ByElizabeth Hours Updated
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Thursday’s Workwear Report: Fine Gauge Cotton Cardigan

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A woman wearing a white brown stripes polo cardigan sweater and denim pants

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

This striped cardigan from Lands’ End is right up my alley. The 100% cotton material is not too thick and not too thin, and the “rich ginger” is perfect for fall. (If you really like it, there are so many other great items in that color.

If stripes aren’t your thing, it’s also available in four great solids. 

The sweater is $89.95 full price at Lands’ End — but half off with code — and comes in sizes XS-XL, XSP-XLP, ST-XLT, and 1X-3X. 

Sales of note for 11/11:

  • Nordstrom – Extra 30% off clearance + tons of early Black Friday deals! Kat did a mini sales roundup here.
  • Ann Taylor – 40% off + extra 11% everything
  • Banana Republic Factory – 50% off everything! + extra 20% off
  • Boden – 22% off all full-price styles with code (for Boden, this is a big sale!)
  • J.Crew – All outerwear on sale + 50% off women's boots + extra 50% off all sale styles
  • J.Crew Factory – 40-70% off everything, and extra 70% off clearance
  • M.M.LaFleur – The November drop: 15 new styles + colors! Try code CORPORETTE15 for 15% off
  • Nordstrom Rack – Clear the Rack! Extra 25% off clearance + up to 70% off wear-now styles
  • Soma – All bras $30, and 5 panties for $39! Also take 25% off sleep and apparel — readers love Cool Nights PJs and these no-VPL panties
  • Strathberry – 20% off sitewide for a limited time
  • Talbots – 40% off entire purchase + free shipping

220 Comments

  1. I’m considering going on a GLP-1. My PCP has recommended it, but I haven’t yet actually gotten a prescription because I am slowly weaning from breastfeeding. From looking at my insurance plan, it looks like no GLP-1s are covered without a diabetes diagnosis, but I’m not 100% sure. Would it be better to go ahead and sign up for one of those online GLP-1 providers like Ro/Midi/Hers, or get the prescription from my doctor first and see if it will be covered?

      1. You can get Zepbound direct from Lily for a much lower price—google “Lilydirect”. And I think (but am not sure) that Costco just announced that they’ll match that.

        My husband does Lily Direct, so I know for sure that it’s a thing.

      1. Also, if it is not covered by insurance, the manufacturer may offer a program to purchase at a discounted rate. I don’t see any reason to go to one of the online providers if your doctor will write the Rx, and it’s better to have your primary provider ongoing monitoring and medical advice.

    3. Usually there’s a document somewhere that outlines the coverage details (like a prior authorization form listing specific criteria such as test results). Your doctor won’t know the criteria for every insurance plan of every patient, but you may be able to check if you happen to meet their criteria (there are sometimes a lot of either/ors or some random test you could get done if it hasn’t been done yet).

    4. And if it’s not covered, Lily Direct has an option if you opt for zepbound.

    5. And if it isn’t covered, your doctor can send a prescription for zepbound directly to Lilly Direct. That’s the best pricing without insurance.

    6. Call the insurance company and ask the coverage criteria. For example, under my plan it is covered for weight loss but only if you have a BMI of 40+.

      1. Should check that it’s for a STARTING BMI of 40+. Some plans try to kick you off once you lose the weight and drop below whatever BMI, but hopefully your policy covers, and doctors code it correctly, for a starting BMI.

    7. How is your blood sugar? It may be worth getting it checked. HOWEVER, if you ever get a Dx code of Diabetes, you will be essentially uninsurable for life insurance outside of group plans. SO, if you don’t have your own 30-year level term life insurance outside of work, GET IT NOW. THEN get your sugars tested by your doctor (I was shocked to go from normal A1C straight into the diabetic range within a 12 month window). Having A1C that high (or fasting BG) is a serious medical issue that I’d make sure your regular doctor is aware of and involved with.

  2. I’m looking for your best drugstore cream or liquid blush recs. I realized the Sephora powder blush I doesn’t work for me with dry winter skin, no matter how much I moisturize.

    I prefer rather bright colors instead of “rosewood” or something similar, as I find bright pinks/corals easier to use.

    1. I like the Balm’s “talk is cheap” liquid blush… it’s $17 so a bit over drugstore prices, but they run sales a lot.

    2. Versed stick cream blush (Target) has a really nice texture. If you go up a notch, Glossier’s Cloud Paint blush is great & really lasts.

      1. Amen to wet n wild.
        On Amazon the “sheglam” brand has a nice bright pink cream blush stick.

    5. Glossier Cloud Paint is the GOAT in this category. A step above drugstore prices, but a tube lasts me more than a year, it’s so saturated.

    6. I love the Pixi on-the-glow stick. It’s very moisturizing. I use ruby, and it goes on an alarmingly bright red/pink, but easily blends out to a natural flush. I never use it on my lips, but I suppose it’s a multistick. Under $20, and you can buy it at Target. It’s a large stick that lasts forever.

    7. Palladio I’m Blushing 2-in-1 Cheek and Lip Tint. It’s a buildable cream blush, and I’m obsessed. There are 6 colors available on Amazon a bright pink and a coral-peach tone.

    10. I like the covergirl trublend skin enhancer balm. I got it in an ulta gift with purchase and i’ve been happy with it.

    11. I love Jones Road (Bobbi Brown founder) miracle balm. It really makes your skin look like it is naturally glowing.

    12. Merit Beauty Flush Balm in Le Bonbon. It’s a true clear pink, without undertones. Goes on bright, blends beautifully.

    13. I’ve had my NARS multiple for 10+ years at this point because a little goes a long way. i have the elf one too but prefer the nars. not drugstore but not that much.

    14. I use and love Milani cheek kiss cream blush in coral crush. It’s bright, buildable coverage that blends beautifully.

    15. I know you asked for drugstore recs, but I have to put in a plug for the Rare Beauty liquid blush from Sephora. Super pigmented so I only need a dot on each cheek to blend out, so a bottle lasts me forever – probably two years. I’m on my second bottle and have a third in reserve (Christmas 2024 gift – haven’t needed it yet).

  3. I have fine but thick wavy hair and my new hair cut looks 100% better when straightened (or blown out but at a level thats beyond me). Hair is collarbone length, layered in kind of a 90s style.

    I need a new straightener … my 15 year old one from college isnt cutting it. I’m thinking maybe a steam straightener would work best for me?

    Any recommendations?

    1. Following. My gray streak doesn’t lie flat like my other hair and I am reconsidering my chemical straightening habit.

    2. I don’t know anything about steam straighteners, but I have what sounds like similarly textured hair and I really like my Revlon hot brush.

      1. I have the Shark Flexstyle which I love for drying, but I need a straightener for dry hair

      2. I have thick and wiry hair, so slightly different than yours, but I bought the Tymo Stylux brush and I am obsessed. Works way better than my straightner and leaves me with smooth, bouncy type curls. Cannot believe this brush and how it works with just one pass through my hair!

    3. Perhaps I am out of the loop on current tools, but as a fellow fine but thick, wavy-haired person, steam and straight hair seem completely opposed to one another.

    4. Similar hair. I like my Drybar straightener (full size). Have had it for years. I also use Olaplex oil after and it leaves my. hair straight with no flyaways.

    5. I know it’s expensive, but I love my Dyson Airstrait. It’s much faster than my regular straightner and you don’t have dry your hair first.

    6. This does not have steam, but I really like the BabyLissPRO Nano Titanium Ionic Thermal Paddle Brush for my fine but thick, only slightly wavy hair. It’s compact so nice for travel.but

  4. I love this color for fall. I am drawn to it. I am fair-skinned with pink undertones, and I KNOW anything this warm is not a great color for me. Talk me out of it!!

    1. Same boat here – DON’T DO IT!!! Enjoy the look on others, and stick with the colors that flatter you.

    2. Yeah, don’t do it. It’s a gorgeous color but don’t wear it next to your face.

    3. First, you can decide not to care whether the color is “great” on you. There is no unbreakable rule that you must only wear certain colors! However, if it genuinely matters to you, then wear the color away from your face (pants, skirt, shoes, bag, etc.)

      1. It’s not about following rules. The warm/cool color “rule” doesn’t dictate what looks good; it merely explains why certain things naturally look good on a person, independent of any socially imposed standards, and certain things look bad on that person.

        One is, of course, free to choose not to care about how she looks.

      2. I vote “wear the color away from your face.” Get a great pair of pants or a skirt in that color and enjoy!

      3. It’s more what tone of a color you should wear rather than a color. You can look great in periwinkle and awful in royal blue for example.

      2. OP here, and I have a pair of cords in this color. The belt loop on them ripped, and now there’s a small hole in an unfortunate spot. I need to find a new pair. I was over the skinny style anyway.

    5. Get it and pair it with a scarf that works for you. That will shift the colors by your face.

    6. Don’t do it! You will periodically put it on, look in the mirror, and put it back in the closet. After several seasons of taking up space in your closet, it will get donated.

      Look for a cool deep espresso if you want to wear brown.

    7. Hahaha… same here. Don’t do it! It won’t be different this time. This one won’t be “the one” that some how looks good and you actually want to wear. I feel like I try again every 2 years or so and am always disappointed. Don’t be me.

    8. In my experience, any top in a colour I know looks bad on me is a bad purchase. It doesn’t matter how much I love it, and love the colour: when it comes to actually choosing to wear it, I will always pick something else, something that makes me feel good.

      I solve this by getting my colour fix in interior decorating items.

  5. I posted a few weeks ago about what to do with items I purged during a major closet cleanout. That weekend I took advantage of some good light to photograph everything, including with a tape measure, and have been slowly posting the items to Poshmark since then. So far I have sold over a dozen garments and pocketed three hundred bucks!

      1. They are in decent condition although all are just mall brand basics from the last 10-ish years. A number are items I bought used myself, some of which I have now sold for more than I paid for them several years ago. I am happy that they are funding their replacements!

        My plan is to see what sells online in the next few weeks, do one round at a local consignment shop, then donate whatever is left.

  6. I’m the United flyer who posted yesterday about my economy ticket and just caught up on the (numerous!) replies. I purchased a regular economy ticket, not basic economy, which comes with the ability to pick a seat. I was surprised when I went to pick a seat that the only ones available required an additional fee. I’ll check back periodically for changes, but it’s good to know the airline will provide a seat at the fare I paid. I’m traveling alone so getting separated from family is not an issue.

    1. A little less than 24 hours before the flight check back because people who get upgraded at check-in will have left their open seats in economy (to move to those empty economy plus seats).

    2. If you haven’t called United, give them a call and ask the customer service rep for a seat assignment. I can’t remember which airlines I’ve done this one, but I have done it and gotten free “upgraded” seats.

  7. Entering the time of year where I am cold all the time, and it seems to be getting worse with perimenopause and is worse the week before my period when estrogen is low. It’s like an internal chill that all the clothes and blankets in the world can’t shake and it impacts my energy level some days. I had all my levels checked in March and talked to my PCP about this and she said everything was fine including thyroid and vitamin D.

    I linger in a very hot shower in the morning and take hot baths at night but am pretty cold and uncomfortable during the day. Today I’m working from home, its 60F outside, thermostat set to 70 and my house is not drafty; wearing heavy leggings, a tshirt, and a warm sweatshirt (employer branded bc I’m on video all day), plus a blanket over my legs and house shoes, and I’m still freezing. Do I need a space heater for my hands?

    1. I am always cold. I use an electric blanket on my lap and have thought about getting some heated fingerless gloves. I do run a space heater sometimes, but I don’t really like how the air feels with a space heater.

    2. The perimenopause temperature fluctuations are no joke. I overheat more easily, but I also get really cold, like you’re describing.

      That’s really frustrating. Is it better when you get up and move more often? Otherwise, try a heated throw blanket for your lap. It helps me thaw.

    3. Are you hydrated? If I am dehydrated I feel so cold it’s almost impossible to make me feel warm again

    4. Baths are the only thing that get me fully warm. At work I just give in and wear tights, undershirts, and sweaters.

      1. Good point. Also, soups for lunch. I am a pretty cold person but when I eat hot soup I feel 10 degrees warmer and usually have to take off my outer layer

    6. Same. Even switching to HRT once I was in my 50s. Still cold. And I live in the mid-south, so it’s not even that cold here to most people.

    7. Before you get the space heater, get a heating pad to put over your chair so you can sit on it. And switch out the blanket for a heated throw. That way you’ll actively be adding heat, not merely layering up.

    8. I am a perenially cold person. I find that keeping something warm on my midsection helps a ton. A friend gave me a small buckwheat pillow that I can microwave and place on my lap under a blanket when I work from home, and it makes a big difference. (For really cold days, sometimes I will also use a hot water bottle.) I also have fingerless gloves – keeping my wrists covered also seems to make a difference. Do you have wool socks?

      The other thing I can suggest is randomly doing things to get your heart pumping and your blood moving more. Like a break to do 50 jumping jacks, or go for a quick walk around the block.

    9. As someone who is frequently cold and spends a lot of time outside in a very cold climate, it’s key to keep your hands, feet, neck, and head warm. I always have warm socks and slippers at home, high necklines or a scarf or gaiter (outside), a hat when appropriate or at least no wet hair or drafts on my head, and fingerless gloves if my hands are still cold.

      I also recommend exercising regularly, which does a good job of warming me up and seems to help with thermoregulation in general. I don’t know what you’re doing now, but you could try starting off the day with some activity to get you warmed up, and take breaks to move around.

    10. Sipping on something warm – bonus points if you get one of those mug-warmer devices that keeps it warm for you. Then even if you’re not drinking you can still warm up your hands!
      Fingerless gloves
      Electric blanket

      I hate having hot dry air blowing on me, so space heaters are a no-go.

      1. My bedroom is in the basement of a 100+ yr old house (so: cold & no amount of turning up the heater fixes it) and I upgraded to an oil filled space heater last year and love it. It takes longer to warm up but it basically feels like having an old-fashioned radiator – no fan, no air blasts, just a bunch of pipes being a big thermal mass in the corner.

    12. Turn up your freaking thermostat. You’re cold! 70 is cold for a lot of women! There is so much crazy resistance here to turning up your thermostat to a comfortable level and I don’t understand it given the extreme wealth most people post about.

      1. It’s not normal to need that many layers at 70 degrees. I would suspect some sort of health issue.

        1. I am the same way, have been like this my entire life (I am 64), and everything is normal on labs. Some of us are just like this. I am quite thin, which I know is part of it.

    13. Wear a long sleeve layer under your sweatshirt, not a t shirt. I like the 32 degrees base layer shirts from Costco. I wear one every day Oct-April in Minnesota, and it helps a lot.

    15. This is me, too! I wear a 32 degrees heat shirt under my clothes, I sit on a sheepskin on my desk chair (it retains heat amazingly), I put a heated blanket on my lap, I wear wool socks with sheepskin slippers, and I use an Ember coffee mug to sip tea all day. I’ve also started investing in nice wool sweaters. I have found wool to be much more effective at retaining my body heat than any other fabric. I used to sit on a heating pad, but even the lowest setting felt like it was burning the backs of my thighs after an hour or two of use.

    16. Oro wear heated vest.

      It looks just like a normal fleece vest.

      Also uniqlo heat tech base layers

    17. How is your iron level? I was freezing and miserable until I got an iron infusion. The infusion was transformative. I felt better within 2 weeks. Also, consider silk long underwear under everything. It helps a ton and doesn’t feel horribly bulky.

    18. I’m always cold, too, and wearing silk long underwear has really helped me. I got mine from LL Bean.

    19. Talk to a certified menopause specialist. Your PCP likely knows nothing about perimenopause. This was my first symptom and the only thing that helped was HRT. Your doctor should tell you we treat the symptoms not random blood test levels. Your body can’t regulate its internal temperature. The stereotype is hot flashes but cold is the same cause, just different results.

    20. I’m always cold too. Just the same as you.

      Turn up your heat to 71 or 72. Just do it.
      Wear fingerless gloves.
      Get really warm slippers. Not house shoes.
      A T shirt and sweatshirt are not that warm. It’s sweater time + layers.
      Leggings are not very warm. Wool socks, pants. Love the blanket on legs.

      I pre-heat my bathroom before I take a shower. Or else you never want to get out of the shower!

    21. I’m also perpetually cold. I WFH so use blanket, heating pad, etc. Also, taking breaks from sitting helps A LOT. I get up and stretch, wave my arms around, climb a flight of stairs if time allows- anything to get the blood moving.

  8. Grrr . . . Old enough to be on HRT and I have a pimple forming on my cheek. For a spot treatment, are the salicylic acid ones better than the sulfer-based products? Or vice versa? or is it all pretty much snake oil / hope? At least I’m old enough now to resist the urge to try to bring it to a head and just let it ripen on its own.

    1. Sulfur cream works the best at quickly deflating a growing pimple, especially anything hormonal/under the skin. That, and a pimple patch will generally flatten mine out enough that I can cover them easily with concealer.

    3. Pimple patches!

      I was skeptical until I got some for my kids and tried them myself.

      1. What did I just see on Instagram? “Get rid of the pimple patches. Pop ur pimple and shove concealer and powder into the open wound like a REAL YTK millennial.”

      2. I’m 60. Had a pimple last month. Sorry to say this. The pimple patches are actually pretty good, though. Wish they’d been around in my teens/20s.

    5. I’m old enough that I’ve gone on HRT and now am off it, and I still get pimples – to have graying hair, softening jowls AND zits just seems unfair.

      I put a dab of pure tea tree oil on a spot as soon as I notice it and that usually does the trick.

    6. I like sulphur cream/mask. Clearasil also makes a rapid relief product that is quite effective.

  9. There was some discussion about Frye boots yesterday in reply to a question about buying shoes for teens. I just wanted to pipe up to say I had a recent awful experience that I was really surprised by.

    I bought a pair of boots, new, from the Frye website. About 6 weeks after purchase, the zipper became stuck (in the “up” position, no less) and was inoperable. “No problem,” I thought. Frye is an iconic brand known for its reliability. They’ll help me out, right? Wrong. The customer service rep told me in no uncertain terms to pound sand, since I was outside the 30 day return window. The 12 month warranty? “Not applicable.” I was offered a recommendation to seek a good cobbler, which I did (at $90 personal expense). Won’t be purchasing again.

    1. I went in person to the Frye store on Newbury Street in Boston (not sure if it’s still there) prepared to buy, but the staff pretended I didn’t exist and I wasn’t able to try on. Lost my business that day and forever. In this day and age, it’s so much easier to vote with your dollar.

    2. I bought a pair of Tecovas and had a minor issue with the zipper. After sending a photo, they sent a replacement pair!

    3. I had a similar experience with Sarah Flint when a pair of sandals fell apart the first time I wore them. It took multiple rounds with their customer service to get a replacement pair and left such a bad taste I won’t be going back.

    4. I recently learned that Frye and Co. are not the same boots as Frye (Frye & Co. are a less expensive, lower quality line). Which brand was your purchase?

  10. I am in my mid-30s. I am about a year postpartum after my second kid, and my PMS symptoms are just absolutely insane. I have not had anything this severe since high school. Yesterday, for example, I was crying or on the verge of tears all day for things that normally would have been frustrating but not… made me cry. Has anyone dealt with this or found anything that helped?

    Yesterday was more extreme, but I’ve dealt with similar symptoms my last few cycles.

    1. Going on continuous hormonal birth control helped me with the fluctuations, though it didn’t totally eliminate them.

      1. OP: I have a clotting disorder so birth control pills are out. My OB has been comfortable with me having an IUD in the past, but I had not gotten a replacement since my husband was getting the snip.

        1. Typically it’s estrogen-containing birth control pills that are problematic for people with clotting disorders; have you asked your doctor about a progestin-only option?

    4. Are you sleeping well? I get on the verge of tears over small things when I am exhausted.

    5. I experienced this too. My doctor recommended Zoloft but the side effects I experienced made me quit. Now I use PMS Support Supplements. I also like the Moody app. It gives you a sort of daily hormone-level horoscope and holistic ways to improve your symptoms. It doesn’t fix everything but is validating.

    6. Zinc, magnesium, methylfolate for me (tests confirmed deficiency in each!). If that hadn’t been the issue, they had talked about progesterone since apparently PMDD is often a progesterone withdrawal issue, but I don’t know what that protocol would have been.

      SSRIs were a net detriment for me, but I did think 5HTP took the edge off when I was still getting symptoms (I was advised that these are a strict either/or since serotonin syndrome is a risk of raising serotonin levels while already on SSRIs). Birth control prevented the PMDD but worsened my mental health in other ways on top of a lot of other side effects.

      I know that the work up I received was non-standard; I ended up going to a specialized women’s health practice after my usual healthcare system seemed to just totally give up since I didn’t tolerate either BCP or SSRI.

    7. I have PMDD and it ramped up significantly after my second kid. I’m on progesterone only BC and lexapro. Estrogen based birth control is best, but I’m high risk for clots due to severe aural migraines. Honestly, the combo has been life changing. I’m not sure what works or if it works together but I won’t mess with it. I highly recommend talking to your doctors. My OB was super knowledgeable.

      1. I also cannot take estrogen-based BC because of ocular migraines. I take Slynd, which has made my period mostly vanish. I have to get it from a particular pharmacy since it’s not a super-common prescription, but it is worth every penny and the extra effort–I did not love the other progesterone-only pill I tried.

      1. please ignore…I miss read it as you are unable to get a discount.

        older versions are sometimes in sale at Nordstroms and REI as long as you aren’t picky about the color

    2. I don’t know of any specific stores, but runningshoedeals [dot] com is made for this exact reason.

    3. Try Running Warehouse. They are reliable and have fast shipping. Some Hoka past models and sizes are on clearance.

  12. If you’re in a less than full time attorney job, what’s your practice area and what was your path to get there? These jobs seem like unicorns – I hear about them, but I don’t see them! I want to pivot to set myself up for this in a few years. Thanks!

    1. Really depends on your practice area, but you can look at Axiom, Paragon Legal, the Posse List, Priori and other places like that. Some jobs (privacy, commercial) are easy to pick up as side gigs. This may not be a thing in a few years, but many people do side gigs with AI training as attorneys too! GL!

    2. My job is technically full-time, but I probably work 35 hours a week. I am in-house for a F500 company. Part of what makes my workload reasonable is that we have built-in redundances in our legal department to handle peak times, so when we are not at a peak time…. we are slow. In my industry, this is relatively normal for a publicly traded company. PE companies tend to work their attorneys much more.

      I was at law firms handling litigation for about 10 years and started working with business operations for various clients heavily during Covid. Moved in-house when I had kids. I now do entirely operations work. Experience that prepared me for this role was lots of client contact, experience working with difficult personalities, and experience managing high volumes of cases– so soft skills, rather than anything specifically legal.

    3. i think most of these jobs require meaningful full time experience beforehand. i think the jobs that are just part time tend to be tempy document review sort of studff. what is your current area of expertise, that might help us advise you. like if you are currently full time at a firm is there a way that they would accommodate you going part time? is there a client you might be able to work for or to consult for? also how part time. like i am an attorney and i work full time but between you and me i have a lot of flexibility and freedom and don’t have to bill so…..

      1. I had assumed as much. I’m a likely-to-be-RIF’d government litigator with ten years’ experience but no law firm experience, so I think I need to build a few years of runway before I can do part-time work. In my ideal world, I would 5-6 hours per day, 5 days a week. Feels like I’m after a unicorn, but who knows–maybe I can find the right path!

        1. Look at criminal defense panel work in your state. You work as much as or as little as you want as it’s all hourly pay with no benefits. If that works for you it can be a great gig. I do appellate work and have complete control over my schedule.

          1. I was going to suggest this as well. I am a staff attorney in a public defender appellate office, but we have contractors who do both trial and appellate work. Some of our appellate contractors are retired attorneys who wanted to just take a few cases at a time.

  13. This shutdown has broken my spirit in a way that not even the COVID shutdown did, and at last I’m ready to give in and make a sourdough starter. Any suggestions for containers? Thanks!

    1. Clear glass mason jars, the wide opening kind. Bigger than you think – I like quart sized.

    2. In the beginning stages where you are feeding it constantly, I like to alternate between two glass mixing bowls with lids for less mess. At each feeding, you can use the fresh bowl to weight and mix and then just pop the lid on and stick the old bowl in the dishwasher. A big jar is fine once it’s established and you don’t need to feed it so often.

    3. King Arthur Flour has nice sourdough starter containers. Pro tip: Get two so when you feed it you can move into a clean container.

      1. Just don’t put it in the dishwasher unless you don’t care whether the markings get washed off.

  14. For those of you with older kids, how do you spend 529 accounts if you haven’t saved 100% of what State U would cost (but say you saved half). Do you withdraw ratably over the presumed 4 years? Or use it all until it runs out?

    I have kids one year apart, so there will be three years of two college bills (and the years of just one college tuition on either end of that). They are in high school and I’ve already moved 50% of each account to a high-yield money market fund (closest option to high-yield savings account).

    In my case, I think I’d focus on using the 529 funds for those three years when they overlap. I am so used to the saving up for things side of life vs the spending down a finite pool of savings.

    1. I dump as much as possible into the 529 far enough in advance of needing to withdraw it that it counts as an actual contribution for state tax purposes (10 days in my state). Then I just send a check from the 529 to the school, or reimburse my student from the 529 for things he paid himself. It only earns a small amount of interest, but the state tax benefit still makes it worthwhile for me to run all qualified expenses through the 529.

      Perhaps I am misreading. Are you taking money out of the 529 and putting it in another account? Or just changing the allocation within the 529?

      1. OP here and I am just thinking of spending strategies once we have actual tuition bills.

        WIthin the funds, it will probably be all cash for the older one by next spring, so we aren’t shocked by any market corrections. Then a year later for the younger one.

        1. Mine has a target date option so we just set the year ours was expected to start college and it adjusts the holdings accordingly. The fees are reasonable and even now that we are in school it invests the balance in short term holdings that earn slightly better than our HYSA. When I need to pay tuition, it automatically divests just the amount I need. There really isn’t any strategy to the spending other than to pay bills on time.

    2. If you haven’t saved enough to cover the full cost of tuition, I’d probably front-load the expense. Freshman campus jobs don’t pay near as well as the internships and other career-adjacent positions you can get as a junior or something. I would be expecting the kids to pony up some cash/get loans to finish the degree. (From someone who had a full tuition and pell grants to get through college, the most my parents did or were capable of was send me an occasional $20 for help with groceries.)

    3. How are you planning for the rest of the cost to be paid? Do you have savings outside of the 529 that you are planning to use? Are your kids going to take out loans? Are you planning to cover it will current income?

      My strategy would depend on that answer. For example, assuming you may qualify for financial aid based on income, if you have other savings that you are planning to use, I would use that pool of funds first. My understanding is that those funds count against you at a much higher percentage than funds in a 529, so use them first. But if the rest of the cost is going to be covered by loans, I would probably spread the 529 across each year.

    4. If your kids will be taking out loans, have them take out the loans in equal increments for all four years. There are annual maximums for loans.

      For the rest: spend the 529 upfront. Your kids may drop out (yes, it happens, and it can be okay). They may transfer to a school that gives them generous aid. They might go abroad. You or your spouse might lose your job and be eligible for huge amounts of financial aid that you weren’t before.

  15. So . . . does the white house actually need a ballroom?

    Obviously this is not the way to do it, but I could see how the White House could need some more room. Probably more likely more office space, but idk

    1. Regardless of what it needs or doesn’t need, this did not go through the proper architectural review or congressional review. He tore down an entire wing of the people’s house without getting permission. It’s appalling.

      1. I agree with this 100000000%. I was just pondering whether we actually hold any events large enough or frequently enough to require a ballroom.

    3. They kinda do actually. Events larger than a certain size have to be held under tents outside.

      1. Exactly. It’s not like the East Wing is architecturally significant or special, either: it’s WWII-era office space. This doesn’t touch the main building.

        1. So find a better way to add more space. This is not it. Dismissing part of the White House as a “WWII-era office space” is so wildly disingenuous I could laugh.

    4. I have only glimpsed the White House in person once, and am not typically a sentimental person when it comes to monuments with checkered histories, but the wanton destruction makes me ill. It’s a literal embodiment of what he is doing to our democracy.

      1. We will be OK! We are more than a building. The British burned it. We rebuilt this. Keeps a lot more than new gold plating to keep us down.

      2. totally agree. i did read that he is paying for this with his own money and not our tax dollars? but anyway, this is disgusting, especially as the government is still closed…

        1. well, neither his money nor taxpayer money, but free will donations” from a variety of wealthy people and companies that I am *sure* they are not expecting *any* kind of access or consideration in return for

          I’m not fundamentally opposed to the idea of a larger room for indoor events, or making changes to the white house – it never has been & doesn’t need to be some frozen historical artefact. What bothers me most about this is the very high potential for corruption in soliciting donations (given the concomitant evisceration of the Ethics office) and the blatant lying (“we’re not touching the east wing, oh whoops we started demolition yesterday”).

          1. Rumor is it’s $20mm in donations, $230mm from the money he plans to pay himself from DOJ settlements, and $50-100mm from who knows, because its price went from $250 to 350mm this week. Nauseating.

          2. Wealthily people and nations are going to bribe Trump, since he is completely open to it. So it bothers me less that he is using some of the bribe money for this. What bothers me is that it didn’t go through the appropriate architectural and congressional review processes – he isn’t a king and shouldn’t get to unilaterally decide how to change the White House.

        2. He has said he’s funding it with his money and also with donations, i.e., people/corporations buying access to and favor from the president, which is not acceptable. Not like there’s any transparency into any of this and I agree with others that the blatant display of wealth is grotesque in light of the government shut down (and in general). His ask for $230m of taxpayer money is also not inspiring confidence that there’s not going to be any more blatant self-dealing of millions of our tax dollars.

          Seems like an episode of South Park or SNL. I just cannot think of anything more tragically symbolic than this rotting orange literally tearing down the White House.

        3. I don’t get why it’s any better that this travesty is being funded with “his” money and not taxpayer money. Using his own money makes it seem like the White House is his, not America’s. Plus a lot of the “donations” are bribes – do you really think the exceedingly wealthy in this country are giving money to build a ballroom on the White House without expecting something in return?

        4. He also said it wouldn’t touch the existing building at all. Not even worth repeating what he says given the level of lying.

      1. It’s frustrating to me to see the govt expend any effort on what is just a trump ego project,(although doesn’t surprise me) but the amount of $ needed vs. SNAP/WIC/healthcare are just totally different conversations. 230 million is a lot of dollars, of course, but <$1/person — this just isn't going to have a meaningful impact on supporting Americans who need support, regardless of who coughs up the money

      2. The “let them eat cake” vibe is strong. When is the so-called base going to understand that he doesn’t care about them at all? (Answer: never, because he normalized being hateful and nasty and they love it).

    6. Pretty nice tax donation for Trump, yes?

      Accept a DOJ settlement of $230 million dollars, then donate it back to build a new ballroom. Nice. Very nice.

  16. My middle school aged daughter came out to me this morning in a note that she asked I read after she got on the school bus. I obviously was pretty aware, but this is the first time she’s verbalized it directly. Anyone who’s been thru this before (on either side), what is the best way I can support her when I pick her up this afternoon (beyond just telling her I love her)?

    1. This is a know-your-child situation. Mine was really nervous (we had known for years). When she told us, we thanked her for sharing, reassured her we always love her, asked if she wanted to talk or ask any questions, and then basically treated it like it was no big deal. She wanted to talk more about her relief about having it in the open than she did about coming out itself.

    2. Came out as what? If it’s as an orientation of attraction, I’d just acknowledge receipt, congratulate them for taking the initiative to state it to you, and hug her. And then just ask if that news is news to stay private to you two of what they want you to do with that, if anything.

      If it’s trans, I just cannot get on board with doing anything (even if legal in your state) and truly fear social contagion and weird adults at school interjecting themselves into this for some teens that have many other things going on (and I’d try to diss out if they go to a school that will do a lot at school and keep you in the dark). Our kids’ middle school was like this and just went from controversy to controversy even though their actions impacted families and left them to pick up the pieces for kids who really needed mental health counseling (vs just some new pronouns) about some serious co-morbid issues and also never curbed bullies who were making some kids suicidal.

      2. Yep, unpopular opinion but it has to be said. The ways you can best support your child depend on the answer.

    3. Take her out for ice cream, or to get her nails done, or for some small treat where you can talk and tell her you love her whoever she is.

      She did something that was big and scary and giving her positive reinforcement + space to talk will be worth a ton.

    4. Been there. Tell her you love her and appreciate her telling you. Tell her you are there is she wants to talk about it but do not push. Ask about how out she wants to be with friends and family and respect her wishes. Think about how you are going to treat sleepovers and other interactions with her friends (I did not and it became a problem when she was in situations she was not mature enough to deal with.)

      I caution against making it about you or your identity. A lot of her friends in high school came out and some of the parents made it all about them in a way that was truly astonishing (to the point that they outed their child to more people than the child was comfortable with). That was particularly a problem since it did not stick for about half of them (they are at least bi given the wedding invitations we are getting).

      1. So much your second paragraph. Some of these parents . . . We know one family that moved away because the mom would not stop going on NPR and over-posting / over-sharing, to the point where the other kid was totally overshadowed and the other just used as a bathroom bill prop.

        And middle school is young. There is a lot they will navigate poorly just based on youth.

  17. PSA for anyone else who has been meaning to clean out their camera roll and never gets around to it– I’ve been loving the app picnic. It basically presents your photos like Tinder profiles, meaning that you swipe left or right to save or delete your photos. For whatever reason the swiping is more satisfying to my brain than manually deleting. I’m using the free version, which is perfectly adequate for my use.

    1. Does the app grab data or your photos themselves? Not that I fully trust Apple to keep my stuff private, but I cannot imagine giving a free app access to my cameral roll and all the data it could mine from there…

      2. Fair point, if you’re someone who has your privacy settings locked down you probably wouldn’t want to use it.

        But FWIW, for me (and I suspect many others?), when I go to privacy settings there are a bunch of apps that already have “full access” to my camera roll– instagram, photo editing apps, etc. so this isn’t any more access than that.

        1. Oh, yes, that is definitely not me. I am very miserly with access to photos, location, camera, mic, etc., and regularly audit to make sure nothing snuck in or overstayed its welcome.

    3. I use Slidebox for the same purpose. And it finally got me to the point where I could print photos and make an album.

  18. How much less would you pay for a house with a one car garage in an area that has mostly two car garages? There is a long driveway, but it’s not wide enough to park two cars in, so parking the second car in the driveway will block the garage. We are in an area that gets snow maybe 4-7 times a year, but never in massive quantities.

    1. One more thing: while of course no city is actually free from car break ins, the probability of that happening in this area is quite low.

    2. i’d guess 20%-35% less? it is a big deficit and would require a lot of extra work to make a larger driveway.

          1. +2 – I doubt it will make any difference at all in the sale price. People never understand what actually changes value. It’s not your list of nice to haves. Home prices depend on location and square footage. A nicely maintained and well staged home will sell faster, maybe for more, but ancillary things like this don’t change the sale price.

    3. how often will it be a pain – like, if one person normally leaves first and comes home first, that will be the wrong car setup the next morning unless person 1 parks in the street until person 2 comes home, etc.

    4. It really depends. We have a house with a driveway so smol it fits one compact car, no garage. The urban neighborhood was so desirable we didn’t care and still had a bidding war for this house. I would not feel the same way about something in a suburb though.

      1. +1. I won’t look at any home with a 1 car garage. If I wanted my car exposed to the elements and to spend my life shuffling around family vehicles I would stay in an apartment.

    6. what is on street options? i’m assuming not easy or you wouldn’t be ruminating but wanted to confirm…. i grew up in a house with only 1 driveway and 1 garage and there were points when we had 4 cars but street parking was plentiful.

    7. A couple % at most. Depends a lot on your market; it could be a deal breaker *for you* but not actually that significant to someone else, and I figure in a tight market someone who doesn’t care will buy up the house.

      Alternatively, what would it cost to extend the garage – in my area, even with needing foundation work, that’s probably ~40-50k.

    8. We have a one car garage, but live in an area where it’s not that rare and lots of people park on the street (despite lots of snow) so it’s not quite the same comparison. We didn’t care at all because we only have one car, but it doesn’t seem to make much difference in housing prices in our neighborhood, at least not in the current market with so few good houses available.

    9. We don’t have a garage and we tandem park two cars in our driveway. It is very much no big deal. 2-3 times a month someone has to move one car to the street so they can use the other car, but we could cut that down with better planning. I wouldn’t expect a big discount on a house that didn’t have a garage.

    10. How car dependent is the neighborhood? In my close in DC suburb, I would guess a few percent at most. But most families only have one car and/or one person WFH or takes the metro to work.

      But I kind of assume you are in a car dependent neighborhood if 2-car garages are standard. I would guess around 10% then, because it’s probably a deal breaker for many couples and easy for them to get in another house.

    11. Would you be able to widen the driveway, or put a parking pad off to the side? You can even get permeable pavers that let grass grow through them. You may have to talk to the permitting office of the town to figure that if it’s feasible. I live in an area with cold weather and snow wouldn’t hesitate if it were otherwise a good fit for what I wanted in a house.

    12. If it’s a desirable neighborhood, not much. I sold my 1400 sq ft home with no garage and a long single width driveway for $600K, and the zestimate is currently over $700K. Maybe $50K less?

      My husband grew up in a similar house (small detached garage used for storage), and the family did the car “shuffle” every night with their 3-4 cars (they had five kids). That house is valued at $1.5M right now.

  19. Can anyone recommend a good book about perimenopause? I’m 38 and figure I should have some basic facts lol. I appreciate that I hear about it in the zeitgeist now, but I still know basically nothing.

    1. It is a made-up thing designed to allow doctors to avoid diagnosing any issue a woman over 35 has, and to sell supplements and on-line seminars.

      Of course we do experience hormonal changes as we age, but the “perimenopause” hype doesn’t address what’s really going on.

      1. This. It’s amazing to me the perimenopause industrial complex hasn’t hit the first period market yet.

    2. Dr. Jen Gunter’s Menopause Manifesto is good. But r / menopause is a wealth of information. They also will keep track of the doctors using social platforms to educate and raise awareness.

  20. what is your favorite outfit when you have an event and you have no idea what others are wearing? it it not on a week night so i can’t wear a terrific fitting black pant suit which is what i normally wear on a week night if i don’t know what to wear. not a work event, social….

    1. Either black pants, button down, swacket style jacket sweater, with flats or boots. Or a midi-dress. Likely shirt-style with buttons or a wrap.

      1. Same. And there’s a wide variance depending on location. I also always just dress to where I’m going and what I feel like. I don’t especially care if everyone else dresses more casually than I do.

    4. A simple dress in a solid color. Covers you if it’s informal or fancy. I have a leather clutch (Mansur Gavriel cloud in the larger size) that also works well either way.

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