HOUSEKEEPING. The control or management of house hold affairs, including (I) the provision of sufficient and suitable food for all members of the household, (2) the control of house hold expenditure, (3) the engaging and supervision of servants and (4) the responsibility for the cleaning, warming and lighting of the house, and the care, laundering and renewal of the linen.
Just as the heads of commercial undertakings run them method ically and on strict business lines, the housekeeper must make full use of her organizing ability if she wants to make a success of her work. She should regard herself as the managing director and should aim at reaching a high standard of efficiency by care ful and methodical planning, and by keeping her ideas up to date.
Whilst it is unwise to introduce unnecessary rules into the home, the first duty of the housekeeper should be to draw up a budget for her own guidance, so that expenditure may not exceed the allowance, and a daily and weekly plan of work for herself and maids. By this means, mismanagement and confusion will be avoided.
When the income is strictly limited, ill health and other con tingencies demand the practice of strict economy, and frequently the cutting down of the housekeeping allowance is the only way by which this may be achieved.
Although space will not permit a discussion of family finance at great length, sufficient has been said to show that it is difficult to make a hard and fast rule, or to state definitely with any degree of accuracy what proportion of the total income should be allocated to housekeeping in any particular ménage.
After making careful study of a number of budgets, it would ap pear that incomes above £400 may be apportioned as follows: 40% Housekeeping Expenses including wages.
15%O Rent, rates and taxes or mortgage.
1o% Education. io% Clothing. 1o% Holidays. 8% Insurance and Saving.
2% Charity. 5% Incidental.
N.B. Considerably more than 15% of incomes under £40o will be required for rent, etc.
Housekeeping Expenses.—Not only is it necessary to decide the sum to be allocated to housekeeping expenses, but it is also very important that the person responsible for spending the money should have definite knowledge as to her responsibilities.
In large establishments it is customary for a paid housekeeper to receive an allowance from which she pays all tradesmen's accounts for food, cleaning materials, laundry, renewals, servants' wages and small incidental expenses. Accounts for repairs to the fabric of the house, charges for gas, electricity and water and local rates are usually dealt with by the head of the house.
In small households the housewife of ten prefers—particularly if she has any business ability—to be responsible for every cost incurred in connection with the management of the home, includ ing rates, monthly or quarterly tradesmen's accounts, wages, etc. When this arrangement is decided upon it is advisable to open an account at a local bank, and utilise it entirely for household ex penses, the head of the house paying in the agreed sum of money either monthly, quarterly or half yearly and the housewife drawing the cheques herself.
When circumstances are such that it is not convenient or neces sary to adopt this method, or when the housekeeper does not wish to shoulder the responsibility, she should receive an allowance in cash weekly out of which tradesmen's bills, laundry, small inci dental expenses and weekly wages should be paid, the husband settling monthly and quarterly accounts, rates, taxes and rent as they become due.
The keeping of a simple system of household accounts is strongly advised, in which money expended on clothes and per sonal items should be kept entirely separate.
Housekeeping in the Servantless Home.—Owing to the scarcity and relative inefficiency of domestic help combined with the increased cost of living and wages, a very large number of housewives who previously kept one or two maids now prefer to do their own work, and provided the members of the family appreciate the changed conditions, the running of a servantless house need not deprive the housewife of her outside interests, friends and pleasures.
Labour Saving Houses and Equipment.—Having decided to dispense with paid labour, those who are living in old-fashioned houses which appear to have been designed with the object of making work, will naturally endeavour to obtain a modern dwelling better suited to the new conditions. Such houses are not difficult to find, for builders are now providing houses in which a serious attempt is made to reduce labour to a minimum. When selecting a house to be run with little or no paid labour, attention should be paid to the following points:— I . The wiring of the house for electric power as well as for lighting and, if power is not available, when it is likely to be in the near future. Only those who regularly use such efficient and tireless servants as electric cleaning and washing machines, floor polishers, toasters, kettles and irons can appreciate the labour they save.
2. The elimination of all unnecessary mouldings on windows, etc., dust collecting cornices, and tarnishable metal fittings.
3. The proximity of the kitchen to dining-room and the pro vision of a serving-hatch. The absence of steps, not only at the front entrance but between the kitchen and living room, so that full use can be made of a tray wagon, thus eliminating the carrying of trays.
4. The provision of built-in cupboards, the shelves of which can be reached without strain or inconvenience.
5. The position of the sink in relation to the cooking stove and larder, for step saving is worthy of much greater attention than it receives.
These few points are sufficient to indicate that the actual plan ning and design of a house affects very largely the possibilities of saving labour.
9.0o Sweep porch, clean steps and letterbox, and shake mats.
9.45 Make beds. Sweep or vacuum and dust bedrooms, bathroom, landing, stairs and hall.
10.40 Prepare for lunch and evening meal. Shopping when necessary.
11.30-12.45 Weekly work.
12.45 Cooking.
1.15 Lunch.
3.0o– 4.3o Free time.
Weekly Work.—Monday, Laundrywork; Tuesday, Ironing; Wednesday, turning out dining-room and lounge alternate weeks; Thursday, turning out two bedrooms; Friday, bathroom, landing and kitchen ; Saturday, stairs and hall.
The One-Maid House.—Where one maid is kept and there are no children, the arrangement of work given above could be adhered to. The mothers of young children generally prefer to take complete charge of them, leaving the maid free to do the housework.
The mistress of a one-maid house must organise the work of the house so that the maid has at least two hours a day free, one evening or half-day a week and every Sunday afternoon and evening.
The conditions of domestic service will then more nearly re semble those of industrial work, and dissatisfaction is less likely to occur.
Homes with More Than One Servant.—A mistake com monly made by inexperienced housewives is to attempt to run their house with too small a staff, and failing to give assistance when it is required. Therefore, it is most important that a plan of work and time tables similar to that given for the servantless house, be drawn up, in which the duty of each maid is stated. If, after it has been tried, it does not prove satisfactory the matter should be discussed with the senior maid and the time table modi fied. If dealt with sympathetically few maids prove unwilling to co-operate with a mistress who is interested in their welfare.
Another duty of the housekeeper is to provide a comfortable sitting room in which maids can spend their leisure time.
Duties of Servants.— The Cook is responsible for all cooking, and sometimes for the cleaning of dining room, kitchen and larder.
The Parlourmaid waits at table, is responsible for the drawing room and lounge, answers the door and valets the master.
The Housemaid is responsible for bedrooms, bathroom and dressing rooms.
The House-Parlourmaid combines the duties of housemaid and parlourmaid. (D. D. C. T.) The general principles of household management, while the same in all countries, must be modified in the United States to meet the diversified conditions of American life.
Of recent years there has grown steadily, especially in large cities, a movement to put the work of the household employee on an industrial basis. The aim of this movement is to arrange for the employee an eight-hour day, a six-day week, to live and eat out, and to be called "Miss" or "Mrs." as would be done in a shop or office. By this arrangement the employer receives eight hours of steady work, almost invariably more work than was done in the longer hours of the old type of servant. The day off is chosen by the employer. Where there is only one employee, this leaves the housewife responsible for one meal each day, and three on one day. If two are employed, or even one full-time and one part-time, the hours can all be covered by a proper schedule. The employer saves the cost of an extra bedroom, often high in large cities, and the cost of food, which to-day is no small matter. A higher weekly wage compensates for this. Part-time service on this basis is increasing, and bids fair to solve the household help problem for many housewives who cannot afford full-time service. The social stigma is largely removed by this plan, and it is believed that an increasing number of girls and women now employed as industrial workers or clerks will prefer this less monotonous and equally well-paid occupation.
(I. E. L.)