Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-03-20
S1,25O MINIMUM
BUDCETFORD.C.
FAMILY OF FIVE
Social Agencies Work Out
Problem of Bare Exist
ence in Capital.
CAL0RIES OF FOOD
REDUCED TO PENNIES
Figure Includes All but Rent
Costs-Housing Figures
Difficult to Reach.
BY THOMAS r. HENRY.

"A family OF TVe can i've In WaSh1ng-
ton on approximately $3.50 a year, ex-
elusive of rent.
That is the absolute minimum budget
calculated by the Council of Social
Agencies for man and wife, boy of
IL, girl of 9 and a child of 3. 1t is
figured out on current prices for the
use of charitable organizations direct
ing the budgets of such families in an
effort to put them on their feet. They
arrived at approximately the minimum
figure at which the family can live
without sacrificing something essential
to well being.
1t requires, for example, only 46 cents
day to provide an approved diet for
moderately Woodworking man and
only 81 cents for moderately hard
working woman. The family can be
clothed for $749 week! or $399.84 a
year. and they can keep clean on $3.50.
They can keep supplied with coal for
81 week during the Winter and 50 a
week during the Spring and Fall. Some
families doubtless live in Washington
on less than that. but they are defying
mathematics. =.
The family welfare committee of the
Council of Social Agencies doesn't pre-
sent what 1t considers an ideal budget.
but merely rs one on which it Is pos
sible to live and keep healthy.
Galleries In Pennies.
The figures were compiled by Miss
Clara Bradley, Miss Louise 0. Beall
Miss Rachel Colby, Miss Emily Din
widdie and Miss Edna Clark. They are
intended for families who have run into
apply for aid to some of the social
welfare agencies. Naturally the allow
ance for running the household is
figured down to the fraction of a cent
But seeing that one can live on 1t If
one must, 1t might appeal to other eco
nomlcally inclined people or families
who are having hard job keeping
their heads above water, but never have
asked for help. It is q matter of cold
figures-calories Of food value reduced
to pennies.
First take the model family Of five.
The calory requirements. as calculated
by dietitians, are as follows: Father,
5000 to $500; mother, $500 to 5000:
boy of IL. $500 to 2,700: girl of 9.
l,700 to 1000; child of 3. 1.l00 to 1,400
This is total of from 74,200 to 81 900
calories week. These must be sup
piled in the form of the cheapest pos
Sible essential foods. 1t can be done on
Sl2.93 week, by figuring the budget
down to the tenth of cent on each
item.
The biggest single item is milk. The
family requires GAS quarts a week, cost
ing S3.185. Then the food budget calls
for ia pounds OF oranges. % cents;
6 pounds of apples, IS cents; l pound
of prunes, 10 cents; "a pound of raisins
or dates, cents; Is pounds of potatoes.
"a cents: pounds of spinach, 43 cents;
beetS or turnipS, Is cents; a can of
tomatoes and can of corn. Is cents:
4 pounds of beef or beef and liver. 81;
y pound of bacon, % cents; / z pounds
OF fish, rs cents; dozen eggs, 80 cents: q
pound of cheese. "a cents: y pound of
peanut butter. Is cents; 3i2 pounds of
flour, 10 cents; IA loaves of bread, 81 40;
2Ia pounds of butter or oleo. $50; Il
pound of lard, Is cents; pounds of
sugar, 20 cents: ounce of gelatin, IS
cents: u pound Of jelly, 9 cents: u
pound of cocoa or coffee. 90 cents: Il
pound of tea, 10 cents; baking powder.
soda, salt, molasses and vinegar, Is
cents.
Allowance for Guests.
Various minor substitutions are al
lowed on this diet. II cod liver oil
is bought for the baby it should be
included in this list. Fifty cents a
week is allowed for guests or for a
family celebration. Families must re-
wise this formula according to the age
and sex Of the members. The COM
mittee figures that the cost of feeding
an individual should be as follows:
Child, to years old, 10 cents a
day; 2 to 3 years. "a cents; to
Is cents; to S, IS cents: to 6,
&c cents; 6 to z, q cents; to 8,
20 cents 8 to Q, 30 cents; to 10,
81 cents; IL to 10. 81 cents; Is to II,
Al cents; IA to Is, As cents. Up to
this point girls eat as much as boys
For girls from Is to 10 the estimated
cost Is 40 cents day and for boys
between the same ages, ~ cents.
The committee works out the fol-
lowing schedule for clothing family,
based on the current prices of ready
made garments. Some saving can be
effected by home sewing in the cases
of women and children-14 per cent
of the allowance for infants. 20 per
cent for children between 8 and o
There Is practically no saving In max
ing clothes at home for boys and men.
The clothing cost per week is calcu-
lated as follows:
Workingman, s1s5; sons at work.
$1.88; sons 1918 years OF age, SLIT;
sons 1915 years of age, $1.23; sons
60 years of age, IA: sons So years
of age, 81 cents: woman at home. $227:
daughters at work, $2.64: daughters.
1913 years Of age. $242; daughters
1915 years Of age. $1.69; daughters 8
IL years of age. $1.25: daughters SO
years of age, Sill; daughters 3-6 years
of age, 70 cents: sons and daughters
and 2 years, So cents: infants under
/ year, 10 cents; family of five, $7.49.
Personal Essentials.
An equally fine schedule has been
worked out for personal essentials, such
as soap, tooth brushes, tooth paste, hair
cuts. shaves, hair pins, nail files, razor
blades. shoe polish. etc. With women
and girls great deal depends on
whether they are old-fashioned or
long hair or short hair. The woman
with long hair can get by with 10
cents week, while her bobbed sister
can barely squeeze through on Is cents.
The weekly budget for other mem
bers of the family can be reduced to
the following:
Girls, IL to IA. IA; man, working.
&c; boys, 16 to 40, 49, boys, IL to Is,
IA; children, Z to IL. 10; children,
2 to 7, .06; children under 2, .04.
The cost of fuel. light and house.
hold supplies for the family is calcu-
lated as follows:
Coal-During Winter months, Il ton
per week at sic ton, "a week;
D.