April 1973

HUSBANDS, WIVES AND HEALTHY CHANGE

The two-child, planned family is an idea whose time has come. It is hard even to remember the great ruckus that "family planning" caused in America in the earlier years of this century.

Magazine manager

A complete guide to towing a trailer

Cars are not designed to lug trailers behind them, and drivers are seldom trained in the technique of towing. Even so, towing your travel trailer, boat, snowmobile, or horse can be safe and sensible if you take the time to familiarize yourself with towing beforehand.

Lighting your yard

Can outdoor lighting reduce crime on your street? Homeowners in Indianapolis neighborhoods would give you a resounding "yes." A recent light-up campaign by both homeowners and the city has been credited with reducing street crime 84 percent.

HOW LONG SHOULD YOU SAVE TAX RECORDS

Nearly every taxpayer who itemizes deductions and files anything but the simplest one-page Form 1040 faces the problem of having too much paper around. A single year's worth of tax records can fill a bulky envelope or a shoe box, and several years' worth can clutter up good storage space.

A SIMPLE WAY TO SAVE PLENTY ON YOUR MORTGAGE

By raiding your nest egg from time to time to make partial prepayments on your mortgage, you can actually save hundreds, even thousands, of dollars. It's an almost painless way to build equity faster, retire your mortgage sooner, and have more funds available for other things. And you don't have to squeeze your finances unduly to save quite a bit of money-- especially in the early years of the loan.

Help your youngster find a summer job

What you should know about preschool education

Early childhood education-- and its first cousin, day care-- is a booming concept. More than one million children are now participating in preschool programs compared to only 471,000 as little as nine years ago. And it's growing.

State Auto Inspections: A $2 Nuisance?

If mechanical defects contribute to car deaths, and there's plenty of proof they do, then annual safety inspections for all vehicles ought to be the best thing that's happened to the American motorist since the seat belt-- but they're not. For state motor vehicle inspection programs, as they now exist, range from useless to inadequate.

How you can make money selling to your friends and neighbors

Some million-and-a-half Americans are currently adding to family income through part-time direct selling. This has become a $4 billion business, and there's no reason you can't share in the profits-- but there are some facts to check before you get involved.

Good news!

Installed outdoors, this heating and air conditioning system gives you more basement space, saves on fuel costs, offers safe operation, and costs no more than conventional gas/electric heating/air conditioning systems.

FOUR AWARD-WINNING NEIGHBORHOODS

Consider the scene above a typical American subdivision. On the surface it seems pleasant enough, but something is missing-- a sense of neighborhood that proper planning can bring. In truth, housing built this way cheats families of some important amenities. For that reason, Better Homes and Gardens got together with the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) to cosponsor an award program that would promote excellence in neighborhood planning.

Color up with chrysanthemums

Chrysanthemums have come a long way-- from the ancient gardens of China to the football games of today. And they've been greatly improved along the way.

How to grew Chrysanthemums

Start with a simple idea If you can build a BOX you've got it made!

You can make all sorts of useful and good-looking things for your home simply by building a box, or boxes, to do what you want. A box can become a bed, a couch, a table, a screening device, a display gallery, a storage area, a room divider, a decorative accent, or many other things. You don't have to be a master craftsman or an engineer, either. You can build most of these projects with a few basic tools and do-it-yourself desire.

Special effects from sheets and towels

Whether you sew a lot or not at all, you'll find ideas here that will brighten the room around you. They all start with store-bought sheets and towels, available in an irresistible array of colorful new prints and solids. You can get stunning results with minimum effort.

Spring and summer sewing special

How to pick the right expert

Practically every family these days needs expert legal and financial advice from time to time. It's important to choose your experts carefully, since your relationships with them are likely to be personal, confidential, and expensive.

Quick meals from pressure saucepans

Do you reach for the frozen dinners when you return late from an afternoon out? Even though your family had counted on pot roast or chicken paprikash? Reach again, but this time, reach for your pressure saucepan. With it, you can prepare that pot roast in just 35 minutes, or the chicken in 15; make potatoes in three minutes, and custard for dessert in three more.

How to switch a light fixture

... placing an old ceiling light ... with a contemporary unit ... one of the easiest home improvement projects there is. ... the new fixture is incandescent or fluorescent, the ... technique is ... the same.

GARDENING IN APRIL

The old saying that "April showers bring May flowers" is firmly rooted in the minds of most gardeners. But good gardeners know that those beautiful blooms and lawns and gardens don't just happen. They require planning, plus a little time and effort.

How to pick an electronic calculator

Hand-held electronic digital calculators are fast becoming the hottest selling home-office item since the portable electric typewriter. The public's fascination with electronic gadgetry probably plays a large role in the overwhelming acceptance of these miniature calculators-- they're simply fun to use.

A glue for every job ... Make it stick!

Whether your gluing job is as small as an earring or big as a wall, you want lasting results. You'll get them only if you use the right glue for the materials involved and the stress to which the bond will be subjected.

THE SURPRISING SIDE OF TEXAS

Even to its natives, Texas sometimes comes off as horizon-to-horizon rangeland dotted with oil wells, sagebrush, mean-eyed longhorn steers, and an occasional metropolis like Dallas or Houston. But that image fails to encompass the diversity of the state. Texas overflows with unexpected delights, including three spots ideal for get-away-from-it-all vacations: the primitive splendors of Big Bend National Park; the string of white-sand beaches along the tropical Gulf Coast; and, between them, the rolling Hill Country just north of San Antonio, one of America's truly unique cities.

An addition with an outdoor look

How to finish and decorate a box

To turn a box into a piece of furniture, you must finish it properly. See building instructions on page 74, then decide on painting, staining, covering with cloth or veneer, or other finishing technique you prefer.

How to give your house a bath

If the exterior of your home is beginning to look a little lackluster, it may need only a wash job-- not paint. Airborne chemical pollution, soot, and dirt can make any house exterior look grimy, even if it's been recently painted.

A show-off divider

RIDING THE RAILS ON AMERICA'S HOTSHOT TRAINS

The conductor intones "All aboard," signal lanterns swing, stairs are scooped up into the train cars, and a lot of steam hisses out from above the huge, heavily mechanized wheels. People waving good-bye and blowing kisses step back a bit on the platform as the engine pulls its load out of the station.

Built-in storage boxes

Every home has special storage bugaboos, and there's a good solution (versus a makeshift one) for each problem. To demonstrate, here are four right answers to three common storage problems: soiled clothes, wood supplies for your fireplace, and trash.

How to pick the right puppy

Picking the pup that will become a devoted member of your family may seem simple, but it's not. You'll need more than just a little common sense to adopt a dog that will fit into your family with a minimum of concessions on your part.

Making the most of a king-size kitchen

HOUSEPLANT HOW-TO

Dracena marginata is one of the most useful and enduring plants of this family. The specimen shown is a small one and it will grow very slowly to about eight feet. All sizes are available so you can start with a larger plant if you choose, but the price might give you pause.

How to order material from the magazine

Better Homes 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

Jack Renna, widowed for three years, is going to marry Sue Digby, who teaches at the high school. Chris says a computer couldn't have matched them better: She loves books, and he loves to build shelves.