Coffee Break: The Best Candles for Working From Home

107 Comments

1. Oh, that reminds me – I’ve been curious whether there is such a thing as a candle that is “earthquake safe.” I haven’t seen anything like this yet, but I’m envisioning something like a rounded dome over the top that allows air in, but that would prevent the flame from touching anything else if it got knocked over. California problems…

   1. I’d just get some of that putty stuff they sell for breakables to keep things earthquake safe. I don’t do candles because of scent allergies and cats, but I assume it would work if you keep them in the same place most of the time?

   2. My rule is I never have a candle going unless I am right there supervising. But I don’t know why a hurricane lamp type deal wouldn’t work for the purpose you describe.

      1. Heh. I think the term for the thing you’re looking for is “lantern.”

         https://www.westelm.com/products/simple-hurricane-a784/?sku=1989904&cm_ven=PLA&cm_ite=1989904&cm_cat=Google&cm_pla=Local&gclid=Cj0KCQjwg8n5BRCdARIsALxKb96Mo5Dnxufd9i8LIyRIgBSjWkv0ja7658vgH5dE3f5bJyuSgPJTWEYaAgkwEALw_wcB

         1. Ooh! These are great!

            https://www.westelm.com/products/mid-century-lanterns-whitewashed-d5080/

   3. Anecdotally (from knocking them over), liquid paraffin wax candles are spillproof when tipped and won’t continue to burn. They are both my relax in a bath and my Hanukkah lights. I like the look of them, but YMMV.

   4. Thanks for the recs. I think that putty might be a good choice, although I like the look of the hurricanes!

2. Fun midweek question – how do you eat your pizza? I’m team fold, and only recently realized that this wasn’t commonplace.

   1. Sharpen your pitchforks… I use a knife and fork!

      1. If it’s deep dish or super messy, I do, too! Thin crust I can usually manage with my hands.

      2. Lol I do this, except once it’s close to the crust I leave juuuust enough to be flavorful and then pick it up to eat.

         I like “thin & crispy” style crust best. Deep dish is just a soggy mess and NY style is too limp.

   2. From the point of the triangle in towards the crust. Fold or not, pizza must always be cut in triangular shapes. The Midwestern way of cutting it into rectangles is just wrong. That was one of my biggest culture-shocks in moving from the East Coast to the Midwest.

      1. Wait, it’s cut into squares even if the pizza is round?? I support squares when it’s a square pizza to begin with…

         1. My husband is originally from Detroit and is very familiar and comfortable with square pizza. I sometimes think he’s an alien from outer space.

            I’m team thin crust and a pinch fold.

            1. Detroit style!!

         2. This exchange made me lol – but as a Chicagoan I can confirm that it’s sometimes cut into squares even if the pizza is round.

            1. Square pizza is pub pizza! Free pizza (small slices) was given away in bars to keep patrons drinking longer: source WBEZ Curious City. Link in reply.

         3. If it’s cut in squares, doesn’t that leave some slices without crust? How do you pick it up and eat it with no crush?

            1. Yep. You can knife and fork the crustless pieces or fold them over.
               Ohio/Indiana, at least a few local spots cut into squares.

      2. This is really a Chicago thing, not a Midwest thing. I’ve lived in Chicago and several other parts of the Midwest and most Midwestern pizza is cut into triangles. The tavern-style thin crust cut into squares is a distinctly Chicago thing (which is not to say you can never find it outside Chicago, just like you can find NY-style pizza in various locations).

         1. Tavern style used to be a free bar snack to keep people drinking longer.
            https://www.wbez.org/stories/chicago-still-a-deep-dish-town-fuhgeddaboudit/1a1a3c2f-ef20-48fc-a8ee-2943fed59a54

         2. It’s also a Detroit thing, not just Chicago.

   3. Born and raised in NY, then moved to the West Coast. On our frequent trips back I school my kids on how to be a real New Yorker (i.e. NYC, not upstate). This includes eating folded pizza. They asked me why and I explained that there is not always a seat at the pizza place, so you may have to stand and eat, or you may even be eating and walking down the street. I have no idea is this is the reason, but it sounds correct to me.

   4. depends. sometimes with a fork and knife for the first half and then hands as I get closer to the crust. Not folding- i like to enjoy each bite. I’m team and I always save that part for last, but DH starts with the crust

   5. Depends on the pizza. Generally, by hand, holding by the crust. Knife and fork– if the structural integrity of the pizza is subpar–i.e., it droops when you pick it up, or cheese is excessively drippy. I avoid thick crust pizza and pizza with so many toppings it’s flirting with casserole-status. Fold– almost never, unless the pizza is far too big for my hand and also floppy such that if I don’t fold it it will be out of control. Always eaten from the point to the crust, but sometimes I want the pepperonis too much to be patient and pick them off like a savage. Crusts are discarded and eaten last if I’m still hungry because I’m not wasting valuable stomach space on pizza crust. If not eaten, crusts are donated to friends or SO.

   6. Folding. Only folding. Knife and fork = must be a witch.

   7. Totally depends! :) Knife and fork if needed (I have no idea how you’d eat a serious Chicago deep dish pizza without silverware!), fold if it’s the floppier New York crust, just hold it and eat if it’s your standard delivery/frozen pizza. All pizza, all eating styles welcome in my world :)

3. I’ve always been willing to throw money at things because I was short on time and was a high earner.

   Despite that I still managed to save a decent amount (again because I was a high earner)

   But now I’m somewhat intentionally a lower earner with lots of time and would like some tips on what the frugal types do to spend less money on everyday items.

   I recently colored my own hair, switched to a cash back card rather than a mileage card for groceries, utilities etc, and have been trying to transition to all drugstore brands for skincare etc. But I’m still not great at saving money on groceries. I’m wondering what I’m missing.

   All tips welcome!!

   1. The frugalwoods blog has some great tips. I like her posts on the relationship between minimalism, environmentalism, and frugality.

      1. Her most recent post included a reminder to buy generic/store brand items and that’s an area where I could do better. I just get used to buying the same thing and don’t think about it. One thing that has really helped me save money on groceries is ordering online and picking up at the store. I’ve been doing it for the past four years or so and it’s really easy to compare prices on everything, you get the most updated sale prices, and I can’t “accidentally” walk out with an extra bottle of wine/random hair product/expensive green juice that I don’t really need. I end up saving *way* more than the cost of the annual fee for unlimited ordering. It has also helped me cut down on food waste.

   2. 2 tips for saving money on groceries–make more things from scratch. For example, a bag of potatoes is cheap and will make 10X more than one box of instant mashed potatoes. Same with things like pancake or cornbread mix. Having a well-stocked pantry with flour, oil, etc, means you can make these things quickly from scratch for much less. Second, meal plan and incorporate leftovers into your plan. For example, I will make something like grilled chicken one night and then with the leftover chicken will use it in fajitas later in the week. Eating less meat overall is cheaper too.

      1. To take this a step further, pay attention to what you use and what goes bad, what you look forward to eating, what you mindlessly consume way more of than you intended, what you think “oh I would make x but I’m missing y”, and what stuff it makes sense to get at Costco vs the grocery store.

         I’ve personally had to make adjustments because I grew up in a big family with a lot of frugal habits, but as a single person there are many bulk grocery purchases I’m never going to finish. Sometimes it’s cheaper to get the frozen or prepackaged version of a meal than all the individual ingredients.

         Another adjustment is that if you buy things in bulk, you may think “oh I have a ton of soda/chips/whatever” and eat way more than you would have if you’d bought the regular size. I’ve found the best of both worlds is to buy the stuff in bulk, but then only keep about a week’s worth out in the fridge or pantry and make a habit of restocking rather than eating from the bulk containers.

   3. Honestly trying to save money on this kind of stuff feels more like deprivation to me than it’s worth. Spending $100 every 3 months on professional highlights is likely not the issue.

      Instead I try to focus on the “big rocks” – like we bought a cheap used car because we live in a city and don’t need any type of luxury vehicle, purchased less house than we could “afford” according to the banks, got exercise equipment off Craigslist rather than a gym membership, and are very mindful of recurring expenses (we save $100+ per month having cut the cord). We don’t have a maid service. Etc.

      We grocery shop according to the sale cycle so have super-lopsided cartfuls – soup’s on sale 10-for-10? We buy 20 of them. Hamburger meat’s on sale? Buy several and freeze pre-made tacos or burgers for later meals.

      1. I used to think that, but my budget was getting destroyed through “death by a thousand paper cuts.” There’s only so much I can save on the big stuff (I have to pay rent, I have to have insurance), but there are a million small things I can cut with either minimal deprivation or deprivation that I can get over. YMMV.

      2. Thanks. We’ve already been doing the big ticket stuff you mentioned. I cut out the housecleaner a year ago, not to save money but because her team kept breaking things and trying to hide them. I cut out the gardener because he didn’t reliably show up. I did both of these things to save myself the frustration of dealing with them, so it was an example to me of where throwing money at something didn’t actually make my life easier.

         We cut the cord on cable because my kids (teens) didn’t watch TV at all (to the extent they do its streaming on a device) so husband and I looked at what we watched and figured out the cheapest way to get it via streaming.

         And I have never been a luxury car new off the lot person. I’m a lease-return-under-warranty buyer and have had good luck with those.

         I do feel like the small stuff adds up though. Like, fortunately I have never had a Starbucks habit, but I know people who do than don’t and I’m always surprised they’re willing to spend $4+ twice a day every day on it.

         Things I have cut so far since reducing my work hours and income:
         Any nail or hair services (honestly 90% covid related but it was time to stop with the biweekly manicures anyway)
         Expensive shampoo and conditioner
         Restaurant meals (covid influenced but a good lesson that we can do without)
         Expensive wine
         Drugstore skincare
         Buying work clothes (covid influenced)
         Impulse sale buys online
         Monthly subscriptions I hadn’t thought about – some I kept but cancelled many

   4. What makes you think you’re spending too much on groceries? Do you throw stuff away, come out with too many extras, spend on luxury items?

      1. Good point. If you’re not eating what you buy, meal planning will definitely help.

      2. We don’t waste a lot of fresh food, but we’re not great at eating leftovers.

         I’m just thinking we don’t save a lot on groceries because I am in the habit of buying the “good stuff” and need to get better about non brand names and shopping sales.

         1. Make lists of which brand name items matter to you and which don’t. For example, I will buy brand name yogurts because those are what I like, but I can’t tell the difference between Barilla and store brand pasta and pasta sauces.

            1. I am so bad about the pasta. Seriously, it’s imported or nothing for me. I don’t like Barilla’s politics (“gays can go eat another brand”) so I try to buy De Cecco. See what I mean?

         2. Shop at places like Costco and Trader Joe’s, then round out your purchases at the more expensive stores. Shopping sales saves you a lot less than you would think, as many of the grocery prices on other goods are artificially high.

            Try incorporating one or two store brands or lesser name brands every week. You will like some and dislike others. Doing this slowly means that you don’t have a cartful of stuff you end up not liking, then jump straight back into buying the expensive stuff the following week and ditching the entire project.

            1. Thanks. I do like brand names of things like snack food (which we could probably all eat less of) but I should at least give store brands a try. But, like, what could be better than actual Coca Cola?

            2. I’ve been doing this with bathroom items too, like hair and skin care. I used to enjoy going to Ulta and Sephora, but during Covid I challenged myself to buy everything at the grocery store. The result is mostly just saved money, so I’m sticking with it.

               The things I still order specially, and pay more for, are face moisturizer and scented candles. I have not been satisfied with the grocery store options with those items.

            3. Coca Cola is cheap; buy 2L bottles and it’s maybe $100 a year.

               Trader Joe’s pasta is good and it’s $1 a pound for normal, $1.29 a pound for organic.

         3. COVID meal planning has been really helpful. I make a list of what to buy and at the same time a list of meals we can make with what I buy, and most of the time we roll with the lists.

            I don’t think switching to low quality ingredients is a good idea, just only buy stuff you if you have a plan to use it.

         4. On the leftovers, I am also not great at eating leftovers and started two things.

            First, it’s just me and my spouse, so most nights I make a meal portioned for 2 (no leftovers). I plan my meals out in advance so I reuse ingredients throughout the week that would otherwise go bad.

            Second, I started immediately freezing leftovers when I do make a larger meal. This is nice because our freezer has 4-5 leftover meals at any given time, so if we don’t feel like cooking we can each browse the freezer selection and grab something.

            I also get a produce box delivered each week. This forces me to meal plan – when it arrives, I think through what to use it for. It is about half the cost of what I would spend on produce in NYC.

            Lastly, I recommend the tip to shop primarily at Trader Joe’s or Cosco, and supplement with a regular grocery store.

         5. We’re bad at eating leftovers so we don’t make them! Our meals are portioned for what we will eat, we don’t make extra.

   5. Grocery stores have sales on a regular basis and if you know what the lowest prices are for the things you buy, you can save a lot of money. And the way to figure it out is to keep a price book. Google “grocery price book” and you will find all kinds of templates and instructions. I did that for years and it really does work.

   6. Get new quotes for auto and home insurance. You might be paying too much. The bigger ticket items are also opportunities for bigger savings. I don’t try to save on groceries because often healthier foods like fresh fruits and vegetables are more expensive that cheaper stuff. Skip takeout and cook at home but you may already be doing that.

   7. Get a library card. You can get so much more than just books. Even small city/county libraries also have solid selections of DVDs, audiobooks and some music streaming.

      If you have a lot of stuff, figure out what you have – so you don’t spend money buying things you already own.

      Cook from scratch.

      Learn to love a simpler/slower pace. By waiting, I often realize that I don’t really need the thing I thought I needed, the price comes down substantially, or someone I know has one I can borrow.

      Quit caring what others think.

   8. I stayed home part-time when my son was young and we had to make lifestyle adjustments to accommodate that; groceries were definitely a trouble area for our budget. Pre-kid I was used to grabbing basically whatever I wanted at the store (lobster tails? Sure! Steak? Get 2 packs! etc.). That had to change when our income went down.

      Saving money on groceries is all about backing up and doing meal planning so you don’t buy more than you need, and you don’t buy what you won’t use. I planned every meal of the week including snacks, and made a list from there. I didn’t do couponing but I did keep an eye on the sale circulars in the paper (most stores have them online now) so that if, say, chicken breasts were on sale at a good price, I would revise my list to buy extra and put in the freezer for later. If there was an especially good sale on meat, I would buy a LOT and then make freezer packs for later. The key is, you then have to meal-plan taking the freezer packs into account, which isn’t hard.

      The kind of meals you make matters also. Cutting down on expensive meat cuts for cheaper things like chicken thighs, stew meat, pork roast, etc. instead of boneless skinless chicken breasts, steaks and pork chops can help but you have to cook them the way you’ll eat them. If you make things you don’t like, it just goes to waste anyway. Eating less meat, in general, is another good way to save money but I’ve had limited success with vegetarian meals in my house (my husband was raised in the meat-potatoes-vegetable theory of meal planning and getting him to change his perspective has not been easy). If you have trouble using up fresh vegetables, frozen veggies have been proven to be almost as healthy, they last a long time in the freezer, and many times a year supermarkets put them on super sale. Anything you throw out because it goes bad is wasted money (and food waste is a problem for many other reasons) so the goal is to buy what you know you will use and use what’s there instead of doing random shops because someone’s “in the mood” for something. My rule was, we can switch a meal from one day to another day (so stir-fry instead of pizza if both were on the week’s meal plan) but I was not going to get takeout or go to the store for more groceries if someone decided they were “in the mood” for Thai food. That can either wait for next week or for takeout night, which we budgeted for once a week. Just making that behavioral change saved us a lot of money, because pre-kid we would let groceries go bad in the fridge while we went out and shopped again to get whatever we were “in the mood” for. Even today, when we’re having one of those “don’t know what to make” nights, the rule is, we make dinner from the ingredients we have on hand; we’re not going shopping. Having a list of meals you can make that people have enjoyed in the past is a big help with this.

      As far as other frugal tips, I started saving a ton of money when I started coloring my own hair at home (and no one could tell the difference, which was an “ouch” moment). Getting a haircut that doesn’t require frequent stylist visits is another way to save money. I bought all my son’s clothes at thrift and consignment stores for a long time – great stuff shows up there and at the stage when he was outgrowing everything every few months, it saved us a lot of money. Watch the thermostat in your house as keeping the house cool in the summer and toasty warm in the winter can run up bills quickly. Lots of other tips I could give but the best one was the one my dad gave me, “watch the pennies and the dollars take care of themselves.”

      1. Haircuts: I have one that does need frequent maintenance, but I go to a cash-only one-woman shop. She doesn’t even shampoo, just cuts my hair dry (which I prefer anyway). I’m out in 20 minutes. Check Yelp for someone like this in your area.

         Heat: Get a serious down comforter for everyone in the home. Being a little chilly at bedtime makes it even more appealing to go to bed, and then you’re unconscious for 8 hours! I also turn the heat down when I leave for work. On workdays, I’m here only briefly in the morning, so the heat stays down the whole time. I have a Barefoot Dreams full-length robe, which like my comforter was not cheap but which pays off in this sense.

   9. Something that helped me was to make a distinction between “luxury” and “regular” grocery shopping and only buy the “luxury” stuff (candy, soda, alcohol) at the end of the month so I could use what was left over of my monthly budget instead of splurging a little each week and inevitably going over by the end because I still needed to get basics.

      Other things that help:
      -Identify affordable places to get your basic groceries, like costco, aldi, kroger
      -Use coupons/sales (even if only during big holidays) to stock up on nonperishables you use all the time
      -Buy generics by default and only switch to name brand for things that you notice bother you
      -Identify specialty items you want to get at more expensive stores and plan ahead so you only have to shop there 1-2x a month for those specific items instead of going there for everything because you’re almost out of the specialty item
      -Make a meal plan, even if it’s a super lazy one like “chicken based meals this week”
      -If you’re tempted to make an impulse purchase, put the item back and tell yourself you’ll get it next week if you find yourself thinking about it between now and then
      -Buy food you’re excited to eat instead of things you feel like you should eat but will ultimately throw away
      -If you consistently want some nonessential thing, figure out how to buy it in bulk instead of telling yourself every week that you don’t need it and then getting it anyway at the more expensive unit price

      1. Ooh, I like the “save luxuries for the end of the month” idea.

   10. I think tracking all your purchases is a great start. I also tracked prices in my phone until I got a good idea of what a true sale price was for meat, produce, etc. I went from spending around ~700 a month on groceries, to probably ~500 just by being aware of how the spending was adding up. Another note, if you have room in your freezer, freezing leftovers is a great way to cut back on waste.

   11. A tip with groceries that has been COVID-influenced for me–
       Figure out what spices/condiments/etc. you use frequently and only buy those. If you don’t have something for a recipe, odds are you can substitute something you have. (Eventually you realize what things you need and what things you can substitute.)

       Pre-covid I was always the person that meal planned with interesting, unique recipes every week. This often meant I was buying some odd ingredient that was $7-10 each week that I would use once or twice before it went bad, which wastes money and increased clutter in my pantry and fridge. During covid, where I was making dinner with what I had, I realized that for 95% of things, I could substitute and didn’t miss the expensive ingredient. Or I adapted my cooking to center around the expensive ingredient so that I actually used it (and bought less expensive ingredients overall).

       1. On the other hand, I have become such a much better cook by actually using the spices and ingredients called for in recipes rather than omitting them or substituting. I’m not going to go buy $100 of some exotic ingredient I’ll only use once, but having a full spice rack has really opened up a whole new level of cooking for me. Which probably does save me money and definitely makes me healthier because I cook a lot more and enjoy it a lot more.

4. I got a very unexpected bonus (about $10k); my company very rarely gives bonuses. It’s mostly going to responsible places (retirement, college savings for our baby), but my husband suggested I do something for myself.

   That got me thinking that it would be nice to do something for him, too. Anyone have good suggestions? Very light drinker, mostly just has a glass of wine once a week. Starting to get into golf; currently uses my clubs at the driving range and he’s a lot taller than I am. Loves reading, classic movies, history, also a gamer. $100 to $200.

5. Paging the poster who asked about breast reductions – I am almost your twin and replied to you on the morning thread!

   Short version: went from 34G+ to 34Cish and am THRILLED.

6. I will be visiting Maine starting next weekend for some R&R (Acadia/Bangor/Southwest Harbor), and am looking for any recommendations for must-see/do outdoor activities and places to get takeout from? Acadia, blueberry picking, and lobster rolls are on the agenda. I will be there for 6 days. Thanks!

   COVID Caveat: I have been at home since March and have researched and will abide by Maine state guidelines for untested out-of-state travelers, which is essentially quarantining with limited outdoor activities and takeout/delivery-only. I just need to GTFO of the DMV lol.

   1. Thanks for the disclaimer. I think it sets a good example and is helpful. As for Maine, I’ve heard Deer Isle is really nice, but I’m more familiar with Portland. For outdoor activities that are good for distancing, how about stand-up paddleboarding if it’s allowed?

   2. You’re totally misunderstanding what “quarantine” means. It means you don’t leave your house for anything. It does not mean takeout lobster rolls, blueberry picking and hiking.

      From the Dept of Health website:
      “It is mandated that all out-of-state travelers coming into Maine, as well as Maine residents returning to Maine, complete a 14-day quarantine upon arrival. This means:
      You need to arrive with enough food for 14 days or arrange to have food delivered to you. You cannot go out to grocery stores.
      Stay at home. You cannot go out to public places.”

      Please actually follow these rules or get a test first. If you’ve been isolating at home, you should test negative and then you can enjoy your vacation.
      Signed, a Mainer who is happy we have one of the lowest covid rates in the country and would like it to say that way.

      1. Oh wow, I’m anon at 4:17 and didn’t realize the rules were as strict as that. OP, I think you’ll need to find another vacation spot if you want to be active.

         1. +1, please get a rapid test!

      2. +1. Very strict!

      3. The Maine.gov site says she does not have to quarantine if she has a negative Covid-19 test or is coming from one of 5 states from which quarantine is not required. I happen to live in one of those five states, so could literally just go to Maine like normal. My state requires visitors from 30+ states to quarantine, so don’t come here unless you want to do that.

         FWIW, there have been massive power outages in NY, CT, and NJ from the tropical storm last week. There are utility crews from all over the US and from Canada working here, no quarantine required. We are grateful they are here, quarantine be darned. It will be interesting to see if our infection rates go up, minus of course the bump for everyone getting tested to go to school.

         1. Yes, that’s what I said. She can get a test or follow the strict quarantine rules, but if she’s quarantining she can’t do all the things she wants to do. Quarantine means stay home, not avoid indoor places. She said she was coming from the DMV area, and none of those states are on the approved list for Maine.

      4. Yeah, I kind of assumed she was just going to get a test. I think we need to assume the best intentions overall.

         1. Why would you assume that? So many people dgaf, but in OP’s case, she said she was referring to guidelines for “untested” travelers, which she may have then misinterpreted.

         2. Normally I would agree, but she said she’s complying with Maine’s guidelines for untested travelers (which implies she isn’t being tested) and then misstated them, so clearly she doesn’t know or is choosing to ignore the actual rules.

         3. +1 — the quarantine shaming and lack of giving clearly knowledgeable and thoughtful people the benefit of the doubt on this site is really remarkable lately. This isn’t Reddit.

            1. Different people have different degrees of personal risk tolerance, and that’s fine, but no one should be breaking local laws and endangering the health of locals just to take a vacation. You want to visit, you quarantine properly or you take a test. It’s not that hard. If you find those options too burdensome, choose a different vacation destination. Wanting lobster rolls is not a reason to flout the rules. It’s selfish and disrespectful to the people of a state who’ve worked really hard to keep the virus under control.

7. It’s Harris! I’m psyched!

   1. BIDEN HARRIS 2020!!!

   2. I’m sitting here crying like a baby, just like I did way back in 1984 when Walter Mondale picked Geraldine Ferraro. Hopefully it will turn out different this time.

      1. My 2 year old saw me getting choked up and asked why I was sad and I told her I wasn’t sad, I was happy because for the first time in our history the United States might have a woman vice-president and I explained that we’ve never had a woman be president or vice-president and she was so confused. “NEVER!?!” Even a toddler knows how f*cked up that is!! I want more than anything to watch Pres. Harris’ inauguration with her in four and a half years.

   3. YESSSSS! My dream ticket even from before the primary. I’m psyched.

   4. I’m worried. I’m not even sure why but this gives me a feeling of dread that Trump will win. I didn’t have that feeling before the pick.

      1. I mean, people are sexist and racist AF so yes, I think this hurts his chances. But he had already committed to picking a woman and essentially committed to picking a woman of color, so it’s not exactly a shock. I think a man would have (sadly) been a safer choice, but it’s been known for months that it was going to be a woman.

         1. Yeah, you’re right. I’m already feeling better about it just 10 mins after posting. I’m going to make a donation tonight – who’s with me? Let’s scare Trump tomorrow with news of record-breaking contributions.

            1. She has a history of being tough on crime, which may hurt her with the AOC type left, but what we really need is for middle of the road voters in key states to flip, so I’m hoping that will help.

            2. Anon at 4:42 – 100 percent. I’m really happy about this choice because she does have that record to her credit (in my opinion, it is a credit). She will not be popular with the far-left but this moderate is thrilled.

            3. She is tough on crime in a really problematic way: three strikes laws and procedural tricks to make it easier to prosecute people. That’s tough on people, not tough on crime.

            4. I’m anon at 4:34 and I agree. I want someone who is progressive and committed to racial justice, but not radical on crime. The entire Seattle CHOP situation only reconfirmed that for me.

      2. + 1 to the feeling of dread, I wanted Kamala for AG to tackle policing nation wide and a boring safe white or Hispanic man as VP. I still bear the scars from being 100 percent in for Hillary, ready to weep on election night when she broke the glass ceiling. The gender bias in this country is so strong that people were willing to vote Trump or stay home rather than voting for a woman.

         1. I do think a lot of those people are more comfortable when the woman is the second in command “assisting” the man and not leading herself. The Clinton-Kaine ticket was off-putting to some people specifically because the woman outranked the man. Totally gross way of framing it, I know, but there are tons of people who think this way, at least subconsciously. But yeah, I’m a little nervous too. If it had been a tighter race so far, I could see this giving Biden a badly needed enthusiasm boost among women and voters of color and sort of swinging the momentum in his favor. But he’s basically got a 10 point lead on Trump at this point, and that’s when you sit back and play it safe and I don’t think this (or any woman) is the safest choice. But he locked himself into it months ago.

            1. Yeah, he locked himself in too early to get past the hair sniffing. I would have preferred he announced a safe slate and also announced who he would want in key positions to tackle our key issues, like HHS, DOJ, VA and HUD.

   5. Love her!! I have been one of her constituents for her entire political career and I have nothing but admiration for her.

      1. Sorry not OP of this post

   6. I was never a huge Harris fan. Nothing against her, I just preferred other candidates. I felt like Tammy Duckworth would have been a good choice for attracting more fence-straddling Republicans, and I think she’d be good but wasted-ish at the VA or DOD, where I feel like Harris would have really been in her element at DOJ. I also loved Susan Rice’s policy chops, but of course, Benghazi doomed her (I cannot imagine the field day Fox News would have with four more years of that to feast on, ugh).

      1. I’m with you on this. I am a fan of Tammy Duckworth and was really hoping it would be her, though I suspected it would be Harris. But, I’m going to just have to rally and get excited about it, because at this point it is what it is!!

   7. I am dancing around my home office in excitement and joy!

   8. I wanted Harris for AG, but with less than 90 days till elections, I’m going to take this and run with it. I cannot wait to see her wipe the floor with Pence during their debate(s ). I hope she can turn out votes, I know her presidential campaign didn’t. I’ll hope for the best and support how I can.
      Also I am so ready for this election to be done. Yes of course I want to give everyone up to the deadline to register to vote, to go to the poles, to mail in their ballots, but I am so ready for this to be election to be complete and results known.

      1. She will be AMAZING during the debates. Pence is kind of a silver-tongued devil and really plays to his conservative talk radio audience so those guys are going to hate a smart and aggressive black woman anyway. But anyone in the middle would certainly have to see that she’s extremely sharp and intelligent.

         And sharp is sadly what we need to add to the Biden ticket right now.

         1. My husband and I were just laughing for like 15 minutes thinking about what the debates are going to be like between Harris and Pence.

            1. If I could sic one person on Pence it would be Maisie Hirono. She’s awesome.

   9. YAY! To be honest, I was slightly hoping for Susan Rice because both Kamala and Joe tend to tell dad-esque jokes on stage and I thought Susan might balance him out a little more in personality. Still, I happy with this news and am thrilled to vote for the Biden-Harris ticket. Kamala and I share an oddly similar biracial background, so many of my family members are also personally excited for the representation.

   10. I am decidedly fine with this pick.

   11. So excited! I had already made my donation for the month but I just went and donated again! Honestly I was pretty thrilled by any of his possibilities but I love her and I’m so excited to see her on the ticket!

       1. I too just donated because of Kamala! Go Kamala!!!!

   12. Oof… Guess I’m glad she excites someone as I want Trump gone, but I was hoping for someone more to the left. Was a Warren fan.

       1. I like Warren a lot personally, but Democrats don’t really have a path to the White House that doesn’t go through the Rust Belt and I think Warren does zero for Biden there and is probably actively harmful to him with the voters he has to flip or turn out there. Also I think in a lot of ways the Senate Majority Leader has more power than the VP. Kamala will have a favorite going into 2024, but honestly unless Biden doesn’t serve his full term and she becomes the first female president, it’s going to be a pretty wide open primary and I think a very effective Senate Majority Leader Warren would be an extremely competitive candidate, especially if the party continues its shift left.

       2. While Warren is energetic, I think it was necessary to find a younger person given Biden’s age.

   13. Really want to get “Settle for Biden!” and “Settle for Harris!” swag now. Nowhere close to excited, but I’m voting for them.

       1. Ha!

       2. That’s great! Yes, let’s let the swing voters know you’re unenthused about the Dem candidate. Good thinking. /s

          This is the time for UNITY, which Reps do far better than Dems.

8. I’m thrilled with the Harris pick because I think she’ll also be very effective calling out the administration over the next four months. None of the others would’ve done that in the same way.

Comments are closed.