San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1925-09-18

trimming WalCT ..s..s...'.'.' -'pV
MIX ............''..'. o'VV
Monthly bills ...............S2 f.Ou
This leaves s3S for food, ice, laun-
dry soap, starch, cleaning necessities,
household repairs, small equipment
for the house.
"There are two breakfast and two
dinners for Mr.. and Mrs. A. and two
small dogs and bird TO be fed. The
dogs averaged GO cents per week and
the bird % cents n month.
IF the S33 could be used entirely
for food. that would allow $1.10 a
day or 81 IL cents per meal.
MIR. and Mrs. A. are people above
the average and are used to the nice
things of life, not coarse food. Mrs.
4. provides meat twice a week, fresh
vegetables, half n pint of cream n
day, fresh eggs, breakfast foods, salad
and pastries.
"Mr. A. does not use the car ex-
cept with Mrs. A. socially. Mrs. A.
washes, drives and cares for this car
entirely.
"She cares for the yard entirely,
cleaning, hoeing, watering-a new
lawn requires much watcr-except
cutting and raking the lawn, which
Mr.. A. does on Saturday. Mr.. A.
leaves home at Z in the morning and
does not return until in the even
ing, so he has little time to help.
Mrs. A. chops wood, cares for the
dogs, does all the washing and iron
ing except her husbands shirts and
collars, and does all the homework
for a large bungalow with white
woodwork throughout, tile bath, waxed
floors, many windows, mr. : furniture.
This with all of her own sewing and
mending fills the entire day.
In three years she has spent only
S25 Of her husbands income on cloth
ing or for her own personal needs. She
has earned all of the rest. contributed
$225 toward the furniture and $3.50
towards the household expenses, there
by reducing the $50 to $40 for period
of six months.
81 think that this is remarkable for
a woman of refinement, an educated
musician. used to nice things; for her
to be willing to do all this takes rigid
economy, extreme watchfulness and
efficiency and sclf-denial in a large
degree. She has leisure-and ! feel
that she not only is meeting her hus-
bands effort and self-denial 80 per
cent, but 100 per cent; and she must
love him exceedingly to be willing to
do this.
"She sees no one all through her
busy days, as her neighbors are not
near and since her home is in a some
what out-of-the-way place her friends
must be invited or they rarely call
If she goes out to find relaxation il
costs money-eyen if only gas for the
car: if she invited friends in, it costs
money even il she offers them merely
tea and cakes.
"Shc can have no help with her
housework-nO scrub woman, no laun-
dress. no yard help, no personal care,
as marcels, manicureS; none of the
dainty things for which woman
longs, as she has no money except the
house money, and l do not see how she
can pare that down to have anything
left over. She has no piano. After
day of hard work how much does
she feel like study and advancement.
Mrs. A. is 40-16 years younger
than her husband.
"Will you be good enough to tell
me what you think of this case? In
this day and age I think that she is
wonderful-but | want my debate to
be well grounded"
Surely the case has been stated with
great clarity.
The only fact I wish might have
been included is what becomes of the
S105 of the family's earnings after
Mrs. A has been given $50 to cover all
Of the expenses which she enumerates.
1t seems to me that the payments to-
wards the house can scarcely demand
so large a proportion of the income.
| have known cases in which the desire
of the family to own their own home
was so great that they sacrificed
everything towards that end; but it
rarely has seemed to me worth while.
While the amount which Mrs. \.
has allowed for food is almost at a
minimum. it is not below the susten-
ance level; it seems TO me that If the
entire income were properly budgeted.
at least $50 a month could be allowed
for food; but since that would include
the So month set aside for milk,
there really would not be much differ