7. NECESSITY FOR KEEPING ACCOUNTS.--Practically every family is limited
to a definite sum of money that may be spent for food. The first
consideration, then, while it may not be the most important one, is that
of making each dollar buy all that it possibly can in order that the
income may meet all the demands upon it. Various conditions arise that
affect the proportion of the income to be used for this purpose. For
instance, two women whose husbands have equal incomes would, under the
same conditions, have an equal amount of money to spend for food, but as
a rule there is something to cause this amount to become unequal. One
woman may have two children in her family while the other has none, a
condition that means, of course, that the woman with the children will
have less money to spend for food and with that money she must feed more
persons. Her family must be, if possible, as well nourished as the other
one. In order to accomplish this task, it will be necessary to supply
all the required food material in a form that will cost less than the
food purchased by the woman who has a smaller family to feed and clothe.
An excellent way in which to keep expenses down and consequently to live
within one's income is to keep a simple record of household expenses.
Such a record will enable every housewife to determine just what each
item of household necessities costs and whether or not the proportion of
cost to income is correct. To keep a record of expenditures will not
prove much of a task if it is done systematically, for a few minutes a
day will be sufficient time in which to keep accounts up to date.
However, if account keeping is attempted, it should not be neglected
even for a day, for it will soon assume the proportions of a large task
and will have a tendency to discourage the housewife with this part
of her work.
8. EQUIPMENT FOR HOUSEHOLD ACCOUNT KEEPING.--For convenience in keeping
household accounts, a small desk like the one shown in Fig. 1 should, if
possible, be secured and placed in an unoccupied or convenient corner of
the kitchen. Here can be kept cook books, recipes, suitable books or
cards for account keeping, the marketing pad, a file for bills from the
grocer and the butcher, labels for cans and jars, etc. Here may also be
placed an extension telephone, which, by being so convenient, will save
the housewife many steps. A white desk with a chair to match is the most
attractive kind to select for kitchen use, but a dark one may be used if
preferred. The desk illustrated was a simple wooden one that was
enameled white after it was bought, but it is possible to buy white
desks for this purpose. A small, plain table will, of course, answer
very well if no desk is available and it is desired not to buy one.
[Illustration: FIG. 1]
9. METHODS OF HOUSEHOLD ACCOUNT KEEPING.--If the housewife runs a
credit account with the grocer, she will learn that different grocers
have different ways of recording her purchases.
In some cases, she is provided with a "store book," which she takes to
the grocer each time she makes a purchase and in which he records the
date and the items bought by her. Then at the end of a stated time,
usually the end of the month, when a settlement is to be made, the
amounts for the month are totaled and a new account is started. With
such a plan, the housewife does not have to keep any record for herself.
To be certain that the grocer's account is accurate, she simply has to
check the entries each time they are made in the book by the grocer.
In other cases, the grocer merely makes out a slip, or bill, for each
purchase and at the end of the month presents his statement for the
amount due. In such an event, provided the housewife does not wish to
make entries into a suitable book, she may file the slips as she
receives them in order that she may check the grocer's monthly bill as
to accuracy. A bill file like that shown in Fig. 2 is very convenient
for the filing of bills. However, if she does not wish to save each slip
she receives, she may adopt one of two methods of account keeping,
depending on how much time she has to devote to this matter.
[Illustration: FIG. 2]
10. If she desires to be very systematic and has sufficient time, it
will prove a good plan to record each purchase in a suitable book in the
manner shown in Fig. 3. Books for this purpose can be purchased in any
store where stationery is sold and are not expensive. In this method of
recording, as a page becomes filled with items, the total is carried
forward to each new page until the bill is paid at the end of the month.
Then, for the next month, a new account may be started. This same method
may also be followed in keeping accounts for meats, milk, and such
household expenses as rent, light, heat, and laundry. All these
accounts, together with an account for clothing and one for
miscellaneous expense, make up a complete expense account.