Cost and standard of living -- England -- London; London (England) -- Economic conditions; Working class -- England -- London
The sad part of these menus is that, though on paper it looks very
selfish of Mr. Q., in practice his share of the half-loaf, even
though accompanied by an egg, does not seem a very satisfactory or
over-luxurious breakfast for a working man. His daily dinner at 6½d.
cannot be an oppressive meal, whilst his tea cannot be much more
satisfying than his breakfast. And yet, in order to feed him as well as
this, his wife has to make about a third of the amount do for herself.
It is not usual to find the accounts kept in this manner, but Mrs. Q.
chose to show how the money went. As a matter of fact, except for the 5s.
which Mr. Q. keeps for himself—a sum greater than that which is usually
retained by the husband—the arrangements of the menu are quite ordinary.
The next menu is that of Mrs. U., whose husband drives a mail-van at
night. His wages are 25s. a week, and he allows his wife 21s. Out of the
4s. kept by him, the usual 4d. goes in National Health Insurance, 6d.
in a sick club, 1d. to the hospital, 1d. to the mess-room, and 6d. to
his trade union. He is fed entirely at home. Mrs. U. has a daughter of
fourteen, who goes out to daily work and is fed at home. She earns 4s. a
week, and brings it home regularly to her mother. Thus the housekeeping
allowance is 25s. a week. Mrs. U. bakes at home in the gas-oven, at the
cost in gas of about 6d. a week, and for flour and yeast of 4s. 7d. The
item for bread is therefore high, but so also is the quality of the
bread. There are six children.
Most breakfasts and teas in the week consist of bread, margarine, tea,
cocoa, or coffee, or occasionally of porridge and treacle.
_Sunday._—Dinner: Target of mutton (10d.), potatoes, greens, suet
pudding, and haricot beans.
_Monday._—Dinner: Boiled neck (4d.), potatoes, and dumplings.
_Tuesday._—Dinner: Stew of “pieces” (4d.) with pot herbs and potatoes.
_Wednesday._—Dinner: Brown hash (4d.) and dumplings.
_Thursday._—Dinner: Meat pudding of shin of beef (4d.), greens, and
potatoes.
_Friday._—Dinner: Fish (1 lb., 4d.), parsley sauce, and potatoes.
_Saturday._—Dinner: Liver (4d.), bacon (2d.), greens, and potatoes.
A week’s budget of Mrs. U. is given on p. 126.
Mrs. U. is an excellent manager, and certainly tries to feed her family
well. But her plans are sadly interfered with when one of the children
needs new boots, and, with six children, one or other of them is always
needing something new. There are two courses which are taken according
to the merits of the case. One is to pawn the mother’s boots, thus
rendering her a prisoner in the two tiny rooms until the money to release
her belongings can be raised, and the other is to save the amount out
of food. She makes all the clothes that can be made at home, and is an
expert needlewoman. She was a professed cook earning £1 a week before she
married. No burial insurance is paid in this family.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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