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New Zealand Times, Volume LIII, Issue 12621, 4 December 1926, Page 15

. HOME MANAGEMENT HINTS FOR THE BRIDE \ (By Phyllis Monkman.) s Home management demands skill, s decision and, above all, patience I t Theoretical knowledge of homecraft does not always stand the practical c test of everyday life. All sorts of < unforeseen conditions, especially in f relation to finance and the cost of i living, loom in the path of the youth- i ful couple. i Perhaps the greatest problem which confronts young home-makers is not how to avoid spending beyond in- c come—foolishness for which there is no excuse—but how to spend to the advantage, giving each claim its ! legitimate share of available funds. NECESSITIES FIRST! In making the new home, one of the commonest mistakes is that of buying, at the beginning, things which could reasonably have been dispensed with for some years; and neglecting to acquire the dull, but very necessary, pieces of household machinery which make for efficient house-keeping. It is folly to make a purchase, wildly, on the spur of the moment! On second thoughts, and viewed more ; calmly, it becomes clear that the ‘plunge’ cannot be afforded. Never be intrigued into spending more money than you intended to spend. A cushion, a chair, a vase that is not really wanted but is bought because it happens to please the eye at the moment, becomes a burden rather than a pleasure. When you get home, add up the expenditure, and compare the total with the amount which should have been spent—then begins the trouble of striking a balance 1 * • • • ON CREDIT "Never abuse the privilege and convenience of having “credit accounts.” Young wives especially are often tempted to buy whatever appeals to them and to have it “entered”—but it is very bad discipline. If this unthinking habit is not checked, debts will accumulate until they become a source of grave anxiety; tears and recriminations will follow—and here ends the peaceful life in the new home! XJse the credit system if you will; but only so far as the income will comfortably bear it. a • • • SAVS HARD The failure to save is another frequent cauße of trouble in the new home. Rainy days do come in the best regulated households, and it is far better to ask: “How much can we put away without stinting?” than to wonder feverishly, “How much can we spend?” Saving hard, in these days, is a habit well worth while; it makes for happiness to have a balance in the bank 1 There is a craze, considerably on the increase, for square-set jewels. The last-word designs in ear-rings (worn with a long pendant necklace en suite) are in solid cubes of jet alternating with strings of small coloured pearls. And lest there should bo nnv misunderstanding, let it be explained that “jet”—once inseparably associated with tho sablo lino of mourning is now somewhat of a misnomer. ‘ Jet in these days is a brilliant-lmed novelty worked up into highly decorative ornaments in all manner nf colours end an infinite variety of designs. All Hint it lias in common with the black edition is its gleaming surface.

USES FOR_LINOLEUM When you have a floor covered with linoleum you are sure to have several small cuttings left over. Here are some suggestions which may help you to employ them usefully. The larger pieces will serve as a covering for the kitchen table ,in which capacity they will save the necessity for frequent scrubbings. A wipe with a damp cloth will remove all stains and spilt liquids, and saucepans may be rested on the surface without doing any permanent damage. Small pieces of linoleum cut in circles and placed under the castors ol bedsteads will prevent the weight of soooooooooooooooooooooooooc

. the bed from wearing the rugs into ' holes. If the room be covered with ’ linoleum, tho same expedient will serve b to lengthen tho life of tho original j covering. 5 Rounds of linoleum cut to fit flower- > bowls and vases, and pasted on the . wrong sido to tho base, will cut out , tho need for separate mats and jj d’oylevs. When the table is a fine 1 polished one, the effect of the ornnc ment minus a mat is usually far better.