I can sort of see both sides of this issue. On one hand, I can appreciate the initiative it takes to seek out bargains and sell them for more. I do something similar, in that I make jewelry, which means I buy various bits and pieces, put them together into designs, and people buy them from me for more than it cost me to make them.
I also love to see people on "Antiques Roadshow" find out that some trinket with unknown value that they bought for pennies at a garage sale is worth a fortune.
On the other hand, it doesn't warm my heart the same way to think of people routinely cruising garage sales looking for valuable stuff to scarf up cheap and resell for more. Yet as I understand it, this is common with garage sales. You buy stuff at one just to sell it at your own for a higher price. But I've never held a garage sale, nor have I gone to one, so I'm sure no expert on what goes on there.
I don't hold garage sales because things I don't need I donate to Salvation Army, Goodwill, Purple Heart, etc., so that the charity will at least make a few bucks off of selling it at their thrift store. I don't go to garage sales because, honestly, I rarely need more "stuff."
When I donate things to charities, it has always bothered me to think that someone could be picking up those items for rock bottom prices, just for the purpose of reselling them at a garage sale to make a buck on them.
Why does that bother me? I can't really say for sure, but it always has. I guess I have this fantasy of my donation not only bringing in a few dollars for the thrift store, but also going to a good home that needs it - not being passed through a few more hands who bought it just to make money selling it to somebody else.
Call me old-fashioned, but I have the same outlook on this my parents did. I just always figure there's somebody out there worse off than me and I don't mind sharing my belongings as best I can to level the playing field a little.
(And no, I'm not rich. My husband and I are retired and living on a modest savings and his Social Security payments until my own SS payments kick in a few years from now.) ... View related article.
I am 60 years old and still it never fails to amaze me that there are people who either don't understand what RSVP means, or who don't care to put out the ounce of effort it takes to respond. It is incredible to me the number of people who still feel entitled to show such a lack of common courtesy!
It's too bad that social customs can't be rewritten so that as guests arrive they are checked against the RSVP list, and those who didn't RSVP are turned away at the door! After a couple of embarrassments, deadbeat invitees would hopefully improve their manners in the future!
I think the "invitation without destination" idea is worth a try. Please post again after the party and let us know how it worked! ... View related article.
First, good luck to you and spouse-to-be from an old married lady (40+ years). A reception with cake, punch, coffee, and no food is your prerogative - but please, advise the guests in the invitation!
About 30 years ago, our kids were ring bearer and flower girl at the wedding of our neighbor (their babysitter). The day started early, with no time for more than some milk and toast for breakfast. Once we got the kids to the church, they were whisked away by the bride and bridesmaids for photos and training for their parts in the service, etc.
Unfortunately the wedding ended up getting started a lot later than scheduled. By the time the service was over and we arrived for the reception, everyone was hungry.
At the reception there was a lot of socializing, but no food in sight, not even finger food! All of the other guests were hungry, too, and whispering amongst themselves about "When's dinner?"
Finally, after a very long wait, a table was set up with cake, punch, coffee, and that was it. The hungry crowd descended on the cake like locusts, as by now it was early evening! We gave the kids a few bites of cake and some punch because they were starting to feel queasy from hunger!
Then we approached the bride and excused ourselves "early" from the reception, much to her dismay. We left and went to the first open restaurant we found, had a decent meal, and headed home to bed.
My husband and I spent a fair amount of time later talking about the thoughtlessness of the bride in regard to her guests. No one was told this would be a cake and punch only reception, so they had been expecting some kind of dinner.
It was such poor manners not to inform the guests about the reception plans, so they could make their own plans accordingly for eating that day. Especially a 5 and 6 year old who shouldn't have been kept busy yet unfed most of the day. I'm sure the bride was excited and had no appetite, but she should never have put her guests (and flower girl and ring bearer!) in such a hungry situation!
So again, a cake and punch reception can be lovely and is perfectly acceptable, as long as your guests know ahead of time what to expect! My best to you! ... View related article.
At the risk of sounding cynical, I wanted to make an observation. While I appreciate that a furoshiki is an ancient Japanese method of carting things about, I don't think it is particularly amazing.
Doesn't it come naturally to enclose items in a piece of cloth if no other container were available? People all over do versions of this, including children and hobos! Farmers carried their lunches into the fields tied in a bandanna, which then became their napkin. I've always bundled my laundry into a big towel or bedsheet to carry it.
Sorry to be a party pooper, but I find it astounding that now there are stores set up simply to sell colorful squares of 100% cotton so the buyer can tie the corners in knots to manipulate them into bags.
Maybe most incredible of all - did you notice the packaging of these furoshikis when the customers purchased them? Looked to me like they were placed into glossy black bags, and then those black bags were put into a paper bag with string handles. What is THAT all about?? Nothing very "green" about all that packaging of an item inspired by minimal packaging!
And in my opinion, a hobo bag made out of a square of cloth would be more trouble than it's worth to use regularly as a purse. With no structure to it, everything would end up lost in the bottom beneath the long leftover ends and the knots. Sounds charming, but not really practical.
It's not that I don't think wrapping a gift in a scarf, etc., is a good idea because I do. But it's not a new idea, and people have done it for many generations. I just don't think we need "furoshiki stores" nor do we need to twist cloth up into impractical shapes and pretend it's a great new fashion idea!
Ouch! I've got to agree with the safety issue. I know things like this were used all the time in the old days, and still are in use in some restaurants, etc., for receipts. But they disappeared from the office supply stores years ago due to injury concerns. An attractive box or container or a giant paper clip (you can get them everywhere) would eliminate the danger factor. ... View related article.
