Knowing 'What You Are About. 285 



and may save one money sometimes . I do not keep any day- 

 book or journal, but buy a book ruled as a ledger at the book 

 store. Let me give a few items, as an example, right from my 

 cash account : 



1892. 



Cash Paid Out. 



1892. 



Cash Taken In. 



From this you will see plainly how we keep our cash account. 

 Start by putting the money on hand down at the head of the 

 " Cash-taken-in " column. Then, if everything that is taken in, 

 or paid out, is put down on the proper side, the difference between 

 the footing of the two sides at any time will show the cash in your 

 pocket to a cent. For example, the account, as it now stands, 

 foots up $111.37 taken in, and $102:31 paid out. If all is right, 

 then, there should be the difference between these amounts, or 

 $9.06, in my pocket. If there is not, if it is more or less, some 

 money has been taken in or paid out and not put down, and we 

 hunt it up. This is what business men call balancing the cash, 

 and ours has to balance, and then we know everything is right. 



I might explain these entries more particularly. I have not 

 bothered to put in all dates here, but every entry is dated on the 

 book. The first entry not only shows that the land plaster was 

 paid for, but, when I want more, I can quickly turn to this entry, 

 and get dealer's name in the city to whom I sent for it. I do not 

 trouble to put down who small purchases (butter, eggs, meat, 

 etc.) are made from. The washing machine was bought of W. 

 W. Winchell, and the initials would call the name to mind. The 

 $5 for church was paid to Mrs. R., the treasurer's wife. The 

 binding twine came from a dealer here, C. A. Campbell, and so 

 on. The $50 was handed in to the bank, when I was there, on 

 deposit. On the other side I got $20 in currency by selling my 

 check on bank to C. A. Campbell. Two balls twine left were sold 

 a neighbor for $1.12, and so on. 



