Though it may have taken awhile to come to terms with the idea of the Victorian gentle-woman as a wage-earner, it's clear that the well bred Victorian lady was no stranger to economics - or to hard times. The abundance of articles in Victorian family magazines that provide tips on budgeting and "making both ends meet" suggest that "shabby gentility" was the rule rather than the exception. However, it's also clear that these articles are most often addressed toward the gentlewoman who has "come down in the world," rather than the "commoner" born and bred in poverty. They are aimed at a reader who may be poor in pocket, but who is educated, capable of handling accounts, and desirous of maintaining a certain standard of living even if that standard must be met by creating furniture out of packing crates.

Rural Economy (Illustrated London Almanack, 1850)

Tips on managing a rural household on a budget.

How to Make Both Ends Meet (Cassell's Family Paper, 1860)

Ready-Money Housekeeping (Leisure Hour, 1868)

Advice on avoiding debt and handling housekeeping expenses, as much as possible, in cash, plus information on some of the abuses shopkeepers may engage in to extract more money from creditors.

The Art of Shopping (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1875)

Kitchen Economy, by A.G. Payne (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1875)

Small Economies (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1875)

How Not to Waste, by Phillis Browne (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1876)

Little Extravagances of the Table, by A.G. Payne (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1876)

Tips on avoiding waste in the kitchen.

How We Failed to Make Both Ends Meet; How We Made Both Ends Meet, by Phillis Browne (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1877)

Home Contrivances (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1878)

Some inexpensive solutions to creating or refurbishing home furnishings and draperies.

How We Married on a Small Income, by Eliza Clark (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1878)

The adventures -- and helpful budget tips -- of a bride who married a not-so-wealthy husband.

A Friendly Talk on Shopping, by L.R. Fewell (Demorest, 1879)

The Art of Shopping, by Mary Selwood (Girl's Own Paper, 1881)

A look at three types of shoppers - the stingy, the snobbish, and the wise.

Savings Banks and Clothing Clubs, by Dora Hope (Girl's Own Paper, 1881)

A method of teaching thrift and money-handling at a girl's school.

True Economies in Household Management, by Lizzie Heritage (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1882)

"Economy is the management, regulation, and government of a family or household; a frugal and judicious use of money, that management which spends money to advantage and incurs no waste... a judicious application of time, labour, and the instruments of labour." A two-part essay that won first prize in a magazine competition. (One also wonders if this helped launch the author's writing career, as she goes on to be a frequent contributor on household topics.)

A Few Words on Money Matters (Girl's Own Paper, 1883)

How Molly Made Both Ends Meet, by Phillis Browne (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1883)

Girls' Allowances, and How to Manage Them, by Dora de Blaquière (Girl's Own Paper, 1884, 1885)

This primarily involves how to budget for clothing, and includes detailed lists of prices and costs for the period.

How I Kept House on £250 a Year, by Mary Pocock (Girl's Own Paper, 1885)

A multi-part article that covers just about every imaginable aspect of housekeeping, including menus and recipes.

Our Life in a Flat (Girl's Own Paper, 1885)

How to Live on £100 a Year (Girl's Own Paper, 1886)

Every Girl a Business Woman, by James Mason (Girl's Own Paper, 1887)

Subtitled "A Practical Guide to the World of Industry and Thrift."

Sixty Pounds Per Annum, and How I Live Upon It, by a Young Gentlewoman (Girl's Own Paper, 1888)

When Going to Market, by Mary Pocock (Girl's Own Paper, 1888)

An article that gives prices for a number of grocery items, along with diagrams of cuts of meat.

Household Accounts, by Phyllis Browne (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1889)

Passing Rich with 40 Pounds a Year (Girl's Own Paper, 1890)

Economy: The Right Sort and the Wrong (Girl's Own Paper, 1892)

What to Do With Your Savings (Girl's Own Paper, 1892)

"A Paper for Working Girls."

A Few Words on Thrift, by the Dowager Marchioness of Hertford (Girl's Own Paper, 1893)

An Independent Gentlewoman, by Maud Morrison (Girl's Own Paper, 1893)

A peek into the life of a self-supporting country gentlewoman.

How Two Sisters Live in the Country on a Pound a Week, by Barbara Marsh (Girl's Own Paper, 1894)

How We Live in London on a Pound a Week, by Lloyd Lester (Girl's Own Paper, 1895)

Household Leaks, by Annie E.D. Thornley (Girl's Own Paper, 1896)

How to make the most of heat in cold weather, both in the parlor and in the pantry.

Country vs. Town Life for Small Incomes, by Mary G. Dallington (Girl's Own Paper, 1896)

A Word to Girls on Thrift (Girl's Own Paper, 1896)

Girls and Their Pocket Money (Girl's Own Paper, 1897)

Housekeeping in London, by Lucy Yates (Girl's Own Paper, 1898)

How We Furnished Our First Home for £150, by E.H. Pitcairn (Girl's Own Paper, 1898)

Well-illustrated with photos and containing detailed budgets.

Economy, by Elizabeth Dawes (Girl's Own Paper, 1899)

How to Be Poor (Girl's Own Paper, 1902)

Or rather, how a gentlewoman may live, and what changes she must make to her lifestyle, if she has been "brought low."

See also

• Do-It-Yourself Décor

• Hand-Made Furniture