THE COST OF LIVING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17213, 15 July 1919, Page 9

THE COST OF LIVING.

Sir,—ln the Herald of Bth inst , "Worried" says her husband gets £4 10a a week, which is the " average pay for the average man." In my opinion this is much more than the average pay for the average man. Labourers here at Dargaville get lis a day and.lose wet time, and prices are higher than in or near Auckland, with the exception of house rent. I would have a good time on £4 10s a week. I get £3, lose time out of it, and pay 15s house rent, and there are seven of us to keep. How would " Worried" get on with my pay ? Still Cheerful.

Sir,— am a mother of six, the eldest not quite 12, and I save in every possible way, yet I find it very hard to make ends meet. I bake my own bread and do all the sewing for myself and family. My husband is a hard worker and does not drink or gamble, nor does he waste money in any way whatever. Of course, we started from the bottom rung of the ladder and it is a difficult task to rise from there. Only those who are really poor know how hard it is. As no one has offered to make suggestions on saving, I will give one or two instances which may prove beneficial to some others. I will not touch on bread-making, as there has been a great deal in the Heeaij> on that subject. But perhaps those who are handy with the needle will be glad of a few bints. I make bloomers out of the tops of old stockings for my youngest girl, age three years, and they keep her warm, too. For her little bed I made her a patch - quilt by sewing the patches on to an old blanket. The elder children's clothes I save or cut down for the younger ones. From odds and ends I make my younger children several garments. For petticoats I make the body of one colour of flanneletteor other suitable material— the skirt portion of another colour, the same for their home pinafores. Just one more item, re mending. Quite a number of mothers just stitai ends together when a rent appears in any garment. This is very false economy. I always patch such garments and find that they, last much longer. The same with stockings and socks. Some, women just get a needle and ! cotton and pull the edges together. If | they would take the trouble to darn -the [ socks, stockings and jerseys with wool in* the proper way the garments would last much longer. Thrifty. \