is to