The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1920-04-12
Keep a Budget and Stretch Your Dollars
Woman Bankers Aduice to Working Girls

Working Girls
NEW YORK. Aprii Els there
any way n girl may Hprcad her week.
~ w'age to cover every swelling item
more easily
What percentage OF her earnings
should girl spend on different
things In order 10 make a dollar go
tho furthest7
These questions were put To Miss
Virginia -. H. Furman. recently
elected assistant secretary Of the
Columbia Trust Company Of New
York. Miss Furman. at the time Of
her election. was the FIRST woman TO
hold an official bank position. she
has charge OF the special interests
OF the banks women clients. thus
embodying a new and valuable idea
In bank management, by establish
ing confidential contact between the
bank and It's women cusfomerA-
EVERY GIRL SHOULD
KEEP A BUDGET"
Every girl should keep bud
get" replied Miss Furman. That
sounds like a fuHsy way OF max
ing a hard job harder. but II sn't
The budget system M worked out by
the National League OF Women
Workers. In which I am interested.
Ii a simple way for n giri 10 con
trol her spending instead OF letting
her spending control her.
There are i've steps In making
budget
"FIRsT-Keep accurate weekly ac-
counts OF your spending.
N''SEcOND-Find your average
weekly expenditure In each direction.
"THuRD-Find what proportion Of
your total weekly income is spent
IN each direction.
"FOURTH-stu other peoples
experience TO fnd what proportions
they have spent In each direction TO
get the most comfort and most saw
ings from their income.
"FfFTH--Decide at the beginning
Of the week what proportion Of your
income you will spend In each direc'
ton"
HOW TO KEEP
WEEKLY ACCOUNTS
An easy way. suggested by Miss
Furman. 10 keep weekly accounts
IL TO take n cheap lined copy book
and down the left edge OF n page
LIST under each other the various
things for which money II spent.
Along the top. above the first i,cm.
put the days OF the week across
the page
The average expenditure In each
direction should be found after the
accounts have been kept for at
least three weeks by adding the
amount spent for any one item In
that time and dividing by three
Percentages are found by dividing
the weekly income by 100 10 find
per cent of the income. and di.
vidlng each average weekly expcn.
diture by this per cent This
VIII show how the income Is ap-
portioned-
The table Of percentages mys
Miss Turman. (which has given
the most comfort to most people,
according TO the National League
Of Women Workers. In this
RENT 20 per cent; clothing 10
per cant: food. 20 per cent: i'm
prvvemen. 10 per cent Including
recreation. club dues. dental and
medical care. operating expenses.
Is per cent car faro. laundry. etc.
Insurance and savings 10 per cent
PROPORTIONS DIFFER
FOR INDIVIDUALS
These are the proportions which
have been found by long experience
20 work out best In supporting a
family. For an individual girl the
proportions might be somewhat Or.
ferent
Suppose Mary. whose savings
average IS CENTS Q week. decides
she wants TO save more. but doesn't
know how TO do II. II she com.
parcs her actual spending with the
percentages recommended she will
see that In proportion TO her board
and rent she Is spending far too
Z H1urn on CioNue&. ana SOMEWHAT 700
much on Improvement and opcrat.
Ing expenses
Lizzie thinks she has been
economixing by spending less than
usual on food But the saving has
been lost on medicine so she de.
cides 10 economic on clothing and
not on food.
''Rosaiie finds her clothing is
costing her :s per cent OF her in
coma little over a quarter. SO
she decides TO wear her old things
season longer than usual.
'Madgc finds she In spending So
per cent of her income on rent
instead Of the wiser 20 per cent
She moves.
"One thing which should newer
appear in the program OF budget.
paking. except In the greatest
emergency. Ia cutting down that
safe percentage OF savings"
Meier Refers Him
to. the Ouija Board
When q n yhe,don nr,vst,t ,-a~cr