The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1946-03-28
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Bell syndicate.-WNu Features

TT IS almost impossible for
a man and a woman, as
L husband and wife, to agree
upon the proper spending of
the family income.
It is sometimes wiser, be-
fore you marry, to agree that
you will differ upon this point,
than to fondly and blindly
state that you will discuss it
fairly, and agree upon it.
OF course it has happened that
a welded couple faced this problem
fairly and kept to their agreement
But very rarely.
As a general rule, the husband
makes the money, and the wife
fills a dozen places at home-cook.
houseworker, upstairs maid. ca
terer, nurse. bookkeeper. hostess
and gets no pay.
It wouldn't make any difference If
she did get paid. for it is impossible
for a wife and mother to keep her
personal accounts separate from the
family's budget. She couldn't see
Tom wistful for money for his
tennis racket, and Barbara all
aglow to 60 to the Girl Scouts camp
and quietly deny them, and continue
to deposit her own dollars in her
WI bank account. No, mothers
money is everyone's money, and
II she holds it out she merely feels
ridiculous, selfish and unhappy.
Anyway, mother can't be adequate
ly paid. Suppose her husbands
salary is $500 a month. How can
he possibly compensate her and
keep the home going, out Of that?
One hundred and fifty dollars a
month would be low pay for what
mother does.
Budget Cramps Style.
So they 60 along very much as
everyone else does; sometimes they
get the bills out and decide to do
something about it. and sometimes
they even talk budget. But stay
ing inside a budget is what was
once described by a brother Of mine
as being like trying to dress in an
upper berth. You are cramped on
all sides. No sending flowers to
dear Nancy. sick in the hospital. No
taxis. The cheaper. smaller movie
houses. The cheaper cuts Of meat.
You feel that the ease and gracious
less has gone out of life.
It hasn't, Of course. A call on
Nancy. or a note, will be far more
to her than three dollars worth of
roses. The smaller movies are just
the same as far as the show goes,
and more comfortable as to crowd
ing and seats. The cheaper cuts Of
meat takes more careful cooking
and are more f1avorsome.
But saving, living economically is
hard. just the same. Perhaps Tom
wants a duck gun. feels guilty over
the extravaganza. tells you to get
yourself the little checked coat.
Jaw. what the heck!" says Tom,
tired Of drudgery. tired Of saving.
tired Of seeing the woman he loves
counting pennies. So you get the
coat and he gets the gun and that
same month the old car just goes
to pieces. and-somewhat scared
now you're committed to pay every
month for that car! The payment
on the car and the life of the al
will terminate at the same time.
But now and then a thrifty, sensi-
BILE man gets a thrifty. sensible
wife. They know that just as money
mysteriously melts away under
wasting. so it mysteriously accumu-
lates under saving. There's no ex-
planning this; it is simply so. They
know that the saved 1915 that looks
so puny low will be over a thousand
next year. and that some day they
will be looking at a paper marked
Title" and saying to each other.
Home. Our own home!" They