Evening star., 1928-03-25

Some time ago, at club meeting
| several women were discussing the pro
and con of cash buying and credit buy
Ing AS always where several people
are gathered together, there were sew
| eral opinions, and each one OF the
women had "her own ideas" as to the
| proper and most economical method Of
| housekeeping.
They were all wives OF professional
men. whose problem OF living was the
i question OF dividing a steady monthly
salary over the years expenses. One
Of them maintained that she believed
| in running monthly bills, provided the
| housekeeper would as she herself tried
| to do be careful TO get what she actu-
| ally needed, and not be carried away
| by the extra things she might want
indeed. but which were not necessities
| She made an exception in the matter
| OF marketing, along with admitting that
when she went along the aisles Of the
cash grocery stores. with basket un-
| der her arm, she was tempted to fill it
with alluringly priced articles that she
did not need and would never have
| thought about had she been at home
ordering over the telephone from a
| careful list made out of actual needs.
Though there is more than a germ
| OF truth in that line of reasoning, an
| other member of the group shook her
head over such methods She was the
type of budgeteer who writes down
every salary penny spent. even to the
two or three for newspaper or a stick
Of chewing gum. She always, on the
| first of each month. lined up and as
| sorted her greenbacks into their prop
er pigeonholes and there was no weak
wavering In extra indulging. Sixty dol
| lars covered her marketing expenses,
and 1t was never $6l, though OCCASION
ally 1t totaled $50 and declared 81 div
| ident for the vacation or Christmas
saving fund.
Envy. despair. dismay. appreciation
| darkened or lightened the faces of her
listeners. and her best friend, who was
! among those present. announced that
| this good manager was not Just talking.
/ but that in actual fact she ran her
house beautifully and no family made
a better appearance than hers did. A
representative of an exceptional type
she belongs to rare feminine group
| For thousands OF women it is literally
and humanity impossible to count
every penny They may desire to man
age we'll they may be conscientious and
eager to econonnize. but by disposition
and training they cannot make an eco
nonlic success of their business OF
| housekeeping. However, every year
more and more, the most impractical
are learning
| There. is no argument over the fact
| that the problem of family expenditures
for salaried people is always a personal
| one. No set scheme can cover this situ-
alton. but even with the personal ele-
ment so strong, there are certain funda-
mental rules and a certain knowledge
OF shopping principles that can be help
ful to the average family The retail
merchants, viewing the problem from
| their own and their customers angle
have worked out a system of cash sales
ana credit sales that Is profitable TO
both parties involved. Of course, 1t is
true that to arrange to buy everything
for cash means that family can take
advantage of special sales when they
are held, and get the best values for
their money. but 1t isn't by any means
| possible for all families to do this
The individual problem enters in too
strongly.
But not understanding how to use
the privilege of the credit system has
caused many a financial lam. and
plunged many family into debt. Some
women say that they are afraid to make
q bill, others that it is dreadful TO make
! bills, and still others confess that they
feel neither dread nor horror, and tina,
they use their credit whenever they &c
shopping. These last have informed
themselves as TO the proper use oi
credit. And like everything else wher
you understand it. 1t becomes snnplifec
and helpful
IL Is. however. strange but true thai
thousands OF women have never made
the least effort TO find out just how anc
to what extent they can take advantage
OF charge account. Indeed. far toe
often they abuse their privilege: they
go 70 store and run up a good sized
OIL without having figured out whether
they have. or are going to have, the
| money 10 pay 1t when II becomes due
Certainly. 1t Is entirely wrong for the
| thoughtleSS woman to open q chargs
account when she has no idea how she
| viii pay for her purchases. The stores
she deals with are right m refusing her
any more credit after they have found
out her unwillingneSS or inability &c
pay.
But ii is often good business and
helpful, too, for the woman who Is liv-
ing on a budget. to use a charge ac-
count. A budget doesn't mean 4 bur
densome method OF writing down every
item OF expenditure. but, for q woman
10 list and total fixed expenses and then
stick py the list. means for her a load
OF worry lightened and a certain amount
OF freedom from financial worries. In
| tlliS day OF system. IN matters big and
small. woman should realize that the
stores that offer their goods on credit
basis or payment, have q well-worked-
out plan behind their operating meth