October 1962

ATTENTION! CONTEST ENTRANTS

In the 1962 Better Homes & Gardens Contest, you can win $10,000, $4,100, or $2,100-- plus more than 100 other cash prizes. In addition to this, there is $5,000 for the special teen-age division winner.

HOW TO KEEP YOUR MONEY FROM DRIBBLING AWAY

Many families dislike budgets. They look upon them as fiendish instruments designed to keep them from spending and enjoying their money. They are frustrated by the rigid confinement of monthly allowances.

How to keep house the easy way

Keeping a home neat and clean involves more than pushing buttons, despite cartoons to the contrary. No one as yet has devised a way to do it without some effort, but time spent in planning ahead can make it a lot easier. A well-thought-out, flexible plan simplifies the actual doing-- and a written plan will help you do more in less time with less fatigue.

How to help your child get the most out of school

A successful student is simply one who uses all of his abilities and talents. Nothing else counts very much toward success-- except, of course, becoming a decent and effective human being. In these days of increasing automation, when both broad learning and specific skills are in demand and mere muscle is likely to be coupled with drudgery or unemployment, a student can't afford not to take his school work seriously.

How to arrange furniture for comfort and convenience

Rooms in today's homes serve many purposes; they have to be used for several activities. Any furniture grouping should be suitable for at least two, such as reading and TV viewing, games and conversation, or dining and sewing. Before you start to place your furniture, decide what you're going to be doing in the room. Remember that furniture should be placed for comfort and the best use of space, and that seating groups should not interfere with the traffic patterns.

How to build anything with plywood

Plywood is a wonderfully versatile material that you can use for practically any building project inside or outside your home. It's light, strong, and very stable (doesn't shrink or swell much). When planning your project, make a cutting diagram from graph paper to work out the most economical way to cut the plywood panels. The easiest way to cut up whole sheets of plywood is to lay them across sawhorses and use a portable saber saw or electric hand saw.

How to fasten anything to any kind of wall

For plaster or dry wall, the most secure method is to drive screws right through the wall material into the 2x4 studs. You can usually locate studs by looking along the baseboard to see where it has been nailed to the studding.

HOW TO MASTER THE BIG THREE IN DECORATING: ARRANGEMENT, BACKGROUND, AND COLOR

If you believe the old saying that you learn something new every day, then make this the day you learn decorating-- to give your home just a little more beauty, comfort, and livability than it had before. Here's a firstclass lesson in where to start, what to do, and how to do it.

HOW TO GROW BEAUTIFUL BLOOMING TULIPS, DAFFODILS, HYACINTHS, AND ALL THE OTHER SPRING-FLOWERING BULBS

Anyone can successfully grow tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, and other spring-flowering bulbs. It's all in the bulbs you pick. Be sure and buy good plump ones, because the flower buds are already buried deep within them, waiting to go. Then just plant the bulbs in well-drained soil, and nature does the rest-- you can't keep them from staging their spring splendor of cheerful colors. Drab rocks, a bare wall, a hedge, or a shrub border can be enhanced by the bright bubbles of color that only tulips give.

HOW TO RESTYLE THE FURNITURE YOU THOUGHT YOU'D HAVE TO THROW AWAY!

We picked these three fugitives from a used furniture store to show you what can be done with a little ingenuity and hardly any work. You'll probably never see their twins in your attic, but we're sure you won't have any trouble finding some of their close relatives. We spent an enjoyable day poking through the Goodwill and Salvation Army stores to find these specimens and we saw plenty of other likely candidates.

HOW TO KNOW A GOOD HOUSE WHEN YOU SEE ONE

Planning is basic to houses-- and to most everything else. This month's Five Star Home, designed by Dennis Blair, A.I.A., Chicago, is precision-planned in every detail. It's a comfortable house, even for a large family. You'll find convenience throughout-- from good zoning to easy traffic flow-- and with this, a quiet, lasting beauty.

HOW TO PUT MORE GOOD LIVING INTO ANY HOUSE

Some do it with storage space. Others put in a new fireplace. Many more add a view to their favorite room. Whatever good living means to you, you're almost sure to find it here-- along with some other solid ideas you hadn't thought of.

HOW TO PLAN A WONDERFUL WORKING KITCHEN IN ANY SPACE

HOW TO DO STUNNING ARRANGEMENTS WITH THE FLOWERS AND BRANCHES OF AUTUMN

He likes to cook

How to make a good cake better

How to cover your floors with style and beauty

Floor coverings give color, comfort, and easy care underfoot. In addition to these winning qualities, a floor covering should be able to take lots of abuse and still wear for years.

How to get the most from your dishwasher

Water temperature: Water of the proper temperature means better soil removal, more complete sanitation, and faster drying of the dishes. Some dishwashers have a built-in water heater or hot water tank to heat the water-- neither the washing nor the rinsing action starts until the water temperature is correct. Do not confuse these heating units, though, with the units which, in other dishwashers, simply maintain temperature. The hot water entering dishwashers without built-in water heaters should be 150° to 160°.

It's NEWS to me!

How to put safety first in your workshop

The first step toward workshop safety is proper organization. Your shop should be a convenient, easy place to work. If it isn't, you'll frustrate yourself into one accident after another. The most common planning fault in home shops is insufficient lighting. Spend some money on lighting, even if you have to put off buying some coveted power tools for a while. Industrial-type fluorescent lights aren't too expensive, and they give you plenty of light for the small amount of current they use.

How to drape or shade a window

How to choose and use colors with confidence

Color should be fun to use-- not frightening. Once you understand the traits of color and some basic principles, you can color your home with confidence-- and enjoy doing it.

HOW TO PUT A LIFT IN A HOUSE AND A BUDGET

How to set a table for six or sixty!

How to be great with garnishes

Like a master's finishing stroke, a handsome garnish completes your cake, casserole, or meat platter. It can add color accents and appetite appeal, and perhaps double as a flavor accompaniment, too. The trick is to keep your garnishes simple, fresh-looking, and in key with the food they are to trim.

How to plan a workbench that's right for you

When planning the workbench that will best suit your shop, keep the following ideas in mind.

SHOPPING BY MAIL W Better Homes & Gardens

The man next door

While the rest of the neighborhood is admiring her fall flowers, Peggy Bayless keeps digging around in her garden for the copper earring she thinks she lost while planting them last spring.