HOW TO LIVE THRIFTILY.

Evening Star, Issue 16780, 8 July 1918, Page 5

HOW TO LIVE THRIFTILY.

it thf mmn Sir—The menus b\ ' \. Solnicrb Mothtr are thought out ind ta*t"\ but I eipetted ber to tell us her menus and txpuditme tor a \vn.k oi a month il ns _iM«g i reil kssm in Mr etonorm I mil t congratulate hr or the modtr tt requntnin ts ot htr hou chdd lle\ n salt ptppt i-ustaul et ro tu i- m tl eir tei in rptl or ifi with tbtir p ludings ttlut „ust dl irh dry and yo r nth hj u va ei i ith thtir lunch iid iUnn«.r ind akci i ltl i ittern'>on tt i 101 supptr In tn» hi t menu sbt i e 1 put 2 pi"* and *pntof l n 1 ibt m this in i unt it the pnto mentiontd it void J be nttts sa.i\ to bin 1 nat \ i ith w e od m stead of 44 lor nn'k Mnict is 7d per t th" o t ol mm e wou'q be at least 4d. Carrot have cost li pc: bunci of thxee nn'l t ii t"> to t The total co*t ot tht hj" t da\ s nod s n c tLtieioit le 2s Q -d M\ 11 mh uou'd it t£iuie tta tor unih in ' i ier and hi susi" witi it—tt i |d ti ik jii |d —r-ian? id tstii. iri th" t out' ITtis brings tne to«t up to 3s 0j pa cia\ Ihe otbt- to Tienis rri\ he smi ar'\ -dealt with. Milk in the second menu x on'd coat 3d n the third 7|a Tba food is perhaps enough for three adults vith srrnll tho uh hei'tb ippe tit°s It i n>t sufhc entn noun 1 ij; ni grov\mg child-\n tace bi. i to little milk butter sugar nuit ind \a cbilo -tndvui, or at \oil a'l da\ 'u ji ag mi it n ;ht attending tetbxr>t<J tltse cr it dr ll requires a piece of brtad ind buttt ind a tip of tot-a 3i miik befort to b i A. punt lost sight of by some correspondents hj that the coot of providing food for a uum ber is proportionately les? than for two or three. This is one reason why the father s absence makes little difference in household expenses. House, fuel, and light pi bably cost the same, except that fuel is getting more expensive every day, th it children growing older require more liv> for studying, and with the father awn and reduced means, the extra business und mending and making of clothing thrown on the mother lengthens her working day I ii into the night.

" A Soldier's Mother " deserves the thanks of the Second Division League. She has proved conclusively that 10s 6d per week will scarcely pay the bare cost of the food required by a child, and that fuel, light, boots, clothing, etc., must be provided from the mother's allowance of £2 2a per week. £1 Is of this beincr her husband's allotment. This will not leave her £9O per year for her exclusive uss, even it the house is paid for through the Soldiers' Financial Assistance Board! As this board grant, perhaps, 2s 6d per week when the rent is 133 6d per week, or 5s vjhari it is 1& weekly, it iz apparent that _"B2i o»i o: iha ztiotm&n'c. Ths cvai-ags iiiaouas granted this yea:- by the board for rent, insurances, etc., is 8s weekly. Since some reservists receive a much larger amount, the ordinary soldier is granted perhaps 5s weekly for rent and insurance premium on his life. This financial assistance can be claimed by single men. The tetters written by "A Soldier's Mother" and others show how- necessarv it is for reservists to see that proper provision is made for their dependents before they leave New Zealand. I do not wish to see others endure tho hardships and privations that have been my lot since mv late husband became a soldier. 1 admire the Second Division League for their earnest and nntirin,' efforts on behalf not only of wives and children, but of all soldiers' dependents.—l am, etc., SoXCIEI! : S "WIDOW July 8. TO THE EDITOK. Sir.—lt is plain that a good munv t;onpi.-> v,hr. have controverted the criticisms 'of "A Soldiers Mother" and others hare not carefully read tho letter* 10 which thev reply, nor the Second Division League's estimate which crave- ri=e to the controversy. Thus, one or two talk of the absurdity of asking a. hardworking man to live on the dinners provided bv "A Soldier's Mother." and one talks 'of cost of firinir. etc. Surely they mi.'ht have understood that the food expenditure critiuis-d as extravagant (nearly 22s weekly) was just for food as bnucnfc in the -shoos, and thai the consumers were assumed to' be a woman and a child of ei.nht vears. T was quite prepared to see other writers claiming to live on less than my 6s. as one hardy vegetarian has done. If one adopta purely vegetarian diet ucc can live on very little indeed, but few people are able or wiliiup to do this. As for eatintr vegetables raw in this weather, the thought makes one shiver ! Doubtless tho dd adage applies: ""What is one man's meat is another man's poison, so we wi'.l not controvert this radical diet reformer's assertion that he thrives on raw vegetables, but certainly in cp;"ctity they wonM jnei'i poison to most oi us. Now, " A Soldier's Mother" and I live, and eat like other people, except for using kss meat than has bsen commonly eaten by well-to-do people, and tor avoiding waste. As to meat, a mixed diet suits most people best, bat wo know that a very great proportion of the British peiple have" lived and be-cn strong with verv little meat indeed. Oatmeal in Scotland, brown brsad in England, with milk and a few vegetables, sufficed to build up strong frarnts and hardy constitutions—with teeth of a quality unknown in our days. Wlille a good many of your readers have found food for ridicule in tho statement that -one may live comfortably on 7s weekly, has it ever occurred to them that even now- in Dunedin many families must bo living at an average -cost very much less? Take a family of father, mother, and six children, the father earning not over £3 a week. Now, bv 6a for eight people makes £2 8s for ford only. How aTe the family to afford this or any thins like it, with "rent (10s, 1 suppose, is the lowest for which decent accommodation could be had), firing, clothes, and ail other requisites? It must be that such families are sufferinc terrible privations, especially in this bitter weather. While necessarie"s remain so hitrh something should be done to aid them, and that without delay. Even if humanity did not prompt us to remedv matters, considerations for national welfare should. Children are the beat assets CI a country, and it is the duty o? a Government and of all responsible citizens to wee that children have at least the minimum of food and warmth necessarv for healthy development. To do this is economy in the truest sense, for economy does not mean stinting and saving, as some people seem to think it does; it means making the best use of resources, whether private or national.—l am, etc, Wjos Economy. Julv 6.