IS THE MODERN WIFE WASTEFUL?

Otago Witness, Issue 2811, 26 August 1908, Page 83

IS THE MODERN WIFE WASTEFUL?

By Shasta. Tbe modern woman is far too sensible and knows the value of money too well to waste it. We hear a good deal about her extravagance, her love of display and fine clothes; and while we must admit that some women do deserve the hard things said of them, by far the greater number are economical. They are good housewives who live up to the teaohing of the old adage, "Waste not, want not." Women have a natural talent- for attending to details, and believe in making a shilling go as far — not as fast—as it will. Careful, oapaT^e wives who manage their household affairs so that there is neither wasting nor wanting are the rule ; the extravagant ones the exception. Girls nowadays very often have a business training, and nearly always have been in the habit' of handling money, either their own earnings or in allowance. If anything helps a woman to value money, it is the spending of it, more particularly when she has to make one shilling do when she -would like two. The modern girl is trained to be economical, and when sh.9 marries, naturally her business training and economical habits make her an economical wife. No* 80 many years ago girls were not considered capable of handling monay : everything was bought for them, with the result that tliey turned out to be anything but economical wives. They were given a certain amount of money to keep house on. but it never was enough, because they didn't know how to spend it. Nowadays wise husbands always tell their wives just exactly what their incomes sue, knowing that women can, and

do, get bhb utmost value far their money. In most homes it is the wife's "careful, capable management that keeps debt, thai bugbear of all honest" people, out of sight. Let a man work as hard as he can and earn a good salary, but let his wife spend, it. The result will be freedom from debt and worry, and a comfortable horn© for the wise husband. A man has not so keen an appreciation of the value of trifles as a woman has. Watch a man go shopping. He wants a. packet of cigarettes, price sixpence. He has at least three sixpences in his pocket, but will he offer one in payment? No, indeed! He will pull out the very biggest coin he has, toss it on the counter with «c lordly air, then with * -bored "expression on his face he will carelessly pick up his change and stroll Leisurely out. Now, watch, a, women. She wants, we will say, sixpence worth of pikelets for tea. She gives hex j order, hands over her sixpence, and departs j with her parcel. She always gives the exact change when she has it, amd so saves her- j self and the shopkeepers unnecessary bother. A man. always buys the dearest thing in sight. A woman doesn't buy it simply be- i cause it is the dearest; she weighs the advantages and disadvantages beforehand, and decides accordingly. The up-to-date practical wife is far ahead of her grandmother as a business woman, and ahead. 'of her great-great-grandmother, too. True", we are told, these housewives of 'the old days were modtels: 'they vied to spend all their time-7-how~ dreadfully -dull it must have been! — sewing, knitting, .making i preserves, and* scolding the - maids. So" we axe told. All the same-, they were just, as fond of pretty furniture and' spring hats as— any .daughter of Eve ie to-day. They had ■ endless recipes "for whitening the. skin, j darkening the -eyebrows, powdering the hair,-; and so on. I .daxesay .they used to sit yip I "at night to make .themselves beautiful,, after ! they put their knitting away, and I am quite sure they spent- all they "could afford, ; and more, on' new diresses, shawls, etc. ! They used to keep lists of everything (to j make us envious. I suppose), and — well I i wish I could afford to have as many gowns as those ancient economical dames used to have! They went gaily on from day to. day having good times. Hubby p-aid for it if j he could; if he couldn't, well — he couldn't, amd there was an.- end of it — as far as his economical wife was concerned! I think it must have Been rather trying for the old-fashioned husband to find out I that the sweet little angel he had " mlarried did not know how. to keep house and! couldn't be trusted to spend a shilling wisely. It always tries a man's patience to find he has married «, wife who can't be trusted to spend money wisely; and tihat is exactly the experienc he was most likely to get in the good old days. - Present-day wives mare neither extravagant nor mean. They make the best of whatever money they get- to spend, and are wise enough and honest enough to say, "No, I can't afford it," when tempted to buy things beyond their rnean-s. Ebey are gifted with good common sense, are oaTeful and exact in their dealings with .all, aaid, above all, not wasteful. Though the temptation to" spend lavishly and" make a good appearance before the world was never greater than it is now, the woman of the present is not to be drawn into wasteful extravagance. Money is harder to get thian it ever was before, and three times harder to keep; but if .anyone, can beep it and get good value for what she spends, that on© is tilie in<rdexn wife.