New-York tribune. [volume], January 04, 1920, Page 7, Image 49

About New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924

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Housekeeping, ^ a Profession
A
New Budget
Revamping the
for the 1920 Ineome and Outgo
Old Ineome to Fit the New Prices
By ELEANOR GILBERT
Luther of "The Ambitious Woman
in Business"
RUMMAGING over a trunkful
of last year's clothes, ob?
ject salvage, I found a pair
of brown leather pumps.
Memory lingered fondly over those
pomps. They were the 1916 model,
sad back in that remote, war-taxless
era they had been purchased for the
gnfring sum of $4.00.
Nevertheless they had survived
ffell an extraordinary amount of
?ear, add because they happened to
be the kind of a well-fitting shoe
?jut gives one a feeling of being
unusually, well groomed I hadn't
the heart to throw them away when
the soles wore thin. Back in 1915,
yon know, shoes of that kind realis?
iere thrown away. On the eve of
1920, however, I resolutely hied me
with them to a repair shop, equipped
with economy notions_ No leather
should sole them. Leather was
too high in pricSi A substitute
?would do. .
Eren Shoe
Substitutes Go Up
"Put solos and heels on these;?
not leather ones, just one of the
substitutes," I said humbly, but
ffctmly, to the ?- shoemaker. VYou
have. that.-, composition . material,
haven't you??it's rubberand cement
and cork and other cheap things."
"Yes'm," said Giuseppe, obediently,
'__ave 'em ready for you by to
morrer morning?$2.75.*' ' I gazed
at him, repeating stupidly. "Why
$2,75??-those shoes only cost $4
brand new. Anyway, you used tc
put on soles and heels of real leathei
for $1.50." He shrugged his shoul?
ders, "Prices up?leather up?sub?
stitutes up?everything up !" Goinj
do-va the street I had a.mental d?
bate over the "economy" of repair
iag old shoes?until I -saw the self ?
same - pumps in a shoe windov
marked $9.00!
Shoes, however, are only a drop ir
the huge price-increase wave
Women's clothing has gone up mor?
than 162 per cent since the day;
when an eminent but mete man de
clare d that we wern suffering o ni?
from the "cost of high living." Now
with a modest desire' for warmth
one pays $120 for a. neat cloth coa
that once, upon a time was sold fo
$45. Do you remember when yo*
considered a four-doll?r street glov
rather a luxury?. Now you pay tha
much for a glove that once cos
about half the price or less. If yo
had the^ shirtwaist habit you use
to be able to buy a neat separat
cloth Bkkt of good material fo
310 or ??5. Now you see the sara
grade of skirt, with the same ur
obtrusive little tag, marked, Oh, sa
f-?om $30 to $50.
Men's clothing has increase
about 138 per cent in the sam
period, according to statistics of th
Department of Labor. Smart suil
for men?and they were well mad
by,, reliable manufacturers?one
sold for asjow as $30. . But to-da
the salaried man whose incom
hasn't jumped parallel to the wagt
earners' has to shop around a b
fer his clothe??and finally effect
painful divorce from $75 or .o!
Lwwie? Learn
AttriaJ "Stunts"
Luxuries of apparel perfoz.
amazing aerial stunts in the matti
o? pri?es. Nor are they propelle
b> any percentages. They soar whej
they list in the realm of dollars
W_I the cents contemptuously add.
^ the price represent merely ta
A ?apl?cate of a man's knitted mu
fler that I once bought for $7.?
'?as displayed at $18.60 (tncludir
'!T*e tax;. About two years ago
Purchased a s?k dreading gown
?* shop that has a reputation f<
charging fairly good prices. It eo
S26. Wandering in one of tl
?tojKT stores a few days ago I sa
a ?Jmilar garment?but it? pri
*?? $70!
Of course, one can endure H
Jftbout silk dressing gowns ai
^**U?d mufflers. But one? on
?iWo on? could occasionally indul
j* ?cch luxoriei. Now, they cut
??Ply into the average income th
?n?ess they are shut out from on<
**keo sozne neeesearie? will
bektegl
KeeesojtflQt
And the two pre?minent nee
"?^??^?sheiter and food?tnust
mv?ie? for first. There ?te mea
? cif?umventi?g the high yrfces
**V?nt. U you can't pay 19
J*??i for clothing yon can want
*-t% ine mr?? garment?, y*thx
[made over (if you are ikfllfalj
i enough), or, otherwise, fashion ?may
j be defied and old clothes worn aa is. j
j But?you can't live on last year's;
| food or on last year's rent. These
j are forevea new, unescapable items
I of expense. And in New York City
' food'has increased 75 per cent since
'.1915-?despite food regulation and
j profiteer-baiting. The increase in
| rental is difficult to estimate. In
?.some cases rentals, even in the poor
| districts, have increased from 60 to
i 100 per cent.
Moreover, there have been some
? interesting variations in rent jug
; gling which make it impossible to
? estimate true increases. Take the
J case of the old-fashioned housekeep
I ing apartments of five or six rooms
| that are "converted" into two and
I three-room housekeeping suites?at
i two or three times the old price 1 Of
? course, "improvements," in the way
! of decorating, lighting and so forth,
[ aj?e added, but since space is cut in
' half you must either be prepared to
pay. an additional 100 per cent for
??esthetic advantages or grumblingly
j pay twice the ' price for half the
[ space!
j Back in 1917 a friend of mine had
! a lovely five-room housekeeping
j apartment clpse to Riverside Drive,
1 She paid, for beautiful large rooms,
modernly equipped, telephone and
elevator service/' $95. Unf ortunate
i ly, she had to give up the apartment
; early last year, and now its rental
' i? 'way beyond her means. She per?
sists in sticking to her $95 limit for
i rental, and all she could get for this
| sum was a tiny two-room and bath
; suite, with a "kitchenette" (inserted
? in an ex-clothing closet), in a rembd-'
! eied old house on the East Side, in a
! far from quiet neighborhood. Be
j fore being remodeled each of these
I rooms brought $15 or $20 a month,
! furnished. Whether the remodeling
j has put $55 a" month value addi
I tional on the unfurnished rooms is
j problematical, t? say the least.
i In simpler cases rental has merely
i been raised, without the complicat?
ing justification of "improvements."
Modest landlords have put increases
of between 15 and 20 per cent per
annum on rentals, so that even in the
? happiest cases there's probably an
? increase. Of from 30 to 50 per cent
? in rentals since 1917. More common
is the rental that has been shoved up
a 30 to 50 per cent notch per annum,
even if it has meant an entirely dif?
ferent crop of tenants each season.
No Alternatives
For Rent
! There aren't any comforting al?
ternatives, either, in the facing of
! the rent problem, such aa we havo
i when we take a peek at the high
Icost of clothes. Choice narrows to
this: Either change completely your
standards of living in the matter of
a dwelling place, or otherwise cut
| mercilessly on every other item in
order to live in the house or neigh?
borhood you've become accustomed
to. If the family places living quar?
ters as more desirable than any?
thing else, then last year's clothes,
few or no luxuries and the?cheapest
j food will have to do. If the family
I must have good food or more clothe3,
i then it isn't only ? matter of living
[in a slightly cheaper place. The
chances aro that one's entire stand?
ards have to bo changed.
There are families that have re
| luctantly left the city and commute
! from far-off points because they
j simply would not sacrifice everything
! else just to meet New York rents.
? And in order to make the change
' really effect a saving, this kind of
commuting is not easy, because
owners of rentable places within con?
venient distance of town promptly
took advantage of conditions and
' raised prices. Even the apartments
] of three or four rooms in suburban
. places cost only enough less than
i city flats to pay for commutation.
j Years ago who would pay $100 a
; month for a small apartment in a
: suburb and commute to New York
| daily? Yet that is now commonly
I done, not because it is any cheaper
j but because it's tho only thing avail?
; able! It's only when one goes out
far enough to make daily commut?
ing a great inconvenience that there
i is an appreciable difference in
? rental.
Chinese Tea ?Started High
?And Stay. TW.
Food prices are said to have
| ?how? a 75 per cent increase betweer
| 19'5 and the present time. This
percentage varies in many districts,
oxcept on somo of the staples, where
there I? a known fixed price. Bui
? there are many items which ?season
i ally ?hiiws?J^rcftiwinex6.ess?f tWi
?
?75 per cent. Eggs at $1 a dozen, but-j
I ter at 85 cents a pound, diminutive
loaves of bread at 14 cents and many |
varieties of ?canned goods are beyond
that limit. ?s for the table delica?
cies, one may look as a cat at a
king! Of course, if you're of the
? be systematic givers. There should
i be. some allowance, too, for illness.
; Indeed, the Department of Labor
gives an estimate of 4 to 5 per cent
of incomes between $900 and $2,500
; per annum as being, spent for medi
ieal attention in some of the large
i moneyed aristocracy you may not i
i Wince as you pay $1.25 a pound for j
' mushrooms that used to be 50 cents j
! ?as Johnny's mother doe? when she I
pays. 25 cents for a " box of dates |
that used to cost only 1Q cents 1 j
There's only one thing 1 know of!
that hasn't been affected by the up- j
ward price range, and that is Chi-j
nese tea. In the same little shop in i
Chinatown I buy a pound of deli- j
ciousiy fragrant China tea in the!
same kind of plain paper bag, tied
with.plain white cord, and selling at J
?the comfortingly same plain price j
of $1 a pound! *
When 1915 and
1920 Meet
Before working out a suggested J
budget for 1920 it may be interest- ?
ing to look up your 1915 income and j
proportion of expenses for the vari- <
ous items, add to them the percent
! age of increased costs, and then see
! whether your income has kept pace
with rising costs of living. To il?
lustrate :
?*?
Food, we are told, increased 75
per cent; rent about doubled; ope
erating costs increased 45 per cent
and the average of the advance in
men's (138 per cent) . and women's i
clothing (162 per cent) is an in?
crease of 150 per cent.
Here are the figures showing the |
expenditures of a family of four j
with an income of $100 a month in
1915, and also wnat their income ;
ought to be in 1920 if they main
tain the same ?standard of living and,
therefore,}!ave to pay increased costs:
; Comparison of Actual 1915 Expend
I Income of $100 Mom
Item3.
Food.
?Kent ..'.
! Operating ... *.
?Clothing .
' Advancement .??.*.
'Savings.
i
According to this table, therefore,
the man who earned $100 a month
in 1915 has to earu $156 a month
at least, simply to supply the same
necessaries. Observe, too that this
provides absolutely no margin for
saving and nothing for "advance?
ment." Advancement includes
books, newspapers, music, theater,
other educational matters, medical
attention and charitable contribu?
tions. Of course, every ono buys
these things, and their prices, too,
have increased, but because so many
varied objects are Included it is
hardly fair to place a lump sum
estimate. Prices of theater ticketi
have gone up?plus war tax; even
periodicals have raised their prices
and two cents go to a newspaper
that had but ono before. Chari
table contributions mako somo in
? road ?n every man's Income nowa?
days?even those who used not to
salaried workers in offices, shops aad
educational and social institutions
number millions.
Run this universal high-wage
rumor to the ground and you find
this: Out of our population of ap?
proximately 30,000,000 adults, only
697,065 have an income over $3,000,
according to the Annual Report of
the Commissioner of Internal Reve?
nue. Or, to put it differently, about
?96 per cent of the families in the
United States have lesS than $3,000
a year to live on. And as $3,000 is
the maximum, the average is prob?
ably much lower. "Clearly the rich
grew richer as a result of the war,'
-~ .^7
Pay Month of January ?)a^
.y u_i i .,.,.,_._
-Ihe grribtme 3-ttatitute
3Bui>0?t f ?Sgstem
j-ouseho lr> Wrouutittg
Get standard cards (?xS inches) at any stationer's and supply
these suggested headings
cities. The small Income must double
to "hold its own."
Therefore, if you add merely the
same percentage as 1915 to the esti?
mate for the 1920 budget, it is found
that an actual total of nearer
$200 a month is needed to main?
tain the same standard that $100
purchased a few years ago! Or, to
put it differently, you ought to have ;
twice as much income to-day as you
had in 1915 if yon want to live on;
the same scale of comfort, or, at
least, not less comfortably.
If your income was $2,000 in
1915, it ought to be $4,000 now?
if it was but $800 then, it should
be $1,000 at ieast now, and the gov?
ernment estimates that a family of
five?that is, the statistical family
of two adults and three ohildren?
requires ? minimum of $2,202 a I
year. Only bachelor maids and
men can live on less, and even they
cannot indulge in luxuries on a
lower income.
Salaries
And Wages
Now, how many people do you
suppose are compelled to manage
somehow on less? We. have heard
turcs and Necessary 1920 Expenses
hly, Family of Four
| Percentage
1915. | Increase.
$25 | 75
20 | 100
15 j 45
20 |. 150
10 | Problematical
10 | Very dubious!
$100
sinte the war of huge fortunes
quickly piled up, of inflated wages in
many industries and enormous prof?
its of individuals. We hear that
laborers who once received $2 or $3
a^day now get $8 or $10 or $12, and
skilled workmen may get as high as
$12 or $14! But there are two facts
to be borne in mind which prick this
notion of universal wealth. First,
these highly -paid workmen do not
work every day in the year; hence
their total wages per annum do not
total to any startlingly high figures.
In the second place, there has been
no such tremendous increase in the
sums paid salaried workers?and
HEADINGS FOR THE ACCOUNT CARDS
(A) FOOD (D) OPERATING COSTS
1. Dairy ft. Fuel,. Light, Ice &
2. Fruits and Veg?- Telephone
tables ?0. Furnishing,, Repair
3. Groceriei 11. Service, Laundry
4. Meat and Fish (E) ADVANCEMENT .
5. Meals Outside 12. Education, Church
(B) SHELTER and Charity
6. Rent, Railroad and 13- Physician and
Car fare Medicine
7. Taxes, Burglar and 14. Luxuries, Gifts and
Fire Insurance Vacations
(C) CLOTHING (F) SAVINGS
8. Fabrics, Dressmak- 1S* L?ff; ^ e ?""f
T..* . ance, Invest
er, Tailor, etc ment and Bank
. SUMMARY Account
says Professor David Friday in "The
American Economic Review," inci?
dentally touching on the fact that
! between 1914 and 1916 there was a
255 per cent increase in the incomes
between $400,000 and $500,000.
'. $3,000 to $10,000
A Year
Our concern here, therefore, is not
chiefly with those who are of the ex?
treme minority of 4 per cent or less
?the families or individuals who
have upward of $10,000 a year.
Most; of us are in one of two groups
?either we're in the class having
! less than $3,006 a yea.r and therc
jfore are constantly struggling to
purchase actual necessaries ; or, being
in the $3,000 to $10,000 class, we've
grown accustomed to certain stand?
ards of living, and it's extremely
difficult to stretch the income to
cover the increased cost of our habit?
ual comforts.
In making up the suggested budgets
here, the old and tried percentages?
food, 25 per cent; rent, 20 per cent;
j operating, 15 per cent; clothing, 20
per cent; advancement and savings,
20 per cent?have been partly dis?
carded because they do not take oare
of actual present-day costs. To-day
we have to decide what is the essen?
tial thing in our needs, plan to pay
the minimum market price?high
though it is sure to be!?and ad?
just the rest of the budget accord
? 'A* "*- '"'-'?
ingly, e-V?n if it means merciless and
unreasot^able cutting into comforts
that once were necessaries!
Food Fjh*st??
$600 a Vear at Least *
Pood and shelter are the first
things that must be provided for.
If you have an income of, let us
say, $2,000 a year, and a family of
four or fiye dependent on.that in?
come, the old. 25 per cent for food
would yield only $500 for food a
year. The government estimates
that a family could not be properly
nourished for less than $610 per
annum for food. A man needs a
minimum of 50 to "60 cents' worth
j of food a day to keep going, which
j amounts to about $200 a year for the
? man of the family alone and about
i ?400 for the food of a grown woman
and two or three children I
Therefore, in the case of Incomes
,helow $3,000?or let us assume an
average \)f about $2,400 ' a year?
thM food item is given first place.
I^\4n tent must bo secondary- It
may be; necessary to lower the
standard of living quarters a good
dfeal in, order to provide a bigger
margin for food in those innumera
? ble cases where the same amount
?spent for rent no longer buys' th.
| same quarters. But unless there if
ample, nutritious food health is im?
paired, and where there are grow?
ing children the question of food if
j more urgent than living quarters
? important though that is. Food
?thon, is the first item on the 192C
budget for the income of $2,4' 0 oi
less. Next is shelter, or rent. Th?
lower tho income the greater th;
percentage *to be applied to thes?
two items and the greater the cu
? into clothing, operating expense:
| and the miscellaneous items whicl
j make living comfortable.
When we get down to incomes o
I $1,000 or $1,500 (which are equa
f in purchasing power to $500 o
; I $750 ft year in pre-war days) it be
i comeo necessary" to do without al
' most everything except sheltei
food, light and heat and the barest
minimum of clothing. In these
lower income groups ic becomes im?
possible to provide a margin for
necessary medical attention, and
amusements or educational ex?
penses are beyond the question.
j There are many families in this
j class that can't manage the price of
! a hiovic for weeks or months!
When we come to the more cheer
? some preference as to how it shall j
be 'spent. It's possible within this
income to spend twice as much for
rental in order to have old-time
commodious quarters, or double the
allowance for food. But even $10,
000 a year isn't a limousine income
as of yore I Nor will it provide for
the family such extreme luxuries as
fur coats and elaborate wardrobes
if there's &a eye for the savings ac?
count?as there ought to be on this
generous income,
Variations For
The Suburbanites
? The budget for the $2,400 a year
family is divided on the assumption
i that it is a city family, paying rent
j If it is a suburban, commuting fam?
ily owning its own home there
; would . be a different adjustment.
?Th? item of rent would amount to
i half or less?as it would include
?taxes on property and cost of com
i mutation only. These two items
? are ?quivalut to rental in ? such
?instances. But operating costs
would be much higher. The home
owner has a larger fuel bill, for
he must pay for house heating, an
item from which the city dweller in
the steam-heated apartment is free
The home owner also has a some?
what larger expense ffor . lighting
11 and miscellaneous service for oc?
casional repairs and upkeep o?
home. Unless circumstances are
, unusually favorable, therefore, the
home owner would probably not ef?
fect any actual saving on, the items
of rent and operating expense.
The operating expense on this in
(?me must, of course, be low. I
; includes a very modest allowano
? for heat, light, telephone and, i
; there . is anything left?-which i
1 doubtful?to .cover the cost of oc
1 casional outside cleaning help.
, On tho other hand, the famil
: with the $7,200 income can mak
provision for regular househoi
help, on the sum allotted for opera!
ing. This family has also the mean
-_-?-___,.? _? ?
ing is a mirada which they them
sei ves can't explain when you _._k
theml Of course, many drawing
these salaries live at home and
"piece out" the family income?
As to Household }
Account System*
Any woman who says she "can't
keep" household accounts' thereby
disqualifies herself from keeping a
checkbook, too I For It is no more
difficult. Women show an eager fa?
cility in the fine art of managing a
checkbook, and an account book i .
not only just as easy, but under cer
t". n circumstances family account*
can bo based on the chec'-book. If
evciry last bill?with the exception of
? very petty items?is paid by check,
i it's an easy matter to classify the
| items?food, rent, clothing, operat?
ing expense, amusement, education
! and savings?at the end of the
! month, and in a moment you have
the sum total of what you spent for
? each. Bills and receipts.fer cash pay
! menta must be kept tog-ther then,
and there';- no chance of moro than
, a very small discrepancy.
1 But there are two ether methods
? almost as simple and much neater.
One is the household account book?
and there's a large family of this de?
vice! You can get household ac
! count books of the blankbook va
i riety, small enough to slip into u
j handbag, for about 25 cents, and
j then onward up to the more detailed
i systems for elaborate households,
j where you have twelve or fifteen col ?
unms detailing expenditures.
Then there is the card system of
account keeping. This has the ad?
vantage of being always available.
j You can slip the whelo System into
your handbag when you go shop?
ping and make the entries on tho
proper card while you're waiting
for your chango or for your parcel
to be wrapped up. The Tribune Insti?
tute Budget System of Household
? Accounting by cards, printed in 191'J,
is still nonular. and the card head.
Budgets for Self-Supporting Business Women
, Budget on a $25 Weekly Salary
Items. . | Percentage. | Amount
f Board (room rent, food, laundry).? 60 I $15.00
Carfare and luncheon.? ..? 15 3.75
i Clothes.[- 15 8.75
Education, amusement, etc. | f> 1.2.?
Savings........j 5 .25
Budget on a $50 Weekly Salary
Board (room rent, food, laundry).' 50 j $25.00
Carfare and luncheon .' 10 5.00
Clothes .j 15 7.60
Education, amusement, etc......? 10 I 5.00
Savings.j 15 7.60
for being extravagantly comfort?
able in the matter of housing?
probably paying $150 a month for
an apartment that once cost $75 or
$100. In view of the modest ap?
portionment for clothing a family
of five, this sum for rental may
seom exorbitant. But in New York
families, at least, the preference
among those with larger incomes
seems to be for better housing be?
fore all else.
These budgets are for women who
are completely self-supporting, and
| they show an exceedingly meager
? a!1 jwaRce for ciothing, education,
j amusement and so forth, unless the
I woman has a salary over1 the $35
i or $40 mark. But the business worn
1920 Budget for a Family of Five on $2,490 a Year
1 ,D*V- of $200 per month
ltems' j Percentage. |Actua\ AiVt
?Food.| 35 | $70
Rent,.(.,'| 25 .50
i Operating (heat, light, laundry, telephone,!
service) .'.....,.1 10 20
'Clothing .........,......! 20 40
? . ? ? ??
j Advancement (education, amusement,, char-j ? .
ity, medical attention).i 5 ? 10
j Savings .,,*...? 5 I 10
I ~~ ; : : l-~
1920 Budget for a Family of Fivo on $7,200 a Year
1 Tt i Div. of $600 per month
ltemB* { Percentage. | Actual Am't
?Food _,.?...*.-.;.|. ' 20 ? $120
!Rent ....'..j 25 | .150
(Operating (heat, light, laundry, telephone,; \
service).? 15 ! 90
Clothing.? 15 90
Advancement (education, amusement, char-?
ity, medical attention).? 10 j 60
*Savinga (also Federal and Stato taxes)....| 15 } 90
*Note that on this ineome, if the family includes three dependent chil?
dren, the Federal tax is about $258 a year, the New York State Usa $72,
so tliat about $27 a month in taxes would come out of the eav%ngs.
i ful group?those having between
| $5,000 and $10,000 a year?wo may
consider a factor like "standard of
living." Of course, that income
won't buy what it used to, but there
is at least opportunity to exercise
...
an must have a comfortable room
and adequate food first, if she is to
retain health and good spirits. How
the self-supporting women with sal?
aries under the $25 mark are man
i aging to keop well fed and neat look
_L
ings and subheads are indicated .n
the illustration. The Institute no
longer furnishes these, but blank
cards (6x5 inches) may V pur?
chased in any stationery store and
the suggested divisions indicated
with per. or typewriter.
Remember the
Income Tax
This year we shall have the pr;.;.
lege not only of paying our shara
of income tax to the Federal g?v
ernment bu. v_ have also . tth u.
the little "personal ?-.or.? tax Inw''
of the State of Now York. Dor'e
forget these trifles when you bow
your head solemnly over your 1!<2'1
budget!
The New York State tax os are
much the sarna in their provisions
generally, except that the state tax
is somewhat iower-r-ratea being 1,
2 and 3 per ct. nt. The Fed? ral 1
begin at 4 per cent on net incomes
up to $4,000 (with a $2.000 exemp?
tion for married persons living to?
?-..her and $200 for each child),
then a surtax on incomes over
$4,000. This year's Federal income
tax, therefore, will be lower. than
last year?4 per cent on the in?
comes up to $4,000, instead of G
per con*, as last year, and S per
cent instead of 12 per cent charged
on incomes over $4,000.
An excellent explanation of tha
I provisions and tho workings of both
? laws arc given in the "Income Tax
Primer," revised March 1, 1.019, and
published by the Treasury Depart?
ment, United States Internal Rev?
enue Service, Washington, I). C.
The State Department at Albany
also has published "The A B C of
the Personal Income Tax Law, Bul?
letin No. 1." This includes about
! four hundred questions and answers
* on the subject of income tax '-Ha
! definitions, rates, exemptions, de
j auctions and penalties for violations,
j Nothing you can think of about in?
come tax is left unsaid in tnis i_h>
f ruinating pamphlet.'