Foods and household management

The advantage of immediate payment is that the buyer spends only what she has, and does not count on future money. This method of payment enables one to keep the balance well in hand. It necessitates, however, keeping bills and specie in the house, and in one's pocketbook, with the possibility of theft or loss ; and cash payment takes more time in the shop, with the long wait for change. Sending *' collect on delivery " (C.O.D.) is a way of making cash payment and saving time at the shop. Be sure that in this case there is the exact change at home, and some one ready to receive the goods. Charging goods makes for economy of time. If you can remember that an article charged means money spent, this is a safe plan. One careful buyer says that she is too optimistic to have a charge account; too sure that while she has not cash enough to-day for something that she wants, she will surely have it by the first of next month. There is another method of payment introduced by a few large department stores. The firm requires a monthly deposit at the first of each month and charges up purchases against this. This is good in so far that the customer is spending money that he really has, but it restricts purchases to that one shop, and this is inadvisable in the case of a small income. The bank account and check book. — Whether payment is immediate or deferred, payment by check is a great convenience. It saves time and is also a record of money paid. Select a bank, conveniently located, and recommended by a conservative business man. Take to the bank a letter of introduction, with the sum for deposit. The bank will record your signature, and give you a bank book in which is recorded the amount deposited. A check book will be given you that contains blank checks, and provides for keeping account of deposits and checks drawn. Each check has to be filled in, and signed with your name exactly as recorded at the bank, when you make a payment. This must be recorded in the proper place when the check is made out, stating date, amount, and payee. The sirnis paid out are added, usually for every three checks, and this sum deducted from the deposit, and the balance carried forward. In this way you may always know your balance in the bank, provided you are accurate. Great care must be taken to fill in the blank spaces correctly so that the check cannot be easily altered by any one. If a check is made out to you, and you wish to cash it, or deposit it, you " indorse " it by writing your name on the back across the left-hand end of the check. The name must be written exactly as it appears on the face of the check. If by chance the name is misspelled, write it in with the correct spelling below. The checks that you make out are indorsed by the. payee in the same way, and cannot be cashed until so indorsed. Therefore, if a check is lost in the mail, you do not lose the money. The bank should be notified to '^ stop payment " on the lost check, and you can then send another check in place of the first one.