Quite a few of the 100 didn't show, so I think it was adjusted down a little. Regardless, this was central Pennsylvania, and there I had financial leverage taking my expensive Philadelphia dollars there. No, it was not gourmet food, it was family restaurant food, but from a restaurant I had been to many times since college and I sampled the dishes to make sure their quality was up to par. They charged less per plate due to volume, which doesn't happen with high end restaurants. I'm not afraid to spend $25-35 a plate at a high end restaurant, but I could not afford to and preferred to have more people there.

In related news, my wife reminded me that her sister's 5K actually didn't even cover the photographer (who failed to show and still kept the money), limo, and tux rental. She actually spent near 10K. These are people who have never made more than $20K in a year individually.

You wouldn't think that, with the people around here acting like Americans are so backward for using checks in such a manner. Many stores don't take them here anymore, either. Supermarkets and some discount stores do, but I rarely see anyone under 60 use checks. If you see that old lady pull out her checkbook, call home to let them know you'll be late.

Well, how big can a torrent be? Just wondering...

Since you don't use cheques in most of Europe, how do you manage large transactions for things like vehicles? There are certainly electronic means here, but they are far from ubiquitous and with every other company getting hacked, no one is inspired to shuttle their money through them.

You must have had a terrible childhood.

You just have to follow the Barney Stinson Hot-Crazy scale, and make sure she's above the line.

My wife and I spent less than $2K on our wedding and reception. Yes, we had an actual reception, with good food, a dance floor, and a DJ for about 100 guests. Ordering the gown over the internet instead of going to a ripoff bridal boutique helps a lot. So does actually comparison shopping, instead of just seeing something and buying it immediately.

Meanwhile, my sister-in-law spent at least 5K-- excuse me, she ran up over 5K on credit cards, which she never paid off-- and has never been financially stable, even when living rent-free with her husband's uncle. I make several times more than she does, yet she simply had to have a (relatively) fancy wedding and, I presume, hope fairies would fly carrying gold coins to pay for it. And trust me, having a wedding she couldn't afford wasn't the begging or the end of her financial troubles.

I hope you at least feel like winners! Congrats!

Yeah... appeals to emotion and fear overrule reality.

Why do you think your elitist need to ridicule others is less annoying that someone else's?

Where in his post did he say everyone should have a fur coat?

Leftists do all they can to criticize suburbanites for causing pollution and consuming resources. Meanwhile, agricultural runoff in rural areas and the mass dumping of chemical waste into the water in the city are causing far greater environmental problems. If the left is going to force us to live in cities, they had better address the issues.

The police themselves should be treated as accessories to the crime, for busting down a door and brandishing weapons based on an anonymous call.

The number "2600" appears a lot in his stories. Phreaker wannabe?

Besides, the "annoying and bright" part tells me he's actually complaining about HIDs. LED lights are far less annoying.