New-York tribune., 1922-07-16

whether she can safely figure on buy
ing q $500 house and carry it after
$500 cash payment on an income Of
S48 per week.
Without venturing an opinion on a
matter which is up to her to decide,
perhaps these figures on the upkeep Of
house for one year may be of inter
est.
We purchased the house in June,
1921, and moved into it on July 2,
1921. 1t cost slightly more than $500,
but in size it probably represents the
equal of the house which A. l.. X. has
in mind. so the upkeep of ours should
be indicative of her probable expense.
purchase itself. We had to pay SCI
for legal, survey and title search. In
surance on house to protect interest of
the building and loan association,
S29.40.
For twelve months occupancy our
water has cost S9.33 (3,3OO gallons), J.,
cur gas $29.97 (22,200 cubic feet), our
electricity S26 (253 kilowatts), our
coal, coke and wood for the heating
furnace, s103.35-small load of boxes
for kindling, seven tons coal, one ton
coke. We had about half ton of coal
left over. We cook entirely on gas.
household goods. Taxes were $780,
being second half of 1921 ground tax
When we bought the house we were
under the Jersey tax exempt law. Our
first unexpected expense came this
spring, when this law was declared
unconstitutional, and our bill this year,
instead of being $40, as we figured on.
was $15012. Of course A. l.. K. may say
that she has allowed for taxes, and she
may not be figuring on full tax if she
is considering New York property, but
we think our experience illustrates the
correctness Of her fiance's claim that
items need margin in the
budget to care for them.
We digress here to say that we have
been smarried almost seven years, have
budgeted from the day we started and
have always found unexpected items
coming up. Not alone on house, but of
a great variety of things.
Next, getting back to the house, we
spent $26.99 in the year for small fix
ings to the house. Includes no labor
bills, We do all our own work. Fuses,
electric bulbs for the whole house,
faucet washers, dry batteries for bell,
wax and varnish and paint for Hoors,
extra door keys. In addition we in
vested S2960 in materials out of which
we made screen for most OF the vim
dows in the house. Hope A. l.. K. does
through the summer without them.
Our budget last year.was $40 mon.
for running of the house, which COW
cred coal, gas, water, electricity, taxes,
Insurance. However, the increase IN
taxes and the transfer from "miscel-
laneous items" of 81 q month to cover
the house fixing items, made US raise 1T
this year to $35 month.
We cannot make exact comparisons
with A. L.-K., as our house cost little
more than the figure she is working
on, and we had little more cash to
pay down, so the carrying charges for
interest with building and loan are
less.
On $50 week we can only carry
$500 a year, interest plus principal
payment, to building and loan, and then
do not save anything in cash; all our
savings go into the house.
We have often wished we could
compare figures through some impair
tial clearing house such as yourself,
with other people, of various incomes,
so that we might have comparisons on
which to judge our own expenditures
Frequently we wonder how much IN
come 1t takes for so and SO to 1--we IN
such and such manner, and the ques-
tion arises, are they OF we cieverer In
the handling of money?
Do you think you would secure IN
teresting and sufficient response if you
printed an article in your section OF the
paper requesting married couples who
have budgeted and kept record of their
for at least year, to send
in to you for reprint, with identity re
moved, such data? This is to include
the income, the persons in the family,
living within Greater New York or
committing from New York or New Jer-
sey, the budget set and then the ac-
tual amounts spent for each item in
detail.
AS you probably have observed your
self. we citizens of the United States
do not discuss with one another such
matters as our total income and how
we spend it, directly with one another.
My neighbor has a car; how much does
it cost him to run it in q year; what
income does he have to make it pos
sible; is the expense of it met in any
way by cutting down of some other
item of expense? He wouldn't con-
slider such a question from me but
m chit ho willing To furnish it with out