March 1964

WHAT IF THE INCOME TAX MAN CALLS?

First, don't panic. More people are being called for audits every year, and chances are yours is just a routine investigation. Your first word from the Internal Revenue Service will probably be a letter asking you to come to the local office.

HOW MUCH AUTOMOBILE INSURANCE IS ENOUGH?

CAN YOU SELL YOUR HOME WITHOUT PAYING TAX ON THE PROFIT?

You can't avoid the tax, but you can put it off almost indefinitely if you buy or build another home that costs as much or more than you realize from the sale of your old one. The only condition is that you must obtain and move into the new home within a specified period. The Internal Revenue Service has different rules for people who buy and those who build:

DOES LIFE INSURANCE MAKE A GOOD INVESTMENT?

It's a much better investment than many people realize. For taxpayers in the 20 per-cent bracket, life insurance can earn the equivalent of 6 per cent or more annual interest before taxes; in higher brackets it returns even more.

DO YOU PAY TOO MUCH FOR CONVENIENCE FOODS?

Not really. In fact, some convenience foods cost even less than the total price of ingredients when you make the same item in your own kitchen starting from scratch. And that's not including what your time is worth in preparation-- or the savings in work and number of utensils needed.

THIS BENCH GOES TOGETHER FAST

THIS BUILT-IN BEATS FOUR BIG PROBLEMS

HERE'S AN UP-TO-DATE REPORT ON FACTORY-BUILT HOUSES

If you've looked through many new homes lately, you probably have seen a factory prefabricated house-- without knowing it. That's the story in a nutshell. Most buyers cannot tell the difference between these and other houses-- and, for historical reasons, prefab builders do not go out of their way to label the product as such. More than half of the 200,000 prefabs erected in 1963 were sold by builders as their own.

GOOD NEWS FOR MEN!

A report to the family man on products for the home, auto, shop, and garden.

FOUR FINE FENCES

THERE'S SPACE FOR A SHOP AND THE CAR

WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT VARICOSE VEINS

Encouraged by gravity and the heart's pumping action, the downward journey of blood to the legs through a system of healthy arteries rarely presents any problem. But the return trip is something else again. To carry that blood back up to the heart takes three collaborating agents. First are the muscles that surround major veins and "milk" them in an upward direction.

BETTER HOMES FOR ALL AMERICA 3403-A: GREAT!

This house has three important reasons to be great: the builder-developer was Emil Hanslin; the architects were Royal Barry Wills Associates; and the interior designers were Emily Malino Associates.

HERE IS MORE OF TODAY'S GREAT DECORATING

Great because it employs that same day-to-day practicality and high regard for family living you have seen on the preceding six pages of rooms by Emily Malino. Here, you will find inspiring ideas to adapt to your family's way of life. You'll see striking colors and furnishings work wonders in rooms geared to comfort and convenience.

ANNUALS, PERENNIALS, SUMMER BULBS FOR 1964

Here is the second in our new "Better Homes and Gardens Selects" series designed to help you know and choose the best for your garden. This month, we show annuals, perennials, and summer bulbs you can count on for beauty and performance.

HAVE YOU HOOKED A LARGE ONE LATELY?

Feast your eyes on these long-wearing area rugs that you hook yourself. Embellished with sharp, pure colors, our dramatic designs are suitable for any room. They come in two sizes.

HOW DOES YOUR GARDEN GROW?

THEY RAISED THE ROOF!

ACCENT ON STORAGE

HOW TO ORDER PLANS FOR HOUSES AND PROJECTS

Don't just dream about the beautiful home shown in "Better Homes for All America 3403A: Great!" page 40. You can order a complete set of plans for this house. The package includes working drawings, a list of materials to help estimate costs, an outline of specifications for workmanship and materials, and points for you to include in your builder-owner agreement. Check the box for House Plan 3403-A on the coupon below and send $15.00 for the complete package.

HOW TO BUY A GOOD USED PIANO

If you hesitate to buy a piano simply because no one in the family now plays, I suggest that you start with a good used piano. There are plenty of them around that will give your youngsters-- or you-- a satisfactory beginning on lessons. It may turn out that you have no concert performers in the family, but if the playing "takes" at all, you're sure to want a new piano later.

BUILD THIS SPACE-SAVING DESK

Here's a complete home office that fits in only six square feet of floor space! There's room for a typewriter, two single-drawer type file cabinets, plus drawer and pigeonhole space to organize all your correspondence and papers.

A TWO-STORY PLAN ... WITH A NEW TWIST

THE DELIGHTFUL DIXIELAND TRAIL

For our second family vacation of 1964, Special Assignments Editor George Bush takes you on a journey for all seasons: the South's new "Dixieland Trail." Winding through five great states, this can be a long trip-- from 2,700 to 3,500 miles or more, depending on how much you want to see and do along the way. If that's too much mileage for your vacation, cut into the Trail just about anywhere and leave it when you must; after all, there'll always be another year to enjoy the rest!

How to avoid those water heater woes

What's the best way to protect your investment in a water heater? Simply drain it regularly. Why? When thermostat reads "hot," or 140° to 160°F, hard water minerals collect in the tank and tubing. The minerals cause hot spots and corrosion which reduce the life expectancy of the tank.

DECORATING WRONGS MADE RIGHT

SHOPPING BY MAIL WITH BETTER HOMES & GARDENS

THE MAN NEXT DOOR

Pat O'Leary disagrees with the old saying that you can't fight city hall. "I do it all the time," he says. "What you can't do is beat city hall."