Frugal Friday: Double Layer Scoopneck Top
This post may contain affiliate links and Corporette® may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Our daily workwear reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices.
Old Navy is coming in hot this week with a whole bunch of work-appropriate tees. When I’m looking for a t-shirt to wear to the office, I’m usually looking for something with a substantial fabric and a shape that isn’t too boxy. These double-layer scoop neck tops totally fit the bill. With ten colors to choose from and the typical range of Old Navy sizes, there’s something for everyone. Wear one under a blazer for a comfy business casual look.
The tops are $15.99 today and come in sizes XXS-4X, XST-XXLT, and XSP-XXLP.
Hunting for opaque white T-shirts for work? As of 2026, we'd suggest checking the double-layer lines from Boden, Express, Old Navy, and Hobbs, as well as great sources for basic Pima cotton such as Uniqlo, COS, L.L.Bean, Everlane, Banana Republic, and Talbots. (This $268 tee also gets great reviews for opacity, as do these two more affordable options — and Elizabeth swears by this tee under $30!)
Sales of note for 6/5:
- Nordstrom – Designer clearance up to 40% off!
- Ann Taylor – Up to 40% off your purchase
- AYR – Ooh, good sale section — but lots on final sale. Readers love (LOVE) these comfy work pants and these jeans.
- Boden – 15% off new women's wear styles with code
- J.Crew – 30% off full price styles
- J.Crew Factory – Extra 50% off clearance + 40-60% off everything else
- Loft – 55% off everything + free shipping (and 6/5 only: $10 tanks)
- M.M.LaFleur– Up to 70% off, plus new styles added! (Try code CORPORETTE15 for 15% off)
- Nordstrom Rack – Clear the Rack! Nice selection of Vince, Veronica Beard, Reiss and Rag & Bone, a ton of affordable work basics from Calvin Klein and dresses from Maggy London, Eliza J, and Donna Morgan
- Talbots – 6/5 only: $50 off every $200 (plus, $99 dresses)
Does anyone have any good indoor fly catcher solutions that aren’t flypaper? We seem to get 1-2 per day. IDK if doors are open more when it’s not cold or there are just more of them when it’s hot. It’s so gross because everything but the bedrooms are open and flies in kitchens is a war for me until they are dead. I try to use a dish towel to stun them but they can get up high or go to a pendant light and I have to just glare at them. What else is there?
I had a fly problem when I moved into my place and got one of those Zevo blue lights that seemed to take care of it.
Another vote for the Zevo blue lights.
+2
+3
Fly swatters work way better than a dish towel.
Is installing screen doors and screens on your windows an option?
We have so many flies here in rural Australia, I’m not opening anything unless there’s a screen.
Girl, get a fly swatter.
we have one of the electric zappers if you enjoy swinging a tennis racket-sized electrocution device in your home. also think about how they’re getting in — for us it’s the back door so in the past I’ve rubbed Irish spring along the doorjam top and bottom because animals dislike the smell. hmn but now i wonder if our dog would like that.
the other thing to do is identify the problem – lots of types of flies. if they’re fruit flies the vinegar/Dawn solution works really well. fungus gnat flies suck but Mosquito Bits in your houseplants works well if you do it regularly (like weekly)
Salt g u n s. Picture your standard super soaker, except it s h o o t s household table salt. Husbands lovvveeeee these things.
Signed,
Delaware has so many dang flies we received said item as a housewarming gift
This sounds fun.
That sounds amazing, but don’t you end up with salt all over the house?
We bought one of the tennis racket style zappers after loving them in a vacation home.
I’m starting to think about buying a vacation home. It would be mainly an investment property that I would rent out most of the time. I (obviously) want the rental income to cover its expenses, but I’m kind of at a loss for how to figure out what the expenses will be. This is probably a dumb question, but how do you realistically budget for utility and maintenance costs when the house is in a different market from where I live? I’d welcome any words of wisdom from others who have done this before.
What kind of vacation home? City/shore/lake/mountain? Condo or single-family?
Right now I’m thinking single family beach house.
I used to live in a town where a lot of people had second homes and realtors would actively have this info on hand. Like, these were houses that were rentals for most of the year and there were local management companies that provided maintenance. So, the ads would actually list out ‘active rental with X agency’ and it was pretty normal to have the costs listed out.
I would ask a local realtor or management company for details on a comparable existing rental house.
This is the way assuming it is in an area with lots of vacation rentals.
Realtors or the current owner should be able to share ballpark utility costs. The silent drag on a vacation home is the regular necessary maintenance both things like seasonal tasks (lawn care, gutter cleaning, winterizing if necessary) to the big-ticket items like roof replacement every 20 years, water heater every 10-15, refrigerator every 10, HVAC every 10-15, etc. Anything interior will likely run towards the shorter end of its life span because renters are harder on it than owners, but you can find home maintenance checklists online that can help you plan.
Don’t do this. Buy a vacation house to use it but they are very hard to make money on as an investment property. We bought one with this idea in mind, but fortunately didn’t need it to be profitable. To make the place attractive to get the nightly rate to make money, you have to put a lot into the place. Then, guests break everything, things you didn’t know could break. Ours is in the Napa/Sonoma area and we made a lot of money on paper, but by the time we paid the property management company (necessary unless you live there), for renovations and decor, fixing literally everything, cleaning fees (no what people pay doesn’t begin to cover this or regular maintenance), the net was nothing. Fortunately we love the place and now just use it ourselves and don’t rent it out. If you want an investment property, buy that – get a rental somewhere, preferably close to you so you can manage issues – but don’t buy a vacation home thinking it’s an income stream. If you buy in a good location, it will appreciate in value so it is an investment that way, but that’s different from it being an income source. I also have rental apartments and those are a different story, but much better from a cash flow investment perspective.
This is helpful. DH and I are considering a vacation home. It seems like most people rent them out, but I have no interest in doing that? Seems like a ton of work only to have guests trash your place.
It really is. I think people do it because they think they have to or someone convinced them they’d make money. Our carrying costs decreased substantially once we stopped renting ours out. It’s also heaven to have a place to go to all the time. My advice is buy something within a few hours max of where you live so it’s easy to use and then go all the time. We basically split our time now between the city and our vacation place. And I will also underscore it’s still an investment, our place has doubled in value since we bought it so we’d make a substantial profit if we sold.
Yeah, this is the real debate. We really want a lake house. We both agree that the house being within a few hours of our own would be ideal. Unfortunately, inventory is really low because we aren’t living in an area with a ton of lakes. So then you start looking at 5-6 hour drives which is totally doable, but makes it harder to do, say, just a weekend thing.
5-6 hours away would be a no for me. That is too far to go to regularly IMO.
Our second home is for us. However, we do occasionally “rent” it out to friends and family for a contribution of the utility costs.
What part of the country are you in? To me a 5-6 hour trip for a weekend if a no-go but I know in places like Texas that might be more routine.
A former co-worker rented out her vacation home. Whenever she actually got to use it she spent the whole time fixing up damage caused by renters. For some reason they seemed to tend to rip toilet paper holders out of the wall with regularity. Etc.
Do t even get me started! I couldn’t believe the things people broke, faucets, light fixtures, bathroom tiles, like how do people do that!?!
+1 we have had our vacation home for over 20 years and never rented it out. I can’t stand the thought of strangers staying there and I don’t want to deal with the upkeep associated with renting it out.
It is only 1.5 hours away so we can go up all the time, even just for the day if necessary. This makes such a difference in how much we use it.
Go watch Pacific Heights. It’s from the 90s. And then read your property insurance exclusions and see if you can get loss of rental income insurance.
Rule of thumb for residential property you live in full time is 1% of value per year. I’d multiply that several times for a rental. And that’s not counting soft and case goods.
Go watch Pacific Heights. It’s from the 90s. And then read your property insurance exclusions and see if you can get loss of rental income insurance.
Rule of thumb for residential property you live in full time is 1% of value per year. I’d multiply that several times for a rental. And that’s not counting soft and case goods.
X
I am looking for truly wrinkle-free dresses. I will store these in a suitcase in the trunk of my car. They will get mashed around, not perfectly rolled or stored. I have emergency work travel 3-4 times per year with 1-3 hours notice, so I keep a small carry on packed for these trips. Prefer something with a true short sleeve, elbow, or 3/4 sleeve as I can wear those any weather without packing another layer. Ideas?
I’ve found dresses like this at White House Black Market and Ann Taylor before; however, I think you should just order a $20 travel steamer and keep that in the suitcase too.
Is your job casual enough that dresses can be athletic material? Athleta, lululemon, etc used to have good options – I’d check Poshmark. Also have had some luck with the Northface
No specific suggestions. Generally, a print will hide wrinkles better than solid colors will.
Does it have to be a dress? That sounds inconsistent with emergency travel? I would probably get some of those Athleta pants that are mostly athleisure but pass for real pants and tops in a similar fabric. Maybe they have a golf dress or something if you really need a dress.
Prana or Pact may have some options, but they are very casual. I’m not sure if that fits what you’re looking for or not.
Other than some of the thick synthetic workwear from Express, The Limited (RIP), and Club Monaco (nearly RIP) 15 years ago, I’ve never found anything that is truly wrinkle free. I’ve just started bringing a portable steamer in my carryon. I have the travel one from Jack and Rose, and the iron on it works decently well too.
+1. Portable steamer will be your best friend!
Moving in 10 days and two cleaning questions for the group:
Our landlord has indicated he will be a stickler about the move-out clean. What’s your favorite grout cleaner? I’m going to have to do it myself because I got quotes for $450 JUST for the grout from local cleaning companies. I’ll take whatever toxic stuff makes the job fastest.
Our new garage is dusty and may have a few rodent droppings on a shelf. We’re going to spray with disinfectant before cleaning them up per CDC guidance (we do have hantavirus in my state). I’m also thinking mopping the garage floor with a water and bleach mixture might be a good idea before running the shop vac. Anyone gone through this who can comment on what’s a good way to do a garage clean?
1. Zep grout cleaner and brightener.
2. I have never mopped a garage except for one with the epoxy’d base. For that situation I used a Heavy Duty degreaser (actually – that one was also Zep brand).
I’m not sure the definition of stickler but these seem to go beyond normal move out cleaning in my market. I would sweep the garage and like scrubbing bubbles the grout. If it really is necessary, zep for the grout.
On the garage floor – it is likely porous, so think carefully about what you use.
Check your lease. I bet it says you need to leave the unit in “broom clean” condition. You obviously need to decide if you want to equally be a stickler or just make a best effort to go beyond a normal standard of cleanliness, but having white grout or paying for a deep clean of the space upon departure is far beyond the “broom clean” standard. Depending on where you live there are some pretty tight tenant protection laws about move outs and things of this nature.
For the garage, and assuming the space isn’t damaged in any way – just regular old wear and tear of the space – I would do a broom sweep and not an ounce more.
My personal experience is that landlords who are going to be obnoxious about cleaning beyond broom swept will find something wrong no matter what – so I don’t go above and beyond because even when I’ve done some insane level of detail on one thing they find something else wrong and still keep the deposit. Unless your deposit is five figures or you truly have unlimited time on your hand, I would never put the amount of time you’re considering into either of those tasks.
Also as an aside – I think you probably shouldn’t use a shop vac in a garage where there are rodent droppings because it aerosolizes them.
If he says that just assume he’ll be withholding the security deposit no matter how clean you get it. I would probably either not pay last month’s rent just to make sure, or tell him to choose the cleaning company.
Is the garage concrete all around? Or epoxy floor with drywall walls? Something else?
My concrete floors and block walls clean up really nicely with a garden hose, some dish soap, and a push broom. But if we had drywall that would not work.
Landlord here and that’s the kind of thing that is actually hard to enforce depending on your jurisdiction. I’d check your local rules and just have a cleaner come in after you move out and do a once over. In many jurisdictions, you really can’t withhold a deposit unless the place is trashed. Take photos and videos if you run into an issue, but I wouldn’t put this much work into it.
Thanks all – the landlord sent a checklist so he’s definitely not just looking for broom clean. He’s a cheapskate but generally fair (very low rent increases) so we’ll make a decent effort here. I will absolutely take pictures and video, though.
The new garage floor is regular concrete. Does that mean I can’t use a bleach solution?
I’m a landlord, and I think your landlord is being unreasonable. But if you’re going to make the effort, I’d probably text your landlord and ask what cleaning product he’d like you to use on the concrete floors.
$450 for a grout cleaning = they think you mean a grout replacement.
I have excellent soft skills, am great at tasks related to my job, am good at basic “adulting”, and am a good friend but I feel like I lack any hard skills. The things I’m good at are just things most capable professionals and adults are good at. I have a bunch of hobbies I enjoy that I think are cool and interesting but are either not particularly useful or I’m not that great at. Like, I’m a below average skier and crocheter and a slow runner: I’m “better” than people who don’t do these things but I’m not good.
I’m jealous of my friends who are handy around the house, understand cars, or have great creative skills. No one is ever going to come to me for my expert opinion on something or for advice the way other friends get asked. I also feel kinda useless that I don’t have any concrete skills?
Are there concrete skills you want?
There’s 9 billion people in the world, I figure I’m not going to be unusually fantastic at anything. But you don’t have to be the “best” in your social group to learn how to change your own tires, or try baking a new recipe, or whatever else!
I feel like this is all completely okay (and I guarantee you some of your creative friends are jealous that you’re good at adulting), but if you want to change this, the solution is to try to get good at something. Is there anything that intrigues you? Or that you’d like to become proficient at? It’s going to take work and time, but there’s no reason not to try, who knows what sort of doors you may open.
Don’t sell yourself short, I would not say “most” professional adults are good at soft skills.
but if you want to develop a hard skill…do it? start now, you’ll get better. you’ll get older either way, and 10 years from now you’ll be good at a new skill
Pick something and start doing reps on it. The ten thousand hours thing is kind of BS but mostly correct in that putting in the hours and actively learning as you go will lead to mastery in a lot of activities. But the first step is just picking something and starting to try to learn and get better for whatever length of time you have available to you each day.
Honestly, you sound like most adults! I think you’re doing just fine.
Between covid and perimenopause, I’ve gained about 20 pounds that are going to be tough to shake and keep off, and I’m okay with that, bodies change over time, I don’t care about the number on the scale, I care about feeling comfortable in my body ….and none of my clothes fit.
I’ve gotten back in the gym and am making some pretty exciting strides in terms of how heavy the things I pick up and put down are, which means my upper body is also getting broader, and I think I need to throw some money at my wardrobe.
How much would you budget for this? I work from home most of the time, and even when I go into the office it’s business casual; I strongly prefer pants, natural fibers, and a capsule approach to my wardrobe, so I’m fine buying several of the same basics.
I would think hard about whether I was going to do a GLP1 before investing a lot in clothes. I very much believe in dress the body you have, but I also think those drugs are a miracle.
I’d budget $2000, but I’d spread it out over at least 6 months. Start with new bras and a few basics that you can mix and match ($500-$800). Then gradually build over the next few months ($200-250 per month) so you can find pieces that really work for you and that fit your needs and match the seasons.
What nail colors are we liking this summer? Getting a pre-vacation pedi this afternoon.
Cajun shrimp is always a go-to in the summer for me!
For summer, I love a coral-red, hot pink, or an icy lavender.
I like to go nontraditional with toes — I just got a neon yellow/green (tennis ball color) for my vacation pedi.
I’m always happy with classic red – I do Big Apple Red or Cherry Cosmo. My style is preppy bohemian though so it just works with my look.
I went with a bright blue before my cruise/beach vacation, and it’s been fun!
I’m in my mid-40s and still am a greasy mess in the summertime. Combo skin year-round but everything cranks way up when it’s hot. The upside is that I’m aging pretty well! The downside is that I need a lightweight tinted something for my face that actually stays on and doesn’t make me look like an oil slick in a few hours. The Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer that everyone loves does not work on my skin, for example. Any ideas? I’m currently using a cheap Cover Girl BB cream that works better than anything else I’ve tried, but I’m not wild about the ingredients.
Also a combo-skin girl. What works for me is using a heavy moisturizer at night then only using a sunscreen in the morning, with a little foundation if I feel it’s needed. The Rare Beauty true to myself matte foundation stays put.
Where’s the line between being fake and being… idk, polite, or trying to have a functional relationship? I tend to take a kill em with kindness approach. It’s so much easier (for me) to be nice than to be aloof all the time. And regardless of how someone treats me, I am the only person whose actions I control, and I want to be proud of how I treat people.
Apparently that rubs some mutual friends/colleagues the wrong way. They take a, if I don’t like you I won’t pretend to, stance. Which is fine for them. But it’s exhausting for me. And especially at work, I don’t want to give ammo to someone who already doesn’t like me. Doesn’t that make me a brown noser?
Ignore them, we need more nice in the world. I cannot imagine taking issue with that.
I don’t think anyone’s ever regretted being kind on their deathbeds. You can be kind without being a pushover. In fact, I’d say being kind requires teaching people how you want to be treated so you don’t end up snapping at them down the line.
Don’t let people who aren’t nice convince you that their way is better. It isn’t. It sounds like you’ll be proud of who you are and the choices you made down the line, and that’s all that matters.
I don’t think there is anything wrong with your approach. I would stick with it.
I have this top and really like it. Only caution is that it runs short, I guess everyone likes the cropped look now but after a c section I’m not comfortable with that. I bought it in Tall and am glad I did, that fits like a normal tight shirt should.
Does anyone have a really good and totally analog task tracking system? I am over using my phone for it but “just make a list” doesn’t really work either because of things where I am waiting for a response or where tasks are recurring or whatever. I used Mark Forster’s Autofocus back in like 2013 or whenever it came out and liked that, but I find it very, very fun (and motivating!) to try new things, so wanted to see if anyone had a favorite analog system that’s really working for them.
I use a good old fashioned notebook, it I make my lists at the end and take notes at the beginning. That way I don’t lose track of where the lists are. I like moleskins for this too, just enough pages to last a few months but not forever.