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Frugal Friday’s Workwear Report: Double-Pleat Wide-Leg Pants

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A woman wearing a black top, belt, dark green pants, and black heels

Our daily workwear reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices.

There was a time when I fervently resisted pleated pants, but now it seems like I can’t get enough of them. These wide-leg pants from Gemma + Jane come in seven great colors, but the emerald green really jumped out at me. I have quite a collection of olive green pants, but nothing quite like this.

I think these pants would look great with some of the short-sleeve cashmere sweaters I grabbed in the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale for a relaxed, business casual look.

The pants are $29.97 at Nordstrom Rack and come in sizes S-XL.

Sales of note for 8/7:

205 Comments

  1. Long shot but has anyone stayed at the Sun Valley Lodge recently (with a toddler)? We’re considering splurging for a ski trip next year for the convenience and the history but more than a couple recent reviews mentioned maintenance issues or poor service. Nothing bothers me more than a splurge being really disappointing so I thought I would ask here where it’s generally free of paid and AI bot reviews! Happy Friday.

    1. There’s been a fair amount of ski chat on the mom’s board this year, and I believe Sun Valley has come up specifically several times. You might try asking over there on Monday.

      1. I stayed there last fall and didn’t have any issues. One of the heated pools was being repaired but they have two so it was not a big deal. Really enjoyed it with my 10 year old but we didn’t ski- it was October.

  2. Snack ideas- my daughter is headed to a week long overnight sports camp. They will be in dorms and eating in the cafeteria but have been told to bring snacks. What are some ideas for between meal snacks for athletes that don’t require refrigeration over a week?

    So far I have nuts, bananas, protein bars, apples (hard with braces) for the first few days anyway. She normally does a lot of berries and yogurt which won’t work. Maybe PB + crackers? Her roommate is a teammate and doesn’t have allergies so nuts are fine.

    1. If you have a Trader Joes, I’d just take your daughter with you and go down each aisle for inspiration. Could do the same with any grocery store. Dried fruit, crackers, cereal bars, gummy snacks, and maybe some more fun, junky options like candy or cookies.

      1. TJ has great dried fruit and freeze dried berries. My kids like the freeze dried strawberry ones but pack gently bc they get crushed easily.

        Jerky sticks are great if she will eat that.
        Sunflower seeds, pistachios, granola.

    2. I don’t know if I can say “as an athlete,” but as a person who camps and hikes a lot, I stay away from too many bad carbs and too much salt, which is easy to get in shelf-stable foods.
      Get some quart ziplocks in case she’s not hungry enough to eat a whole package.
      For energy first, I love peanut M&Ms.
      I also really like a mix of nuts and dried fruit, but it’s not for everyone. There are some good Emerald nut snack packs like this that I keep at work.
      I will make my own granola with lots of nuts, dried fruit, honey-nut cheerios (the best cereal solo IMO) etc. in it vs just junk.
      A lot of dried fruit isn’t hard, but more like a more leathery fruit roll-up (and I like those, even though they are really processed).
      Animal crackers — the Nabisco ones are delicious and not complete garbage.
      I also like a plain potato chip (like Lay’s) or Pringles (don’t get smushed).
      And if they have a microwave, Chef Boyardee beef mini-rav is a great dorm food. You just need some paper bowls and disposable forks.

      1. She’s getting those too. She’s just going to need more than that if she’s playing on fields all day long.

        1. Ice cream and smoothies are usually available around college campuses and dining halls.

          1. they are going to have dining hall access for meal only. Also, I made a list that had candy and other fun stuff on it and her text back to me was “can we do some home made protein balls or something instead of all that packaged stuff? And maybe some protein popcorn?” I was…not like that at 14! :)

          2. Tbh, it sounds like she has an idea of what she wants and what would work well for her body! so I’d just tell her to add it to the shopping list, or send her to the store with X$ and congratulate yourself on raising such a competent, self knowledgeable and responsible kid!

    4. What kinds of snacks does she like to eat at home other than yogurt? My kids favorites are pretzels and Z bars. I would probably throw in some gummy candies and peanut m&ms too. Oranges are also easy and keep for a while.

      1. Mostly stuff that comes from the fridge which is why I was looking for new ideas. Got some good ones and inspired a couple ideas for her too.

    5. From a runner in the SEUS – the peanut butter sandwich crackers, nerd gummies, fruit snacks, gummi bears and the peach rings. All of these will keep relatively ok in the heat. Protein bars are tough because they are like a brick in your tummy. I’d also add some of the electrolyte packets to put in her water. If she’s at sports camp, especially outside, the priority is enough calories, forget about making them healthy calories.

    6. Here’s what I’d want (in addition to some cookies, chocolate, etc):
      small watermelon + knife and board
      cherry tomatoes, avocados, bread, salt
      can of black beans + can of corn
      tinned sardines or tuna, crackers
      plums

      1. I can’t imagine she’ll have the prep space or an easy way to wash those items. Some of those also necessitate cutlery and a plate or bowl.

      2. She’s 14 and probably not going to be making canned beans in a dorm room (I did chuckle at the thought though) BUT watermelon is actually a great idea and her favorite. Not sure how camp will feel about a big knife though so TBD.

        1. Don’t you refrigerate watermelon after you cut it? I can’t imagine she would eat an entire watermelon in one sitting….

          2. Share with friends! A small watermelon and a few friends who are thirsty after sports and it’ll be gone in a flash.

    7. Is this staying in college dorms? If so, worth checking if they have mini fridges and microwaves – at my school, that stuff was provided with the dorm & also left over the summer for the use of summer camps that were in the dorms.

    8. Roasted chickpeas (Whole Foods)
      Roasted lentils (I buy online at Amaz0n)
      PB and crackers sounds great.
      Oranges/clementines
      A container filled with homemade brownies or chocolate cookies that she can share when she arrives.

      No need to avoid salt, as if she is playing sports and sweating all day she needs the salt replacement.

    9. What about apple sauce pouches or other fruit pouches. Go go Squeeze makes shelf stable yogurt pouches. They taste a little too sweet for me, but my kids love them.

  3. A bit TMI – my apologies. I just started vaginal estradiol last night. Followed instructions – put a gram in the tube, inserted as far as possible and plunged. Went straight to bed, and noticed this morning that I had quite a bit drip out when I urinated. For some reason, I expected it to be absorbed way more than it was. Normal? Should I plan to wear a thin pad the next day to protect undies? Appreciate your wisdom.

    1. Normal. I switched from this to a capsule insert called Imvexxy that’s less of a pain to insert and a little less drippy.

    2. Seconding that this is completely normal. Would recommend a thin liner for the next day.

    4. Adding that you can also rub it in to help it absorb better. I think discharge is inevitable, though.

  4. Anyone renewed their passport online lately? I need to renew, have 2.5 months between trips, and trying to decide if regular processing “allow 6 weeks” per the renewal s-te is a fair buffer to have it renewed.

    1. Not recently, but a year or two ago (so, much closer to any Doge-related interruptions), it took about 3 weeks.

      1. Considering the disruptions started abruptly 1-20-25, do you remember if it was before or after this?

        1. I am not the poster above but renewed in March 2025 and had my new passport in hand in two weeks. I did not pay to expedite.

    3. My husband renewed his online December before our trip in February. He received it in ~3 weeks.

      1. Same, or even quicker. I think I received mine within 11 days after renewing online in January, even though I didn’t select express processing.

        That being said, if I had had a trip that I couldn’t miss, I would pay the extra fee in a heartbeat. I was traumatized (lol) back in 2007 when my daughter’s passport took 20 weeks to arrive, and we finally got it three days before her trip. My elderly parents, who were taking her abroad, were freaking out and blamed it on me.

    4. I did expedited processing with overnight shipping. Turn around time was 10 days from the day I dropped it off. Honestly, for the extra $100, it’s worth it for piece of mind.

    5. I just submitted mine for renewal online on June 22nd and it was delivered to me on June 9! I’m in the DMV area but not sure if that matters.

    6. I renewed my passport online in January. I had my new passport in less than a week.

    8. Thanks all! (OP of the question here) glad to hear it seems to be running smoothly.

    9. Yes. I submitted online on June 20 and received it July 14th. I paid for the faster shipping but no other expedited service.

    11. Very recently renewed mine and it took less than 30 days to renew online and receive in the mail. This was regular and not expedited.

  5. from the conversation yesterday about soap operas…

    Can you try non-american shows? I think a lot of other countries have similiar programming or still maintain this style of programs. You’ll have subtitles probably but I think its fun to see what tropes seem to resonate in other cultures media vs american media.

    I missed scheduled tv programs that we grew up with. TV that came on at certain times and ypu spent all week waiting for the next new episode of smallville or whatever. Between prime time weeknight dramas, saturday morning cartoons, sunday afternoon cooking shows and This Old House, afterschool teen shows ….

    With the prevelance of streaming and the ability to binge a season of something in a weekend is great, I think there’s something to extending that dopamine hit into smaller chunks over longer periods of time.

    I’ve set up a personal tv show schedule for myself (obv if i have actual plans or work those are priority):

    My schedule

    Tuesday 8-10 pm is dramas, adventure or thrillers. Right now 1 hour long ep of show A, and 1 30min episode of each of shows B and C.

    Friday: Movie night. Something I havent seen before.

    Saturday AM: anime, 1 or 2 episodes in the background in the morning

    Sunday: late afternoon or early evening, documentary or non fiction type episode. 50% chance this turns into a dad style nap on the couch.

    I’ve not gotten this self restraint down fully yet. 2 sundays ago I did get 3 episodes deep into Trust Me on Netflix before realizing what I had done.

      1. It’s been fun. If you use chatgpt you could tell it the kinds of shows you want watch, specific shows you’re in the middle of, or have on a watchlist. Have it make you a calendar of what episodes to watch and when- like you’d get in the paper.

        Most Netflix shows are 4 or 8 epsiodes now (remember 20 episode seasons amd season premiers?!) – that’s now a full 1 or 2 months of entertaiment to enjoy.

    2. I used to have a CBS Sunday morning routine, stopped after a recent fluffy JD Vance profile. the propaganda was so obvious.

  6. Lighting help needed! We have a laundry room off the mudroom that needs a new flush mount ceiling light. I had something utilitarian before but it only looks good with Edison-type lights and I want the room a lot brighter. Any ideas where to shop for something not boring with some personality? Cabinets are painted a teal with black matte handles, sink is stainless steel. Thank you!!

    1. Laundry rooms are utilitarian rooms. I agree that Edison/exposed lightbulbs are annoying, but simple, bright and utilitarian is the play here. I would get something that fit my functional requirements at Lowes, Home Depot or your local ACE, and save the decorative fixtures for more public spaces in your house.

      2. This. I bought the commercial electric 11 inch LED flush mount disk light to put in my laundry room and have zero regrets. Blends right into the ceiling and is under $40.

      3. I hear you, but in my setup (not the OP on this), I have a boob light, which I loathe.

    2. Edison bulbs are the bane of my existence. I much prefer frosted glass in an interesting shape. Personally I like to go to my local antique shop for light fixtures, they require them all in house.

    3. I really like Pottery Barn light fixtures. Really good quality for the price and not boring.

    4. related question – am i the only one who inevitably chooses a lighting fixture that is difficult to fit lightbulbs in? i’ve done it 3x now in wildly different light fixtures.

    6. I don’t have a fixture rec, but be sure to get daylight bulbs since it makes it easier to spot stains and such.

      I also hate Edison bulbs, they give off such a glare.

  7. I just bought a pair of wide-legged pleated pants like this and my husband greeted me when I got home with “MC Hammer!” I had to break it to him that this is what the professionals are wearing these days.

    1. My poor husband just can’t with pleats. He’s always looking at me like he thinks I’m woefully unaware that I’m a fashion victim.

      1. I think pleats are especially noticeable for older millennial/young Gen X men because of the huge shift to flat front khakis and dress trousers when they were in their early working years. Pleats were for old dudes.

  8. I am a researcher considering applying for a government relations position. As a researcher I have a substantial amount of experience dealing with policymakers on the level that this position would interact with, although not the specific people and not in an advocacy role; I currently present information and facilitate discussions with policymakers. The position is not directly related to my current field. I have a few questions for anyone with experience in government relations.

    -Is this even worth pursuing, or would my resume immediately get tossed out?
    -I am not a heavy user of LinkedIn. I only have about 100 connections, partly because I don’t connect with everyone I meet and partly because a fair number of people in my current field don’t even have LinkedIn accounts, and don’t post terribly frequently. Is this a red flag that would get my resume tossed out?
    -I have two headshot choices for LinkedIn: a professional one that looks very stiff and a more casual one, in which I am wearing a jean jacket but look genuine and approachable. Which should I use?
    -Should I add my volunteer work to my resume to show that I am sociable and connected in the community? If so, I assume I should leave off anything with the slightest religious connotation? Does that change if I am in a purple state with large deep red areas but the employer would be on the blue-ish side?
    -Anything else I should know about positioning myself?

    1. Most GR positions are going to strongly prefer someone who has directly worked FOR the government (I.e., prior work experience as a congressional staffer). I would talk up your connections with that audience as much as possible, but I think it’d be a tough road.

      1. +1 but also you don’t know until you try.
        On your other questions, religious and political affiliations have no place in your professional profile. Get a profile shot in between what you described – friendlier but professional.

    2. So I work for government, I get lobbied. I find the most effective (and thus staff who last the longest) are prior government employees, they understand the game and what is and isn’t within range. There’s also a strong contingent of loud white men, absolutely awful at their jobs but I guess their bosses don’t notice?

      Definitely use the more formal headshot. Avoid anything religious, there’s one particular lobbyists I work with who is religious and even though his advice is generally sound I give it a very critical look. Community connection only matters if it’s relevant to the role (ex/ you’re working on zoning policy and have experience with the local co-ops) otherwise it’s just sort of weird like why are you telling me you feed the homeless when this is a role about clean energy?

    3. I run a small UK charity that does a lot of advocacy, which I joined from being a civil service policy official in the same field. I think this heavily depends on what you mean by the position not being directly related to your current field. imo it’s a hard sell to have neither direct advocacy experience nor subject matter expertise (in which I’d include experience with the specific people you’d be interacting with). That doesn’t necessarily mean not worth going for but in positioning yourself I would emphasise your ability to build relationships quickly, how you’d get up to speed with the field, and your general credibility around policymaking (not just research, which is part of it but not the whole thing). Assuming you’re in the US where it seems like a lot of people are being turfed out of or trying to leave the public sector you’ll probably be up against current or recent colleagues of the policymakers you’d be interacting with.

    4. You can apply if you want to, but I wouldn’t expect anything to come of it. I’m a lobbyist and was laid off in January. I’ve got 15 years of policy experience and 10 years lobbying, with impressive legislative victories on my resume. I haven’t had luck getting interviews – in my former field or out of it. Now, I’m not in DC anymore, so I’m applying for remote or state and local roles, so that’s probably a good part of my challenge, but the vibe out there seems to be that employers want *exactly* what they’ve written in the job description with no deviation. I honestly don’t know what they would think of a lobbyist application from someone who hasn’t lobbied. If you’re strong on the policy and can demonstrate good people skills, they might not immediately throw you out, but I can’t say whether or not you’d get an interview.

    5. I’m a lobbyist and would definitely consider your resume if you have expertise in a particular policy issue and experience working with policymakers. I think a lot of the lobbying tasks can be taught more easily than the policy expertise, so I encourage you to apply! I agree with others that leaving off religious stuff would be wise.

      1. Agree! Also, play up any association experience in your industry. I think your technical expertise and ability to communicate an asset, but not everyone will think so.

        Also look at industry associations

  9. I did a brief spell as a T&E lawyer, where people would make gifts to pay for relatives school costs. The catch was that the gift has to go directly to the school to pay the tuition. How does this work in the year of our lord 2026 where there are portal after portal, FERPA waivers (for relatives who are >18), and most people don’t have a POA to let them act for competent adults. The only easy way I can think of is to give the student relative an additional credit card on older relative’s existing account and then charge tuition on that and then older relative pays the bill when it comes in. IDK if university bursar’s offices have people for this (maybe at places like Vandy, etc.)? An in-law wants to do this and yet has arthritis, zero patience to investigate all this, and about 5 younger relatives who go to a variety of schools.

    1. Can’t you just create a portal account for the elderly relative and have them read off the account numbers for you to enter?

      Be aware that you will be charged a hefty fee for paying by card. I pay my kid’s tuition by ACH to avoid that.

    4. I cannot speak for all universities but my daughter’s had a separate payment portal and getting access was not difficult. She just had to log on and make me an authorized payor. It did not give me access to her grades or other information but allowed me to pay the tuition and dorm fees.

      1. Can I just say how happy I am NOT to have access to anything but billing? As long as she keeps her scholarship I do not want to know anything about my child’s grades.

        1. I wish — a lot of programs have rules to stay in, like you can’t have anything below a B- or you have to repeat a class (which adds on a year). I’m more watching grades because my budget was for four years, but at the end of the day, I just want a kid who graduates. Crossing my fingers for on time.

          I don’t care if it’s a 3.0 or a 3.5, as long as you will graduate and complete your (relatively employable) major.

          1. It’s the same thing. They know what they are required to do and what parents have budgeted for. If they want to go and get a C, parental monitoring is not going to stop them. Letting them sink or swim is so hard, but it’s necessary at this stage.

          2. I hear you. If it were anything but engineering, I would not be worried. I feel that zoom math in the pandemic years just made for such a shaky foundation. Maybe that’s every kid? But they are all so white-knuckle scared and just work their problem sets in a scared group. To be fair, I remember complaints well and not the reports of fun times having pizza after.

          4. If they’re actually scared they should be taking advantage of whatever services the university provides (academic support services/learning center tutoring, advising, etc.).

          5. Working your problem sets in a group is very normal for engineering classes! heck, when it was a particularly difficult one, our professor (bless him) would sometimes drop by with a box of Oreos and get us unstuck. Being “scared” of problem sets sounds like a problem, but a resiliency problem, not a math foundation problem.

          6. Counterpoint – my daughter had a history of anxiety and depression in high school. I absolutely kept tabs on her grades and attendance (and her meal plan use) for her freshman and sophomore years of college just to make sure she was eating, turning in assignments, and attending classes since not doing the first two had definitely been a symptom in high school. She knew I was doing it and also knew that I would not bring it up unless it raised a concern about her health. During those two years we never had a conversation about grades that she did not initiate. By her junior year I was confident that she had a handle on it and was doing great (enough that she transitioned off her anti-depressants with her psychiatrist’s approval) so I stopped and just paid the bills.

    5. Can the in-law just give you their banking info for this purpose? Presumably, if they are close enough to you to pay the tuition for your kid, they are close enough to have you enter their baking info on their behalf.

      At our school there is a processing fee (~3%) when paying by credit card.

      1. My parents don’t have enough money to do this. But if they did, I wouldn’t expect them to use an online system. I would just have them give me the information and then I would enter it into the system for them.

    6. not there yet with my kids but i know it’s really easy for grandparents to set up 529s for each beneficiary — couldn’t they just do that and then give mom or kid access to it? i believe my friend was saying that for her rising college sophomore she just gets a link and pays directly from the 529 into the college tuition, there’s no withdrawal or checkwriting.

      2. A 529 is different than paying an educational institution directly. If a grandparent (or anyone) makes a payment directly to the school, the gift is a “qualified transfer” and does not count against the annual exclusion or lifetime exemption amount. The big caveat is that the payment must be made directly to the school and not to the student. This means that in a given year, a grandparent could pay $70,000 of tuition directly to the school AND give the grandchild $19,000 (the annual exclusion) without paying any gift tax or using their lifetime exemption.

      3. A gift to a 529 counts against your annual exclusion or lifetime exemption amounts. A payment of tuition directly to a school does not.

    7. My limited experience (5 schools, 3 kids) is that they all use pretty much the same portal. The kid had to go into his portal and name me as someone who can have access to the financial side of the portal. He gave them my email. I got an email invite and then had to set up an account with a password, etc., that allowed me to pay via ACH. It was a royal pain. It would have been much, much easier to mail a check to the school, and I have to think the schools would all have taken it. Can the relative write a check payable to the school and deliver the check to the child so child can deliver it to the bursar on campus and make sure it gets applied where it needs to go?

      1. Not there yet, but I have been asked to write recommendation letters for various people continuing their education and it is the same PITA. I’m happy to write an actual letter on a piece of a dead tree and mail it or scan and e-mail it, but having to make a login and password and 2-factor ID and verify that I’m not a robot . . . ugh. And that is per school / program!

    8. Given the tax exemptions, this is exactly the kind of thing for which solutions already exist.

      Those solutions are to be an approved payer on the students’ online accounts, or to send a check to the bursar’s office. Someone will take your money.

  10. Love emerald green and love pleats too. I hope it has big pockets. The advantage of those pleats would be so you could have huge pockets.

  11. Justices Kagan and Barrett testified before congress recently. Since this is a fashion blog of lawyers, did anyone see what they wore? I just saw a picture of them sitting at a table. I know they probably are in business attire under their robes but this was very serious meeting and their outfits probably spoke to that a bit based on what they chose.

    For the curious: the topic was the budget for their security. I think someone in the room said later that maybe if we didn’t use SCT cases to rile up the base, they wouldn’t need so much security in the first place.

    1. ACB wore a navy pantsuit with a white/cream shell, low pumps, and a double string of pearls. Kagan wore black pants and a black shell with a red blazer and flats and a simple gold necklace.

      1. Perfect. This sort of confirms for me that we have gone from judges not letting female attorneys wear pantsuits to female judges wearing them when on very official business.

        Are skirt suits even a thing that you can buy now?

        1. I just bought a new skirt suit at Brooks Brothers to replace an old workhouse Ann Taylor one, but I agree that you could certainly go an entire career without having to wear one, if you choose. I think this has been the case for at least 15 years.

          1. Maybe in big cities? In the late 90s and early 2000s, I can remember that X did not like pants and in some places, hose were expected.

          2. I feel like that is still mentioned here once or twice a year, as a current reality for some?

          4. When I was a new lawyer in 1992, there was one judge I appeared in front of regularly who required women to be in dresses or skirt suits.

        3. I was in law school @ 25 years ago and there was so much discussion/drama/etc. about pantsuits, I’m so glad we’ve moved on. I still generally prefer skirt suits but there is a huge difference between having to wear something and wanting to wear something.

        4. The advice on this board when I was in law school in NYC about 15 years ago was always skirt suit for court, pants suit ok for “casual” days. But hose were no longer required and flats were ok if you had foot issues, though low heels were preferred. No weird nail polish colors, only professional water bottles, and absolutely no scrunchie on your wrist.

    2. Setting aside the politics of their testimony, and whether government officials and offices should be shielded from the consequences of their gun policies, I thought they were both wearing the quintessential uniform for women, attorneys and judges out of their robes. Justice Kagan was wearing black trousers, a black scoop neck shell, and a red notched collar blazer with a gold chain and Justice Barrett wearing a navy suit with a white v-neck shell and pearls with three-quarter sleeves on the blazer. Both probably very expensive. Both very understated, professional, and designed to be forgettable.

      1. This is what I yearn for: appropriate, understated, professional, and forgettable. Even if it is expensive. I have no idea where a woman shops for these any more in my city. I will be in DC soon — is there a local store to check out?

      2. Having a swatting call about your house is about the most terrifying thing I can imagine. Best case scenario is that our dog is shot in front of us and we can’t help him.

          2. Exactly.

            Our dog goes nuts when the doorbell rings and is a giant creature who would probably attack a stranger in his home. The people would likely be so scared as to freeze, but not the dog.

          3. Best case, as in, a lot of worse things can and do happen in swatting calls. Not best case as in literal best case.

        2. Yeah super scary, maybe Barrett will use this experience to understand how the rest of us plebs feel about gun violence. I’m sure her children have done active shooter drills at school, is a 12 year old in this day and age really unfamiliar with what a bullet proof vest is?

          1. Meh, my kids wouldn’t necessarily know what a bulletproof vest looked like if I was carrying it around the house. They are city teens and they’ve seen them on police officers but those are usually stamped “police” or something like that around here. Also doesn’t one of her kids have special needs?

          2. “What’s that in your hand?” is different from “what’s a bullet proof vest for,” but you really side stepped the main point. I think the justices should get adequate security but I remain unmoved by her “think of the (er, my) children” plea.

  12. My 10 year-old LG front load washer has started lightly leaking. It’s not always and it’s not a lot. I know because I have a water monitor in my washer pan.

    It’s $120 for labor to inspect the washer, unclear the cost for a return visit and fix. Googling informs me washers last about 10 years. Do I pay for the inspection and fix, or just monitor while it washes and get a new one during Labor Day sales?

    Thank you for your capital investment wisdom :)

    1. We spent hundreds of dollars repairing our 7-year-old dishwasher, only for another part to fail six months later. I don’t bother repairing appliances anymore.

      1. Same. Tried to fix our fridge, spent a lot of money and still had to buy a new one 6 months later. I don’t like that everything feels disposable these days but it’s just how it is.

    2. Is the water getting anywhere it’s not suppose to be? Or is it just going down the drain in the laundry room? If it’s the later, I would just keep using it if the washer is otherwise working fine.

    3. We have a 10-year-old LG front load washer that was leaking recently. We took the cover off the washer and inspected all the hoses and valves, and they all looked brand new and were totally dry. The leak turned out to be from a tear in the bottom of the gasket. We didn’t see it at first because we had to kind of unfold and kind of stretch the gasket to detect it. We ordered the replacement part online for about $150, and DH replaced the gasket himself, though he needed me to hold something in place at one point. The washer works perfectly again, and like I said, all the hoses and valves looked great when we inspected them.

      I’d feel around the gasket thoroughly and see if you can find a hole. If you do, order a replacement part and either DIY it or hire a handyman to fix it. You can also YouTube videos of how to take off the cover and look inside to see if there’s anything obvious (rotten hoses, leaking valves).

      1. Adding to my own comment–ours started as a slow leak that got worse over time. And it seemed like it was coming from underneath or behind the machine, not the front, which was another reason we didn’t look too closely at the gasket at first.

    4. I usually do some investigation myself using searches online to see if I can figure out a basic cause. Reddit and similar can often be useful, and someone out there has had the same problem and can tell you what to do. Then I hire someone to troubleshoot if I fail.

      And no, most large appliances including LG washers (we have too) don’t have a life of 10 years. Most large appliances need some regular maintenance and

      FYI – take a look at how much detergent you are using and if you may overload the washer occasionally. With these washers you often need much less detergent (depending on which you use) and sometimes straining the system can lead to leak. I would just watch it.

  13. I have Gemma and Jane Bermuda shorts and cropped pants. They are surprisingly good quality given the price point. And they are flattering on my pear shape.

  14. A quick thanks to everyone who gave me recommendations for Chicago earlier this week. I ended up taking many of the suggestions and they were all great! I went the St. Regis for drinks on the terrace, had dinner at the Frontera Grill, and had breakfast at Beautrix and Do-Rite Donuts.

  15. For those who have refinanced a mortgage, did you shop around as aggressively for a good deal, or did you just go with your existing mortgage broker?

    2. Shopped around. I refi-ed shortly after purchase, and even still my mortgage was sold between getting it and refinancing.

    3. We shopped around pretty aggressively. We used a local broker to buy our house, and they sold the mortgage immediately, and the new servicer was terrible.

      When we refinanced, we spoke with 1 or 2 local brokers and ultimately went with an online bank (I don’t remember which one). The process was a huge PITA, but we have a very low interest rate (this was during Covid). Then the mortgage was sold immediately, and the new servicer is fine.

      Basically, get the cheapest rate you can. Once you close, it doesn’t really matter which bank you used because you have no control over whether they sell it or which company ends up servicing your mortgage.

    4. Shopped around by reaching out directly to a couple of the lenders who show up on bankrate or one of the other online aggregators. I did not acttually give bankrate my info. We ended up with a local credit union that had a detailed, accurate online calculator showing 50 rate options and closing costs. Their rate was just under the best I found elsewhere, 4.875% about 18 months ago. This was for a refi of a non-jumbo (by then) loan, no cash out, tons of equity, good credit. I figured I did not need a broker to advocate for me.

    6. If you are bothering to refinance, why wouldn’t you shop around?

      We cut our interest rate in half by refinancing through our local credit union. If we had stuck with our existing broker we would have been paying thousands of dollars more each year.

  16. I’m used to xmas cards from some friends playing up their accomplishments. This year, now that their kids are older, LinkedIn has become that, but for college kids and recent graduates.
    — Kimmy graduated summa cum laude and is starting an internship at A before heading to law school
    — Chadwick was president of his pledge class and is an intern at B; let’s post a headshot with a quotation about leadership
    — Rachel is looking for interships for glossy magazines while taking a gap year

    I get that people used to do this all organically because we did things in person and talked to each other. And no doubt rich people value the connections from neighborhoods, schools, and clubs for exactly this. Is this really good to do and how the future will be? Maybe less on the nose? I see how it could also be so beneficial to connect people, especially those who are first generation, with opportunities. We don’t have a lot of other spaces to use where you can easily cross-polinate.

    1. I haven’t seen this yet (the LinkedIn posts — I still get the Christmas letters). I think letters have been normal for generations though (even vs. talking in person, for people whose achievements took them places).

      1. I have seen the LinkedIn posts about adult kids’ achievements. What is funny is that people seem more willing to post this stuff on LinkedIn than to bring it up in conversation. I would be happy to hear about your kids’ successes; you don’t have to try to look quite so modest by avoiding mentioning them in real life if you are just going to go post them on LinkedIn.

    2. I’m not sure the linkedin stuff is the online evolution of “natural human chatter” (ie an internet equivalent of “your neighbor asks ‘how’s Jonny?’; you say ‘he’s great! he’s interning at Microsoft this summer and going to be a senior next year!’. Even if you’re not trying to brag about your kid, you say something like this because it’s not polite to share unflattering information about people behind their back (ie. you would never say ‘yeah, Johnny’s pretty torn up because his gf broke up with him because his shoes smell like he has a moral objection to washing his socks”).

      But on LinkedIn specifically, it seems much more like the online evolution of the “you’re getting an intern; it’s the CFO’s son” backroom conversation. The kids who are benefiting the most are definitely not “first generation”.

      1. Your last paragraph is why I don’t love this.

        I don’t object to “Mia is moving to Kansas City for the summer. If any of you can recommend a short-term rental or neighborhood or even a friendly pub for watching the World Cup, she’d love to hear from you.”

    4. I see this too, and think it’s the opposite of your last paragraph. This is just the well-connected dad getting his son an entry level job at his vendor’s office via online post instead of via golf course conversation.

      It also reminds me of the internship candidates who list their title as “VP” because they’re the vice president of a campus club…cringeworthy but also understandable missteps every new to the workforce generation makes in their own way!

  17. Has anyone purchased wallpaper from Lemon Park? They have one design that I am absolutely in love with, but some of the online interaction seems a bit scammy. I am particularly interested in whether the finish looks plastic-y and the level of clarity on the printed design. I’m not expecting Schumacher quality or clarity, but I don’t want something that looks cheap. The sample costs $45. Yikes. So I’m soliciting opinions from anyone familiar with the brand.

  18. I had the dumbest experience at Nordstroms yesterday. I went into the store in Charlotte to purchase some new suits. I was told I was not allowed to buy my items of interest because they were “reserved for card members for the sale starting this weekend”. I asked if I could buy at the normal price, and was denied.

    Probably 60% of the store was reserved for cardholders. I will not be shopping at nordstroms anymore!

    1. The Anniversary Sale seems to have two purposes: to generate hype and to push people to sign up for a store credit card.

    2. Usually they have the anniversary sale items cordoned off in its own area. They shouldn’t have let you shop for stuff you couldn’t buy!

    3. Very annoying , but that’s been the setup for a long time. I have to been in a Nordstrom store during the annual sale in a long time, but maybe 10 years ago those items were in their own floor space with a signs noting they were for cardholders only. Was that not the case?

    4. wasn’t there signage everywhere touting the anniversary sale? did you not know that’s how it works? it’s open to non cardholders today i think.

      1. It stinks when you actually go to the store, specifically to try things on / confirm you size / check the fabric (and at Nordstrom, get them altered).

        OP, I would be very annoyed.

        1. Yeah. Everyone acting like you should know you can’t purchase things not yet sold is beyond obnoxious.

    6. It’s Nordstrom’s, or Nordstrom, and this is how they’ve done things for their Anniversary Sale in July for at least the last 30 years. Your store was covered in yellow and black signage announcing this, and the rack holding the suits you wanted to buy had the same signs, announcing that these items could be shopped by cardholders only until July 18 and then by everyone afterward. I get that it’s frustrating for sure but the outraged pearl clutching is way beyond!

    8. I had a horrible experience at Nordstrom in Dallas and have not been back. My family were all clothed by them. I got divorced and they dropped me.

      I got divorced. I still make my own money and I still need clothing. I got one dress for $995 and they made me pay $150 for alterations. They broke part of the zip and tried to hide it.

      I have not purchased anything from them since and I will never go back after being taken advantage of at a time in my life when I was already feeling vulnerable.

      This stupid rule would send me over the edge too. Your money is as good as anyone else’s and having a card to buy clothes is ridiculous.

      Buy direct from the designers.

  19. Does anyone know how paid summer youth employment programs run by the government are treated for tax purposes? They didn’t ask for a SS# or SS card at any point in the onboarding, but are getting paid a lump sum at the end, which will be slightly above our area’s minimum wage. Is this going to be a W-2 summer job or something else where they will get 1099s? Kid is <18 and has a debit account and it dawned on me that he could open a Roth since this is his only income now other than from some plant-watering gigs.

    2. They can vary based on the government unit, although I think most pay biweekly as a W2 employee. Do you know anyone who has done it in past years? Based on what little information you provided, I would guess this one pays as a 1099.

  20. My fiancé and I live in the Northern VA area (immediate DC burbs). We are getting married in November and the original plan was to wait and buy next year (perhaps in the Jan-April timeframe). We do have a relator already and have been casually looking at homes to buy, but a few weeks ago we looked at a house we both really loved and decided to put an offer in (at ask, which was accepted!) (perfect neighborhood, price, checked all of the boxes, etc.). Alas, during the inspection we found significant issues, including potential structural issues that were a huge concern for us so we decided not to move forward with the home. The sadness of being under contract and then having it not work out was very real for a few days, and it’s now made us both think we want to move on buying a home now. I think the process of getting preapproved and reviewing our savings also made us realize we have the means to move forward with this sooner than we thought. I will also mention that our landlords are very flexible and we have told them about our situation and they are very willing to work with us. The current home we are renting has had some problems (AC broke twice, roof leaked and needed to be replaced, etc.) so that has exacerbated our wanting to get out of this home.

    My question is: what would you do? My mom keeps being in my ear that we don’t need to rush to buy a home, we should wait until after our wedding, etc., but it feels like the right time now? I also don’t want to be in a position where we are desperate for a house and get into huge bidding wars, and we are also planning to start a family next year. FWIW, we are paying for our honeymoon and wedding and I would guess that about 75% of those expenses are already paid for and we have the budget to cover remaining expenses and also purchase a home. I’m someone who takes my mom’s opinions to heart so wanted the advice of strangers on the internet for a gut check :)

    1. I would continue looking for houses that meet all your criteria. If you have a longer time line for buying, then you can afford to hold out a little longer for a really fantastic fit.
      Also, recommend a pre-inspection for houses you’re really serious about. They do get expensive to pay for several times, but it can help prevent heartbreak of going through the contract period and having it fall apart.

      1. If it’s Arlington, no houses meet all criteria without costing more than 1.3 million.

        1. I think that my house may be the only one, but it’s so small that it’s a tear-down for the next buyer anyway (2BR-1BA SFH). I had to re-wire it and re-everything any safety or comfort system, so no funds left to swap out the original metal cabinets (that would have been cool if they hadn’t been repainted poorly at some point).

    2. Former Arlingtonian and I hear you. It seems that you’re in as much of a buyer’s market as we’ve ever had. If you find a house, you might as well get it, especially if you know traffic patterns, a bit about schools, and if you are going for a SFH.

    3. Why not go for it? We bought our condo when engaged because we had the money and why throw away rent.

    4. I’d keep doing what you were doing — looking. If you find another “right house,” put an offer in and see what happens. But don’t get tied up in time frames just because you you had a house that got away and it triggered the WANT A HOUSE NOW. Your mom is right. It doesn’t have to happen before the wedding. It can, but it doesn’t HAVE TO.

    5. It sounds like you have all the right things in place to buy. Looking doesn’t obligate you to buy. Keep looking, and when you find something, be ready to jump on it!

    6. I’d go for it now. We bought our house about 10 months before our wedding. We did retitle it after we got married to tenants in the entirety instead of joint tenants (this varies by state), but otherwise I don’t think it changes anything. Of course, we’d been living together for like 6 years by that point so there’s that.

    7. I would keep looking – maybe a bit more aggressively – but take advantage of having a longer window to find what you want. However I wouldn’t want to be in the middle of closing or moving right before a wedding. Tracking down RSVPs and last minute vendor meetings, etc can take up a lot of time, closing processes are an endless cycle of emailing and signing forms and tracking down random things — I wouldn’t be able to balance both of those while also working!

  21. WEIGHT LOSS QUESTION

    People who are on Ozempic (or I’m sure there are other diets this applies to).

    I don’t feel that hungry, and now that I think about it, I haven’t really been eating much. I have eaten 3 small meals a day, but sometimes very small.
    If I think over the last couple days, I feel like I’m not getting enough vegetables or just nutrients in general in my diet. And a big part of it is the not hungry – I either don’t feel like eating anything that isn’t comfort-food-ish, again in small portions, or even if I make something with vegetables I don’t eat that much.

    The Ozempic is definitely working though and I’ve lost like 11 lbs. How much do you think/worry about this? I don’t have any vitamin deficiencies, and I am eating enough protein I think.

    1. Use cronometer or Fitbit to check your intakes. Or log your diet and see a dietitian who will check your intakes for you. We only get essential nutrients from diet, so either we’re getting enough or we’re not.

      If we’re not hitting recommended intakes, we have the option of shifting what we eat to more nutrient dense foods, or supplementing.

    2. Would it be worth meeting with a dietitian? They could help you quantify some of the are you getting enough vitamins, enough protein, etc for your new levels of consumption.

      But while not a dietician, the way I’d think about it is percentages. So if I’m eating fewer vegetables than before, but veggies are still approximately X% of my diet, that feels likely to be good. But if I used to eat a lot of lean meat and veggies and complex carbs and also some chips and cookies; and now I’m still eating the same quantity of chips and cookies but that’s all I’m eating because that’s all that seems appealing, that’s worth raising my doctor, and probably not a good long term plan.

      1. Percentages just isn’t how it actually works. Our nervous system or our bones (for example) have absolute minimum requirements. A lot of women end up not getting enough magnesium, choline, folate (there’s a reason prenatals are required for TTC!), etc. from thinking this way (and from having lower caloric intakes than men).

    3. I didn’t worry about this one bit. I’m sure my digestive system appreciated the rest. I’ve been down 50 pounds for a few years now. Don’t force the food.

      1. +1 – I don’t worry about this at all. Weighing a lot less has moved all my numbers to a great place so I’m just not concerned. I’ll take a vitamin every now and then at the most.

    4. You need to make sure you’re getting enough food to not totally kill your metabolism and to ensure you’re getting enough protein, fiber, and nutrients. The big struggle with GLP-1s is making sure you get in enough protein when you’re not hungry. I supplement with low calorie, low sugar protein shakes that also have fiber and nutrients (I like the Koia brand in the peanut butter chocolate flavor). Might also help to take a multivitamin if you don’t already.

    5. Yes, this is a issue. It is good you are thinking about it. Right now the hope is that weight loss will heal many medical problems for most, and this is the short term priority. But long term, the effects of incomplete nutrition will rise, particularly in those who have strong appetite suppression and just stop eating, even once they loose their (healthy) goal weight.

      I agree with the suggestion of a nutritionist, particularly if you are planning on being on this medicine for a long time. It is known that long term complications like osteoporosis, vitamin deficiencies and low fiber diet issues could come into play. Some doctors are better at monitoring for this than others. Just checking calcium in the blood, for example, is not a test that shows you are eating enough calcium.

      When you are not hungry, it is hard to “force” your self to eat a lot of the healthy fruits and vegetables, which are bulky and make you feel full quicker. So I understand your inclinations.

        1. If your appetite is so suppressed that you can only eat a small amount of food, then you need to be sure that every bit counts from a nutritional standpoint. Eating just small amounts of “comfort food”, and not vegetables/fiber/fruits for example, will be a problem long term.

          I take care of a lot of cancer patients, elderly and people with other disorders that affect appetite.

  22. To the commenter asking about what things people bring to an airbnb, I was too late to comment but just want to say, “you’re not alone!” I much prefer staying in hotels, generally, but now with kids it’s often easier to stay in an airbnb/sometimes we are traveling to family where there aren’t any hotels nearby and I bring all sorts of stuff! Usually kitchen items that tend to be shoddy in a rental; a good frying pan, a sponge, a few dishtowels, a good knife, a cutting board, sometimes a cookie sheet. Sometimes we bring our coffee maker and if I know we’ll be cooking something that requires a specific tool I’ll bring that, too. We’re driving anyway so we have the room and might as well be comfortable! I haven’t brought my own pillow, but a friend did on our last trip together and I was jealous so might start bringing that too…

    1. We brought so much stuff to our recent/first trip with our baby, I think DH never wants to travel with the baby again. We brought the pack and play to serve as a crib, the wagon, stroller, toys, feeding stuff, diapers, bottles, bottle warmer… idk how, but we filled two big Home Depot totes with baby stuff.

      1. The first time we went away with our daughter we were gone for two days but our car looked like we were moving out of state and never coming back. It gets better over time! We flew with our now two year old last weekend and only had to bring the travel crib (which we could have even skipped since the airbnb had a pack ‘n play; I just wanted to bring hers) and diapers.

        1. That’s good to hear, thank you!

          We crossed an international border (by car) and the customs agent looked at our truck and asked, what IS all this stuff?? When we explained it was for the baby he asked to see the baby and then nodded knowingly and waved us through.

    2. AirBnBs are often illegal and ruin neighborhoods. I know it’s tempting but there are long stay hotels with kitchens too and they don’t have the same destructive impacts

      2. Blah blah blah. People should be able to do what they want with their own property.

        1. Until it’s beside you, they are partying at 3:00 am, and you have a significant matter in court the next day.

      4. If a city wants to ban Airbnb’s, by all means, hold a vote, pass a law, and ban them. If they are still active, sue Airbnb, and cite the owners, or whatever else the law calls for. But if the majority of voters don’t want to vote for that ban…I also wish my neighbors didn’t smoke on their porch all day, but the law – and the will of the voting majority – allows it.

        1. AirBnB doesn’t follow the law, it’s cute you think they would. There are still listings in cities with bans and they won’t get taken down.

    3. I vastly prefer staying in apartments or small homes. We are self-sufficient travelers who prefer to just wake up and start our own coffee maker and take a mug to the balcony in our PJs. Room service doesn’t feel like a luxury, it feels like someone invading my morning privacy. And we don’t like eating out every meal especially on longer trips – if we have an indulgent lunch out in Paris, say, we really only want to pick at a takeaway crepe and some fruit / salad from a produce stand for dinner. Having a real kitchen makes travel so much more relaxing and fun for us.

      Not to mention having 1.5 or 2 bathrooms instead of sharing one!

      Our packing list, though, is pretty short-
      – an extra queen size flat sheet for Europe (since many places just do fitted sheet + duvet and the duvet is inevitably too hot / heavy)
      – suction cups for the shower wall (for swimwear to dry)
      – coffee filters
      – a few sheets of aluminum foil for wrapping picnic sandwiches or reheating leftovers
      – motion-sensor nightlight to help with navigating a strange-to-us layout in the dark

      We are also extremely thorough when choosing a rental property – poring over pictures and reviews – to gauge things like how well-equipped the kitchen is, what towels are provided, etc. and are seldom unpleasantly surprised.

      1. Suction cups for the shower is something I’ve never thought of but is a great idea! So many rentals don’t have enough hooks in the bathrooms. A motion sensor nightlight is also a good idea. We also bring a travel carbon monoxide detector, which I understand may seem extra but it just lives in the same bag as our travel crib so it’s no effort to bring it.

      1. yeah I commented above and same. If a rental is that much work, no thank you. Like, we don’t do beach rentals where you have to bring all your own linens. that is not a vacation.

      2. I get that and can appreciate that! People are all different! I like having my own nice pan to make scrambled eggs in the morning and to me it’s worth the very minor hassle when I’m already driving. For me, I would not pack one in a suitcase and fly with it but every gets to choose what matters to them!

  23. Technology is garbage. I need a GitHub Education account to do my job in higher ed. I created the account and applied three times for the educational benefits. Each time I was rejected for a different reason, so I went back and changed what it wanted changed. The last time it rejected me because I had recently created the account and had been previously rejected.

    If the bots take all of our jobs we are screwed. The world will not function.

    1. It’s already starting. Anything with software it is is so hit or miss. It feels like every few days a new thing comes up. Yesterday it was my dentist’s online patient forms not actually working. Earlier this week it was the voice command to play music in the car occasionally not working because the bot says that playing music at all is simply not something it can do. Today it was my phone disabling my SMS app because I hadn’t used it recently, and I had to figure out why I wasn’t getting my texts. I’ve complained before about the mess AI transcription has made of physician chart notes.

    3. Oh, we’re already there. Doesn’t matter as long as we’re maximizing shareholder value!

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