Rensselaer Standard, Volume 1, Number 1, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 June 1879 — How It's Done. [ARTICLE]

How It's Done.

A reading workingman has explained how he manages to support himself, his wife and three children on ninety cents a day. His meals consist in the morning of bread and coffee and mush; in the evening of bread, coffee and boiled potatoes; the dinner he carried with him to his work, and generally consists of bread, salt meat and coffee. He has beef three times a week; one ham lasts the family a month, and a pound of butter about a week. In summing up the various things for a month this laboring man says: "Put down for rent, $6; coal, $1.75, that is for this season, because it is more in winter; flour, $3; potatoes, $2; ham, $1.40; coffee, 50 cents; salt, 12 cents; coal oil, 20 cents; butter, well, sometimes we average two pounds a week, put butter down at 80 cents: lard. 20 cents; sugar, 60 cents; molasses, 50 cents; beef, $2. How much would that be? $19.07. Yet, the necessary expense for one month is larger, as I have not counted many things. This leaves only a couple of dollars for clothes and shoes for myself, wife and little ones. This is pretty short commons, it is true, but after all he is better off if he can get all those things than he would be to strike.