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Workwear sales of note for 12.7.23
Our favorites are in bold!
- Nordstrom – Holiday sale up to 50% off; up to 40% off selected designer styles
- Ann Taylor – 40% off your purchase & extra 15% off sweaters
- Banana Republic – 40% off your purchase; up to 40% off sale styles
- Banana Republic Factory – 50% off everything & extra 20% off purchase; Gap Inc. cardmembers take extra 25% off
- ba&sh – Winter sale up to 50% off
- Bergdorf Goodman – Designer sale up to 40% off; extra 15% off sale; complimentary same-day delivery
- Club Monaco – 25% off almost everything
- J.Crew – 40% off your purchase with code; up to 50% off coats; up to 60% off present picks
- Loft – 40% off your purchase plus extra 15% off
- Lo & Sons – Up to 50% off plus extended return policy — reader favorites include this laptop tote, this backpack, and this crossbody
- Sephora – 20% off purchase with code; 30% off all Sephora Collection
- Summersalt – Up to 60% off select styles (this reader-favorite sweater blazer is 40% off)
- Talbots – 40% off your regular-price purchase; 50% off all sweaters, coats, shoes & accessories; readers love this cashmere boatneck and this cashmere cardigan, as well as their sweater blazers in general
- Theory – Extra 25% off everything; extra 10% off with Apple Pay
- Theory Outlet – Last-chance styles 70-80% off; extra 25% off sweaters; readers love this T-shirt
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Leftovers
If I cook something on Sunday, I consider it fair game for eating through the end of the day on Wednesday (so 4 day rule). Tossing is Thursday morning on this schedule.
Too conservative? Too risky?
I have married into a germaphobe family (that feels free to comment on how *I* am nuts) and grew up in a 4-day family. I never got sick doing this. Nor do I recall it being an issue with my parents or sibling. Am I lucky? Or is this normal?
Anon
I meal prep for the week, so usually Sunday through Thursday or Friday without an issue. Maybe I’ve just been lucky, but no issues so far.
Anon
Too conservative imo. If something goes straight into the fridge after being cooked, it should be good for a week. If I won’t eat it for over a week then I would put it in the freezer but that feels cautious to me. I’ve never gotten sick from food. Fwiw, the rule for infants is that breastmilk is good in the fridge for 6 days and they don’t have the kind of immune system support that healthy adults do.
Anon Lawyer
This is my rule too. I start feeling squeamish about it after 5 days or so but I know I’m being irrational.
anon
I’ve been known to go 5 days, but not longer than that. Your 4-day rule sounds fine to me.
Anonymous
Conservative. For most things, I am comfortable with at least a week. I think most Americans are way too cautious about such things (and I have a food safety background).
Abby
I rarely throw any food away. I’ve definitely ate food I made on Sunday past Thursday and I’ve never gotten sick.
Em
I’m a 3 1/2 day person if there is meat in it (no idea where the 1/2 originated from), but I will go 4-5 days if there is no meat.
Senior Attorney
Haha I just saw a post on my Facebook that says “You’re either the person in the relationship who believes food has gone bad, or the person who believes expiration dates are a hoax.”
I’m the second one so I think you’re more than fine. We finished our leftover Thanksgiving turkey last weekend.
Anonymous
OP: I believe in expiration dates. It’s “best by” that has unlimited squishiness. :)
Anonymous
Disagree. Yogurt is good well past any expiration date. Well past.
NOLA
I cook chicken on Sunday for my salads throughout the week. It’s usually gone by Thursday but occasionally there’s still some left on Friday and I eat it. I cook it and put it in the fridge right away.
Anonymous
OP here — thanks all!
We live where there a lot of trees, so I sometimes come home to the appliances blinking at me, so I can see not pushing it. But when we are at work, no one is opening the refrigerator door, so everything else (butter, ice cream) seems fine.
Maybe I will try 5 days when I’m feeling a like taunting the in-laws.
MagicUnicorn
I store butter on the counter, FWIW.
nuqotw
I once came home from college and helped myself to some chicken I found in the fridge. It seemed fine, tasted normal…I was on my fourth piece or so when my mom saw me eating it and gasped that it was two weeks old. I figured I was already going to get sick if it was bad so I finished what I had started. It was totally fine.
Anon
We meal prep on Sundays and make enough lunches to last till Friday. Food goes from being cooked to the fridge (with a cool-down period on the counter that doesn’t last too long). We never get sick. Have been doing this well over a year.
Anon
I’m a batch cooker and pretty much always end up eating food cooked on Sunday through Friday. It’s not uncommon to end up with something that doesn’t get eaten until the next Monday, though I try to get it in the freezer if I know it won’t get eaten until then. I’ve done this for 15+ years and have never once gotten sick, though I am vegetarian and my fridge is reliably cold. Things that were cooked well, cooled promptly, and will be cooked again really aren’t a major concern, as long as they look and smell fine. The vast majority of food poisoning cases come from food eaten raw or never cooked properly to begin with, so that’s what you should be worrying about (I have a Ph.D. in microbiology).
Sutemi
I will go at least this long unless it smells funny! Meal prep on Sunday will be for M-F. For things with a lot of acid (tomato sauces etc) I might go even longer.
anon
Help me understand why black becomes THE clothing color of choice for women in their 30s and 40s. Is it because we’re all trying to be more classic/intentional in our wardrobes, and less experimental? I do not live in a major metro area, FWIW. Everywhere I go, it’s black coat. Black leggings. Black handbags. Black shoes. Black tops. I dunno, but I rarely get excited when buying black … anything. Yet I can’t deny its versatility and practicality.
Anon
You hit on it – it’s versatile and classic and one of the most available neutrals. I’ve tried to switch to navy and/or gray as my main neutral but it does read as a little less formal so I stick to black in those items that I only want one of but need it to last years and across situations. My big heavy puffer coat is black because I know it’ll go with everything and not look out of place even at a fancy work dinner, and will continue to do so for the next 10+ years.
Anonymous
I like black for work accessories (my OG, work shoes) but I do like colors, too. So I may have a hot pink dress or shoes, but I wouldn’t buy a coat that color (but I do have red). 99% of my leggings and tights are black. I can wear jeans at work and oddly hate black denim (b/c it always fades — faded black to me = sad).
Anonymous
You can cover scratches with a black sharpie. #practical.
Senior Attorney
Sharpies come in a whole bunch of colors, as do shoes and handbags. #askmehowiknow
Anonymous
So does nail polish!
Anonymous
Because I look great in black and frumpy in bright colors.
Anonymous
Did you not look around in your 20s?!?
pugsnbourbon
Yeah I’ve been wearing mostly black and gray since I was 26.
Triangle Pose
Because I look great in black? I think a lot of things can look sleek and chic in black but garish, frumpy or ridiculous in bright colors or prints. For example, you mentioned black leggings. Whether it is leather, faux leather, althetic, yoga, leggings look great to me in black. If you move into light colors, they can look ridiculous (skin toned leggings, WHYYY). For my own personal style, I like bright colors and some prints but in small doses. I’m all for a bright pop of color, I have a bright green leather tote I love, a red wool beret I break out all winter, etc. But I definitely get excited about beautiful items in black – my Italic double gusset black leather tote, my cole haan black envelope wallet, black leather street slip on sneaker, the list goes on.
Anon
Great question! I also wear all black, esp in the non summer months. For work wear, black is just a no-brained. Everything goes with it and I feel comfy and professional. I’m in DC and for weekend wear everyone dresses in what I call post-apocalypse chic which includes drab, dull colors and very utilitarian. To change things up this year, I got a brightly colored puffer (still have my black one, of course!) and I feel like there’s a spotlight on me at all times.
Tile Q from Boring Betty
Yay — we are getting our aging 90 year old bathrooms redone. No more bad vinyl over cracked tiles (or glued tiles over cracked tiles)! Any reason not to do both in white hex tiles (seems period for an older house and relatively timeless) with gray grout? I hate variety for variety’s sake, and don’t want to run the risk of hating something supposed to be whimsical in 2-20 years.
Senior Attorney
Sounds great and good call on the gray grout. White grout on the floor is a nightmare.
Go for it
+1
Anon
Honestly, are there are any good uses for white grout?
blackberry
I have a 100 year old home and have 3×6″ subway tile on the walls and 6″ hex tiles on the floor, all with medium gray grout. The tiles are white marble with grey veining so the grout color ties right in. I loved it when I renovated 5 years ago and still love it now.
editrix
Question for high earners about an end of year gift for an extremely highly effective personal assistant. (I am neither of these people, but have been asked for a guideline.) How do you decide?
Anon
Maybe a week’s pay? That’s the general guideline I’ve heard for household employees like nannies.
Anonymous
Agreed — if you have a great personal assistant, $2000 or so (so a week’s salary) is what I have heard discussed. I am not at a point in my life where I can afford someone who makes $100K to make my life easier, but that is certainly in the range of discussion for the people I know who have discussed this.
Flats Only
Years ago I used to the be assistant in that scenario, and the boss would give me $1000 plus a small “covering gift” like a scarf or something. The covering gift was so I would have answer when someone in the office asked “what did X get you”.
Senior Attorney
I’m in government so not a high earner high earner, but I’m giving my assistant $200 and I am sure she will be thrilled. Plainly I am in a different world.
Anon
I think an office assistant whose salary is paid by the employer is very different than a personal assistant who works directly for you. The week’s pay is a rule of thumb for people *you* employ, not other employees of your company who report to you.