Furniture may be purchased very cheaply at sales, but in order not to run any risk of being tricked by brokers running up the prices, it is best to mark a catalogue with the exact sum you would give for each article, and not on any account to exceed it; or you could give a catalogue thus marked to a broker, and pay him a per centage on his obtaining the articles at your price. The furniture you intend to buy, you should previously closely examine. If it is wooden furniture, see that the surfaces are level, that there are no cracks or rickety legs or starting veneer. If the furniture is really good, it will be better to buy it than to purchase new, because the fact of its having been properly seasoned is proved, and it easily and cheaply re-polishes.

We do not recommend purchasing carpets or curtains at a sale. The latter seldom fit, and unless they are known to have been only a short time in wear, their lasting cannot be relied on. The same may be said of kitchen utensils.

In purchasing glass and china there can, of course, be little possibility of mistake.

We add a list of kitchen utensils for small houses, and for large ones, as some guide to persons about to furnish; and similar lists of all the other necessaries required in housekeeping.

Cheap Kitchen Furniture

Open range, fender, fireirons.

1 deal table.

A bracket of deal to be fastened to the wall, and let down when wanted.

2 chairs, rush-bottomed. 1 wooden chair.

Floor canvas.

A bit of coarse canvas to lay before fire when cooking. A wooden tub for washing glass and china. A yellow bowl for mixing dough. 1 small zinc basin for washing hands. Wooden salt-box to hang up. Small coffee-mill. Plate-rack. Knife-board.

A large brown earthenware pan for bread.

A small wooden flour kit.

3 flat irons, an Italian iron, and iron stand.

Old blanket for ironing on.

2 washing-tubs.

A clothes line.

Clothes horse.

2 tin candlesticks, snuffers, and extinguishers.

2 blacking brushes, and 1 scrubbing-brush.*

1 carpet broom, 1 short handled broom.

Cinder-sifter, dustpan, sieve, bucket, large earthenware pan for washing plates.

* Vulcanized India-rubber scrubbing brushes are best of all, but expensive at first.

Patent digester.

1 teakettle.

I toasting-fork.

I bread-grater.

1 bottle-jack (a screen can be made with the clothes-horse covered with sheets, which will be aired at the same time; or, if it can be afforded, a Soyer's portfolio meat-screen is very useful).

1 set of skewers.

1 meat chopper.

I block-tin butter saucepan.

I colander.

3 iron saucepans.

I iron boiling pot.

I fish kettle.

1 flour dredge.

I fryingpan.

1 hanging gridiron.

Salt and pepper boxes.

Rollingpin and pasteboard.

12 patty pans.

I larger tin pan.

Pair of scales or steelyard.

Soyer's baking-dish.