November 1971

How can you teach your kids about money?

There's no easy answer-- especially in these days of nerve-racking inflation. If you're like most families, you're struggling to make ends meet. Chances are, there's tension about money in the household. Still, you should be aware that it's just as difficult for kids to stretch the inflationary dollar.

What are your new social security benefits?

They're ten percent higher than they were a year ago, and they may go up even more as Congress takes a good look at the rise in the cost of living.

NOISE POLLUTION: WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT ALL THAT RACKET?

We live in the noisiest country on earth and it's getting steadily noisier. The roar, clatter, rattle and scream of our untamed technology is driving us crazy and killing us off early. This rising tide of unwanted sound ruins our environment as surely as air and water pollution.

20 household headaches you can solve yourself

Thirty minutes is about all the time it takes to fix any one of these household headaches. And, best of all, no special skills, tools or materials are needed. Find your problem and let the photographs below show you how to solve it quickly.

What makes a good study center?

Providing your child with a good study center could make the difference between a mediocre school year and a successful one. The setup needn't be elaborate or expensive. All you really need is a desk, chair, lamps, a quiet room and some planning to make these elements work better. Here's how it's done:

GOOD NEWS

Wake up your walls and put them to work with a wall storage system that grows.

WHAT'S YOUR BEST STRATEGY?

Investing isn't just a matter of trying to pick stocks which appear to offer sound value and good prospects of appreciation. Astute stock selection --or, in rare instances, sheer dumb luck-- can produce handsome rewards for a limited period of time. But over the long pull, success in investing depends to a large extent on good overall management of your money-- in a word, strategy.

Know the auto sales agreement--BEFORE YOU SIGN

Every car salesman understands the fine print on the sales agreement, and so should you. Misunderstandings after the agreement has been signed can cost you your deposit.

Does optional equipment increase a new car's value?

Picking optional equipment for your new car is a lot like putting on makeup: the trick is not to apply too much or too little.

Can we afford to educate our children?

It's highly unlikely that educators in the years ahead are going to get all the money they ask for to educate our children. In fact, taxpayers (and some educators, too) are wondering whether public schools are making the best possible use of the dollars they now have.

Build a budget bookcase

How to have a party in spite of everything

How many times have you heard this refrain? And a dozen other reasons for party put-offs. But remember, excuses make recluses! If everyone waited for palatial settings and bulging billfolds, entertaining would be extinct. The point is-- ingenuity can surmount most obstacles. To prove it, we acted as party Pygmalions and photographed two swinging soirees in progress.

NO-FAULT AUTO INSURANCE What you should know

At the heart of our auto insurance system lies the venerable principle that you must pay for the results of your negligence. That's why we buy "third-party" personal injury and property damage liability insurance-- to protect us against the claims of other people in an accident we cause.

4 great kitchens with ideas you can use

Great kitchens don't roll off an assembly line. Each is one of a kind, carefully tailored to fit a particular family's needs and tastes. Even such mundane matters as storage and cleanup are handled with imagination and flair. Here and on following pages you'll see four such kitchens.

A complete laundry center in a basement corner

Here's an easy and inexpensive way to transform an unfinished basement corner into a brightly decorated, well-equipped laundry center. We began this basement conversion by covering the ceiling with plasterboard, painted with white stippled latex.

How to use chopsticks

Appliances that keep you smiling

You can lead a child to the toothbrush, but you can't always make him brush. As for adults, they're prone to give their teeth a dutiful lick and a promise. An electric toothbrush or oral irrigating device can make tooth care more interesting, as well as more efficient.

LOW-CALORIE PARTY COOK BOOK

CHRISTMAS IDEAS/1971

THE FAMILY GUIDE TO BETTER FOOD AND BETTER HEALTH

How one woman tackles her grocery bill

Mrs. Josephine Boyd of Fort Collins, Colorado, wrote us asking that a "genuine American housewife" be given "equal time." She wanted to write a rebuttal to Elmer J. Dapron, Jr.'s article, "How One Man Tackled His Grocery Bill," which appeared in the July 1970 issue of Better Homes and Gardens.

How to order material from the magazine

Which sewing machine is best for you?

Look over the new sewing machines. They have many features that make sewing easy and economical. The new models handle an entire garment, including handwork.

Hawaii

There's still some paradise left in American Polynesia

How teen-agers can study and travel

Foreign study can be one of the best experiences your son or daughter has ever had. Thousands of American high school youngsters are going abroad for a month's-- or even a year's-- study (plus travel) in programs offered by a number of thoroughly reputable organizations.

How to ship that yuletide package

If you're sending a package any distance, it pays to shop ways to ship as carefully as you shopped for the contents. Our inquiries about sending a 30- pound package to another city several states away brought estimates ranging from a low of $3.10 to a high of $17.01. There is no one "best way" to ship. Which one happens to be best for you depends on several factors: origin and destination facilities, urgency, size and weight of package and contents.

CHAIRS

HOUSEPLANT HOW-TO

Paper-while narcissus are the easiest bulbs in the world to grow indoors. Make successive plantings and you'll enjoy their fragrance all through the winter months. You can grow them in soil, but they're even easier in water and you have more choice in attractive containers.

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

Ted Jordan's wife reports she saw a sign in her obstetrician's office that read: "If it kicks hard enough to knock a magazine off your lap, tell the nurse to let you in. The doctor respects complaints-- even from future patients."