South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1920-02-02
Kitchen Economics
SOLVING SOME HOUSEKEEPING
ACCOUNTS PROBLEMS.

Il 4
You have a choice Of three ways
Of keeping accounts, depending on
whether you pay most OF your bills
in cash or by check. and also on how
much detail you wish TO record.
Perhaps the simplest Of all meth
DDS OF account keeping is where the
majority of the bills are paid by
check. If you pay your butcher.
baker. landlord and a dozen other
tradesmen once a week or once a
month by check your check stubs,
made out whenever you make out
the check, viii keep an absolutely
accurate record of your expendi-
lures. The check stub should give
the name OF the person or firm to
whom the check has been made. the
date. amount and what the payment
Is for IL IS then a very simple mat
ter 20 transfer this record, weekly
or monthly to the regular account
book
OF course, it is next to impossible
to pay everything by check. Every
woman has some cash expenditures.
She does not do all her shopping in
one place. and naturally. pays cash
for almost all the casual purchases
made in various new shops. In ad-
dition. a goOdly sum is likely to be
expended in cash on carious luxur-
les and unexpected purchases on
theaters. carfares, lunches outside
and so forth. These have TO be re-
corded on the same day that they
have been paid for. otherwise they
are sure TO be partly forgotten. In
fact, that is the chief difficulty of
keeping accounts accurately when
most of the expenditures are in cash.
The housewife makes several pur-
chases during the day, Omits to re-
cord them in that same day while
they are fresh in her mind, and so
they escape.
To overcome this there has been
designed a small card system for
keeping accounts. Small cards are
provided for each general class of
expenditure-food, clothing. operat-
ing expenses. luxury and education.
savings and so forth. These 3x5
cards can easily be slipped into the
handbag. While waiting for change
or for packing the amount spent can
DE ported down on the proper card.
or the receipt slips which almost
all the stores now give 10 purchasers
can be slipped inside the rubber band
that holds the cards together. In
this way they will automatically re-
mind the housekeeper To make the
entry when she next takes out her
cards. An account book small
enough TO fit inside q handbag may
be treated the same way.
The chief point to remember, how
ever is To have n regular time for
making your records-whether daily
or weekly or monthly. Keep all re-
ceipts. Make note of every cash
purchase or expenditure for which
you do not get a receipt, and keep
all these memoranda in one place
with your account book or account
cards, whichever you happen to
use
II is also a good plan TO mark
down on each headline whatever
amount your budget allows for the
monthly expense. suppose you have
an income of $3.50 month and your
budget provides. sega. month for
food-; $hat sum shoUid be marked
at the top of the column. Then, as
the month passes. glance over your
expenditures TO date and see whether
YOU are keeping well within that
limit The same applies 10 the 9TH
err OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. clothes
entertainment and so forth.
If you have q bank account
where your monthly allowance is
deposited and YOU keep your account
book OF expenses regularly it Will
be easy to balance" ut the end Of
the month. Add your expenses
subtract from the amount on hand
at the first Of the month, and the
difference should be in the bank or
cash on hand.