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Coffee Break: 3-Drawer Locking Filing Cabinet

I was poking around the Container Store's website the other day and realized that they have a ton of really colorful filing cabinets and drawers — fun! This is the kind of thing I totally would have loved in my first apartment after law school, where I strove for really bright, happy decor since I figured I'd be home rarely, in the dark, and expected I'd be exhausted, dejected, or some other negative emotion — so I could see these being a great pop of color in a home office. They're $99-$329, but this pictured blue one is on sale for $149. Bisley Cerulean Blue 3-Drawer Locking Filing Cabinet This post contains affiliate links and Corporette® may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. For more details see here. Thank you so much for your support!

Sales of note for 12.5

And some of our latest threadjacks here at Corporette (reader questions and commentary) — see more here!

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119 Comments

  1. I always love these threads: does anyone have any female artists they are loving lately? Bonus if they have a Society6 page or Etsy shop to buy from.

    1. Anna Siems, Catrin Welz-Stein. Sadly I haven’t found any ~$50 poster prints from the former.

    2. Kaye Blegvad (though she’s currently on summer hiatus I think)

      I just bought something from @broad.sides (insta) — it’s collaborative work between a poet and a painter. And check out @Chelsea_America ‘s work on her own <3

      Evie Yapelli's art is so distinct and I love her (and I think a necklace she designed sold out before I bought it and that makes me sad)

    4. I love Julia S. Powell (juliaspowellart on Instagram). I came across her art because she is good friends with Mindy Kaling, but I think her paintings are so beautiful.

  2. I need this exact item. Thanks for notifying us of the sale. I also have a gift card, so I think this item (perhaps in a different color) will be coming into my home this week.

    1. Me too! I love the fact that it lock’s! When my maintenance guy comes in when I am away, I always find things moved around so I will now have a place to lock up my banking document’s, tax information and credit cards, as well as my jewelery. When my ex lived here, he was in the apartment most of the time to let the maintenance guy in, but now I don’t have anyone here when they come in to snoop around when my cleaneing lady is not here. They are as bad as my relatives from Europe who stayed over and took some of my personal items home with them w/o my permission. FOOEY on them!

  3. Does anyone use a micellar water as a primary cleanser? I know they are popular makeup removers and often used as part of a two-step cleansing routine. I do not wear makeup so am only interested in the skin cleansing.

    My skin has been super reactive lately – gets red and scaly and rashy, even in response to Cerave hydrating cleanser and other old faithfuls. My skin looks fantastic when I do.not.wash.it.at.all. but it’s starting to get a little congested. Hoping the micellar water can be a middle ground between “do nothing” and cleanse as I used to.

    1. When I’m not wearing make-up and my face is not particularly dirty I do this, rubbing all over with a cotton ball and moisturize with one or two drops of an oil (jojoba or rose hip seed oil). My skin basically glows after a week or two of this.

    2. I use micellar water even on days I don’t wear any makeup. If your skin is (temporarily) sensitized, make sure you will wash your face with clean water after using micellar as the residue may cause irritation. You may consider washing your face with water only and using BHA (1% or 2%) or azelaic acid cream every 2-3 days to prevent congestion and to help peel off dead skin cells.

    3. Be careful if you plan on not rinsing – some contain potentially irritating ingredients. Or at least so Paula Begoin says. I look at her product reviews on Beautypedia and have been using Your Good Skin micellar. Seems okay.

      However, it sounds like you may be having some kind of reaction or have developed rosacea. I would consult a derm.

    4. Your skin sounds similar to mine. I’ve had great results with oil cleansers (Palmer’s is my first choice, Burt’s Bees isn’t bad either). Then I use a glycolic acid peel every few days to keep pores clear. I like Peter Thomas Roth’s anti-wrinkle peel pads.

    5. My skin does not tolerate Cerave products or most products in general. I have had no trouble with Vanicream cleanser.

  4. Looking for a clock to place by my bedside. On my husband’s side of the bed is a large digital clock with ugly red electronic numbers. We used to have a second (smaller) digital clock on my side, but in a recent move it was reallocated to a guest room. I don’t really want another digital clock in the room. I don’t need an alarm feature, but I do need something I can read in the dark of night to determine what time it is. Currently I find that I need to sit up and lean over to see my husband’s clock, and I find it disruptive to my sleep (and sometimes his). It would be a option to move his digital clock, but his vision is bad and he likes it right next to him when his contacts are out for the night.

    Can you recommend something attractive (or at least inoffensive) that is visible at night? Ideally it sits on my nightstand and doesn’t take up much space. I think an analog clock is an option, thought digital is quicker to read when half asleep. Any ideas? (For those of you generally looking for clocks for home or office decor, I have discovered that the MoMA store has phenomenal stuff. But I haven’t yet found anything there that seems to meet this need; maybe I overlooked something though.)

    1. You might look into a travel alarm clock — since they are battery powered, many have dim numbers but a easy-to-hit button that lights up the display for a few seconds.

    2. I don’t think this will fit the bill for you but I have one that shines onto my ceiling. It’s by Oregon scientific. I’ve had this one or it’s American Girls counterpart since I was…12. It sits in the back corner of my bedside table and I don’t use the alarm now but have before.

      1. We have one like this, too. It’s not the most aesthetically-pleasing contraption, but it’s much easier on my eyes than looking at my bedside alarm clock (both are red light, so that’s not an issue, but the projection just seems less disruptive).

    3. It’s not clear to me if you don’t like the look of digital clocks, or if you think there is some other magical thing out there that tells time in the dark. But I would just get a small digital clock from Target. If you have good eyesight, get a small travel sized one. You are not going to be able to see an analog clock in the dark.

        1. But you have to press a button to light them up and that seems just as disruptive to sleep, at least to me. Or it’s on all the time and then it’s basically the same as a digital clock?

          1. Hmmm…I feel like you should be able to find one with glow-in-the-dark clock hands….

      1. OP here: thanks for this link. Looks like a possibility. Did you buy the mini size or the regular? Any input on the colors? Do you like the one you chose?

        1. I have the gold. Regular size.I like it. It glows just enough that I can see it without pushing the button to make it brighter, but not so bright that it distracts me when I’m trying to sleep. Only problem is that it loses time, so I have to adjust it now and then. Might just need new batteries.

  5. To add on to all of these questions about family support recently– for those of you that are supporting your parents in some capacity, did you know this was going to happen far in advance? Also, did you gradually ramp up to full support or did this just happen suddenly? In the event that you did know far in advance– is there something different that you would have done with your spouse to establish boundaries for support or something generally that you would recommend to your past self?

    I am asking because while we have thought we may end up supporting my in-laws for a bit, we have realized recently that this is definitely going to happen and potentially sooner rather than later. FIL has Alzheimer’s, so will need care that will blow through a lot of their savings. In addition, FIL has been mis-managing their retirement savings for the past 10ish years (due to the development of the Alzheimer’s) which MIL did not know until a month ago. In addition, FIL was forced into early retirement (due to recession and likely early development of Alzheimer’s). This means that their savings are a lot less robust than they should be. FIL and MIL are fairly young. MIL is in good health– I would guess she would live for another 20-25 years.

    Given all of this, at some point their savings are going to run out. We are willing to help when that happens, but it is frankly hard for me to even comprehend doing this because we are just trying to start our own adult lives. In addition, we are planning to TTC in the next year– meaning that we are already planning on taking on a lot of expenses in the near future. MIL has started being increasingly frugal. In response, DH keeps saying he should buy her things like a cell phone so that she can save money. I have so far convinced DH to stay out of his parent’s finances and let them figure out how to live within their means, but I’m not sure how long that is going to last– both because DH likes to be involved/be a good son and because his parents’ situation could go downhill quickly depending on his dad’s health. For those of you that have dealt with something similar– what types of preparations should DH and I be making?

    1. If MIL is in good health and going to be around for a couple of decades, maybe she should be working? Or is she full-time caregiver for FIL?

      1. OP: MIL is not retired yet but has never worked more than part-time. She is adamant that she is retiring at 65 but is going to continue her side hustles so will have some sort of income. TBH, FIL will probably need a full-time caretaker in the next year. MIL is also very stubborn/strong-willed, so I doubt we can convince her to do something she doesn’t want to do here– especially since none of this is really her fault (or anyone’s).

        1. It sounds like she is making an active choice not have enough money into retirement. Don’t give her anything or promise to give her anything until she is “having trouble keeping the lights on” broke – see if she’ll actually work or at least try to work more. Her insistence to not face her own reality is her own doing. One option as well is if her husband qualifies for medical assistance (probably due to his illness) she may get aid for her caretaker work. That could alleviate some of the money issues, but not all.

          1. The MIL just found out a month ago that the FIL had mismanaged the retirement savings. Sounds like she’s hoping the side hustles will be enough to supplement income in retirement. Not surprising that she’s having a hard time doing a quick 180 to the idea that not only will she have to care for her husband who she is losing to Alzheimers but she may not be able to retire. That’s a tough pill to swallow in a month.

        2. Then I guess she’s going to have to learn to live within her means. You and your husband are certainly not obligated to keep her at the lifestyle she’s become accustomed to.

          1. I agree, but she needs to make sure she and her DH are on the same page. Many people (particularly in non-European cultures) believe they *are* obligated to support their parents in the lifestyle to which they have become accustomed. I’m cynical but I’d make damn sure you and DH are on the same page about this before you pull the goalie.

        3. 24×7 third party care may be in the neighborhood of $150-250k for him, and to qualify for Medicaid, she may be limited to savings of around $100k and a (moderate) house as the so-called community spouse. You’re wise to think about what your boundaries may be, because her financial resources are likely to go quickly and being a 24×7 caregiver (or even a fraction of it) is tremendously hard to do (many caregivers die before their spouses because of the strain).

    2. My parents helped their parents via generous gifts like a new tv at christmas or paying for a snow shoveling service in winter. My grandparents were willing to accept these because they were ‘gifts’ of ‘extras’. Depending on age, you may find that your MIL is interested in going back to work for some independence. It might be a good outlet for her instead of having to be a full-time caregiver to FIL, or to occupy her time after FIL passes. My aunt worked in health services in her professional career but worked at a grocery store flower shop for another ten years after being retired for a while and realizing she was burning through her savings too quickly.

      I know my parents are financially stable because my dad doesn’t like to rely on anyone but honestly, if he passes first, my mom has spending issues and we could easily end up supporting her in some capacity down the road.

    3. I don’t think there’s any point to buying her a cell phone now vs letting her run down her savings and paying more of her expenses later. It’s the same difference and I would personally let her run down her savings before you give her any money, because it will encourage her to live more frugally.

      The most important thing is that you and DH are on the same page about what you will give them. Alzheimer’s care be easily $10k/month or more, so I would not expect you can support them fully, especially if you want children. My husband and I have a hard dollar limit we will spend on family members (calculated based on what we can afford, given our incomes, housing costs and need to save for our own retirement). Just as importantly, we’ve also talked about what we will pay for, and conditions that must be met before we will give them any support (eg., if his parents are still able to leave independently when their savings run out, we will not start paying for their $5k/month apartment in Manhattan, they will move to our small Midwestern town and live in a $500/month apartment). If we’re paying the bills, we make the decisions about when/where/how much and we will spend as little money supporting them as possible, while ensuring they live in a clean, safe place.

      1. OP: This is helpful. And yes, I am aware how much memory care costs– not sure DH and MIL have come to terms with it. This is why, in part, I don’t really think it makes a ton of difference if MIL puts more money into retirement at this point in time. She would not be able to make near enough to offset the impact of having to pay $10k/month indefinitely. (My guess is that she could make– at most– half that, probably much less, if she were not to retire. She also works in a specialized field and does not have the option of working full-time even if she wanted to do that.)

    4. The answer to this will heavily depend on the filial responsibility laws in your state, so get an estate lawyer before you set a precedent by supporting their lifestyle.

      You may have to make peace with the realization that what you would struggle to scrape together for them is just a drop in a leaking bucket. Mediocre memory care in my MCOL area runs 12k a month, and that’s before they start nickel-and-diming you to death on the little things. (Example: there’s not enough staff to assist with toileting, yet you’re fined $50 to $100 for each time the person soils themselves and needs to be cleaned up.)

        1. Medicare does not. I think the answer is that Medicaid sort of does but you have really limited choices about where to go, because many (most?) facilities don’t accept Medicaid. Quality of care aside (I think it’s generally way worse at the places that accept Medicaid), the logistics of moving someone with advanced dementia are no joke. It’s a really horrible process and is a big part of why so many high-earners are fixated on saving millions for retirement.

      2. Whoa, not the OP but I did not know about filial responsibility laws and now I’m terrified. If one of our parents needs memory care and eventually runs out of money (which is statistically likely, given that none of them have saved tens of millions) we will be on the hook for it? What happens if we can’t pay it? Do they consider our incomes? (We make less than $10k/month combined, pre-tax, so I don’t know how anyone could reasonably expect us to pay $10k/month nursing home bill). Will we have to declare bankruptcy ourselves? This is really freaking me out!!

          2. actually, i also just did some searching and it looks like in some states courts have enforced those laws even when the children did not do anything fraudulent with their parents’ assets. these seem like really unfair laws.

          3. Actually, sometimes they do, because they too don’t want to have to pay for all of this care. Medicaid is a big burden to states. I recall PA has filial responsibility laws that have been enforced before. Not sure about other states.

          5. When you say “enforce” what does that mean? Your parent went to a private nursing home, ran up a huge bill, couldn’t pay and the nursing home sued you for it? Or the laws prevented your parent from getting on Medicaid when they ran out of money? Or something else?

          6. The concept is also enraging. Not everyone’s parents supported them in their childhood, and the fact that you could be on the hook for their adult support is bizarre. Also, some people were just bad with money, or never worked hard, and it’s crazy to expect the adult children to take on a second job or screw up their own retirement because of another adult’s poor planning.

        2. I’m the OP, and I think I literally had a panic attack when I googled that. Luckily, the state that FIL would be receiving care one has one that isn’t/can’t be enforced.

    5. Based on my own experience, your husband and his parents should sit down with an elder law attorney to discuss a financial plan. If your in-laws run out of money, Medicaid pays for memory care or for in-home care. Medicaid stuff is complicated but a good attorney will be able to give a LOT of guidance on this.

    6. Having been through something very similar with my mother, who was long widowed, you have to let them run out of money and qualify for Medicaid. It’s the only way. You can buy them extras but in no way can you take on uninsured medical bills. It will bankrupt you very very quickly, and then they’ll end up in the same place after you’re bankrupted – on Medicaid. It’s a terrible situation and the care is not top notch at places that take Medicaid but it’s really the only option for the 98%.

      1. It is the only way unless you are a multimillionaire. I’ve only dealt with it for people who were widowed, but I would highly recommend looking in to how to applies to a married individual. My sense is that you don’t have to spend down all the asserts and that they recognize that MIL needs to some retirement money, but the specific rules may impact how they spend down the money

        1. Would the filial laws mentioned above prevent an insolvent older adult from getting Medicaid if they have solvent children? The law seems very complex on this issue, but it doesn’t seem beyond the realm of possibility to me.

          1. No. I’m in California. My mother’s children were and are solvent. She wasn’t. Medicaid (in our case Medi Cal) kicked in. Of course there was no inheritance when she passed, but we didn’t expect one. Most importantly, we were not responsible for her bills when she died.

    7. I’d recommend you meet with a lawyer asap specializing in geriatric care. They will know all the rules in your state for what will happen when your FIL needs full time care. They will probably recommend switching the title of your in-laws house into MILs name so she can keep it in the event FIL’s costs run down their savings. Go now so you can get things set in place before it’s an emergency. Also, financial and medical power of attorneys, etc.

      1. 351 – my understanding is it was the former; the children were sued for unpaid bills

      2. Community spouse is generally entitled to keep a house of a moderate value separate And around 100 K in liquid assets. The rest are usually must be spent on the spouses care and there’s a five-year look back. So it would be too late to do a lot of the planning that might otherwise be helpful here

    9. Tragically, the mismanagement of the retirement savings is almost irrelevant in this case. Medicaid is going to make her spend down their assets before it will pay for his care. However, the rules on this are very complex and vary by state. She should definitely talk to a specialist.

      One of the saddest things about situations like this one is that people can do everything right, save their money, be financially responsible and still end up with much less than they were anticipating because of a spouse’s need for residential care.

    10. You have gotten some good advice here.

      From a practical perspective, if you and your partner can swing buying a home with a MIL/rental unit or potential to add a rental unit. I am doing that now so I can support my dad when my parents’ assets are completely drained by the costs of my mom’s care. Perhaps your mom can rent the unit from you when the time comes, which can enable some tax savings on your part. Speak to your accountant.

      Mortgage rates are low, this is a good time to scale up your residence to accommodate extended family if that is within your reach. Best of luck to you.

  6. Any tips on “cute” comments? I’m in my mid-30s and recently took an of counsel position at a law firm in a midsize city. For the first time in my career, I am getting lots of comments that I’m “cute” and “adorable.” I have a petite frame and generally have a smile on my face. I wear a uniform of solid colored sheath dress or pencil skirts, flats, and a solid colored Ann Taylor/Theory blouse every day. I’m trying to figure out if there is something I need to do to change this – I want to be taken seriously, but I think the commenters (all female, ranging from assistants to partners) mean well/are not being snide. I’m also not sure how to respond – “thanks!” seems weird, but the only one I’ve come up with.

    1. I get the same comments. I started getting less to none of them when I started wearing glasses to work weirdly. Also, if you are wearing a lot more color than the people you work with, that may be contributing also. I get more comments on clothes if I’m wearing color v. neutrals.

    2. It’s helped me in the past to give an answer that says refrain from the comments but also doesn’t pass any blame or censure onto the speaker (no need to make enemies in a new position).

      Something to the effect of: “Hey, I know you mean well, but since I’m new here and really want to people to focus on my work instead of how I look, could you refrain from calling me things like “cute”?”

      The directness may take some people aback but they are not likely to feel insulted as you have turned the reasoning on a personal preference v accusing them of misogyny or gendered behavior.

    3. Are they saying you’re cute or is your cardigan or whatever? When I like something someone’s wearing, I’ll call it or her outfit cute. “You look cute today” is something my mom frequently says which means “nice outfit,” NOT a comment on physical appearance.

      2. Yup, this is what I was thinking. I wouldn’t read too much into it. They probably just think you look nice and cute is the only adjective they could come up with.

        If someone calls you sweetie or honey, on the other hand, feel free to punch them in the face.

      3. +1 to this. I’m picturing support staff or ladies in the office saying “you look cute today” – I would say thanks and maybe elaborate on where I got it or if it was on sale or just use it as a segue into a brief bit of small talk. I’ve connected with lots of support staff this way, and honestly it helps to have support staff who like you and are willing to help you out – esp if they work for partners who’s good graces you want to be in.

      4. Any time someone remarks that my work clothing is “cute,” I wonder if that’s a good thing, or whether it’s meant to convey that my outfit is childish or not work appropriate, so I appreciate you saying that you have good intentions and you really just mean that you like what they’re wearing. I’m 30, and I’m short and I think my face reads young sometimes, so in trying to look professional and appropriately experienced and mature, “cute” isn’t really the goal, and I worry it might be a detriment if anything.

        1. I’m 39 and I say cute when I like the outfit. Nothing about my comment means that I think someone looks young or unprofessional. Saying, wow, you look professional today (as someone did to me the other day) is weird and I would think they were trying to be funny.

          1. I agree. I say “cute dress” just meaning that I like it, not that it is childish or work inappropriate. If someone told me I looked very professional I would probably ask them what they think about my water bottle…

    4. A really talented young woman who was under 5’ tall uses to work for me. She looked super cute all the time and it was really, really hard for me not to use that word! It wasn’t just her diminutive stature – she was also very girl-next-door pretty, and she wore very feminine, stylish clothing.

      Fortunately I caught on to the fact that cute might not be the best adjective to use around a smaller person, so if I complimented her I would be sure to compliment an item and not her. Something like, hey I really like that top! Pretty colors.

      But if I hadn’t clued in on my own, I would not have been offended at all if she had said something to me – I can imagine her explaining that “cute” felt juvenile, or related to being small, or whatever, and that it made her uncomfortable.

      I did hear other people in my peer group saying things like Gina is so cute, so I would try to add that Gina was one of the sharpest analysts in our group and was really going places.

  7. TW: non-consensual s*x

    Yesterday I saw the guy who r*ped me. It happened over 12 years ago and at the time I was finding it difficult to frame it as r*pe, because he was a friend, he was invited to my place, he was someone I had slept with before and was sort of dating, and maybe I wasn’t clear enough when I kept saying no, etc etc. I understand it better now. He’s still the reason I won’t sleep n*ked with a boyfriend (I have the fear of someone having s*x with me while I’m sleeping so deeply ingrained I think it will never go away.) And maybe he’s the reason I’m kind of afraid of men, to be honest.

    What really hurts is that I saw him out with what was clearly his family (a woman and a toddler daughter), on bikes, looking happy as ever. He didn’t see me (I was driving), but I had a strong visceral reaction and started shaking. He got to have a family. He got his happily ever after. He got to have a kid. He hasn’t had to spend years in therapy dealing with the aftermath of what he did.

    I really don’t want to go back to therapy to rehash all this, but clearly the scar is still there for me. And it just feels so unfair. I don’t know what I’m asking for but if anyone has any recommendations for how to deal with this, please let me know.

    UGH.

    1. HUGS. That sucks. I feel terrible when my r*pist even appears in my dreams, so seeing him in real life sounds awful. It sounds like our situations were very similar, from how it was done to not feeling like we could call it that…

      Well, one thing I did was have a freakout (right before/after the 2016 election, I can’t remember exactly) and text the ‘friend’ who r*ped me and he, mutual friends told me, felt very bad about it, so… that’s a thing. I don’t think it helped me really, but it did cost me a friend (but eff her if she really wants me to ‘get over it’ for the convenience of her social life).

      Honestly, though, what about just a tune-up check-in for therapy? When I was really processing I was going like weekly, then every other week, and now I go once a month, and sometimes it’s just “ugh how do I not stress so much about this work thing?” but sometimes it’s like “I am triggered and freaking out! halp!” … having that ongoing relationship is helpful for me. And yeah, it’s not fair that we are still working on it and he’s lah-dee-dah-ing his lovely life. Just not fair.

      1. Hugs to both of you. I can’t believe these guys just walk around like nothing happened while you have clearly been scarred by your experience with these a-wipes. I would publish a fictional article describing your experience and the r@pist with just enough specificiety to make people think it may be him, but not definitive enough to cause you trouble if he sued you. You should talk to an editor who has a libel lawyer on staff b/c I am sure you could write a good story and make this guy’s peni$ shrink back into his torsoe permanently for what he has done to you. TRIPEL FOOEY on this eunich in training!

    2. I am so sorry. I really like Rainbow Hair’s suggestion of the therapy tune-up. Another thing I was thinking is to try calling a r*pe crisis hotline (national or in your city). You wouldn’t need to rehash all the details, just someone to listen and support you in that moment (this is IME as a volunteer on a specific hotline).

      1. No advice but I am so sorry you had to deal with that. Like is incredibly unfair sometimes.

    3. Hug.

      Another hug.

      I wish I could help, but can only say that karma can take a freakishly long time to come around. Bad people thrive for an awfully long while, and sometimes, the only “reward” you get for being a good person is… being a good person. That when you’re 85 and on your death bed, you have peace because you didn’t use the crap people pulled on you as an excuse to hurt others.

      You’re probably leaving the world a better place than you found it. He can’t say the same.

    4. I am going to give totally different advice – but realize that I did not find therapy at all helpful (continually focusing on and re-hashing my trauma did not help).So here is my mantra and YMMV:

      I control how much he gets of the rest of my life and I chose not to let him have it. In the minutes and days and weeks and years of my life, he got a very very small part and he does not get to have the rest. He does not get to have more of me.

      And then I actively refuse to think about it. Whenever I start to think about it, I stop myself and go through the mantra again. (And then I do something that takes concentration – even if just play Sudoku on my phone.)

      I had a therapist who hated that because it was repressing – but my trauma is not me and I refuse to let it define me.

      1. This is similar to what I do. I refuse to allow them any more of my life. I have gone to therapy on and off for years for a variety of things but never this. No more of me for them.

  8. With the preface that I generally feel bad about my plastics usage –

    I just ate a pint of raspberries from the little thin plastic clamshell they were sold in. I was wondering about alternative packaging but realizing how easily raspberries crush, I can see why they’re always sold this way.

    It made me wonder how they used to be sold, before plastic clamshells. Were they in those open weave green plastic baskets like strawberries were? Or before that were they in paper baskets or even lightweight wooden baskets? Or were they just in bulk bins (but that doesn’t seem feasible given crushing)

    Or are raspberries pretty much only sold frozen or canned?

    I tried googling this and get very little information….

    1. Raspberries and blueberries were sold in a smaller version of the same one used for strawberries. Sold in half pint sizes generally. In my area, they were often made of very thin greenwood not plastic. In Europe, strawberries we buy at farms are sold in cardboard baskets.

    2. I’m pretty sure they weren’t sold, period, other than in jam (so canned). The idea that you can buy fresh fruit year round is very, very recent. Anything other than maybe apples was eaten pretty much in the immediate area where it was grown or else it was dried or canned. Even freezing is a very recent and very energy intensive development.

    3. They were in cardboard bin things & prior to that in woven reed/wicker type baskets

    4. In some rural European areas, they are still sold the way our great-grandparents used to buy them – in thin weave baskets (made from dried corn leaves) or is ceramic/glass/light metal jars.

    5. You just didn’t eat things that were out of season and you got them in paper bags. Sometimes reducing plastic means you must miss out on some things.

    6. Yep, you bought them in plastic or reed berry baskets and usually very close to the source, as they don’t ship well. Or if you were like me as a kid, go into the woods and pick/eat yourself stupid on them for a few weeks out of the year. I never get tired of red raspberries.

      1. I’m OP. I wish I could find red raspberries growing wild. I pick wild blackberries every summer until my arms are scratched raw (worth it) and having had those, I have never enjoyed supermarket blackberries. I wish I knew what real wild-picked raspberries tasted like!

        I’m in the Bay Area FWIW

        1. Do you have a yard? Raspberries are incredibly easy to grow and the bush spreads like mad.

          1. +1 I’ve rarely bought raspberries because my parents always had a patch. We’d get sent out with a gallon ice cream bucket and come back with it 3/4 full. The berries you by in the store are always slightly underripe, so that berry itself doesn’t fall apart during transit.

          2. I do have a yard but spreads like mad sounds like trouble. I don’t think they grow well here, though, as I’ve never seen a bush/vine/bramble at anyone else’s house. Blackberries, yes. Never raspberries.

          3. You can control the spread – and you should be cutting back old (2 years) canes anyway, since they won’t produce berries. They aren’t invasive-levels of spreading, but will take over if you let them go unchecked.

            If blackberries can grow, I don’t see why raspberries can’t. Just makes you get an variety that’s suitable for your climate and sun needs.

        2. Red raspberries are one of the few things that won’t grow where I live now, so I feel ya on that front.

    7. My local farm stands sell them in green cardboard containers. I think the plastic is a transportation issue – the farm stands can sell them in cardboard because they aren’t traveling and will be sold within a day or two of being picked.

    8. Here is an example of a wood chip weave basket (1 gallon) used for packaging blueberries for export from Norway to the UK in the early 20th century, i.e. fresh berries sent by ship over the North Sea. The baskets would be topped with paper that were sewn to the basket.

      The text underneath explains that this basket comes from a county berry co-op, and that they made about 100 000 of these baskets during the winter, getting them ready for the next season.

  9. I’m looking to buy an office chair for my home office, preferably in a bright, non-neutral color although that’s not essential. Don’t want to spend a fortune. The chairs at Ikea were not that comfortable. Ideas?

    1. Do you like bungee chairs? They are my preferred office chair and come in fun colors! Generally less than 200 dollars.

      L i n k to follow!

    2. I can’t speak to the quality/comfort but Pottery Barn Teen often has some surprisingly adorable desk chairs!

  10. I’m taking outdoor professional head shot in 2 weeks. What did you wear? How did you wear hair and makeup? I am brunette with wavy medium length hair and I am tan. I appreciate any tips….TIA

    1. Ask the photographer. They’ll know where they plan to shoot and can give you advice on outfits that will look good.

    2. I hate that people always do this in the summer! I want to look professional, not like a sweaty beast. If you’re somewhere hot/humid, I’d suggest getting a blowout to prevent frizz/flatness/whatever your hair does in horrible weather. You can always have the stylist use a curling rod to put a bit of your original texture back in.

      White and blue is a classic summer combination that looks crisp and professional and that will work well against both trees/flowers and urban backgrounds. I might wear a sleeveless navy or cadet blue shell with a white collarless blazer similar to the one in this morning’s post.

      1. OP here….thx! White and blue is a great idea….goes with a tan too. Fortunately my hair loves humidity:) and my photographer does beautiful outdoor shots

  11. I really love temple st. claire jewelry. Is there something similar to that at a lower price range?

  12. I don’t know what I’m looking for exactly; advice, commiseration, just to vent. I am a litigation associate at a mid-size firm in a small market (so really, a tiny firm compared to many people here). I’ve been out of law school for six years. I frequently get good feedback and my reviews are always excellent. I know I have a future here as a partner if I want to stay. However, for the past six or seven months I’ve been feeling very burnt out and just disenchanted with the whole practice of law generally. I’ve taken two vacations where I’ve completely checked out and enjoyed myself and while I was so happy to be out of the office neither vacation has helped me to feel refreshed or reinvested in my work. I like the subject matter of my work generally, I think I’m just tired of the tedious and adversarial nature of litigation and just generally am tired of the overall unpleasantness of opposing counsel, etc. I have had a particularly unruly batch of opposing counsel lately, and I’m just over it. It’s getting to the point where I dread coming to work and just want to do anything else. Unfortunately, there aren’t tons of jobs in my city, and I’m feeling a bit stuck. How can I get out of this funk?!

    1. Job hunt. It’s good for your mental health, and you’re not in the position of needing something within a month or two. If you find something next February, that’s fine.

    2. I’m nine years out and a new equity partner. I could have written this post word for word, right down to market and firm size. I don’t know what sort of advice I can give except that you are not struggling alone – this is an almost universal problem in my attorney friend group.

      1. Yes, this happens to almost everyone at some point. If a short break isn’t enough for you to feel reinvested in your work, you might need to consider job hunting or shifting practice areas slightly (if that’s option for you). But since your job also seems good in many ways, you could also try to find validation/excitement somewhere else – teach a course at a local university, start a new hobby, volunteer? Sometimes your job is a thing that pays the bills so you can do other things.

    3. I’m not in law, and yet I empathize with every word of this. I’m in higher ed and disenchanted is the best way I can describe my attitude over the past year. I’ve been looking around, but I have the same problem — there’s just not many equivalent jobs available in my area. I’ve applied for a grand total of two jobs and have been a finalist (but not chosen) for both. I’m been trying to focus on life outside of work. So, lots of sympathy.

    4. Thanks, all. I should have mentioned, I have a pretty full life outside of work, and am happy with it – I am the president of a non-profit board and a committee chair for another non-profit, yoga almost daily, have a dog and a husband with whom I share a hobby. I am going to start casually looking around at openings; the main problem is that a lot of days I just don’t want to be a lawyer anymore, so it’s not like switching firms would help. I would need to change jobs entirely, and I don’t even know how to make that happen.

      1. Try the book & workbook “what color is your parachute” and really do the exercises it gives. It’s old school and lengthy, but very enlightening. That’s why it’s been reprinted so many times.
        May I gently add that should you chose to do it, answer from your honest hearts desires as opposed to “what you think you should answer”.
        Best of luck to you.

      2. Lots of lawyers transition out of the law at some point. There is even a career coaching firm that specializes in this (can’t remember what it’s called but it was featured on the Happy Lawyer podcast). So if that’s what you want to do, go for it! Common options include things like HR, compliance, lobbying, various government jobs or even politics, or niche practices such as privacy specialists, but also I’ve seen lots of people leverage their contacts and move into operations/management/nonprofits/whatever. It might take a while but since you aren’t miserable you can take some time to figure it out. My financial advisor is also an ex-lawyer, which is great because he understands my reality.

    5. I currently have a docket laden with jerks as well, but have learned to sit back and watch them self-destruct rather than getting emotionally invested. Just make sure you capture the most telling moments for your fact finder.

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