Gift Idea: Anker Powercore 10000

117 Comments

1. I have a power brick I got from Best Buy that is much smaller, and likely does NOT store as much power, tho it is cute and looks like my ruby red lipstick! If you are thinking functional, this one is better, but if you want to look styleish, then the lipstick model is the way to go! YAY!!!!

   1. people are still doing this ellen thing?

2. Similarly, I have and love this beastie: https://www.amazon.com/Anker-PowerCore-Portable-Charger-Foldable/dp/B01K702S66?

   It charges your phone and itself at the same time when it’s plugged in, so you don’t have to remember to charge an external battery. I find it especially great on the road — find one outlet, charge both my phones and my charger at the same time.

   1. Definitely getting this, thanks for the recommendation!

      1. Oooh, love!

   2. I got this for my dad for his bday after you guys recommended it a few months back- awesome buy!

3. This is my first time dealing with insurance coverage for a medical issue, and I am trying desperately to resolve it without calling my parents. Does anyone have insight my situation?

   I got two veneers recently and was told the cost ($1,500 each), but that part may be covered by insurance. I got an EOB back from insurance saying they don’t cover the cost, but there’s a negotiated rate of $885 each. The EOB says that my dentist “has to honor the negotiated fee since they are in-network.” I called my dentist’s office and spoke to the billing coordinator. They said they won’t charge the negotiated rate because I agreed to the full rate. It was pretty hostile and was framed like I was being cheap. I then called insurance, and they’re adamant that I should only pay what the EOB says I owe. How do I handle this? There’s a difference of ~$1,250 here. I’m not sure how much negotiation power I have here since I already got the procedure done and I don’t want this to escalate to collections or something that could impact my credit.

   1. I had a similar situation and wrote a letter to the doctor reminding them of their obligations pursuant to their contract with the insurance provider. They ultimately agreed and refunded me the over payment (I had paid up front for the full cost of the full rate) but then basically told me they weren’t interested in treating me going forward. It wasn’t that blatant but it was more like “well, I think we have done all we can do for you and if you keep having problems you should see someone else.”

   2. Pay the lower rate from the eob only. Report the dentist to the state consumer protection agency if they don’t comply. But first tell the dentist office firmly that this is what you’re doing and ask to speak to the dentist or practice owner personally to inform them that their office staff is trying to circumvent your insurance and of course that is not possible.

   3. You are absolutely in the right. Do not pay more than the insurance company reported negotiated fee on the EOB.

      In general, I do not do elective dental procedures without checking with my insurance first to see if it is covered, and if not, what the negotiated fee will be. Only then I decide if I will have the work done.

      The dentist is obligated by their contract with your insurance company to charge no more than the negotiated rate. Do not let their billing personal bully you.

      I would pay the negotiated rate (send it in with a copy of your EOB with the “patient responsibility” portion highlighted), and call your insurance company. Ask to speak to a supervisor, and write down their name/contact information. Document. Tell them what the billing office is saying to you. The proper terminology is that the dentist is trying to “balance bill” you. They are not allowed to do this. Let the insurance company reassure you, call the dentist’s office, and force them to back down.

      You have all the power. Only pay what your insurance company says you owe.

      And never use that dentist again, and post a critical review online.

   4. Pay the negotiated rate and remind them that their contract with your insurer does not allow balance billing so of course you will not be paying the difference.

      Then decide if you like the dentist enough to have that conversation every time you interact with their office staff…

      1. Yes, this is called balance billing. I had the same issue with a dentist (for a routine cleaning, so it was only like $40 more…) there was some back and forth between my insurance and the dentist. And the office did get unprofessional. In the end, I only paid the negotiated rate. And never went back to that office. It was a surreal experience because I expected more from medical professionals.

   5. I want to add wait until the dentist sends you a bill to worry about this. The bill should match the eob. If it doesn’t, it is the dental office’s error.

   6. Check your state’s law re: Balance billing. This is illegal in many jurisdictions.

      1. And unfortunately still legal in some states – PA – dentist insisted that they will not honor rates contracted with insurer – I got our insurance company involved and they recommended that we find another dentist as they are not interested in being cooperative or compliant.

   7. Call your insurance company and find out if they will contact the dentist to remind the dentist of their obligations under their contract as in-network. The last time something similar happened to me, my insurer was happy to get involved.

4. I also have an Anker power pack, and I love it. Highly recommend. I can charge my phone 4 complete cycles off it! I charge it once a week and use it Monday through Friday.

   1. +1. Great for conferences and court days.

5. I am having surgery soon where I will be put under. The plan is to be released same-day and to go home with an opioid prescription. I am just so, so paranoid about that. Please tell me that this isn’t the road to Dopesick 2.0. I get that many people with opioid dependency had other substance-abuse issues prior to their opioid dependence (I don’t, but I have a family of closeted alcoholics and their genes are in me). And a non-zero percentage of addicts got their opioid start with a prescription.

   How do you know if you are on the slippery slope more than you should be?

   1. Remember that if you do have problems with tapering and quitting opioids, it’s not a zero-sum game where you have to either suffer or spiral into a full-blown addiction. Suboxone is a valid treatment option for tapering and getting off opioids. Question your doctor about appropriate dosing and how you will taper off.

      1. This is well-intentioned, but inaccurate. Suboxone isn’t a tool to “taper” off opioids – it’s a treatment that you can begin after a brief period of sobriety and you can stay on it for years or even for life. It’s also not just a “valid” treatment option, but by far the most effective treatment option according to all available peer-reviewed evidence. It’s criminally awful that it remains out of reach for so many people, especially low-income people for whom methadone treatment is a significant burden.

   2. Can you just…try not to take it? I was giving an automatic vicodin prescription after giving birth (v*ginally but with a really bad tear). The nurses were pretty surprised that I didn’t want to take it, and strongly encouraged me to, but I was able to manage fine without it. I know surgery is different than childbirth, but personally I would try not to take unless the pain is absolutely unmanageable without it.

      1. THIS. See how you feel. Try Advil first (prescription strength = 3 Advil I think) and non-drug ways of managing pain, like ice, compression, sleep, distraction, whatever. Take an opioid if your pain levels say you need it. You may have a high pain tolerance or high pain threshold.

      2. I have had multiple surgeries and while been offered opioids, have never take one.

      3. Seconding this- I’ve had 2 c-sections and just took ibuprofen & Tylenol religiously for 2 weeks as soon as they took me out of the OR and was able to 100% manage the pain with that route.
         opioids make me super nauseous, and you don’t want to be using your puking muscles after a surgery imho!

         1. thirding all of this.
            OP it sounds like you have some strong anxiety/fear over the opioids – the best way to manage them is to not fill the scripts and not take them.

            to add on the anecdotal comments surrounding mine – there is strong research out there now that NSAIDS and regular OTC pain medication is AS EFFECTIVE at maintaining moderate to severe chronic pain. long story short: there was really no reason for people to be popping narcotics as much as americans have been (except, ya know, big pharma, and misinformation).
            — source, my Johns Hopkins employed mother.

         2. Yeah, ibuprofen is all you need. My husband just had out-patient surgery and we talked to his surgeon for a while about it. His take was that opioids don’t offer better pain relief than ibuprofen, they just help you sleep/check out. He prescribed just ibuprofen and that was totally fine for my husband’s pain. For the past 5 years or so, I’ve also only taken ibuprofen for pain. It’s gotten me through two v-inal childbirths, multiple back spasms, and an ankle sprain.

            1. With all due respect, the surgery you undergo matters a great deal with regard to how painful it is! There is no reason to make yourself suffer because you’re anxious about addiction, doing so can harm patient recovery if the patient is truly in pain. Opioids offer better pain relief than ibuprofen in many cases and are used for real reasons… though it would be unusual to need them for something like an ankle sprain.

            2. Eh, with all due respect, out of all my aches and pains (including childbirth), my ankle sprain cause by jumping and landing on my ankle at an almost 90-degree angle was the worst, most mind-numbing, debilitating pain. But I believe you when you say that certain surgery could be way worse. This surgeon seemed to think that he could prescribe ibuprofen for most, if not all surgeries, but my husband’s out-patient surgery definitely wasn’t a super serious surgery.

      4. I was given a discharge prescription for oxy after my c-section by the resident. The nurse told me that I had been taking regular tylenol only so I did not bother filling it and I managed pretty well.

      5. Yes this. My teenage daughter had dental surgery and the dentist wrote prescriptions for both a non-opioid but strong pain killer and an opioid. I never ended up giving her the opioid because her pain was well-managed with the other medication. I then properly disposed of the opioid.

   3. I also come from a family of alcoholics. I had a prescription about five years ago (before opioids were all over the news) for an outpatient procedure. I absolutely needed it for Day 1, was doing better but still needed it for Day 2, but I noticed on Day 3 that I had a lightning flash of temper / where is it / it’s been 3 hours and 57 minutes and I’m due for the next dose NOW. It scared the bejeezus out of me and I decided right then that I’d be just fine with extra stength Tylenol thankyouverymuch. So at least in my case, it was my emotions, not my physical pain, telling me when I needed my next dose that was my warning sign.

   4. IME lately, doctors seem to be getting better about not over-prescribing oipoids for post-surgery pain relief. For instance, my husband had out patient surgery on friday and they gave him a prescription for exactly 3 oxycodone. I had similar surgery 5 years ago and got a prescription for 2/day for about 2 weeks. I definitely didn’t need or take them all. Unless you have reason to believe you have an addictive personality, take what is prescribed only and switch to Advil/Aleve as soon as you can.

   5. I had wisdom teeth surgery last summer. They sent me home with 30 days worth of oxy which is just ridiculous. I actually didn’t need it for the first 3 days, I did ok with ibuprofen. But on day 4 I got a dry socket and had to use the oxy. Started with cutting the pill in half, taking that and waiting. When it didn’t cut the pain after an hour I took the other half. Repeat for 2 more days until ibuprofen was enough.
      I have a cousin that got addicted to opioids after surgery from breaking his arm. 10 years later he is still battling it and been in and out of rehab. Definitely being conscious of the consequences and how often you are taking it, and assessing if you really NEED it will help a lot.

      1. (I probably took 3-4 pills total over the 3 days with the dry socket)

   6. No one in my family has an issue with substance addiction (other issues though), but my son’s neurologist told me her own experience after surgery. She went to bed in pain, took a Percocet, felt horrible, slept, and upon awakening had a feeling that the world was the most wonderful, peaceful, incredible place. That’s how she knew she shouldn’t take another.

      1. Off-topic, but I have to admit, I’m fascinated by this – percocet makes me want to vomit. I cannot imagine being addicted to it. I’m not discrediting the feeling, just truly baffled by it.

   7. It sounds like you’re pretty aware of the risk of abusing opioids, so pay attention to your pain so that you know when they’re no longer helping you. It’s important to take them appropriate to stay ahead of the pain – don’t make yourself suffer! But you will also know whether or not they’re truly helping you to manage pain if you don’t need to look at the clock to know when the next dose is due.

   8. You might also discuss with your doctor whether you can use non-opioid pain killers. And understand that you might be able to only take the opioids for a couple of days. Totally for an example only (since every situation is different) – I took percocet for the first day after a cyst was removed from my abdomen by laproscopic surgery and only used prescription non-opiates after a c-section (oxy was prescribed but I never needed it). My dad had hernia surgery and was given non-opiates because apparently doctors are reluctant to prescribe opiates to over-65 (with non-cancer pain) due to increased risk of addiction.

   9. Have you asked if opoids are necessary and what alternatives they would recommend if you did not want opoids? Ask how long it is expected to need them for. If it’s longer than a day or two, ask them for an inital prescription for 2-3 days and tell them you will make an appointment if you need a refill. If you don’t have more than you absolutely need in the house, then it’s less likely that you will take them longer than absolutely necessary.

   10. I’ve had two foot surgeries (one in 2018 and one earlier this year) and both came with a prescription for Percocet. With the first surgery, I took two out of the 25 they prescribed. When I went in for the pre-surgery visit for the other foot, I had to seriously negotiate for fewer tablets. Initially, I wanted none. I finally compromised at five; I used one. Advil and Tylenol worked just fine. When my daughter had her wisdom teeth out two years ago, we had a paper prescription in case she needed it. She used Advil and was fine.

   11. Pain is tricky and it is good that you are preparing for it.
       It is not the road to Dopesick 2.0 but knowing your family’s history is important.
       The two key things for acute pain:
       1. stay ahead of the pain, because if you wait until you are actually in pain, it will be awhile before the medicine takes effect (~20-30 minutes)
       2. on the first 24 hours post surgery- take the medicine as prescribed (usually 4x a day); on the second 24 hours – see if you can start to ween off during the second half (but be kind to yourself if not); by the third 24 hours – you should be fine with over-the-counter pain meds.
       This has been my experience.

   12. I always go home with them, but generally never end up using them. It’s generally not something Tylenol can’t fix for me.

       I did use them one time and tappered off a couple of days later and didn’t crave it. For what it’s worth, I have a very addictive personality.

   13. Scheduled Tylenol 1gm TID (or every 8hrs). Then opioid as needed on top of that.

       1. One word of caution- check to see if the opioid they give you has acetaminophen in it (Norco and Percocet do). If so, don’t take it and Tylenol together…it’s too much acetaminophen and can harm your liver. Totally agree with the advice to stay ahead of the pain. If you do end up taking the opioid, you should also take a stool softener ;) Good luck with your procedure!

       2. one GRAM of tylenol every 8 hours? Acetominophen poisoning (one of the nastiest ways to go) has been reported at 2g/day. This advice could kill someone. Please do not take medical advice from internet strangers. You have doctors for a reason!

   14. Totally understand your concern and would advise talking to your dr, but since no one has brought this up- be sure to check if the opioid rX includes acetaminophen, most do. if you want to take something OTC before trying the opioid (good plan) you shouldn’t take Tylenol/acetaminophen OTC if you may need to take the rX within a couple hours, as the “too much” line for Tylenol is narrower than most people realize.

   15. I’m an actual (sober) alcoholic and have never felt remotely like abusing pain pills. I was on one kind after I had my wisdom teeth out and a different kind after my c-section. One of them gave me anxiety because my breathing felt shallow and I kept panicking and thinking I would forget to breathe and the other one didn’t really feel like anything. Like I didn’t feel “messed up”, I just felt not in pain. I quit both at the allotted time with zero issues and have not ever been tempted to abuse them. So it’s really not a given that just because you have alcoholics in your family you are going to become a pill addict.

6. Our family (me + husband + 12-year-old daughter) is beginning the application process to adopt a dog from our local golden retriever rescue. We have not been matched with a dog yet, and because demand is high there is no guarantee that this group will ever have the right dog available. We are interested in a golden or golden mix because my husband and I both grew up with goldens and we think their personality and activity level is well suited to our family. We are looking for a dog that will be a member of our family and won’t destroy our lives–we plan to walk the dog 5 times a day (2 long-ish walks, 3 shorter ones) and play fetch in the yard, but we also want the dog to be happy lounging around calmly indoors and not, for example, bark at us whenever we try to sit down or spend all of its time running around the house like a maniac. This morning’s discussion about rescue dogs makes me wonder–should we also be looking at retired racing greyhounds? The dog would be home alone for 7.5 hours per day, and our 75-pound kid would need to be able to walk it safely on her own.

   1. Check out the Frugalwoods blog. They did this and had a good experience, although sadly, their dog ended up dying somewhat suddenly. That can happen to any breed though.

      1. Golden Retrievers are especially likely to die at a (relatively) young age. There’s a cancer then strikes a lot of them, I don’t remember the name of it but I know a LOT of people who lost purebred goldens before the age of 10 and some as young as 5.

   2. I had a greyhound and LOVED him. Mine was the calmest, sweetest dog of all time. He would never have won any kind of academic competition, but he was a great dog. He wouldn’t have even liked as many walks as you’re saying– one long one and letting him out in the back yard was plenty. And by long, I mean like 15-20 minutes. Many days we’d just let him out in the back yard and let him zoom around for a while and that was all he needed. The rest of the day, he slept on the couch. Ours did have a little separation anxiety at first, which can be an issue with greyhounds. The rescue should be able to help you or let you know which ones might be candidates for that. I can’t recommend them highly enough for most people–retired racers come already house trained and leash trained, and they’re serious couch potatoes.

      A 75 pound kid could have handled ours with proper guidance, most of the time. This is all that would give me any hesitation There were a couple of times that he tried to go after cats, and I do think he could have pulled a child over, but otherwise he never came close to pulling on his leash. Mine had a high prey drive, but if you get one with a low prey drive, it’s less likely they’ll try to get a cat or other small animal. The rescue can help with that analysis as well. Note also that if you get one with a high prey drive, it can be activated by small dogs if that would be an issue. We couldn’t take ours to a dog park for that reason.

   3. Walking a dog 5 times a day is ambitious considering you say that the dog would be home alone 7.5 hours a day. I think both of those breeds would be fine being home alone all day provided that you don’t get a puppy (or even a dog under 2). Although retired greyhounds are generally seen as couch potatoes. Every dog is different though so you can’t predict any particular dog’s temperament or needs based on breed alone, unless they were fostered or an owner rehome. Anecdotally, I have a goldendoodle who is the laziest and best dog I’ve ever owned. He’s been home alone 8 hours a day since he was 1.5 years old. He usually gets a morning or evening walk and is let out into the large yard before bed. On weekends, he prefers to stay in bed (taking one of our emptied spots) until 10-11 unless we drag him down (this saturday he didn’t go out until 1pm since it was raining). He’s 7 now, and although he loves long walks, he also equally loves just lounging around on the couch or the patio, or chasing tennis balls around the house. We’ve met two others from his litter and they are way more active.

   4. I do think it’s worth expanding to other breeds. That doesn’t mean you have to rescue a pitbull, if that’s the concern – no judgment, I’ve met some wonderfully sweet l’il pibbles in my day, but I understand they can be a handful, and I love goldens too so I totally get aiming for that breed. What about labs though? Australian shepherds? There are plenty of family friendly breeds that won’t necessarily wreck the house, it’s worth doing a little research.

   5. Temperament has so much to do with the dog itself. We have two rescues from the rural south – a Walker hound and a Chesapeake Bay retriever. The hound is a super lazy boy. He chewed a lot as a young dog, but he’s 3 now, and as another person said, he’ll gladly stay in bed for hours – under the covers! Chessies are supposedly very high energy and very high strung, but our girl is very chill and very sweet and follows you around the house with a tennis ball in her mouth.

      Look for an adult dog with a chill temperament. They’re out there!

      1. I think it’s awesome that you’re rescuing and think it’s totally worth expanding your search to include other breeds as I agree a lot of it depends on the individual dog, exercise, and training. Some dog breeds and individuals are just more energetic than others and that’s a fact. But a well-trained dog who receives adequate exercise shouldn’t be barking at its owners whenever they sit down or running around the house like a maniac.

   6. Please do consider a greyhound! With last year’s Florida legislation banning greyhound tracks, I believe that rescue organizations have been flooded with dogs who need a home. Greyhounds have a well-deserved reputation as 40 mph couch potatoes. The ones who have had any sort of racing career need to be mellow and low maintenance/low energy b/c in the racing kennels, they spend most of their lives in crates with only 3-4 turnouts per day. One caveat is that they might not “fetch” so well. They’ll chase a ball – with breathtaking speed – once or twice, and then they’re done. Oh, and some greyhounds do not get along well with other dogs even if they get along with other greyhounds. The rescue group I adopted through tests hounds to see if they are “cat safe” – being cat safe seems to be an indicator of a lower prey drive. I’ve had 3 retired racers, all “cat safe”, and each was a really sweet dog.

   7. My best friend has a retired racing greyhound and he is THE BEST DOG. He’s super low energy 99.9% of the time, doesn’t bark, super snuggly, and is definitely more on the low maintenance side of the dog spectrum.

      However, he does have some health issues to be aware of that are unique to greyhounds: missing patches of fur from sleeping in a kennel as a racer, needs to wear sweaters/jackets when it’s cold outside because they’re so thin and have thin coats, it can be dangerous to put them under to get their teeth cleaned or if they need surgery or something like that.

      He has a high prey drive, and weighs ~80lbs (I think?), so the couple times I’ve taken him for a walk and he’s spotted something, I’ve had to definitely plant myself firmly. I’m not sure a child could do the same. But you could get a smaller one.

      Since FL has outlawed dog racing, there will be so many of these sweet, goofy, wonderful dogs up for adoption!

      1. This pretty much states my experience with an ex-racer as well. I walked her on a lunge line so that if she took off I had a moment to brace myself. She was the sweetest dog, 99.9% of the time. But if she was startled, she snapped. When I got her she walked on a lead to perfection, but didn’t know the word “no”and lacked most other normal social skills for dogs. I recommend a retired racer, but I recommend doing some research on potential issues first to see if they are things you are willing to deal with.

   8. Just a reminder that petfinder.com lets you search shelters by breed. May be another option if the breed rescue near you isn’t very active.

7. I’m a lawyer and a colleague landed a startup with a promising business model. For Project 1 of hopefully 100s, we are planning to discount our fees and are considering offering a flat fee, let’s say of $9k. Either way, when the bill for $9k is sent, should it: show the lawyers spent $13,000 of time but wrote off $4,000, or show just the $9k of time that was charged? We will probably be writing off staff and intern time. Open to “as a client” or “as a business owner/professional” perspectives here.

   1. Not sure this is directly transferable, but I’m at legal aid where we are required to match some grant contributions with in-kind legal services valued at $x/hr by our pro bono panel. If they apply for any kind of state/federal funding for entrepreneurs, an in-kind donation may help them.

   2. I’ve never been on a project with a flat fee, but I would think you would want to at least keep records of what time/amount was actually spent so that on Project 20/100 you can renegotiate the flat fee or switch back to a billable model based on hard evidence that everything has been heavily discounted while the lawyer was getting his/her startup on its feet.

   3. I would show actual time and show the discount down to the flat fee. I have found clients seem to “forget” that you are giving them a deal when they don’t see it all the time. It’s a good way to show them on a monthly basis that they are being given a discount and what you actually do for them in terms of hours.

   4. Lawyer here: Always, always show what you’re giving a client for free. They really appreciate knowing that you spent more time on them than you are asking them to pay for. I religiously put down all my time, even research or spinning my wheels time, and then show a discount or no charge for those lines so they know I’m doing what it takes to represent them well, and they are getting a good deal.

8. I’ll be in Tampa on Wednesday just for a day and I have a couple hours free, so looking for a lunch recommendation anywhere from downtown to the airport. And maybe a thing to do – any interesting museums or stores I could pop into? I’ll have a car.

   TIA! You ladies always come through with travel recs

   1. The Columbia restaurant is pretty good.

      https://www.columbiarestaurant.com/

   2. Armature Works! It’s on the waterfront and has a bunch of restaurants and bars mixed with shops. We tried food from 3-4 different restaurants and had a few samples from the stores. Highly highly recommend.

      1. +1
         I really like Steelbach at Armature Works, and I’ve heard great things about Oak and Ola, too. Ulele is another great restaurant next door to Armature Works.

   3. The Dali Museum is great if you have the time/inclination to drive over to St. Petersburg

9. OK, inquiring minds want to know: if you had a baby name you loved that, when combined with your last name, came uncomfortably close to the name of a public figure, would you still use it?

   1. Depends on the public figure, are they someone you like and are generally admired by the public?

      1. In my case it’s a pop star, which I feel could go either way. But I basically know how I feel about this. I want to know what others think or would do.

      2. I’d also ask myself if the public figure is likely to stay relevant to the baby’s generation. There’s a chance their peers won’t know the reference.

         1. +1 I feel like pop stars come and go SO quickly in this Snapchat era. It depends whether we’re talking about a household name like Taylor Swift, who’ll be on the oldies channels of tomorrow, or we’re talking Florence Welch (+ the Machine).

   2. um..NO

   3. Only if the public figure is dead for five years or more. I mean, if Bill Cosby has taught us anything it’s that it’s never too late for a beloved celebrity to become massively discredited.

      1. This post makes me giggle thinking of all the baby Khaleesis and Daneryses (probably misspelled but you get the idea) out there.

   4. No

   5. Nope, wouldn’t use it (unless it was a very, very common name like John and even then probably not). There is just too much likelihood that the celebrity would do something stupid, that people would then think about when saying your kids name. And too much of a chance that your kid would be teased about it in school or have to consistently respond to comments of “oh, like X?”

   6. Eh, I don’t think this is a big deal at all. I worked with a man named Michael Jackson (who was older than THE Michael Jackson) he was an EVP of our company, and it was no big deal.

      1. Did he agree that it was no big deal? I could see it not being a big deal in your professional office where people act maturely. But I wonder if privately he got a bunch of jokes and wisecracks from all the various people we encounter throughout life and he would ideally have preferred to do without.

   7. Not unless it were Ruth Gader Binsberg.

      1. LOLsnort. Good old RGB :)

   8. Did Michael Bolton in Office Space teach is nothing??? ;)

      1. *us

   9. There are so many beautiful names out there, I’d save my child from having the same conversation thousands of times over the course of their life. “Hi, I’m Britney Steers.” “Oh, ha, like Britney Spears.” For 60 years. Do you really want to do that to them?

10. What are your favorite meals with pulled rotisserie chicken? Looking for some new ideas…

    1. Buffalo sauce in the pulled chicken, stuffed inside a sweet potato and topped with either blue cheese or ranch coleslaw. (I buy the dry coleslaw mix and then instead of mayo just substitute the ranch or blue cheese.)

    2. A little more work, but I use shredded rotisserie chicken in my enchiladas, with tacos, or with a BBQ sauce.

    3. Budget Bytes BBQ Chicken Burrito bowls https://www.budgetbytes.com/bbq-chicken-burrito-bowls/

       Chicken Cobb Salad – https://www.budgetbytes.com/cobb-salad-meal-prep/ served as a salad or meal prep into containers

       Jacques Pepin’s Chicken Avocado Salad
       1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
       1 tablespoon soy sauce
       1 tablespoon canola oil
       1 teaspoon sugar
       1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
       1/2 teaspoon salt
       1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
       3 scallions, finely minced (1/2 cup)
       8 ounces shredded cooked lean chicken
       1 small ripe avocado, cubed
       12 leaves lettuce or other greens
       Mix together all the dressing ingredients plus scallions, pour over chicken and cubed avocado. Serve over greens.

    4. Chicken and green olive enchiladas (Epicurious)
       King ranch casserole
       Chicken Tetazzini
       Buffalo chicken grilled cheese (Serious Eats)

    5. I’m pretty basic, if it’s fresh I’ll just eat it with some brown rice and fresh veggies. For leftovers, I might put it in a quesadilla or over salad, maybe mix it with some pasta and sauce, or make chicken fried rice.

    6. I’m in moderation because of links so here it is without:
       Your comment is awaiting moderation.

       Budget Bytes BBQ Chicken Burrito bowls

       Chicken Cobb Salad – budget bytes served as a salad or meal prep into containers

       Jacques Pepin’s Chicken Avocado Salad
       1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
       1 tablespoon soy sauce
       1 tablespoon canola oil
       1 teaspoon sugar
       1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
       1/2 teaspoon salt
       1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
       3 scallions, finely minced (1/2 cup)
       8 ounces shredded cooked lean chicken
       1 small ripe avocado, cubed
       12 leaves lettuce or other greens
       Mix together all the dressing ingredients plus scallions, pour over chicken and cubed avocado. Serve over greens.

11. I ordered the Dagne Dover Allyn tote in medium and loved it for the amazing organization. But my work laptop was an inch too big to fit (although it’s supposedly a 13inch). So I returned the tote. The large version seems really big/bulky though (is it?). I’ve been using the Le Pliage for 5 years but everything gets lost and I’m getting tired of it. I need better organization for ID badge, wallet, keys, laptop, shoes, a few files, sweater. I have a car commute so weight isn’t a huge issue. Budget is $400ish. I want one work bag that I will use for next several years as an attorney (including for court). Does anyone have recs for a similar leather work tote with great organization? Thanks!

    1. I’ve been looking for the exact same thing for years and have spent way too much time and money money on various iterations of Dagne Dover, Senreve, Lo & Sons, etc. I’m using a Tory Burch tote now which works but even that has its limits. I think the LV Neverfull (the biggest size) is the only thing that’s big enough, light enough, and durable enough for what I’m looking for. Will likely add a bag organizer to make things easier. Why is this so hard!?

    2. I have a Rebecca Minkoff medium MAB that’s still going strong after three years and that has been perfect for exactly this purpose. It fits my 13” work laptop (which I commute with every day), plus heels/sweater/etc., and is formal enough for court. It has tons of internal pockets for my phone, keys, ID, and for a leather bag isn’t that heavy or bulky. I read some negative reviews about quality (straps falling off) before I purchased so I was hesitant, but it’s been great so far!

    3. I think you can buy an insert with pockets for the Le plaige.

    4. Strong rec for the Lo & Sons Seville. It’s not bulky, it looks great and is light. The only thing it won’t fit comfortably is shoes. Any bag that will fit shoes is probably going to be bulky or lack structure. I also tried the DD tote and L&S OMG.

12. I’m a few months into a new job, and while I absolutely love it, I often find myself getting distracted during the day if I don’t have a deadline or deliverable. I’ve tried walks and mental breaks, scheduling when to complete items on my calendar, switching gears to another topic – and am thinking about getting a 30-minute hourglass to help motivate me to stay on task. In the meantime though, what do you do to stay focused?

    1. Are you getting your work done on time and satisfactorily? If so, don’t worry about it.

    2. This is where the principle “if you need something done, ask a busy person” originated. Can you reframe your thoughts into “if I get this out, I can avoid a fire drill in 2 days if something else comes up”?

13. I’m the MOH at my sister’s wedding, I’m looking for an appropriate dress: floor length, sage green, flattering on my pear shape.
    Any recommendations?

    1. My bridesmaids wore Birdy Grey, which has a variety of “light greens.” Not sure if this is the sage green you want, but hopefully one of the styles has potential for you! My bridesmaids found the dresses very comfortable.

       https://www.birdygrey.com/collections/shop-by-color?_=pf&pf_t_select_color=Light%20Greens

       1. Apparently I’ve had a long day, because I thought you were saying your bridesmaids wore the COLOR “Birdy Grey,” and I was like, “wow, that is a really specific and esoteric shade of grey!” I get it now. :)

       2. I must be having a long day – I first read this as saying your bridesmaids wore the COLOR “birdy grey,” and I was like “wow, that’s a very specific and esoteric color!” I get it now. :)

       3. I really want Birdy Grey to be a color so I can use it to paint my dressing room.

          1. My kitchen is a paint shade called “Dove gray.” It’s pretty.

    2. I wore the Brigitte dress in sage from BHLDN when I was an MOH. If they still have it, it probably meets your requirements.

    3. A friend just bought full-length sage-green bridesmaid dresses from Lulu’s. They looked very nice on the ‘maids at the wedding.

14. Husband is being recognized at an after work event in Chicago in July. The iInvitation says business casual. I’d like to wear a dress and need to cover my arms. Any suggestions? I’m usually a size 10 and usually wear A line dresses because my hips are larger than my top half.

    1. You might try Tahari, I have a similar shape and like their dresses. If you can’t find one with sleeves you may try layering with a short linen jacket — I like those better than sweaters.

15. I need to get a small table / dinette set for 4 people that I will need to use for 6 months as we transition housing (our real stuff will be in storage / moving).

    Is there something at Ikea or Target that folks would recommend?

    Thanks!

    1. This is a job for Craigslist, eBay, or NextDoor.

       1. Or your local buy nothing group!

    2. I would purchase a heavy duty card table/folding table and four folding chairs from Costco and cover it with a table cloth.

16. Bought this. It arrived. It’s great.

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