The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1919-12-04
BUY ONLY WHAT
YOU NEED AND
SAVE MONEY
Jacksonville Times.Union)

just aIteT tne signing Ol Tic dIm-
istice somebody in authority or out
of it, advised everybody to buy. Buy
all you can buy for cash or on time,
or any old way, was the advice as it
| is remembered now, and the people
generally, who had been held up and
told to save and skimp and use old
things and eat very little were de-
lighted to think that it was not only
all right, but patriotic and proper to
get into the buying game, strong and
Irregular. There had been money
saved during the war, in spite of high
prices, and lot of people had bought
Liberty bonds and war savings
stamps, and had laid bit besides in
some safe place, to wait the news
that would mean unfastening the
string. The invitation, which was al
most like an order, although positive
ly without authority, spread over the
country like grass fire and ever
since that time there has been an
orgy of spending money that has al
most worked shOp-keepers to death
|and piled up fortunes for practically
those in any variety of trade.
Prices naturally went kiting, and
while some of them came down a bit,
for while last summer, doubters are
referred respectfully to the fact that
butter was selling at retail for forty
nine cents pound for little while,
and sugar got down to nine cents, ii
you bought a lot at a time. But
prices went up again, and they are
higher now on many things than they
were during the war. The dealers
many of them-When questioned
about the apparently ridiculous prices
OF many things, declare that there is
no demand for cheap goods The
people have become obsessed with
the idea that anything worth while
must cost lot of money, and unless
the price is high they don't believe it
can be good.
No doubt the economy practiced
during the war period has been very
largely forgotten in the majority of
households, and this is one of the
greatest reasons for the continued
soaring of things which should have
returned to something like the old
levels by this time. Economy when
ii was presumed to be patriotic was
most attractive to many, and now
there is evidently only desire to
keep ahead of the neighbors, in style
Of motor car, dress and table.
After while this sort of thing will
run its race and the people will be
willing to buy what they need and do
without many things that they do not
need, until prices become something
like normal. There is said to be lit.
tie excuse for the price of eighty
cents a pound for butter just now.
We are not exporting any quantity of
butter, neither have the COWS gone
dry, or the butters-makers struck.
But high it is, and probably a great
amount of it is wasted just as it was
when butter was selling at from % to
IS cents a pound
From the financial centers it is
learned that thousands of people are
selling their Liberty bonds in order
to buy things, often not needed, but
desired in order to march well up in
front in the fashion parade. There
was splendid response when the
government asked the American peo-
pie to buy securities and provide
funds for carrying on the war; but it
will be very bad if the bondholders
sacrifice these securities to buy high.
priced Injuries. A little restraint, a
careful estimate of the expenses and
a generous hand that is not careless
in paying out the earnings and saw
ings, at this time will mean much cas-
ir timee later
There should be no niggardliness:
in the majority of instances there is
no reason for stinting, but purchases
can be done with the probability in
view OF more reasonable demands
little later. By conservation the
whole problem can be more quickly
solved; buy what you need. but be
satisfied with what is good and whole.
some, And avoid trying to stock up
for the future. This is a special sea,
son of good cheer and the holiday
time is near at hand-but good sense
can be properly applied to the pur.
chasing of Thanksgiving supplies and
Christmas remembrances in 1919 as
was the case in 1917 or 1918.