Today's Sound Off is about the high cost of getting married:
Dear Heloise: My daughter and her fiance came to us and wanted $30,000 for their wedding. They had also asked her future in-laws for the same amount. They said "no" and so did we.
Why do young people today think they have to have huge, splashy affairs to get married? My husband and I feel that a smaller, more intimate wedding is more appropriate, especially when they still have student loans to pay off.
We told them that when they get ready to buy a house, we'll give them a nice check to help with the down payment. We think a house is an investment, but a wedding is not.
I guess we're too practical to think spending that kind of money for one day is appropriate. - Kathy and Sid in Pennsylvania
Fast Facts
New uses for old eyeglasses:
- Donate to a charity that recycles glasses
- Without the lenses, use as a costume accessory.
- Take out the lenses and give them to a child as a plaything or dress-
up item.
- Heloise
Fan Dry
Dear Heloise: It seems that every time I wash the kitchen floor, before it has a chance to dry, someone in my family decides that it's a good time to check the refrigerator for a snack or to get a glass of water. So now I put a box fan on the floor, and within minutes the floor is dry, and I don't have to play traffic cop in the kitchen. - Maria in Arkansas
Maria, pets are also notorious for leaving paw prints on a damp, clean floor. Thanks for this time and "energy-saving" hint. - Heloise
King Features Syndicate