No. 4.] HOUSEHOLD ACCOUNTING. 81 



It will be noted in the budgets that the smaller the income 

 the higher the percentage spent for food. A man earning but 

 $500 spends 60 per cent, or $300, of his income to supply the 

 amount of food necessary. If he has a garden or gets some 

 produce from the farm, the percentage spent for food may seem 

 abnormally low, but these factors must be considered. 



Rent or Ownership. 



The next item to be considered in Mrs. Richards' "Suggested 

 Budgets" is that of rent or ownership. In securing a dwelling 

 in which to house one's family, many factors must be taken 

 into consideration. These will directly affect the percentage 

 of the income devoted to this end. The wise person is one who 

 secures a house that is not lacking in any sanitary requirement. 

 The nature of the soil and the ease with which the plot may 

 be drained should be two determining factors. Light should be 

 abundant, and a free circulation of air made possible. A good 

 neighborhood should be selected, for the moral side has to be 

 considered in the selection of a home. Many a small house 

 in an unpretentious street or neighborhood may measure up to 

 all requirements in sanitation, outlook, arrangement of rooms 

 and moral tone. There is no question that owning a home 

 helps to develop character. A greater pride in the homestead 

 is usually taken, a responsibility for the general condition of 

 things in its immediate neighborhood, and this interest widens 

 many times into responsibility for the affairs of the community. 

 As the social part of life is of importance this must be reckoned 

 with when considering the question of owning or renting a 

 home. 



The amount set aside for rent is about 20 per cent. Not 

 more than 25 per cent of the income should be used unless 

 heat is included, as in apartments in a town or city. 



Operating Expenses. 

 The home having been secured, the question arises as to 

 the maintenance of the same. No house should ever be con- 

 sidered without carefully estimating the fuel required to heat 

 it comfortably, the kind of lighting system afforded and cost 

 of maintenance, and cost of keeping the house clean and in 



