Average British Family Making Ends Meet

Chronicle (Levin), 12 October 1948, Page 5

Average British Family Making Ends Meet

LONDON, Oct. 11. After an investigation into the bndgets of 2000 families and boarders in Britain, tke organisation known as "Mass Observation,-" has come* to tlie eonclusion that one middle class family in three is living beyond its naeans. All interviewed were members of the organisation and the families had an average income of £11 10s weekly after paying income tax. The boarders, who are sons or daughters paying for their keep, .had £o 10s weekly. ... Their weekly outgoings left them with £2- 19s and 17s respectively to pay for miscellaneous expenses. , While they find it easy enough to live on a week to week basis with normal expenditure, "things be'come more diflicult " when bills including school fees and insurance premiums have to be paid, rnoney put by for holidays and children given poftket money. Bndgets are. balanced,. says the report, ' by 'dfhAving updh-saVings and gratuities. forgetting sparetime jobs. The report adds that the people interviewed are "generallv above average intelligence and education." It was found that food prices heaA'ily oppress liousewives and s,ome find shopping "almost an ordeal." Slost of the people who make large seale purehases for the household, are non-smokers and non-drinkers. This, says the report, seems to confirm what sometimes has been snspected — that abstainers do not- necessarily spend less money. They spend it on different things, liousewives, it is clear,- are prepared to make considerable sacrifices to .keep father "in toliacco. "