The Buffalo News from Buffalo, New York • 68

G4 The Buffalo July 14, 2019 MONEYSMART For many people, being part of a wedding party can strain their savings, not to mention their relationship with the couple. For one New York woman, the cost for her family to participate in her nuptials several years ago was a commitment. She, her husband (the brother) and their two teenage daughters were all in the wedding. And the expenses just kept mounting. There was the matron-of-honor for her and bridesmaid gowns for the girls.

They all had to buy shoes and get their hair and nails done. There were the tux and shoes for her husband. She paid of the cost of the bachelorette party, and her husband covered of the bachelor party. The couple also hosted and paid for the engagement party. And as if that enough, they still gave the bride and groom a cash gift.

Total outlay: $4,500. At least they go into debt. were able to spread out the different costs over the year between the engagement party and the actual Maria wrote to me. we did, we did pay for in real time, by making other For example, the month of the deposit on the two dresses, the matron-of-honor dress and the shoes meant no eating out, no movies, no bowling that All that money, and the marriage lasted just three years. One Washington woman shared the costs of participating in two weddings in the last years.

Wedding No. 1: Airfare, hotel, makeup, hair, dress and bridal shower: $1,000. never considered declining being part of the wedding. But I started to really pay attention to my budget and what I needed to do to get out of some debt. And I thought, holy crap, I know that I feel that great about spending all this Wedding No.

2: Hotel, dress and bridal shower: $650. bride was very generous and paid for part of the expensive hotel room, hair and makeup. Most of our meals were at events surrounding the wedding. The dress was cheaper because we could pick our own. I paid for my and rental car with points I had on a travel credit card.

Without that, it would have easily been over Despite the costs, this bridesmaid had no regrets. friends were worth every she said. when I realized wedding No. 1 was heading into crazy territory, I started looking at it and how want my wedding, should I ever have one, to be different. I think couples do the math on how much the bridal party is spending, and I felt this couple let the vision of the wedding they both grew up wanting cloud some wisdom on how much this vision was costing everyone involved, including Your maid of honor is not made of cash Speak the truth if going to be a burden.

Say it so. Four Seasons Cinema, the beloved second- run movie theater tucked behind Military Road in the Town of Niagara, will close next month. My memories there stretch back to the 1980s, when it was one of the few places my mom could afford to take me plus my siblings and even our friends. Later, as a teenager dating other broke teenagers, it made for a great date night. Now I go with my own kids, and always a great adventure.

I had hoped to continue watching there in my old age, when a senior on a income, but that is not to be. movie prices make it impossible for many families to go to a traditional movie theater. For someone who makes minimum wage, a ticket to the movies costs more than they earn in an hour. If one of my friends with kids, forget it: taking the whole family will cost a pay. And that even account for popcorn.

But you have to be on a tight budget to appreciate the Four Seasons. The low admission fees were just part of its charm. Dan Chamberlin, who had run Four Seasons since the 1990s, was the heart of it. was essentially his theater. He ran said Greg Gismondi, whose family has owned Four Seasons for more than 30 years.

owned it, but it was his Chamberlin had worked in movie theaters since he was a kid brushing popcorn out from under the seats, and owned the Showplace Theater for a time. When Earl Ling, who had been leasing the Four Seasons from family, died, Chamberlin took over as manager. was a character, I can tell you that. He was just very passionate about the movie business and strove to be a great family source of Gismondi said. Chamberlin died in 2017, and amid declining sales and increasing costs, Gismondi knew was He just recently paying off the $400,000 worth of new equipment needed to convert the eight-screen theater to digital projection (new from Hollywood work on the old 35 mm projectors) and made a penny since the switch.

no money to install the fancy rec lining ea ts ot he he at er av a nd he projection technology keeps advancing, just like that of any other computer. outpacing our ability to keep he said from the real estate Amendola Property Management. theater is really my passion, it was never our family also owned the Jerry Lewis Cinema at 2500 Military Road, now an OTB. Four Seasons is the last of my childhood movie theaters to go dark. The General Cinema at the Summit Park Mall, where I saw That is long gone, as is the nearby Summit Park 6 on Sawyer Drive, where I saw Up the Super Saver Cinema on Elmwood, where I saw is a neon-lit memory.

got until about Aug. 4 to catch a show at Four Seasons (it could close sooner if the lawyers close on the sale of the property before then). Go, take the family, reminisce, soak in one last To everything, there is a season. Cheap seats, rich history: Farewell Four Seasons Cinema Discount Diva BY SAMANTHA CHRISTMANN Michelle Singletary THE COLOR OF MONEY By Erin Arvedlund PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER With the cost of college rising each year, we did the math to see if possible for students to pay their own way through school. In Pennsylvania, the worst state for affordability, students have to work 120 hours a week to cover instate tuition and housing, according to price data from College Tuition Compare and data from the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Granted, price data perfect: a recent University of Pennsylvania study found that many net price calculators correlate with the true cost of a university degree. That said, how can you negotiate your college bill down and pay what you can afford? First, you can appeal your nancial aid award letter. some families, a change in status may have occurred since the submission of your Free Application for Federal Student Aid form and may not your current notes Fred Amrein, founder of PayForED.com, a Newtown Square consulting and software that helps parents and students maximize aid and minimize college costs. even put together a sample Aid Appeal as a guide. Second, a list of tuition bill items to review before you pay: Room size: Prices can vary depending on room selection with a single room being the most expensive.

Meal plan: College freshmen may not have a choice in the meal plan. If you think the meal plan is Try these smart tips before you pay those college bills arBara helehan BANKRATE.COM A re you facing imminent retirement with nothing but Social Security and pocket change for your so-called It may not be too late for you to catch-up on your savings. If everyone saved a decent chunk of their income throughout their career and never dipped into savings to deal with emergencies, all could enjoy a cushy retirement. But in reality, many people they are rapidly approaching retirement age without nearly enough savings. If this situation is all too familiar to you, worry you still have several options to get your retirement savings back on track.

Implementing these last-minute solutions may not work as well as long- term retirement planning, but better than doing nothing at all. day that you delay making progress toward your retirement goals is a day that you fall further says CFP professional Michael Shanahan, managing partner at Overland Shanahan Wealth Advisors in San Diego. action taken is always better than ignoring the problem and pretending it will go These six last-minute retirement planning strategies may ensure that you have to pawn jewelry, borrow from relatives or take other desperate measures to make ends meet in retirement. 1. Save like mad Financial professionals recommend that you save or more of your annual income throughout your career for retirement.

If you done so and time is running short, try drastically increasing your savings rate. 6 LAST-MINUTE RETIREMENT PLANNING STRATEGIES Here are some tips to quickly build a nest-egg and take some of the anxiety out of your post-career plans day that you delay making progress toward your retirement goals is a day that you fall further Michael Shanahan, CFP professional managing partner at Overland Shanahan Wealth Advisors in San Diego See College on Page G5 See Singletary on Page G5 See Retirement on Page G5.