The American Frugal Housewife (Classic Reprint)

The true economy of housekeeping is simply the art of gathering up all the fragments, so tliat nothing be lost. 1mean fragments of time, as well as materials. Notliing should be thrown away so long as it is possible to make any use of it, however trifling that use may be; and whatever be the size of a family, every member should be employed either in earning or saving money. Time is money. For this reason, cheap as stockings are, it is good economy to knit them. Cotton and woollen yarn are both cheap; hose that are knit wear twice as long as woven ones ;and they can be done at odd minutes of time, which would not be otherwise employed. Where there are children, or aged people, it is sufficient to recommend knitting, that it is an employment. In this point of view, patchwork is good economy. It is indeed a foolish waste of time to tear cloth into bits for the sake of arranging it anew in fantastic figures ;but a large family may be kept out of idleness, and a few shillings saved, by thus using scraps of gowns, curtains, c. In the country, where grain is raised, it is a good plan to teach children to prepare and braid straw for their own bonnets, and their brothers hats. Where turkeys and geese are kept, handsome feather fens may as well be made by the younger members of a family, as to be bought. The sooner children are laught to turn their faculties to some account, the better for them and for their parents. In this country, we are apt to let children romp away (heir existence, till they get to be thirteen or fourteen This is not well.
(Typographical errors above are due to OCR software and don't occur in the book.)

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