Deal Alert: Nordstrom Designer Clearance (And TONS of Other Markdowns)

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1. I need a new bag to carry my laptop and other documents to and from work. I have been using a $30 Nine West tote from TJMaxx for the past 8 months, but the straps are now falling apart. I am willing to spend more for quality this time, but I’d prefer to keep it below $200. I am in my first job (engineer, one year out of school) and I have never bought a designer bag before.

   I’d like something that can hold my laptop (13″ width), water bottle, snacks, etc, but is no larger than necessary as I really hate large tote bags.

   So far I like the Michael Kors jet set east west (not the top-zip version), and Kate Spade Jensen, Elissa, and Maise, so that gives you an idea of my style — sturdy, relatively plain with no flourish. For any of these ones, I would probably buy used-but-not-damaged from eBay and I’ve seen ones in my price range. Any other suggestions?

   To clarify, I don’t necessarily want a designer name. I’m happy with a no-name, no-logo, as long as it is of a quality that will last me awhile. And on that note, can anyone comment on the lasting quality Michael Kors or Kate Spade totes? Or recommend another brand known for long lasting laptop-sized totes? I’ve seen some used ones on eBay with the straps kind of falling apart, so I’m not sure if that is a common failure mode of if these original users are just really rough on their handbags.

   1. I feel like I post this a lot, but I love my Tumi tote bags. I get the Sinclair Q totes, large size in coated canvas with coordinating leather straps. I have black and beige and that’s really all I need. They are great for travel, obviously coming from a travel company, and I appreciate the built in sleeve to slip over my roller bag handle.

      They are sturdy as heck. I’ve had the black for three years and the beige for two.

      I stopped switching bags on the weekend because I have found that I really count on being able to stuff anything into my bag (scarves, shopping purchases, books etc)

   2. Hmm, So I have the Kors Jet Set (MacBook Edition) and the straps simply don’t hold up for daily laptop carrying. Well, not at least for carrying my heavy work laptop and gear. I had to have mine replaced at year 2 which wasn’t too bad a price but still not something I should have done.

      I don’t have an answer for you. You’re looking for my unicorn.

      I’ve reverted to daily use to a Fossil bag that’s no longer available and save the Kors for “look good” time.

      1. I have the same Kors Jet Set macbook edition and haven’t had trouble with the straps.

   3. I second Anon @ 1:59 – I’m obsessed with my Tumi Voyageur bag. It really can hold any and everything you could possible need. It’s fantastic.

   4. +1 to Tumi tote. They have outlets in some cities.

   5. Check the Kate Spade surprise sale. Limited selection but good deals. How long are you expecting it to last?

      1. Also check out Dagne Dover. They are super sturdy, come in fun as well as classic colors, and most importantly, have pockets for EVERYTHING. I have two that I have used daily for work (carrying laptop, multiple notebooks, books, files, water bottle, and other heavy stuff) for a year-plus, and they show no signs of wear at all. A little above your price range but not too far above ($265-ish if I remember correctly, and they sometimes have sales).

   6. I love my Coach Stanton Caryall (the larger one). I’d have to double check but I think my 13″ laptop would fit and I regularly carry around my water bottle and a lot of stuff. It’s above your price range, but they occasionally go on sale and would get closer to your range.

      It can be carried with the shoulder straps or crossbody. I switch back and forth in hopes of not wearing either out.

      I did have a flaw on the connection for the crossbody strap, which snapped after about 1.5 months of use. Coach replaced it for me right away without any hassle. I’ve had the new one for 6+ months and it still looks brand new. I really think the straps will hold up nicely. They feel extremely sturdy.

2. Where’s Ellen? I’m missing here.

   1. Ellen responded to one of my posts a few days back and I felt all tingly inside.

   2. I am here! I have been VERY busy lateley, and am not abel to p’ost as regulearly as I have in the past. The manageing partner is trying to get me to bill 8000 hours this year, but I told him that was OUT of the question. FOOEY on that kind of slave labor!

      But we are all goeing to his house this weekend in the Hamton’s (includeing Myrna) and it’s suposed to be warm enough for swimming. If NOT, we will go out on his boat. YAY!!!!

      1. Grate! Sorry your boss is so pushy, but I think he’s got your best interests at hart. Hang in their.

3. I swear I dont work for them, but I got a Cuyana zip top tote for Christmas that I love. It doesnt have any organization to speak of, but it seems really sturdy and well made.

4. Doesn’t the half yearly sale start soon? Like tomorrow? Does anyone know if these prices are likely to go down even more over the next couple of days? I know Nordie’s will price match but I’d kind of like to save myself the trouble.

   1. They will add the items currently on sale to the half yearly and if they get marked down further they are great about adjustments. If you see something today that you Must Have don’t wait for a further markdown and have your size sell out in the interim (ask me how I know)

      1. The sweater I had in my cart for less than 5 minutes sold out by the time I went to check out. I’ll be quicker on the draw next time.

         1. I ordered a bunch of stuff at their last sale and they let my order go through and emailed me a few days later that everything was sold out. So don’t blame yourself.

5. I am in love with those very weird mules that I would have no occasion to wear…but I am so enamored of them for some reason.

   1. They are gorgeous and would look great with trousers for work and skinny jeans for the weekend.

6. If I had $600 to burn, I would totally rock this:

   http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/moschino-the-powerpuff-girls-bubbles-canteen-crossbody-bag/4271992?origin=category-personalizedsort&fashioncolor=BLUE

7. I need advice. I work in a high stress environment but generally enjoy my work and my job. The problem is I have one coworker on my very small team who has an incredibly toxic attitude. She does good work and behaves well enough with our supervisor, but I’m having a hard time not letting her grumpiness and anger pull me down day after day. For what it’s worth, we both have some well-founded grievances, but being furious and negative day after day isn’t going to solve anything!
   We sit right across from each other. I wear headphones with happy music going to try to not hear her snippy little comments but she honestly radiates negativity. Any suggestions on how to keep my spirits up and not let her pull me down?

   1. I would start a daily meditation practice – 5 minutes in the morning when you wake up, 5 minutes at lunch, 5 minutes before bed – and increase as you can/have time. IME, this makes me more mindful and allows me to keep other people’s negative attitudes from affecting me. It really helps me let things roll off my back, so to speak. This is timely because coworkers and customers have been driving me nuts this week and I haven’t been good about meditating regularly recently. I do not believe this is a coincidence!

   2. Move your desk.

      Make up a reason….. Lights giving you migraines, allergies whatever…

8. I need help managing my charitable contributions! I used to give a little to a lot of organizations. Now I’m on 5 zillion mailing lists and I get so overwhelmed that I have barely given anything recently.

   So… should I just pick 1-2 orgs and give a lot? Or one org a month? What’s the best way to do this?

   And what is the best percentage of one’s income to give? I’m embarrassed to say that I don’t think I give enough, but I don’t know what enough is.

   1. Pick the number of orgs you can handle – less than 5. Give 10% if you can afford it. Shred everything else. Like the rest of your budget, choose where to spend your money and then don’t spend it at the other places. When I can afford it I figure I’ll give like 50% of my donations to local charities (planned parenthood, food bank), 25% to international charities (refugees, malaria), and 25% to charities that don’t need it (college.). You can adjust your pie depending on your priorities.

      1. Oh also put some aside for when personal friends ask for donations. If someone I know is running a marathon for charity or such I have a set amount I give.

   2. “What is the best percentage of one’s income to give?” Obviously, this is a very personal decision. My ex, who grew up on food stamps, really didn’t want to give anything to charity. He was very concerned with financial stability and wanted as large a financial cushion as possible. I think Wildkitten is on the very high end with giving 10% (Wildkitten, are you tithing?) I prefer to give away a total of 1% of my w2 income to two different charities. These checks are both sub $1k, so, honestly, not very meaningful to the organizations. It was important to me to contribute to groups that address problems I think are important. In my case that means I donate to an educational charity (my alma mater which does not need the money) and to a welfare to work charity.

      1. It’s an aspiration, not a reality. 1% seems very low to me though.

   3. I find two organizations that are meaningful to me and give most generously to them in money and time. I do give small donations if someone I care about is doing something they’re passionate about (like a friend raising money for an Alzheimer’s non profit) on a case by case bases.

      For your situation, it sounds like maybe giving to a community foundation that then disperses (and often offers training and other support) to multiple non profits maybe a good way to help bc it would cut down on your feeling of overwhelm. That way you could choose whether to give monthly or one annual gift. Another similar idea would be to give to something like the United way.

      I would donate at the schedule that makes sense for you.

      1. This is great advice.

9. Question for you all. I’m getting married next month. It’s a rural Canadian East-Coast beach wedding outside. Very casual, but fairly large.

   I’m dithering between the Stuart Weitzman NearlyNude in bright blue suede (http://www.stuartweitzman.ca/eng/products/nearlynude/black-suede/) and Manolo Blahnik denim sandals (http://tinyurl.com/gsx26hu). Both are comfortable and I’ve walked around in them; with the sale on at Saks they’re not too far apart from each other in price. The dress is knee-length so shoes matter a bit more than they otherwise would.

   Any thoughts on what the best bet is? It’s a lot of money for wedding shoes, so I want ones I can wear again and I’m not sure if either of those fit the bill. I’m normally maxing out in the Cole Haan shoe category, so this is going a bit outside of my comfort zone.

   1. 1. Those shoes look the same as each other. I don’t see bright blue but bright blue would be the most fun.
      2. Blister band-aids.
      3. Maybe you should find a less expensive shoe you love more instead of dropping 5 hundos on a shoe you seem ambivalent about?

   2. If you don’t like them, get neither. There are ton a beautiful blue shoes that you may feel more comfortable with. Personally I would go bright blue over denim, though. A denim shoe is more likely to be dated.

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