Leaving for food 4s. 3d. This week Mrs. O. was prematurely confined of twins. Both died, and the case was automatically concluded. When Mrs. O. recovered she found a place as assistant “dresser” in a theatre. Her two boys were taken care of by their grandmother, and the household struggled back to something like its previous income.
Mr. U., who lost his work because his employer wound up the business, was a steady, well-educated man. He was obliged to do odd jobs between long tramps to find a fresh billet. There were five children born, all living, but very delicate. Mrs. U. had managed by dint of extraordinary and penurious thrift to save £1 19s. 8¼d. when the crash came.
July 6, 1910, money earned 23s. 7d.
| s. | d. | |
|---|---|---|
| Rent | 7 | 6 |
| Burial insurance | 0 | 7 |
| Coal | 0 | 7½ |
| Gas | 1 | 0 |
| Soap, soda | 0 | 4¼ |
| Boots repaired | 2 | 6 |
| Hat | 1 | 0¾ |
| 13 | 7½ |
Mrs. U. managed to do on 22s. 9¾d., whereby she saved 9¼d. and spent 9s. 2¼d. upon food, which means an average all round the family of 1s. 3¾d. per week, or 2¼d. a day. Mr. U. took no fixed sum for his food. His wife did the best she could for him and thought it cost her about 4d. a day, but was not sure.
The savings had now mounted to £2 0s. 5½d., but the next week the amount brought in was only 12s. 7d.
July 13.
| s. | d. | |
|---|---|---|
| Rent | 7 | 6 |
| Burial insurance | 0 | 7 |
| Soap, soda | 0 | 3½ |
| Blacking | 0 | 0½ |
| Gas (no coal) | 1 | 0 |
| 9 | 5 |
Mrs. U. managed on 17s. 6¾d. for the week, which left 8s. 1¾d. for food, or a weekly average all round the family of almost 1s. 2d., or 2d. a day, and depleted the savings to the amount of 4s. 11¾d. The reserve fund now stood at £1 15s. 5¾d.