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We took Ramsey's "Financial Peace" class through our church and were not super-impressed. While there were a few items of note that we learned or that were helpful to us, as a whole it was not worth...
We took Ramsey's "Financial Peace" class through our church and were not super-impressed. While there were a few items of note that we learned or that were helpful to us, as a whole it was not worth the $100 that we had to spend. (We thought it was ironic that his company would charge us a large amount of money so that we could learn from him how to save money. Plus, the software included with our kit does not work on Macs, which we have.) Overall, while it wasn't a total waste of our time, it wasn't something that we really got a ton out of. Plenty of the topics he covered were not even relative to us, either, so those weeks were a waste.
I know people who really are devoted to him and his ways, though, so maybe it's just personal preference.
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Yesterdog is a great place to go for some cheap eats while hanging out with good friends. I am not normally a fan of chili, but their cheddardogs with chili on them are just awesome. Heck, I'm also...
Yesterdog is a great place to go for some cheap eats while hanging out with good friends. I am not normally a fan of chili, but their cheddardogs with chili on them are just awesome. Heck, I'm also not usually one that seeks out hotdogs to have as a meal, but there's just something about Yesterdog that transforms the ordinary "dog on a bun" into something super-tasty. With their very low prices, Yesterdog can be a good place either for a cheap meal on a budget, or as a place to drop in for a snack if you feel like it. The place won't break the bank and you'll have some great hotdogs. Definitely a must for anyone who hasn't been there yet.
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Keep in mind that I have not been to the GR Melting Pot, but my in-laws did take us to one in Littleton, CO when we were out visiting. The concept started out as fun but got old. We did appetizers,...
Keep in mind that I have not been to the GR Melting Pot, but my in-laws did take us to one in Littleton, CO when we were out visiting. The concept started out as fun but got old. We did appetizers, dinner and dessert and were there over three hours. It just started to drag - although the food itself was tasty.
But the big problem I had were the prices. I was astounded to see how expensive everything was (and glad that we were not paying!)! It is tremendously expensive, and I don't even know what you're paying for! I mean, for all intents and purposes, the patron has to do all the work cooking his or her own food. All the kitchen staff has to do is cut things into small pieces. How hard is that? I simply don't think the cost is justified for what you get. I have friends who say you're paying for "the experience," but I don't buy it. The meal drags out too long, and you come out with your clothes smelling of oil and your wallet a LOT lighter.
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We used to be with Lake MI Credit Union because we kept hearing that we'd get better service with a credit union. That did not turn out to be the case. We found LMCU's board to be very preoccupied...
We used to be with Lake MI Credit Union because we kept hearing that we'd get better service with a credit union. That did not turn out to be the case. We found LMCU's board to be very preoccupied with turning it into a bank so that they could get paid. They kept hounding us with calls and mailings pleading with us to vote for making it a bank. And when the vote failed, they sent out angry newsletters. We were not impressed.
So, we switched to Chase (formerly Bank One) because we heard good things and also because they gave us $50 for switching (special promotion). I have had great service there, and I also like that they have so many locations. I can pretty much always find a Chase ATM if I need to and thus not have to pay the fee. We had a Chase credit card already, too, and that ties in nicely with our accounts so we are able to manage them all from one website.
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I only visited the Bridal Lane once, but it made a lasting impression on me. I went there with my mother and future mother-in-law, because they both wanted to see me try on a whole bunch of dresses....
I only visited the Bridal Lane once, but it made a lasting impression on me. I went there with my mother and future mother-in-law, because they both wanted to see me try on a whole bunch of dresses. This was absolutely a great place to do that. There were two women working when we came in, and they were both sweethearts. Immediately greeted me, had smiles on their faces the whole time, asked me questions and listened to my needs/likes very attentively - the whole nine yards. I picked out a few dresses, and then later they brought me some that they thought I might like based upon my earlier suggestions. They were dead on in their recommendations. Everything they brought to me was great. They even took pictures of my mothers and I to document the experience. We were new to this (had only been one other place at that point) and they answered all of our questions without seeming bored. If I had found "THE dress" at the Bridal Lane, I would have had no qualms about ordering it from them. In fact, I was a tiny bit disappointed that I ended up finding the perfect dress elsewhere, because I wanted to work with that shop again. That's how great the service was.
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We used Bay Window Bakery for our wedding cake in 2003 and were SO impressed and pleased with all aspects of the company - their cake decorating talent, variety of design options available (they can...
We used Bay Window Bakery for our wedding cake in 2003 and were SO impressed and pleased with all aspects of the company - their cake decorating talent, variety of design options available (they can do pretty much anything!), customer service, and price. All of this was great. We sat down with Kate and spent about an hour paging through their books of cake pictures (things they had done before) to get an idea of what we liked. In the end we decided to use some elements of a variety of cakes and put them together to make ours. The cake turned out exactly as we had described. Plus, it tasted AMAZING! We had two different flavors (on different layers) and both were great. We also froze the top layer according to tradition, and - surprise surprise - it tasted great even a year later! Now that is quality.
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I have a different perspective on this place, as I am not a parent or babysitter, and have never been to the museum with a kid. However, when I was in college, my dorm held its annual banquet at the...
I have a different perspective on this place, as I am not a parent or babysitter, and have never been to the museum with a kid. However, when I was in college, my dorm held its annual banquet at the Children's Museum. I thought that it would be weird, and I have no idea who came up with the location, but I have to applaud them. This place is tons of fun! Picture a whole bunch of 20-year-olds all dressed up and playing in bubbles and on a toy car and you will get the picture. I was amazed at how many different interactive displays they had there, and all the different ways that the museum used its amenities to both attract and teach children. I have seen other children's displays at museums and the ones here seemed much fresher and more innovative. The building is a unique size and shape, but the museum has done a good job in terms of layout and flow so that things are not crammed together and the kids (or kids at heart) have enough room to really explore the displays. This is definitely a good asset to Grand Rapids.
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Even though I am in my mid-twenties, Craig's Cruisers still holds an appeal to me. Perhaps it is because my friends and I are all dorks, perhaps not, but Craig's has the best mini-golf in town,...
Even though I am in my mid-twenties, Craig's Cruisers still holds an appeal to me. Perhaps it is because my friends and I are all dorks, perhaps not, but Craig's has the best mini-golf in town, hands down. Really the only other place to go would be AJ's by the ball park, and that place does not even compare. Craig's course has a nice variety, is well maintained, and is reasonably priced because it lasts much longer than 10 minutes. You have your pick of two 18-hole courses, and both have a great variety of holes, water hazards, etc. You get to enjoy the great outdoors while doing so, too. One drawback is that it is pretty popular during the summers, especially in the early evenings, but when you go with a group of friends and have no place special to be, it's a fun place just to hang out. There are lots of other amenities at Craig's, of course, but to me it's all about the mini-golf.
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Well, like I said, if I am going to go bowling in Grand Rapids, it's going to be at Eastbrook Lanes. I've been to a few other places and they have all been kind of dirty and a little sketchy....
Well, like I said, if I am going to go bowling in Grand Rapids, it's going to be at Eastbrook Lanes. I've been to a few other places and they have all been kind of dirty and a little sketchy. Eastbrook is in a good part of town and is kept up relatively well so that I don't get grossed out using their balls or bowling shoes. I've never had to wait, but you do if you want to do the weekend "rock & bowl" neon party thing. That thing starts getting a line about a half hour before it starts!
My one complaint may be industry-wide, I'm not sure. But it seems like their prices are a lot higher than they used to be. I used to consider bowling a pretty cheap activity that friends could all get together and do for a reasonable price. But it seems that those days are over. For two games it's about as much as going to a movie, which is also overpriced. That said, it's still a fun place to frequent.
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We had our wedding reception at the Gardens so perhaps I am biased, but the Meijer Gardens is a wonderful asset to the Grand Rapids community. We had great service during our wedding planning, and...
We had our wedding reception at the Gardens so perhaps I am biased, but the Meijer Gardens is a wonderful asset to the Grand Rapids community. We had great service during our wedding planning, and they were very attentive to our needs, helped explain their rules and regulations very well, etc. Even though they had some pretty strict rules in terms of decorations, they explained the reasoning so we didn't just think that they were being unreasonable. We appreciated that, and the facility is beautiful enough that it hardly needs decorations anyway! As a "thank-you" for having our event there, they gave us a complimentary one-year membership, which we thought was a nice touch. We have really enjoyed things like the Christmas tree displays and member parties, and customer service has always been excellent.
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