Frugal Friday’s Workwear Report: Floral Puff-Sleeve Split-Neck Top
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Our daily workwear reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices.
I have a big gap in my wardrobe for short-sleeved work blouses that can be worn without a topper, so I was delighted to come across this puff-sleeved shirt from Loft. While I am always trying to branch out from black and white, a top like this one is just so easy to wear.
Pair it with your favorite trousers or midi skirt and you’re ready for just about anything in the business casual realm.
The top is $34.97, marked down from $69.95, at Loft and comes in sizes XXS-XXL and XXSP-XXLP.
Sales of note for 8/14:
- Ann Mashburn – Seasonal sale, up to 50% off – we just included them in our updated Top 10 Brands for Comfortable Heels!
- Ann Taylor – 25% off all suiting! Also, extra 60% off clearance — readers love this blouse and I always love the variety of colors/textures for this jacket (it's a great separate)
- Anthropologie – Extra 40% off sale!
- The Fold – Up to 50% off, further markdowns (new lines added)
- J.Crew – Up to 30% off
- J.Crew Factory – 40-60% off sitewide, extra 60% off clearance
- J.McLaughlin – Summer sale, up to 50% off
- Lilysilk – Anniversary sale, save up to 70%
- Me & Em – Sale! Up to 60% off (new lines just added, exclusively online)
- M.M.LaFleur – 20% off pants (Try code CORPORETTE15 for 15% off on other items)
- Nordstrom Rack – Clearance, new markdowns up to 75% off! Nice selection of Vince, Veronica Beard, Reiss and Rag & Bone, a ton of affordable work dresses from Calvin Klein, Maggy London, Eliza J, and Donna Morgan
- Saks Fifth Avenue – Take 25% off one item (ends Mon)! Great selection of Veronica Beard, L'Agence, Vince, and more.
- Talbots – End of season clearance, 60% off all markdowns. $24.99 pants and jeans
- Theory – End of season sale is on! Love all the colors their best-selling sweater tee comes in, and some colors are on sale.
- Tory Burch – Private sale, ends 8/19!
I feel like I’m a bit of a cultural imposter in BigLaw (state U grad, kid of teacher and farm equipment mechanic). My state’s U was likely not in what this board thinks of as a flagship. But if you are from one of those states (NC, VA, etc) where your college is like that but you go to Duke, etc, can you explain to me how that thinking goes? Plenty of co-workers always want me to know that they got in to X (in my mind: could have gone at minimal cost) but went elsewhere for much more (and then still had funds for law school). I feel that I’m smart, but in a book smart and street smart way that has a culture gap.
As someone who went to a fancy private university: If your colleagues are still talking about undergrad they’re snobs. Nothing you can say will impress them or make them rethink their opinion of state schools.
Is your imposter syndrome limited to the college topic? Or do you feel out of touch in other ways?
Hmm DH went to duke instead of good state school. And he was from a rural area and solidly middle class so I’m sure the cost hurt.
He’s a smart guy and was planning to graduate and earn money and pay off those loans. And he did relatively quickly. I’m sure he’d make the same choice again. He’s always been good with money and he wasn’t aiming to go and become a teacher or something like that which might have made the choice harder. I think part of being street smart is learning where you can make connections that will benefit you down the road, not just where you’ll get an education.
Oh and this is not something that ever comes up. Was just trying to answer why one would do that since he exactly fits your hypothetical. It’s just not that big of a deal at this point – it’s been a while.
People just do be bragging. It isn’t any particular mystery.
To answer the q of “why would you do that?” pay $$$ tuition when you could stay in-state for $? Your parents have the money to send you to the school that you liked best or that was higher-rated (even if not by much).
However, anyone who is still talking about their own college admissions process a decade later is a bore.
Agreed. Not everyone is trying to get max ROI from their education. If your parents went to highly regarded schools, and your grandparents went to highly regarded schools, they will all want you to go to a highly regarded school, despite the cost. But yeah, talking about your fancy school is in bad taste and annoying.
How old are you? I feel like this becomes less of an issue as you get older.
For about 15 years, when people you know now have kids who are looking at colleges. Then it all starts again.
This is college anxiety poster, so the answer is it does not get better as she gets older. I wish to god she would get treatment.
Every time one of these posts comes up, I am so glad I live in an area of the country where college doesn’t seem to be such an arms race. My god, the lack of perspective is breathtaking. You can still live a great life even if you don’t go to private school or live life in the 1 percent. It seems exhausting to approach life like it’s a cutthroat competition in all things.
There are plenty of good reasons someone might choose a private school over a public school if either is an option. There aren’t plenty of good reasons to always want your coworkers to know where you went to undergrad though!
I feel that parents here get called out a lot for trying to help their teens and young adults. But if you have a kid at Davidson or Vandy or Richmond and you have a buddy who will take him to dinner and maybe a round of golf, that’s compounding waves of head starts in life. I get why people try to get their kids all of the help they can. My family could help out if I wanted to be a nurse’s aide in any number of nursing homes but not if I went into any sort of city-based finance job.
I’ve told my kids that kids with fewer needs may go to private meet-needs schools for less than the instate cost of UNC, but we can’t really look at private schools the same way because we will likely be paying sticker and we really card afford that. We can afford state u. But they can apply and wait to see if they get merit aid (unlikely at places more selective than our flagships, but if you don’t ask, you don’t get).
I’m intrigued by the mention of Murphy cabinet beds from yesterday. We have a (used daily) home office that needs to double as a guest room and we’ve been toying with whether to do a pullout couch, a futon, or a bed, but a bed will definitely make it very cramped. We used to have a futon that my husband loved but I didn’t, so it’s not my first choice. We don’t have overnight guests often, maybe a couple times a year. Can anyone recommend a specific cabinet bed that you’ve loved?
Compared to a futon or fold-out couch, literally any cabinet bed will win.
This. I wish i could recall the specific brand we had, but all I know is we got it on Wayfair. my ex slept on it daily for 6 months during our living together but breaking up phase and said it was very comfortable; I also ended up sleeping on it a few times and other than being kind of low to the ground it felt just like a normal bed. I would go by whatever has good ratings on wayfair, honestly.
Ok this one is very similar in structure to what we had. I think the solid platform under the mattress makes a big difference: https://www.wayfair.com/furniture/pdp/latitude-run-murphy-bed-queen-with-charging-station-drawer-w117732492.html?piid=2106037912
For a couple times a year they get an inflatable. Do not arrange your lives around rare guests.
No, we want an actual bed/couch/futon. It will also be the place for one of us to sleep if we need to isolate/separate due to illness or needing a concentrated night’s sleep off of toddler duty. It’s not often but often enough to want a real bed.
This is kind of a specific request but I have a pair of hiking pants that I bought in 2017 that are still great. Unfortunately, they’ve been discontinued and I can’t find any more pairs on eBay. One thing that makes them great is articulated knees, which I didn’t realize was something I needed but it turns out it’s so helpful with my body type and lifestyle. In googling, there aren’t that many other brands boasting this functionality. Has anyone come across any great women’s hiking or lifestyle pants that have articulated knees?
LL Bean offers them.
Swix has a running pant with articulated knees on their website right now. The “force pant”. I have ski pants from the same brand with articulated knees that I love.
I know Prana, Kuhl, Duluth, and Eddie Bauer all have hiking pants with articulated knees. Maybe not every style and maybe not a searchable feature, but you can usually see the seams in product photos.
One thing to add to the discussions that occurred yesterday about feeling economically pinched. I keep looking at my budget and wondering where $500 I would have liked to direct to savings (beyond 401k and back door Roth) went.
Answer, an out of pocket GLP-1. I am so thankful for it, I look at the health problems that run in my family and it’s a gift to be at an age to take advantage of it, but it’s definitely taking the place of the non-tax advantaged retirement savings I used to do. Well, can’t enjoy retirement if you’re sick!
It’s such a scam that it’s out of pocket though. Insurance companies have figured out that if they refuse to cover meds that actually work, people will take them anyway, so they’ll get the benefits of healthier members without paying for it. (Same story on liquid and gel capsule thyroid meds right now; almost everyone has to cash pay.)
+1000. The evidence is substantial and yet insurance companies continue to refuse coverage. You always have to follow the money.
Parts of insurance are priced based on risk shifting / sharing and parts are just prepayment of known expenses. Why should my insurance be based on someone taking an expensive when that may be 1/3 of the adult population or some other sizeable percentage? I need insurance to deal with the catastrophic expenses I can’t budget for (get hit by car) vs something that is more of a personal cost. Insurance is too expensive as it is. Make it cover all the like-to-haves and soon none of us can afford it for the need-to-haves.
If you really feel this way, you can get a catastrophic health plan right now.
I wonder if that dynamic will continue to drive down prices. If the drug companies see the big market available if they make the meds affordable, why wouldn’t they cash in. Prices are already down significantly for self pay from what they were initially.
My health insurer calls me quarterly to invite me to participate in their weight loss lifestyle coaching. I ask the rep each time if they will cover a GLP-1 for someone with my BMI (lower than it used to be, but still overweight. Not obese), and they say no, so I say “no thanks” to their health coaching and hang up. It’s a fun little conversation!
I’m on a “made headlines” expensive maintenance med that has weight based dosing. I feel like they should be begging me to take GLP1s; they’d save a bundle! Instead they just keep harassing me about their “weight loss kit.”
Is it true that GLPs save you grocery money or dining expenses? Perhaps that’s lower than their costs?
Yes, and OP, there are cheaper options out there, Ro is 225/ month if you do their yearly subscription. My savings in groceries and dining out far cover that and more.
For what drug and dose?
I get this! But I am considering the monthly cost to be an investment in my health, which as I have gotten older I understand the value more. I could join a fancy gym for what I pay each month for my GLP1, and that could easily be considered an investment in your health that many people do without a second thought. And, the GLP1 has been a worthwhile investment for me: I lost 50 lbs, I am no longer on a statin (cholesterol has not been this low since my 20s), I am no longer pre-diabetic or insulin resistant. It has made such a significant difference in my life that I am happy to pay this monthly cost and will budget it and potentially forgo other things if necessary to continue to pay for it.
If you are in a business formal work environment, do you still wear pumps?
Yes but much less. My favorite work shoes are block heels these days. Not too high.
Yes, but lower than the ones my feet were used to pre-2020, and by no means daily. Typically 1.5-2″ block heels or 2-2.5″ stilettos on heels days. Otherwise I’m in pointed-toe flats or Sam Edelman type loafers.
Happy Friday all-
I asked for advice and reassurance after possible bed bug bites earlier in the week.
I think I’m in the clear!
I’ve kept both my couch and materess uncovered and off the walls all week. And, set alarms to wake up and shine a light in the middle of the night.
I did have a few of the existing bites on my arm develope some more redness, and there was a couple of hours of itchyness.
I put small marker dots near the bites I had already found, to track anything that might appear later.
And nothing! No new bumps or bites or itchyness. No signs of anything new all week. And no signs of bugs themselves.
I’m going to stay vigilant for a while longer, but my living room and bedroom will go back together this weekend.
Thank you to everyone who commented, I’m so relieved!
Just hearing that I was doing what was right in the moment and acting reasonably was a great help.
Oh good! I know it’s so stressful. My bed bug bites were the itchiest bites I’ve ever had in my life, large hard red bumps. Your sounded a little different, but I’m sure people react in different ways. My boyfriend didn’t get bitten at all at the time!
Looking for advice on divorcing a a narcissist/controlling ex. I left last year after the abuse started to become physical towards me. Now he’s essentially refusing to get divorced. He’s already fired one lawyer, who according to my lawyers is a harda** and probably could have gotten him a lot. It’s been almost a year, I’m at my wits end and it’s the lawyer fees are piling up with no result.
The situation could not be more straightforward. I’m not asking for anything from him, except the divorce, half the value of assets acquired jointly — which are minimal and were truly 50/50 paid for/in while we were married. We both have government pensions, which an actuary has valued as essentially equal in PV term, so I’m asking to waive rights to them. Custody proposal is 50/50 because my understanding is it’s unlikely I could get anything better from a court. He’s refusing to negotiate on the draft agreement or discuss anything.
I know the next step is filing and court ordered mediation, but I’m concerned how much that will cost me if he continues to refuse to engage with anything and I’m the one paying for my lawyers to try to move things along.
You have to force his hand, and that means court-ordered mediation. I’m sorry you’re in this situation. I saw this happen to a loved one, and it was awful. But she’s thankfully divorced now.
+1
File. If he ignores it and defaults, great. Easier for you.
You have to go full steam ahead. File.
If there was physical abuse, does it mean that your chances of getting custody are higher? I’m not very knowledgeable on this but I’d like to think that you could get more and I wonder if you should enter this asking for more. Sending hugs.
I think Senior Attorney said it best: Remember why divorce is expensive; it’s because it’s worth it.
We just redid our home office. It used to be a combination guest room and office, but we realized it did not make sense to have a tiny desk yet a large bed that got used once a year. Anyway, I’m happy with the furnishings and there is some existing artwork on walls. (More is needed.) But the whole look is really flat? I don’t know how to describe it, other than it feels like it needs something. I don’t necessarily want to add a bunch of tchotchkes, but maybe that’s what it needs.
We have an L-shaped desk (flat surface) with a medium-sized lamp (also flat).
A club chair in a textured fabric with a small side table.
A low bookshelf that is purely functional, not decorative. I’m pretty sure we got it at target at some point in the last decade. Yet another flat surface.
It’s a carpeted room, but I added a large area rug under the desk. It is a mix of neutral colors.
White linen curtains.
Lots of natural light, yay.
A couple of small plants but nothing big.
I’m probably being overly critical, but it doesn’t feel finished. Thoughts/ideas?