Foods and home making

What is gained by following a budget? Any one can get rid of an income. It takes careful planning to get full value out of an income. Some persons think that budgeting an income means merely saving. It should mean saving a reasonable amount. But it should also mean getting out of your money that which you most need and desire. When an income is budgeted, wasteful spending may be discovered and checked. A budget makes one know what can be afforded and what cannot be afforded. When a person has the assurance that he can afford to buy something — whether that something be a box of candy or an automobile — he enjoys that something more fully. A budget makes one’s mind easier. When a definite plan is made for spending the income, there will be enough money to pay the grocery bill, the taxes, and such accidental expenses as doctor’s bills. There will be no worry about having money to pay for the necessities. How can a family live up to a budget? Many of the resolu- tions which are made on New Year’s Day prove worthless because they are not kept. A budget is useless if it is not fol- lowed. You cannot tell how much you are spending for food and the various items of a budget unless you keep account of what you spend. This means that you must keep a record of what you spend. It is believed that the easiest way to keep an account is to have a book divided into columns. The items of the budget should be used as headings for the columns. During the month all expenditures should be entered in the book in the proper column. At the end of the month each column should be added. The sums of all the columns should then be added to obtain the total monthly expense. Some persons become discouraged, in keeping accounts, 200 Modern Housewifery when the accounts do not balance, that is, the money spent does not exactly equal the money received. Although it is desirable to have accounts balance, it is believed that it is not necessary. It is much better to have some sort of account, even though it does not balance, than no account. Even though an account is slightly inaccurate, it may show very well how much is being spent. Note to the Teacher: You may consider it advisable to have your pupils keep a record of their expenses in a small book such as Personal Expense Book by Kelley, Higbee, and Stevens, Webb Book Publishing Company, or the Personal Expense Book by Thurston, the Manual Arts Press. How should money spent for food be budgeted ? A good way to check on whether we are spending money wisely for food is to divide each dollar used in buying food into parts as suggested by the United States Department of Agriculture. DIETS FOR FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN1 Foods Adequate Diet at Moderate Cost Adequate Diet at Minimum Cost Restricted Diet for Emergency Use Vegetables, fruits . . 30 to 25 cents (i or more) 25 to 20 cents or less) 25 to 20 cents (i or less) Milk, cheese . . . 25 to 30 cents (i or more) 30 to 35 cents (! or more) 25 to 30 cents (\ or more) Lean meat, fish, eggs . 20 to 15 cents (t or less) 15 cents (about t) 10 cents (about Ay) Bread, flour, cereals . 10 cents (about ru) 15 cents (about t) 20 cents (i or more) Fats, sugars, acces- sories 15 to 20 cents (about &) IS cents (about 1) 20 cents (about £) SUMMARY A time budget is a plan for the use of time.