September 1966

ARE YOU REALLY MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR MONEY?

To help your family get the greatest possible return from your income, Better Homes and Gardens has prepared this three-part program for sound money management. Step by step, it shows you how to: (1) improve your family's attitude toward money (this issue); (2) overhaul your spending plan (October); (3) aim at years-ahead financial goals (November). This program and the economics series starting on page 112, will show how money works in the total economic picture-- and how to make it work for you.

CAN A MINOR OPEN HIS OWN BANK ACCOUNT?

GOOD NEWS FOR MEN!

This rake's progress is unusual! It glides on supports at each end so the teeth never touch the ground.

THIS TRAFFIC SAFETY EXPERT HAS AN IDEA!

Here Better Homes and Gardens Automotive Editor Duane Gregg and noted traffic safety specialist Donald Slutz discuss a safety measure that could be enacted now and produce almost immediate results. Mr. Slutz was managing director of the Traffic Safety Association of Detroit from 1941 until his retirement earlier this year. He now is a consultant for the association.

TWO VERSATILE LAUNDRY CENTERS

CAN YOUR CHILD QUALIFY FOR AIRLINE DISCOUNTS?

Very easily-- and at a rate just half the normal coach fare, provided he is willing to be a "standby," which means waiting until just about the last minute to see if he can get a seat on the plane. This isn't as chancy as it sounds. Standby seats are often available, and if he can't get on the first plane, he can usually get on another soon afterward.

BORED CHILDREN? HERE ARE 25 WAYS TO KEEP THEM BUSY... AND HAPPY!

The Editors of Better Homes and Gardens, assisted by Shirley Paxman, author and child-care expert, have devised a bundle of tricks to keep your house-bound youngsters creative and enthusiastic. A few ingenious homemade devices, plus some imagination in their use, will make the indoors time pass pleasantly. And if your child is ill, notice that our activities are aimed at producing emotional and physical well-being.

WE'RE GIVING AWAY $40,000 IN PRIZES FOR IMPROVEMENT IDEAS LIKE THIS ONE!

That's right! A home improvement idea this good (or better) could win you $100! It could be most anything-- shelf storage, divider, home office unit, privacy screen-- you name it. Or rather, you make it, and send us the vital statistics and a photo of the completed job. Entries will be judged on the basis of materials, function, design-- and just plain getting the most results for the money (under $100) invested in materials. There'll be four contests in all-- 400 winners-- and a total of $40,000 in prizes.

15 SURE SIGNS YOUR CAR IS ABOUT TO NEED REPAIRS

Just about every repair job on your car is preceded by a warning sound or action. These indications will vary depending on the make of car and the severity of the problem. But if your car shows any of these 15 symptoms or any other new ones, play it safe; get it to a garage for a "physical."

EVERY WELL-DECORATED ROOM SHOULD HAVE EVIDENCE OF A FAMILY

We are often asked what we look for in a well-decorated room. What is the something that makes it a Better Homes and Gardens room? There are usually several somethings-- rarely just one-- for decorating is an accumulative art. It thrives on the intangibles of family tastes and interests, of color and mood, as well as the tangibles of furniture, accessories, wall-coverings, and floor coverings.

2,000 square feet of comfort and convenience

If you value comfort and convenience in a house, here's one that supplies plenty of both in 2,000 square feet of floor space. The high-peaked roof, big fireplace, and liberal use of stone help create the comfortable look; sliding glass doors, lots of storage, and a well-ordered floor plan provide the sort of convenience any family would welcome.

UP-TO-DATE EYE CARE: THE BETTER TO SEE WITH

A recent national survey revealed that Americans fear a loss of their vision more than any other affliction except cancer. Yet the same survey hints at an astonishing ignorance of what proper eye care involves. The Editors of Better Homes and Gardens have prepared this comprehensive guide in order to dispel misconceptions and encourage families to safeguard their priceless vision-- all the way from childhood years through adulthood.

HOW TO UNFLATTEN YOUR LOT!

Just add the gentle contours of a berm. A berm, in case the term is new to you, is a mound of soil strategically placed and tastefully planted to serve both aesthetic and functional purposes. For example, it can relieve the monotony of a level lot, conceal service and parking areas or unsightly views, or make an excellent noise buffer and privacy screen along a busy street. Cost is an extremely variable factor when it comes to berms. If you are building a new home, you can save the soil removed for basement or foundation and get your berm for the cost of having it shaped by a bulldozer or small rented tractor with a mounted blade.

COLORFUL ACCESSORIES TO MAKE YOURSELF

You can turn functional fixtures into distinctive decorating accents for dinette, hobby room, or hallway. The secret ingredient? Plastic pellets in shimmering shades. Use precolored pellets made of a dry, plastic material-- or try a special concentrate if you're striving to produce an unusual color combination.

A CUSTOM LOOK WITH WOOD MOLDINGS

STEP-SAVING SERVERS

Ease your entertaining ... with a mobile server that ... the mood of the occasion formal or informal. These ... helpers are available in a ... of styles from elegant ... to the more casual ... and a choice of finish from rich mahogany to ... wood with a painted ... Smooth-rolling casters ... you to move the server ... about the room, saving steps you serve your guests.

HOW TO MAKE A RECORD COLLECTION REALLY COMPLETE

For those who think records mean only music, there's a great new experience awaiting in spoken word albums-- a world of entertainment, information, and education all on records. Here's just a sampling of the many new kinds of spoken word records.

GOOD LUNCHES TO GO!

Packing a delicious, well-balanced lunch is a snap today! Look on the shelves of your neighborhood market for exciting ready-to-eat foods that travel well. You'll find a wide-variety of sandwich breads, fillings in cans or jars, and many individually packaged desserts. Remember hot soup to send along in a vacuum bottle. Or let a wide-mouth vacuum jar tote cold fruit salad or hot main dish.

GOOD NEWS FOR THE GALS, TOO!

MAKING DECISIONS WITH MONEY

Every time you make a purchase, you make a buying decision. These buying decisions-- by you, other families, businesses, and the Government-- add up to a tremendous economic force. They determine whether people get hired or fired, whether dividends are paid or passed, and even whether taxes go up or down. That's why economists call ours a market economy: a society that runs (or staggers) according to the choices involved in all buying and selling.

PLANT PEONIES NOW!

HOW TO UPDATE AN OLDER HOUSE

LATE SUMMER LAWN CARE

REACH FOR THE CEILING WITH THIS ELEGANT DIVIDER

SELF-SERVICE SALADS

HOW TO ORDER PLANS FOR HOUSES AND PROJECTS

PLASTIC: look what it's doing to home building

Take a walk around your house some weekend and note its incredible number of parts-- glass, muntins, jambs, headers, sills, frames, plates, flashing, trim, soffits, louvers. The list could go on and on.

ADD A CABINET AND GAIN A COMPLETE SEWING CENTER

HOW TO MAKE A KITCHEN BIGGER WITHOUT ADDING SPACE

... COLLECTIBLES

... the fun of collecting lies in ... a "find." The other ... in exercising your .. in utilizing the find to ... your home more ... and individual.

SHOPPING EDITOR'S CHOICE

Discover the fun and convenience of shopping by mail! You can order with complete confidence any of the items shown: each company will refund your money if you're not delighted.

THE MAN NEXT DOOR

The leaves on my oaks are still green, but unless I'm imagining things they look tired. Before long they'll pile up along the back fence, and I will be hard-pressed to recall those huzzahs of last April when their first buds appeared.