Rensselaer Republican, Volume 20, Number 36, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 May 1888 — ECONOMICAL BUYING. [ARTICLE]

ECONOMICAL BUYING.

How to Purchase Good Articles at a Fair Price. J Good Housekeeping. Careful buying is one-half of the secret of economical living; careful use of the article bought is the other half. Economy in buying consists in the perfect adaption of the purchase to the needs and the purse of the purchaser. An ar iclo may be cheap to cne that is dear to another. One person may rave by purchasing in large quantifier; another would lose considerably by such a method. Nevertheless theie are certain principles running through the whole question tuat will help each one to decide whether a contemplated purchase is economical or net. As these remarks are intended to apply for either household or personal use, illustrations will be drawn from either, but the same ru’e should apply to both. 1. The article shouldbe folly woith the amount asked for it That is, its intrinsic value should be such that, as pi ices average, you are getting full worth of your money. If an article for the table, it should be in good condition to use, and of goed weight or measure. If for personal or housekeeping purposes its quality shonld be the best obtained for the price. Nothing is really worth having that is half spoiled or that will net wear well in proportion to its cost. 2. The article should supply a genuine need. The need may not be immediate, but it should be both possible aid probable. Many persons have a mania for buying what they will never use, simply because they eee a good article for sale st a tempting price. Food, clothirg, household articles—all are recklessly accumulated without regard to quantity, and then either wasted, or laid by until time or changing fashion render them almost, if not quite, worthless. Especially in regard to that which is purely ornamental, it is wisest to buy only what you have an actual and immediate use for. 3. The article should be suited to the use that is to be made of it, or the nlare it is to occupy, and to the turroundings of ils owner. Sirloin steak is not suitable for' roup meat, nor French china for kitchen ware; neither does elaborate trimming look well on a cheep calico dress, nor brocade and plush furniture over rag carpats. These are extreme cases but it is always in bad betrays both ignorance and extravagance, to use an expensive article for an unsuitable purpose or one inferior to that for which it was designed, or to associate together. Instinctive good taste, or a patient study of good examples will save one from such errors.

4. It is not economical to pay very much more or less than the medium price for standard articles. Fer instance, such materials as all-wool goods or pure linen, or good silk bring a certain price in proportion to their weighty and fineness. But the extremes of either ccarse or fine are not usually economical. Exceptions may be found to this rule, in the special rate made by large firms, on some of their best good?, during certain Srasons of the year, and in instances of peculiar adaptation to some particular purpose, but the principle holds good in ordinary cases. Ne ther is it economical for persons of moderate means to indulge in showy and expensive novelties that are likely soon to goout of fashion, for if the material is good, such article? will outwear their usefulness, and if not they will become shabby before they have served their time. As regards household supplies, while it is generallv true that ‘ the best is the cheapest,” yet there are some important qualifications to this rule that should be noted. It is not economical to put expensive articles into the hands of ignorant and untrained servants. If you cannot look after such things yourself, it is better, either to refrain from buying them or to secure a perfectly trustworthy person to handle them, for the losses through ignorance and careless indifference are painful to contemplate. Strong, durable articles, not too heavy or two elaborately constructed, are the best kind for the average help to use, and are always worth their cost. Large quantities of food should never be given into untrained hands with tbe expectation of saving thereby, for the loss through poor management is far more than the profit through buying by wholesaler To sum up the whole matter, if you wish to buy economically, carefully consider and examine a purchase before making it; have a definite use in view and purchass nothing simply from impulse. ' ■ ~