Show L I Kathleen Norris Says Family Cooperation Cuts Cruls x s Expenses nell Dell Syndicate Return f Fl 2 1 W V VI Jih Ji I r ri h Y 11 L I J i 17 1 1 r Morse would earn the dollar Gus got gotor for or helping Dad clean the ca eat every Saturday afternoon By KATHLEEN NORRIS HE story of the Cutter T THE family is worth telling in these days when prices are skyrocketing skyrocketing skyrocketing sky sky- rocketing when all the governments governments governments govern govern- ments of the world are concerned concerned concerned con con- with the problems of living conditions and when taxes are higher than they ever were in the world before and the rising tide of national debts indicates that they'll stay high George Cutters Cutter's salary 10 years ago when his two older children were babies was a year The family lived on it nicely and paid for a home that is still comfortable comfortable com corn although in a less desirable desirable desirable desir desir- able neighborhood than it was Hazel Cutter is a clever and practical practical practical woman She and her husband husband hus hus- band worked out a budget and felt themselves free of ot money anxiety During the war Georges George's pay went up and now he receives a year Taxes of various sorts reduce reduce reduce re re- re- re duce this income by about 2000 This leaves him and Hazel a month on which to manage Hazel-Ann Hazel Morse and Shirley- Shirley Jane arc are at expensive ages Shoes I schooling car fares dentistry laundry Hazel tries to keep food under 50 a week but cant can't always manage it it for the young Cutters arc are hospitable and often her main dish planned for at least two dinners dinners dinners din din- ners Is finished at one Then she has bas all the worry of today's good mothers to see that the children get fruit juices green vegetables milk and cream And this doesn't include Include include In in- clude the lunch money or extra milk and cones cones both both nourishing but they count up They Begin to Worry About two years ago aeo the senior Cutters found themselves getting I worried nervous irritable and unsatisfied unsatisfied unsatisfied un un- un- un satisfied bitten by all those finan finan- financial cial termites that fret ret our lives to to- day They simply couldn't keep the pace set by the childrens children's needs movies cameras new coats bi bicycle bicycle bi bi- cycle mending radio mending cleaner school treats swim suits and a thousand other claims The Tho Cutters are more than sensible sensible sensible sen sen- sible and practical people They always have kept and developed the spiritual side of their lives and as Hazels Hazel's letter says they took it to the Lord In prayer Shortly afterward they invited the c children to a family conference conference confer confer- ence and supplied all three even with pads and pen pen- Then George set down his salary and wrote against it the absolute essentials taxes essentials taxes of all types gas electricity and telephone bills upkeep upkeep upkeep up up- keep for tor the car his club dues and his als lunches The older children also wrote down these sums and everyone subtracted them Then Mother offered a few cal cal- Butcher baker and grocer had their turn These were subtracted too The children were impressed now but still there was something close to left and they felt that it was a generous margin So George deposited that in the bank at the corner and every night the Cutters checked their daily outlay outlay out out- t lay against it Everything Everything- Everything daily dally paper the telephone the car tooth toothpaste toothpaste paste films candy magazines carfare car- car tare rare movies gum was listed t ty y a c clever ver practical al woman n i. i c i t v J. TEAMWORK With the advent of o zooming zooming zoom zoom- ing prices and higher living costs the Cutter Gutter family finds that it is unable to keep its books balanced Their three children are at ages where demands upon the family purse are exceptionally exceptionally exceptionally heavy Fretful and nervous about the bottomless bottomless bottomless bottom bottom- less morass of debt into which they are slowly sinking sinking sinking sink sink- ing Air Mr and Mrs Airs Cutter evolve a simple scheme to retain their financial ency At a family conference each member of the family anticipates his needs for the coming month Grocery gas electricity and tax bills bills' are tabulated When the e expected ex peeled expenditures are deducted deducted de de- ducted from the net monthly month month- ly income a comfortable balance of is left Thus a complete plan for the ensuing ensuing ensuing en en- suing month is outlined About the third week In the month the money was gone Children Protest But Mother said Hazel-Ann Hazel in tears I have to have my dollar for the school picnic But Dad Morse said aghast if your shoes are right through gosh dont don't you have to get new ones Not unless the money Is there said the senior Cutters But Mother you can charge No Daddy and I never charge But you could this once No because your dentist bill Is coming in in Hazel Ann and we haven't paid for the window Morse broke playing ball But do they have to come out of Just that one bank the children gasped They do indeed So now lets let's Just see sec what we can do The Cutters calculated what they could do without Mother would do without Doras Dora's help once a week If U Hazel Ann would Iron the tho flat Oat pieces Morse would earn the dollar Gus got for helping helping helping help help- ing Dad clean the car every Saturday Saturday Saturday Sat Sat- afternoon Both would walk the extra half mile to public school next term if U Dad didn't mind Dad didn't mind Everyone Every Every- one would give up daily dally dimes for cokes and cones The be children grew eager and almost noisy in their enthusiasm That was two years ago The Cutters still balance the books every night If It George Cutter gets an unexpected commission everyone every one shares in the extra money m I If Illness or any small domestic accident accident acci ace dent complicates finances the Cutters Cutters Cut Cut- take to cheaper meals for a awhile while And Hazel Cutter Is a genius when It comes to vegetable dinners stews minces and dried fruit des No it wasn't easy or always agreeable and serene What Is But the older Cutters are solvent and they sleep nights And the younger Cutters are learning the value of money and not hearing financial battles going on over their heads And that's something |