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Updated: Apr 4, 2022 107 Comments · by

Coffee Break: Color Sticker Dots

Coffee Break· Organization

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sheets of different colored sticker dots

While we're on the topic of organization — here's another new thing I'm trying: I recently bought color sticker dots in hopes of setting up a system for my freezer — as well as possibly my makeup stuff.

Here's the struggle I'm trying to fix: I prefer to keep my freezer organized by type (meats with meats, veggies with veggies) — but when I do that I can never remember what I bought and when, and it's a pain to find the expiration dates en masse. (Even more so when I buy something that has like a 6-month expiration date, but then stick it in the freezer directly.) So I bought these sticker dots and used an index card to assign a month to each color. Then when I add new items to the freezer, I just slap on this month's sticker — the hope being that I can find the older stuff in a quicker manner.

I'm also going to start using it with makeup products, I think — I have far more makeup products than I can ever use at one time, so I try to keep newly bought products sealed for as long as possible — but then I can never remember which product is oldest (and thus should be tried first).

This was a bigger problem when I was signed up for on of the subscription services (I think I had periods with Birchbox, Ipsy, and Play by Sephora) and there was a constant stream of new products into my collection. Back then I actually printed out address labels with space to write “date in” and “date opened” — but the address labels I used are too big to stick well to the various products, and too small to write on with any clarity. So I've been thinking of taking just a few colors of dots and assigning them 6 month periods of the year – for example, 2022-1 will tell me something came in the first 6 months of 2022, and 2022-2 will tell me it came in the last 6 months. (We'll have to see how this works in practice, though…)

Readers, do you have any weird systems you use for remembering dates for various products, whether makeup, freezer, pantry, or more?

(You can get similar dots to the ones pictured at pretty much any store that sells office supplies — the pictured ones are the ones I got, from Amazon, for $6.99 with Prime. I like the 16 different bright, happy colors (about 140 stickers for each color).)

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{related: here are my old tips for how I froze food in small portions when I was a singleton and newlywed — I'd forgotten that I used to take a flat frozen Ziploc bag with leftovers and just chuck it in my purse before I left for work in the morning…}

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Kat Griffin is the founder, publisher, and editor-in-chief of Corporette. You can read more about her here.

Comments

  1. Anon

    New Yorkers, I need your help! I used to live in NJ and would often just go into the city and to go the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I’d go in, make a donation, and in I’d go. I’d get there when I’d get there (and with traffic and bridges and tunnels, that’s how it goes). Now, I live far away but want to visit and will again be coming from NJ. The website seems to direct out of towners to get a timed entry ticket, but it seems that you can still also wander in and pay and enter when convenient. And since COVID, I really don’t know what to do. Can I just rely on showing up and getting in? We only want to see on exhibit in particular where timed entry might be relevant (Winslow Homer exhibit)? If so, that is much preferred vs trying to predict if I can get there by 11am (and if so, might I want lunch then and art after lunch)? Thanks!

    • Ellen

      Once your in, your in. If you have any questions, you should go to the horses mouth. Just make sure to tell them your from New Jersey, you are confused and just want to get in to see Homer They will understand: Phone: 212-535-7710.

      https://www.metmuseum.org/about-the-met/policies-and-documents/ticketing-and-admission-policies

      I think you can just show up because people are not mobbing the place, especially early. If you need a timed ticket, get there early and then get the ticket for a time later in the day. As for food, I love their food downstairs in the cafe, where you can get healthy as well as greazy stuff. My tuchus should have the word MET stenciled on it b/c I prefer the greazy food there.

      • Ellen

        After I spoke with my dad, he had me look at the websight and I can now tell you (and the rest of the hive) that there is an audio tour showing 20 different paintings: it is right here:

        https://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2022/winslow-homer

        If after listening to these 20 picture descriptions you want to go, just tell them that you saw the audio tour and still want to come. They should hold your tickets at the front desk if you ask them to. YAY Dad!

        Good luck!

    • Anon

      I went on Saturday. You can just show up and buy a ticket — no need for a timed ticket. Definitely less crowded earlier in the am. Have fun!

    • AIMS

      I go to the met a lot and haven’t had a problem just showing up whenever the whim strikes me. The only thing that is different now is you can’t just pay what you wish unless you have a NYC ID. If you’re worried, just buy a ticket when you’re en route.

      • NYCer

        +1. We are members, but I always reserve a ticket right before I go. Never had an issue with a time slot being “sold out.”

      • Anonymous

        Yes, it is no longer pay what you wish unless you are a resident of NY state or a student in NY, NJ or CT.

    • neef

      Try getting there as soon as it opens. By afternoon the line is down the block in both directions

  2. Anon

    Any idea what the post-covid going rate is for dinner party help? My housekeeper generally fills this role, and I can’t remember what I paid her for this the last time we entertained. Does $20/hr sound good? $25? She’d come help me prep (assembling appetizers, etc) and then tidy up throughout the evening. D.C. area.

    • Ellen

      You should spring for $25, because you are dealing with evening work with some people that are likely to drink and spill, let alone pinch. Besides, how much more is it going to cost for an extra 3 hours, $15? Not worth worrying about. Go for $25 and the housekeeper will even clean up for that!

    • Anon 2.0

      With the caveat I am not in the financial position to hire dinner party help, I’d say a flat rate would be best? Since this is likely on a weekend (I’m assuming) I’d try to make it worth her while. Personally, I’d think maybe a flat $200-$300 if she will be there all afternoon and evening sounds fair to me.

      • anon

        That, or if you’re not sure how long it will be, do like $35/hour, with a guarantee of $200 or something –

        $20/hour seems low

    • Anon

      I think you should pay your housekeeper’s regular rate, and then add $50. I used to get asked to do this when I babysat. I’d babysit, then once the kids were down, I’d wash all the dishes and tidy for dinner parties, and I never expected anything different than my normal rate, but I’d get a tip on top, that I normally did not get when babysitting.

  3. Anonymous

    What are your favorite kitchen towels? All of my old C&B ones are faded.

  4. Tennis

    Low stakes question: can anyone recommend pants for playing tennis? I usually take evening lessons so it’s a bit cold for shorts. I’d like something with pockets suitable for holding several b alls. Right now I’m playing in yoga pants which is not ideal because I miss pockets.

    • Anon

      You may have to try on some men’s pants, which always work for this. I had a pair of women’s pants eons ago and now play in a 2-in-1 skort with capri leggings from Athleta. It has adequate pockets. Alternatively, I wear a jacket / vest with pockets and use that vs pockets on bottoms.

    • Anon

      I have some Zella joggers (though they basically are leggings) that have big pockets that could hold several tennis balls.

    • Anon

      I am obsessed with the Athleta Brooklyn pant. Deep pockets, comfortable, washes well, not too fitted. I think they would work!

    • editrix

      Stretchy hiking pants (Columbia, sold at REI) or loose-fitting joggers (I like American Giant).

    • Anon

      Leggings with pockets. Lots of leggings now come with pockets on each leg for phone, keys, etc. but they easily fit tennis balls. If you don’t like those, look for soccer warm up pants – they usually have zippers around the ankles so you don’t trip on baggy legs and zippered pockets.

    • ArenKay

      ASICS makes a great tennis pant. Big pockets for balls, with a bit of give in the legs and ankle zippers.

  5. Anonymous

    I’m single, no kids. I thought about posting on the moms page but want advice from parents and people from different stages in life.

    My good friend, Jane, has four kids under age 10. She and her spouse both work full-time, have fairly demanding jobs that require out of town travel at least 4 nights/month. She lives in a rural area in the Midwest – it is an hour to the nearest Target store, as an example. Their travel schedules are increasing at this stage in the pandemic. Her childcare, frankly, is terrible. She has two kids in school, one kid in half day, 3 day per week preschool, and then that kid and the youngest are in partial day “daycare” with a rotating list of family members and in-home care providers. At least twice a month, she has a different provider fall through- uncle forgot he was going to pick up the kids, sister in law has a conflicting appointment the next day so she can’t watch the kids, etc. I hear these stories almost weekly. I appreciate her telling me struggles but to my outside perspective, I cannot understand why she doesn’t enroll her kids in full-day daycare. I’ve asked (tried to be gentle) and she told me that there are only two centers in their town, both of which are small (kids in a 20×20 room all day), one requires a 2 hour nap/quiet time and she doesn’t think her kid would do that. There are other centers in the farther away cities but it would be almost an hour each day for pick up and drop off. Also, it’s more expensive than using family – about $7500 more per year – but she burns through PTO and pays more for emergency care when family care falls through. Husband actively parents, but he doesn’t help with the scheduling and backups – she does all of the care arrangements.

    I can appreciate the centers are not perfect. My nieces and nephews all went to childcare centers with a fairly small space and they turned out fine (great, actually). I know she is just venting to me when people flake, but I know she spends hours rearranging work meetings or flights so she can then pick up a kid or watch a kid or work remote so she can be around. I want to tell her, “just do the center!!!” … but I know it isn’t that easy. I know kids get sick and can’t go to the center, I know she has a lot of stay at home parent friends and feels guilty about full time out of home care. And yet, I don’t really understand her choice. I guess I’m looking for perspectives and also advice on how to butt out/be there for the venting without constantly thinking, “use a childcare center.” Any advice?

      • Kate

        It sounds like a lot of the friendship is talking about this circus and monkeys, though. When I hear about repeated monkeys and circuses – I try to redirect to another topic. If this is all she has to talk to you about, maybe you can offer a girls trip or even you watch the kids so she and spouse can get away. That would give you something else to plan for and talk about instead of hearing the same thing, over and over. This is not your problem to solve, they have clearly made a decision about it and it is not perfect, this is likely to be a Big Topic for her for at least the next five years, if you want to not hear about it for the next five years you may need to practice the redirection or statements so you do not hear about the circus or monkeys anymore. I had a friend who constantly complained about all the bad things her boyfriend did. Not my circus – but it really impacted my friendship with her when all I could think was, “tell him” or “break up with him”. Easy for me to think, I said it once, then decided not to talk about it with her any more. This was hard to detach from and it did limit what we talked about during that stage of life.

        • Anonymous

          Please don’t offer a girls trip because you’re tired of listening to her lack of childcare. This is about as tone deaf as it comes.

    • Anonymous

      “Yeah that sounds rough. Anyway, what else is new.” She’s making bad choices but you can’t fix them.

          • Anon

            This seems unnecessarily judgy. We have to live in the middle of nowhere for my husbands job. I guess I made a “choice” to live here in the sense that I could have gotten a divorce or my husband could have abandoned the career he’s worked toward since he was a teen and gone back to school for something else. But neither of those things is simple or easy. it wasn’t a choice in the sense of “hey it would be super fun to live in bumblef*ck!”

    • Anon 2.0

      Not just the expense, but with two centers her choices are very limited in term of quality care. There are terrible, terrible daycares out there and she only has two options. (And please don’t read this as anti-daycare. I fully intend on using daycare when/if I have children.). If you only have two, and neither are great (and that small room doesn’t sound that good) you are pretty much stuck. I live in a medium sized city and we recently had a large, multi location daycare get shut down by the state and another that was fined, AGAIN, for letting a child get out the door near a busy street. Good daycare is hard to find for working parents. I’d guess an in home daycare would better fit her needs from what you’ve said, but finding someone trustworthy is not easy either.

    • Katrinka

      Childcare consistency is typically a problem one can throw money at. It seems your friend is actively choosing not to do that, since she can quantify the savings at $7500/year. Given it’s post-tax money, she’s effectively giving herself a raise of $10k+ by doing it this way, which apparently is worth the hassle of all the logistics to her.

      • Anonymous

        Yeah, it’s this.

        OP, I have a similar situation with a friend. She and her husband work full time from home and only have childcare for their children (under age 5) 3 days per week. They live in a major metropolitan area and have many child care options.

        Ultimately, this is a financial decision they made and she’s complaining about the consequences of that decision. I don’t say anything – she’s my friend, I’m not there to judge her decisions. I just let her vent and empathize with how hard it is (which, it’s obviously hard! taking care of 2 kids 2 days a week while also trying to work would be impossible!).

      • anon

        In the area that OP describes, throwing money at the problem really might not be an option. I’m guessing her trust issues with the daycares in town go beyond the 2-hour nap setup and the physical space. She may well feel more comfortable using childcare in the form of people she knows well and already love her kids, regardless of the complications that come with that.

        To be clear, I think her situation sounds terribly hard and I wouldn’t personally choose it, but I can see the other side here.

        • Kit

          She could also hire a trusted nanny or au pair, or pay the family members to induce more accountability. Crappy daycare centers are not the only paid option.

          • anon

            I grew up in a rural area and I am laughing so much at an au pair being considered a real, viable option. Even a nanny is probably a bridge too far. Agree that paying family members would help, though.

    • Anon

      Honestly you also said the kids are different ages. The daycare wouldn’t work for the 10 year old so there might be random school closures, etc. for that one too. We have four kids and our childcare situation is terrible. I’d trust her on the childcare center thing – with only two, there may be long waitlists and she may be only able to get one kid in or another for aftercare or whatnot. Daycares have frequent closures too. She’d have different problems, but she’d still have problems. I spend an inordinate amount of time arranging childcare.

      • anon

        +1 to daycares and schools having frequent closures. My in-laws used to joke that our kid was out of daycare more often than in it. We had a long list of back-up care options. Now that my kid is in school, DH is a SAHD and jokes that school closes when the wind blows in the next state over.

      • Anonymous

        Kids in daycare also are exposed to more, so she’s likely to trade off more sick days for kids and herself and husband as well. She also may want to maximize what time she can have with them and flitting in and out of daycare isn’t always that easy. Daycare workers also can really vary with quality—she or her husband may not be all that trusting that their kid wouldn’t be ignored (especially with a 2 hour nap protocol).

        I don’t have kids, and I learned long ago not to smugly assume I know how to better solve a problem than the parent. It’s easy to armchair quarterback.

    • anon

      I’d take her word for it that the daycare centers aren’t a good fit. My son was in an objectively great, super expensive daycare that was a really bad fit for him. In the 2-3 year old class, he did really poorly in the small classroom (12 kids in a room around 20 x 10), which was busy and noisy and absolutely chaotic. We hoped the next year would be better because the 3-4 year old classrooms were open and full of light and beautiful, and the teacher was great. The classroom was better, the teacher got promoted to the school’s pre-K mid-year, and my son stopped napping. He was basically told to sit still and do nothing for 2 hours… which was 1/6 of the time he was awake in the day. Both issues contributed to behavior problems. This daycare turns out plenty of great kids, but not every kid can just adapt to any environment.

      • Daycare mom

        Yes. To me, daycares are like jobs. They are necessary for many people. Some are great, some are terrible. Some are great for some people and terrible for others.

      • Anon

        Maybe “sit still and do nothing for two hours” is hyperbole but just FYI that it’s against daycare licensing regulations in my state to require a child over 3 to keep trying to nap. They can be told they have to be quiet, but they’re supposed to be given books/toys to entertain themselves if they aren’t asleep within some period of time (I think 30 minutes) and I believe it’s against regulations for them to be forced to stay on the cot. I would not call a daycare that is making non-napping kids lie in the dark for two hours an objectively great place.

        • anon

          My state’s daycare licensing regulations are pretty lax. Maybe you’re right about it not being an objectively great place. It’s perceived as one of the best available options by wealthy people in my area. The ratios are lower than those permitted by the state, the directors and teachers are highly qualified, the space is beautiful (though the 2-3 year old classrooms are small), and they have a play-based learning philosophy which is not the norm in our area. My son definitely had problems there, but it’s hard to say that there was a better option. Which is exactly the point of my post–OP’s friend may be correct that daycare is not the best option for her kids, even if the other options are also problematic.

    • Anonymous

      plus, reminder – the kids under 5 aren’t vaccinated yet so daycare may have been off the table for the past 2 years. plus there are pickups/dropoffs to keep in mind — if her kid is in half-day (and preschool is usually an inconvenient time like 11-2) then daycare isn’t possible without a chauffeur.

      maybe suggest she get an au pair? that would also solve the travel issues.

    • Anon

      That sounds hard for your friend, but just remember that these problems are usually easier to solve from the outsife than the inside. 4 kids who need childcare is a lot! And it would be rough no matter what the arrangement was.

    • Anon

      I have sympathy for her right up until the point of not wanting to pay an extra $7,500 per year. Everything else – cobbling together childcare, trying to parent four kids, dealing with the often terrible options in smaller areas, all that. (We live in a small city in the Midwest and are fortunate to have great childcare, but if we moved even 15 miles away, that wouldn’t be the case.)

      It might seem like she can save all this money by cobbling together care from family, but it’s obviously not working. Ultimately, her choices are to find a new area to live in (that has better care), get a job that doesn’t require all this travel, or suck it up and pay whatever it takes to not be in this situation. If the expensive daycare doesn’t fit the bill, then she and her husband need to figure out a nanny or au pair situation.

      • Anon

        It’s quite possible that spending the $7,500 is not possible for them. It may not be a “I don’t want to pay” and be an “I can’t pay” or “I could pay but then we have to stop xyz”

      • PLB

        I am not bashing this couple but I’m surprised they both have demanding jobs that require travel with four kids daycare- to school-aged!

    • Annony

      The fact that you know this level of detail about her childcare situation indicates to me (a fellow mother) that the real problem here is that you two need other, more interesting things to talk about. Cripes.

    • Anonymous

      Bless you for listening to that. It drives me bonkers when people complain about the consequences of their own decisions.

    • Anonymous

      Also child free here, and from a country where day care is the norm, with enough day care available to cater for almost all children. Lots of legally required PTO, sick days and sick-children-days, my colleagues are regularly at home looking after sick kids, with pay. Not using daycare is considered very weird. This to say that I am 100 percent pro day care.

      Children in day care get sick. They get all the bugs, all the viruses, all the puking, all of it, because the children are exposed to each other. Then the day care kids expose older kids and family to the bugs, and all the family get sick. There’s at least a whole year of this for each day care kid.

      It’s very possible that your friend has done the math and found that the twice a month panic is leaving her in a better place, PTO wise, money wise, stress wise than having the day care bug situation. It could very possibly be her best choice where it matters for her sanity.

      But you don’t have to listen to the rants. You don’t have to listen to the venting. You can ask her once – are you venting or looking for advice? And if she says venting, you are allowed to tell her that it gets a bit much, and how about going for a hike instead.

      • Anon

        I wonder if clean air changes will improve this (or maybe the bugs aren’t respiratory anyway!).

        • Anon

          Doubtful. A lot of viruses (even respiratory ones) spread through touch/surfaces more effectively than Covid does. Little kids in daycare put everything in their mouths, so better ventilation isn’t going to do much.

    • Anonymous

      Parent of two kids, both of whom are/ were in daycare. Take her word for it that the centers are not right for her kids.

      Something’s got to give, and maybe it’s lobbying or voting for state funding for early education? It *is* terrible. And you can imagine it’s worse for lower-paid service workers who may get their work schedules only on short notice.

      If Jane has a lot of SAHP friends and a lot of social capital, perhaps she can spend some of it on trading care duty with those friends. I’ll watch my friends’ kids for their weekend date night, my kid carpools with theirs to soccer, that sort of thing. But trust that she has probably already considered these options.

      • Anonymous

        Also, just…talk to her about other things? I talk to my childfree friends about food, about great books and terrible tv and who wore what at the Oscars, about the state of politics, and about our hobbies. Even my SAHP friends want to talk about stuff other than their kids all the time.

      • BeenThatGuy

        I love the “social capital” comment. I have a lot of this. My young teen as a before school activity that requires drop off at 545am and pick up at 7am, twice a week. I usually do both drop off and pick up because I’m free that early. Yes, it’s a long day but I buys me “social capital”. Other parents do the driving around of my child for the 3pm-6pm stuff that I can never do. I’m not sure this an option for OP’s friend but there’s a tremendous amount of pay back involved.

    • Anon

      Maybe the daycare centers in town really are terrible and she doesn’t want to basically send her kids to jail, aka a tiny room where they will get yelled at and be miserable all day. There’s a lot of guilt there if most of their walking hours are spent in misery. It sounds easy to send your kid to daycare but even sending your kid to well regarded daycare can be a anxiety-inducing decision.

      That aside, speaking as someone who sends kids to daycare, having the kids miss only a two days of childcare per month due to conflicts is pretty good. We’ve easily missed a solid month so far this year due to Covid, a horrible week long stomach bug, and colds. Lots of parents are at their breaking points and daycare may not be the better choice.

    • Anonymous

      She doesn’t want your advice.

      The answer is either use a daycare or get other paid childcare (nanny, etc) but she doesn’t want to spend the money.

      I have 3 kids under 8, I get it! But she’s made the decision that the current approach is best. “That sounds hard” is all you can say.

    • Seventh Sister

      I have a dear, longtime friend who never had a childcare situation she liked, ever, whether it was a family member or a nanny or a preschool or school aftercare. As a member of Team Daycare Parent (with relatively low expectations), I just had to kind of detach. Honestly, Mary Poppins herself could have floated down from Heaven and my friend would have complained about MP giving the kids sugar and letting them spend time with chimney sweeps. Unless she asks you for a solution, don’t try and solve this problem for her.

    • anon

      This is a systems problem that we all need to have changed. It impacts all of us regardless of our parenting and caretaking responsibilities.
      Advocate politically to get investment in quality childcare and pre-K.

  6. Anonymous

    Does anyone do West Coast Swing? Thinking of trying it out after work. Could I do work dress I can move in/tights/ballroom practice shoes (essentially character shoes)? Or is there something else I should put on my feet.

    • Anon

      They will tell you in the class what you need if it’s a beginner class. Enjoy!

      • Anonymous

        I’m sure but I have lots of shoe options at home, would like to bring the best of what I have.

        • Anon

          In that case I’d wear the character shoes since they’re meant for dance.

    • anon

      We used to have a beginner class in my workplace pre-covid (this was normal in my big corporate workplace, with lunch break yoga, toastmasters, various brown bags and socials and other options). We learned some basic steps and figures, and most of the people wore their normal shoes, ranging all the way from ballerinas to work boots.
      I hope the class comes back one day!

    • Meara

      Yes! WCS is awesome! And heels really aren’t required—the traditional shoe is just like a 1.5” heel and lots of people wear Toms or flat/low heel dance boots. But for beginner class anything you can move in is fine and shoes that aren’t grippy. Good luck!!

  7. Want to Quit

    How long before a big trial or hearing is it okay to leave your job? I am a junior partner and would be attending and taking some witnesses but not first or even second chair and I have minimal (hardly any) direct contact with the client. I don’t want to burn anyone, but with scheduling the way it is these days it feels like there is always something big a couple away or sooner. How can I handle this gracefully? How long is too long to ask a new job to wait?

    • Anonymous

      Give notice now. You’re not irreplaceable. There’s always a reason to stay, so don’t wait.

    • Anon

      Eh – agree with just quit. I would say if you’ve get an offer a month before trial that maybe you try to negotiate leaving after the trial if possible and give notice accordingly (giving notice ASAP with the understanding your firm may replace you anyway).

    • Katrinka

      Oh my gosh, just go. Two weeks’ notice is your only professional obligation IMO. “Taking some witnesses” = can easily be covered by someone else.

    • anon

      Look at your partnership agreement and figure out what your notice period is. I know of plenty of firms that can require you to stay on for 60 to 90 days. If there is none, and assuming you’ve cleared conflicts, pick a date a month or six weeks out as your new start date. Give notice, indicate you have some flexibility in your last day (e.g., a week or two) to handle transition or, sometimes you can work out a deal where an attorney leaves the firm and still works on a trial. If they ask you to leave right away, enjoy the mini break from work.

  8. Anon

    Help me find the right words? I recently spent a couple days with a group of old friends. We have a lot of history and I do care about them but we’re at really different places. I just found them really annoying. I was polite but distant, and I feel like I owe them an apology for being sort of standoffish. What would you say?

    • Anonymous

      Omg nothing. “Sorry I wasn’t super friendly I realized too late I don’t particularly like you”?!

      • Anon

        My kid got a text demanding that she stop talking to a kid at school because that kid found my kid to be annoying. 2022 is rough.

    • Anon

      Nothing. Or “I had a great time on Thursday. If I seemed off, I just have a lot of random nonsense on my mind lately.” Which I think they will get. OTOH, maybe just let it be that you’re not really clicking with them these days. It may be the sort of thing you can just let go vs getting into the weeds of.

      • Monday

        Yeah, I would be contacting them to clarify because I really like them and want to be invited again. If those things aren’t true in this case, I don’t think it makes sense to say anything. You can regret acting off with them, but also just let the friendships fade.

    • Anonymous

      Why would you say something? What do you think that would achieve?

      They probably didn’t even notice you were distant or have chalked it up to no longer clicking as well the same way you did. They’re just being less dramatic about it.

    • anon

      Nothing. Not sure if it’s me, or the year 2022, or what, but I haven’t felt at ease with some of my friends lately. But I definitely don’t want to close the door completely. Besides, if I limited myself to only being friends with people in my exact place in life, I’d be pretty darn lonely.

    • Anon

      I got a little paranoid reading your email! I was out with longtime friends this weekend and one friend was talking about a really bad thing she has been going through, and I could sense the friend next to me at the table getting impatient with her. Which I thought was awful!

      We are not ourselves these days. I say cut them some slack until everyone re-learns how to behave in-person.

  9. Anonymous

    dumb question but can anyone help me troubleshoot a salami rosette? i made one the other day for a charcuterie board (following a youtube video that said to use a wine glass) and it flopped down immediately.

    (any other fun tips for charcuterie trays?)

  10. Anon

    I posted last week that I bought all the mascaras recommended in the comments and the post on the Drugstore makeup post (3/9/22).

    My issue I was trying to fix was mascara that flaked by the end of the day.

    The winner was easily, clearly Maybelline Lash Stiletto. Thank you to Anon for recommending it. It’s mostly lengthening, so I have to go back for a second coat (right eye, left eye, right eye, left eye) to get any thickening, but it stays on without flaking and comes off easily when I wash my face. Total winner, and I’m much happier replacing a cheap mascara frequently vs a $30 mascara, so I’m really happy to have found a drugstore cheapie. I got two for $17 on special.

    • Anon

      Thanks for reporting back! I am so far out of the daily make-up scene (WFH for years now) that my last two Sephora Christmas mascara samplers are unopened. Dang, I should check them.

      • Anon

        I mostly wear makeup for Zoom! But I do like to have mascara on for that, otherwise I feel like you can’t see my eyes at all.

    • Anon

      Woohoo! I won! I’m strangely proud that I gave a good mascara recommendation.

  11. Anon

    Has anyone had a good experience with Warby Parker. I’m in the middle of a bad experience that appears to be edging toward horrible and I wanted to hear others’ experiences.

    Basically I went to the store, picked a frame, had my pupillary distance measured, paid for the glasses and it has been over a month with absolutely terrible communication. They apparently made my order wrong, which took 8 days, sent it back for “express” service, I heard nothing for 20+ days, then yesterday someone from the store emailed me yesterday to come pick up my glasses. I was already in my car about to head there a good hour later when I got another email saying “never mind, we don’t have your glasses.”

    Then today I got an email saying “we received your order”, which makes it look like a new order. I click the link and the website says “you have no orders” (whereas during the prior 28 days it at least showed “pending.”

    I’m ready to cancel altogether but they’ve had my money for a month, and I really did like the frames.

    • Anon

      Have you talked to the store manager? Because I ordered and received, and updated later when my prescription changed, and all happened within a few business days. This really isn’t normal.

    • Anon

      I’ve only heard good things! I swear every interaction with every office and company and store has been like this lately though.

    • Patricia Gardiner

      Wow that’s terrible (and unusual in my experiences with them). I’ve ordered glasses through a store once, and by mail at least twice, and it’s always been promptly and accurately shipped to me.

    • Anonymous

      I didn’t like my WP glasses. They always seemed fuzzier than my Costco or Visionworks glasses.

  12. PEeach

    I like the color sticker freezer idea, Kat. My method is to use plain, rectangular, water-soluble stickers and just write what the item is along with the date on it. Water soluble is key for me. I don’t want to deal with glue residue. Not sure whether your stickers would have that problem. For stuff that isn’t leftovers (i.e., frozen peas, puff pastry, ice cream, etc.), I don’t think the water soluble stickers would matter. Color would work well.

    There is a book called It’s Always Freezer Season that has some good ideas about freezing, too. I checked the digital copy out at the library. The authors talk about having a list of what is in the freezer that is crossed off as stuff gets taken out. That way, you know what you have without having to dig through the freezer and speculate. I think you leave the list attached to the freezer door or someplace convenient.

    Love glass Pyrex, too! Similar sized, rectangular containers make the most efficient use of space.

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