CHAPTER XV 

 OTHER ITEMS IN THE FAMILY BUDGET 



Food is but one item in the family budget, al- 

 though it is the most important item so far as na- 

 tional vitality is concerned. Yet it is in food that 

 economies must first be made. Rent must be paid 

 to avoid eviction. The landlord is inexorable. Fuel 

 must be had to keep from freezing. The worker 

 and his family must be clothed, and the bread- 

 winner must go and come from work by street-car 

 no matter how little is left in the weekly pay envelope 

 for food. So the worker reduces his rations. The 

 investigations made in many cities show that the 

 change for the worse in the dietary of the poor dur- 

 ing these years of prosperity is of so serious a sort 

 that the commonest necessities of a few years ago 

 have become luxuries to millions of people. Meat 

 is a rarity, and only the cheapest varieties can be 

 purchased at all. Eggs at 50 cents a dozen are re- 

 served for the sick, and milk at 12 cents a quart is 

 doled out only to the babies, if obtainable at all. 

 The high cost of food means a reduced diet all around. 



The other items of first importance in every fam- 

 ily budget are rent, fuel, clothing, and some pro- 



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