This is part of an ongoing series titled Mailbag featuring items readers submit via email or our feedback form. We get a ton of feedback; this is not close to everything (it’s about 2 percent), but it’s a good sample.
In response to: How much does it cost to date in Charlotte?
“Dating in this city is an absolute waste of money. Dating is lighting money on fire, especially for those idiots that get married only to get divorced after two years because they find out that Facebook and Instagram likes can’t save a marriage.” – A
“Depends on the girl. Some like expensive shit while others are happy with a picnic in a truck bed under the stars. Just saying.” – K
In response to: Meet 14-year-old Mary Ellis Stevens, Charlotte’s own Greta Thunberg
“My boyfriend and I are very environmentally conscious. I ride my bike to work from South End to South Park, and he uses the light rail, we share a car in case of emergency or going out of town, and try to reuse since many things doesn’t get recycled. We have went a couple times to watch Mary Ellis and her friends at Marshall Park and it just warms my heart seeing a young girl so passionate about the environment!” – J
“Poor kid, these adults pushing the lie of man caused climate change/global warming should be ashamed. Putting fear into them to the point of this. Stop lying to them and let them be kids.” – C
“She could just be a kid, but whatever floats your boat kiddo.” – A
“So good to see. I was saddened when Charlotte only had 500 show up for Climate Day.” – C
“Glad someone is at least thinking about the future of our planet. Some folks couldn’t care less.” – A
“Stop with child activists! They are coached and it’s ridiculous!”
In response to: New bakery named Batch House opens Saturday — menu includes dirty Oreo truffles, s’mores brownies and Snickers cheesecake
“She’s amazing, you will NOT be disappointed!”- S
“Amelie’s who?! All I’m saying.” – G
“OMG. I love dirty Oreos.” – T
In response to: WeWork’s recent woes raise questions about the company’s operations in Charlotte
“Packard Place offers FREE fellowships for entrepreneurs who are just getting started as a give back to the Charlotte eco-system. You can apply on our website. Packard Place has given back over a million dollars in free space, mentorship, and events over the last 9 years to the Charlotte community via the not-for-profit mission of ‘The Garage’ on the 1st floor. Find a good local co-working space (Tabbris, Hygee, Advent, Portal, Packard Place, etc) and be part of your community.” – D
In response to: Taco Mama now open in Dilworth near Ru San’s
“Ok Charlotte, I’m all about Mexican but with Superica, Sabor Uptown, El Thrifty, Velvet Taco, and others I’m sure I’m missing that opened very recently, can a girl get some pierogies in this city?” – K
In response to: The 10 most beautiful luxury streets in Charlotte, ranked
“Alternate title: 10 Charlotte Streets where Trick or Treaters Can Expect Full-Sized Candy Bars.” – H
“How in the world is N Poplar St. in historic Fourth Ward not on this list? It has a tour dedicated to it.” – F
“Wow! So the only beautiful streets in Charlotte are where rich people live who are mostly white. Did you even go any where regular people live? If the street doesn’t have million dollar houses, it can’t be beautiful? You guys are becoming more and more elitist. It would be laughable if it weren’t so sad.” – A
In response to: Cash Confessional: A week of spending on a 28-year-old HR professional’s $70,000 salary
“How in the hell do you make $70k at 28? Where does she work that pays so much? Clearly I’m working at the wrong company when I don’t even come close to making that much and I’m a lot older. Ugh.” – A
“A Brazilian wax and straight to a spin class? This girl is my hero.” – W
“I can always tell who the skinny people are from these things because of how much they work out.” – E
“She is definitely on the right track and buying a property is one of the biggest wealth builders you can have. It’s one of the only good debts you can have.” – B
“Think she’d be better off aggressively paying off the $40k student loan over the $1000 a month into savings, assuming she has a decent emergency fund already.” – J
“I would reverse the savings and 401k amounts.” – B
“She must not have kids. The daycare struggle is REAL.” – M
In response to: Do I need to be on TikTok? — A guide for oblivious thirty-somethings
“TikTok, wasn’t that a song by Ke$ha back in the day? She should look into getting some residuals. God I’m getting old and I cannot keep up with youth. To quote Dr. Evil, “I’m hip, I’m with it!” (starts to do the Macarena, people stare and ask what I’m doing)” – N
In response to: Charlotte couple pays off $300,000 in debt in three years. Here’s how they did it
“They followed Dave Ramsey’s Baby Steps and got it done. Which I highly recommend to anyone. Paying off debt is possible no matter the amount or your current situation. I’ve done it while I quit a job and was barely scraping by and following DR’s steps changed my life. Go listen to their ‘Debt-Free Scream’ on Dave Ramsey’s podcast.” – S
“Y’all missed the most important step, make over $100,000 a year.” – K
“It’s easy to pay off when you have no kids and dual incomes.” – J
“Oh no kidding? If you don’t go do anything, become anti-social, and add more side jobs you can find more money for debt? Mind blown.” – A
“My wife and I paid off over $100,000 in student and car loan debt to become debt free in our first 4 years of marriage and are now in year 6 about to have our first kid. She’s a teacher. I was working at a small business at the time. We could have sat around complaining that other people had their education fully funded but it wouldn’t have made our situation any better. We formulated a goal, did some math to break it down into manageable mini goals, had a monthly budget meeting, and got after it.” – B
“Sure hope the debt was worth missing out on family memories and friends trips. Life’s too short.” – D
In response to: Opinion: Should you combine bank accounts when you get married?
“I 100% agree on this. It’s definitely not pleasant or easy upfront but it’s completely transformed our communication and strengthened our relationship. It’s taken about two years to perfect it but so worth it.” – A
“It really also depends on age. As a couple who got together in their 30s/40s with prior marriages/relationships behind us, we both prefer to have our own bank accounts. We share a credit card that we put all of our utilities and joint purchases on and if we need to transfer money to each other for mortgage/bill payment times then we do and it’s not a big deal. But we’ve both worked hard individually for our money and accumulated savings in different ways, so to mush that all into one big account would be irresponsible for both of us. I get joining accounts if you’re young and haven’t accumulated much yet, but it’s definitely based on your circumstances.” – M
“Marriage is overrated.” – E
“Sure someone can add my $3.25 to their account.” – R
“Yes, especially if your partner makes more.” – N
“No! I’ve been with my husband for 23 years. We have never shared a bank account. We are responsible humans that put equal effort into making our lives happen. That includes energy that is not money. We fight about money as all couples do but it’s very black and white and easier to discuss. We do not have equal pay, we both have always worked full time and we are lucky that domestically — we both pitch in equally with the kids, pets, and chores . If you can find balance with in the lifestyle it works not to share the account. Being respectful, communication and transparency will alleviate feeling like it’s not equal.” – K
“This author has clearly never been taken advantage of by a spouse. Please don’t judge others until you’ve had your hard-earned paychecks annihilated by someone who is supposed to be your partner. Once that happens, it’s only natural to protect the money you’ve earned.” – B
“Yes. You’re a team. Keep it simple and know your finances.” – K
“Maintaining separate bank accounts as well as joint accounts is extremely beneficial. Goal setters, gift givers, and strategic thinkers can gain major advantages by watching their own accounts while planning with their partners. Joining finances does not have to mean eliminating separate accounts.” – R
“Just don’t marry a princess. My husband and I have a joint account and have never had any issues with the other party spending money on something we didn’t agree on. We have a limit to how much can be spent without consulting the other person. I’m all for having separate accounts for spending on yourself if that’s what works for you, but completely separate accounts seems crazy to me. Do you buy separate groceries? Do you trade off on who pays for a night out? What if one person drinks a lot more or wants to order dessert?” – K
“We combined and it works well. If you can’t trust them, why did you marry them?” – J
“My wife and I meet in the middle: we have joint accounts and separate accounts. I don’t ask what she does with her account, and she doesn’t ask what I do with mine. And it works out fine. Know why? Because we’re adults capable of making our own decisions.” – V
In response to: The highest-priced residential real estate deal in the history of Uptown closed last week
“It’s a nice ‘starter home’ I guess.” – C
“Condo? That place looks like a department store to me.” – J
“When Housewarming party?” – D
“Congrats on your purchase Chad!” – B
“I find it interesting how many people waste time reading about, fascinating about, and generally even caring about news like this. Spend time doing something positive in the world instead of reading about how the Joneses spend their money.” – M
In response to: How do Charlotte millionaires spend and invest their money? And what’s their best purchase under $100?
“I want to see how many of these people were recipients of trusts.” – D
“My grandparents were millionaires in Cali, they ate out occasionally, didn’t buy designer clothes or accessories. They shopped at Kmart, invested in the stock market, owned a clothing store and an apartment building. They lived in a nice house, drove a decent car, and saved a lot of money so they were able to retire at a young age. To them is wasn’t about affording items but the principle, if something on their shopping list was more than what they paid previously for an item they went without.” – K
“The millionaire next door. You’d be surprised at who among your acquaintances qualify.” – L
“Some key take away items are these people get there by starting a business or working a high paying job coupled with investing (stocks, 401K, real estate). I think that’s vital to know because while most of us (myself included) aren’t rich or wealthy by any means it shows how they do it. It is possible to make more money and maybe be on their level one day and it is important to invest even if its on a small scale.” – K
In response to: Funky taco joint named Velvet Taco opening in December inside Optimist Hall — view menu and 13 taco photos
“This place is amazing. When I lived in Dallas I went there often.” – G
“I can’t wait. This my favorite restaurant for tacos.” – N
“I’ve been in Houston! It’s SO GOOD.” – F
In response to: A church near Uptown will launch a daycare option for parents who need financial assistance
“Just to add frame of reference, 10% of income with the rates provided means families with as high as $138,000(4 year olds) and $168,000 (infants) qualify. While I applaud their financial assistance program, it’s also time for a real conversation about the cost of daycare in this area. $1,400 a month isn’t affordable.” – M
“This is what Churches need to be in their community!” – U
“Average daycare cost of only 10k? Please, we’re paying 15k for one 2 year old. Where’s the 10k? Sign me up!” – H
“It’s a good and important move. This is a similar model to what Lake Forest Church-Huntersville’s preschool – The Learning Tree at Lake Forest Church provides. We current have 32% of our families receiving need-based scholarship ranging from 25-75% off.” – S
In response to: 17 best mac and cheese dishes in Charlotte
“Sorry, best mac and cheese is Mert’s, hands down. A little crazy, scary close to Mom’s.” – A
“Aside from Cuzzo’s, these are just jazzed up Kraft mac and cheese with special cream sauces or other non traditional mac and cheese ingredients.” – J
“The mac & cheese at Noble Smoke is amazing.” – K
“Truffle mac & cheese at The Cellar should be on this list…gotta try these though!” – J
In response to: 8 cliché fall dates you should go on near Charlotte
“Okay, but now I need an actual date.” – J
“No leaf peeping?! Nothing is more romantic that checking out leaves (I’m being serious).” – W
In response to: Home Tour: See inside Charlotte blogger’s colorful modern Matthews home – including her dream closet
“Back patio goals.” – E
“That’s a big gamble going with a green bar, but it feels hip and still classy. Overall, I like how the house feels modern, but not too modern. She’s got excellent taste, I want to be her friend, haha.” – J
In response to: 20 Charlotte-specific questions to ask your dating app match before you meet
“This feels like one of those silly surveys that middle-school girls send around to all their friends, then some guy gets his hands on it and uses it to shame the girls. I’m really hoping Dion gets through that awkward puberty phase soon.” – J
“I already feel like dating in Charlotte is the bad place and here comes this article to confirm it.” – R
“Is this supposed to be a guide for all the South End Chads to actually be able to hold a conversation with a girl before he ghosts her?” – J
“The entire Charlotte’s culture can be reduced to one word. Brewery. It’s sad. Meet people who enjoys art, travel, nature, adventures, other cultures. This article is dumb AF.” – H
“Dating apps are the the reason why so many people these days can’t hold any meaningful conversations and are seriously socially challenged.” – D
