Comments on: Daily Links: Great Comments Edition

By: Erin

Erin — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 20:19:57 +0000

I have a sense that the “social” is a holdover from a time when there were stronger family and community bonds, and the donations were not meant to pay for for the wedding itself, but to set up a young couple with the basics they would need to start a life together. My guess would be most people use it now as a sort of informal pre-wedding party for friends and family, not an excuse to “fleece” distant cousins and casual acquaintances (I hope, anyway!).

By: Don

Don — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 18:20:57 +0000

Actually the Kroger discount isn’t quite 10%. You can prove it to yourself this way:

If you have a $100 check and Kroger turns it into $110 you can buy 11 widgets that cost $10 each. $11 x 10 = $110. You now have $0.

If you pick up 11 widgets at the Kroger and use a 10% off coupon you pay $11 * 10 = $110, minus 10% which is $11. $110 - 11 = $99. Use a $100 gift card and you now have $1 in credit remaining.

The actual effective amount can be determined by dividing 100/110 (that’s the 100% and the 110%), which gets you 0.90909090909090909090909090909091. So if you are paying that percentage of original price you’re getting a 9.090909% discount on what you purchase.

By: Eggplant

Eggplant — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 13:09:43 +0000

What if I’m getting my stimulus check through direct deposit. Is there any mechanism for getting the additional 10% through a gift card. Although we don’t have Krogers here in DC and I’m not really sure I want a card worth that much money at Kmart…but I’m sure other stores will be doing the same thing.

By: Steve

Steve — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 22:23:51 +0000

QFC is indeed pricy, but Fred Meyer is one of the reasonably priced grocery stores in the Seattle area. Of course it can be difficult to say “this grocery store is cheaper than that one” without some kind of weighted average of the prices of all the items in the store. I split almost all of my grocery shopping between Fred Meyer and Top Foods (the latter being one of the last so-called-loyalty-card free stores around here) so I will definitely be doing this as soon as I can.

By: Keith

Keith — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 20:01:23 +0000

I am from Manitoba, and really, while the couple getting married can pull in some money, they are certainly not going to be covering the costs of a whole wedding (usually).

Socials can be fun. Usually they are more like the adult equivalent of a junior high or high school dance. You rent a community club, get a liquor license, get a DJ or music company, and sell as many tickets as you can. It’s just a big party.

And let’s not forget that staple of almost every social: trays and trays of kielbasa, cubed cheese, and rye bread.

Cheers!

By: Jane

Jane — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 17:36:54 +0000

I’m going to have to depart from others on liking the new highlighted comment feature. It all sounds highly subjective and actually makes me LESS apt to want to comment on your blog. This would especially be the case if I had commented regularly and never gotten the “coveted highlight”. Call me insecure, but I would take that as a sign my comments aren’t up to par or really that wanted. I know it’s a common practice elsewhere, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it. I would compare it in some respects to the ubiquitous “was this review helpful?” feature on some many websites (amazon, epinions, most newspapres, etc.) that is perhaps intended to separate the wheat from the chaff but often just becomes a popularity contest.

By: Chris

Chris — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 15:01:05 +0000

Great Idea J.D.

Normally I learn just as much from the comments as I do anywhere else and sometimes I have to go through 150!

By: Mike

Mike — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 14:13:13 +0000

If I remember correctly, yes, there are bridal showers, stags, etc. There’s no need to boo my home province of Manitoba, since you’d have to boo the entire world and every company since by spending you’re financing someone else’s life: Wal-mart, KFC, Coke/Pepsi, Gasonline companies, even the local Mom & Pop grocery store since they all markup their prices to cover their costs and enough left for a profit.

If you don’t like it, don’t shop there. I certainly didn’t like all those socials, so I never went to any.

By: velvet jones

velvet jones — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 13:37:20 +0000

I agree with most of the previous comments about these “socials.” It’s the couples idea to get married. They need to pay for it. I’m not going to help finance their wedding. I’m curious if on top of the social, there are showers of some sort, and if the guests that are invited to the wedding (who no doubt have been invited to the social) have to come up with a wedding gift as well. Maybe, maybe not. Either way I don’t like the idea of financing someone else’s life like that. Boo Manitoba, boo!

By: Allen

Allen — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 12:39:43 +0000

I think the pre-wedding social gathering is great. I don’t think it’s as much about a dream wedding as it is not going into debt. Then again, in the U.S. the couple’s parents are supposed to share some of the costs of the wedding. I don’t feel anyone should start their wedded life in debt unless it’s with school debt.

By: Kevin

Kevin — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 12:08:22 +0000

Ontario has a similar wedding ritual, although I’ve heard them referred to as “Stag and Doe” parties. It’s a party that the couple invites friends and family to, and sells tickets ($20 each or so). Then, once there, you are expected to make a cash donation into an ornate “gift box.” There is a bar, but the drinks are grossly overpriced. All of the profits go to the couple.

I personally find such parties extremely tacky and offensive. I feel like I’m being fleeced in order to pay for someone else’s dream wedding. Why should a person’s guests be expected to foot the bill for someone’s fantasy day? If someone wants a big fancy wedding, they should pay for it themselves, rather than putting their loved ones in the awkward position of either being polite and having their pocket picked, or being made to look like a cheapskate.

If you can’t afford the wedding of your dreams, then you should tone down your expectations, or put it off until you can afford it.

By: fivecentnickel.com

fivecentnickel.com — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 11:50:45 +0000

Erika: Around here, the two main chains are Kroger and Publix. Of the two, Kroger definitely has the better prices.

By: Writer's Coin

Writer's Coin — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 11:07:53 +0000

That’s a great idea and hopefully will foster even more thoughtful commentary from folks

By: wedding decadence

wedding decadence — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 05:32:58 +0000

I agree with L. As pointed out in a recently linked from here blog post, the average wedding in the USA costs like $25,000.

I understand people who are flat broke with no help from their parents needing to fundraise to have a wedding. But for most people, this seems to be pretending something is charity that is actually just promoting commercialism and spending money to excess. How many showers have I been to lately of people who already have a million things, and are only asking for new things to match a new color scheme they’re renovating for? I want to celebrate family and friends, not be a part of someone’s upscale decorating budget.

There are so many charities struggling in the world to raise money for worthy causes. Let them have the fundraisers, and let the kids getting married have a barbeque in the backyard… as they contemplate how lucky they are to have food to eat, a roof over their heads, electricity and running water…

By: Erika

Erika — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 05:24:40 +0000

I don’t know about all of Kroger’s subsidiaries, but QFC here in Washington state is grossly overpriced. That extra 10 percent might make you break even at best. I’ve also heard complaints of overpriced goods at Kroger’s other Washington chains. Just something to think about.

By: Mike

Mike — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 03:50:15 +0000

Wow, I completely forgot about the socials in Manitoba. Born and raised until I was 20, I moved to Saskatchewan for the past 10 years, and you don’t see socials at all.

By: L

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 01:55:43 +0000

I think the comment highlighting is a great idea. But I think the Manitoba story is actually just another way of hawking for gifts and money. If a couple doesn’t want to start married life in debt maybe they should have a smaller wedding. The continual round of engagement parties, showers, stag(ette) parties is getting out of control in my opinion.
Call me cheap but if I’m going to a fund raiser, I want the proceeds to be going to underprivileged or sick children, not another party.

By: Andy

Andy — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 01:47:30 +0000

I definitely like the comment highlighting feature. I don’t always get a chance to read them all, but it is nice to see some interesting ones.

By: Ron@TheWisdomJournal

Ron@TheWisdomJournal — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 01:40:15 +0000

That’s some scary information about thieves stealing then SELLING your identity. Yikes! When my identity was stolen, it felt like I’d been punched in the stomach. I can’t imagine having it stolen again, and again, and again.

By: Frugal Dad

Frugal Dad — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 23:39:20 +0000

I like the new feature. Thanks for including me in your link roundup. I enjoyed Nickel’s scoop on the Kroger tax rebate bonus - could be a nice way to boost the grocery budget and stock up on some staples.