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Updated: Nov 1, 2018 125 Comments · by

Coffee Break: Ju-Ju-Be Fuel Cell Insulated Bag

Coffee Break |

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Ju-Ju-Be Fuel Cell Insulated Bag | CorporetteDon't be too alarmed by the fact that this is under the “diaper bag” section of Zappos — it just strikes me as a really cute insulated lunch bag. Readers, how many of you bring your own lunches (or parts thereof) in the summer? We haven't talked about saving money on lunch in a while but one trick I used to employ — particularly on a summer budget — was to bring in grilled chicken and a bag of shredded cheese, and then get fresh lettuce and veggies from a local deli or salad place (thereby saving $2-$4 per salad). This particular lunch bag is $22.99. Ju-Ju-Be Fuel Cell Insulated Bag Seen a great piece you'd like to recommend? Please e-mail tps@corporette.com. (L-2)

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And some of our latest threadjacks here at Corporette (reader questions and commentary) — see more here!

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About Kat

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

Comments

  1. Baconpancakes

    Kat, I’m confused. Why couldn’t you bring in fresh lettuce and veggies from home?

    • preg 3L

      When I’m working full-time, I find that buying enough lettuce over the weekend to get me through the week doesn’t work because it gets gross and soggy or bitter by Wednesday/Thursday/Friday. Also veggies take time to chop and prep, so I would be more likely to just bring the high-cost salad additions (meat & cheese). But Baconpancakes, you’re right, that bringing lettuce and veggies isn’t terribly challenging.

    • NbyNW

      I sometimes do this. We have a pay-by-pound lunch place (which has everything from salad to sushi to mac-n-cheese) near my office. If I bring leftover meat, fish or chicken, I’ll sometimes round it out with fresh spinach, carrot curls, chopped bell pepper and olives…or whatever suits my fancy. It’s usually only $1-$1.50 for that.

      I usually bring lunch (9 out of 10 days) because I don’t eat wheat/gluten which makes eating out problematic, because I’m trying to lose weight, because it’s so expensive and also often it takes time that I don’t have to go buy lunch, even take-out.

      I bring my lunch in one of the Built NY totes, which I love because I can throw them in the washing machine and they never smell like stale food. I use the Gourmet Getaway and the Gourmet Getaway Mini.

    • Kat G

      here in NYC it always just seems like you can get a fresher and wider selection by paying for the $.25/$.50 add-ons. hate throwing away veggies (and their nutritiousness deteriorates pretty quickly anyway). whereas a bag of cheddar cheese can last for a month, and if you’ve grilled chicken it can last for a day or two at least; longer if you’re freezing it… so it was my way of being lazy but cost effective. :D

  2. TBK - glasses and dresses

    Shopping help!

    First, I need help with new glasses. My old glasses recently broke and so I’m buying new ones this week. I wear them infrequently and don’t replace them often, so I usually feel like my glasses are a year or two behind the fashion (not that they’re ever super trendy, but, for example, I got half-frames just as everyone was ditching them for Tina Fey glasses). I like my old glasses and would get something similar, but just want to check that they’re not completely unstylish. If you google CK 5650, I think my current style comes up (they’re a Calvin Klein frame). Should I get something like that? If not, what’s the current style? Also, what’s with Warby Parker? Should I use them? Are they cheaper than the places in the mall? Better selection?

    Second, whoever suggested wrap dresses for postpartum bodies, you were spot on. But I’m having trouble finding some. I got an off season long sleeved one from Old Navy this weekend, but would love 2-3 with short sleeves or sleeveless for summer. I’d really like to pay as little as possible for them since most of our money these days is going to the twenty thousand diapers we go through daily. (Okay, not 20,000 — but 20-25 would not be wrong.) Any good options? TIA!

  3. NOLA

    I don’t commute far enough to bother with an insulated bag. I pack up all of my lunch stuff on Mondays, usually, and leave it in the big fridge at work. Sometimes that’s just a bag of apples that I eat with peanut butter.

    I tried a new recipe this weekend that I brought for lunch and it’s really yummy. It’s this http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/lentil_salad.html except I used chicken and apple smoked sausage in place of the sweet sausage. I cut the sausage in small pieces and sauteed it in a skillet before I put it in the salad. I also left out the garlic because I didn’t want to eat that for lunch every day and I’m eating it cold. But the apple and fennel are so refreshing!

  4. AIMS

    I probably bring lunch 3/5 days a week, if not more. I find it’s usually healthier and cheaper and saves me the “what to get for lunch” dilemma where I inevitably want to get a brie cheese sandwich but then feel like I “should” get something healthier and end up wasting 20 min wandering around the deli trying to decide. But I don’t use a lunch tote – the less to carry back and forth the better. If I worry about potential spills I just put the container in a plastic bag I can throw away later.

    • Aggie

      My lunch options within walking distance are limited, so I bring lunch at least four days a week. I do not carry my lunch bag separately, but I bought one of these last year and love it: http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/packit-8-inch-lunch-bag-in-triangle-purple/1041189795?device=c&network=g&matchtype=&mcid=PS_googlepla_nonbrand_baby_&gclid=CIy1_LOGp74CFedj7Aod3W8AZQ

      It is compact enough to fit in my briefcase, spill proof and folds up to the size of a wallet. I freeze it the night before and my lunch is very cold five hours later.

    • roses

      Same. I try to bring in lunch except when work provides it for me. When I don’t bring it, I end up feeling underwhelmed by the food options around my work. I just bring what I want in a tupperware container or baggies and throw it in my purse, but I also have a short enough commute that I don’t need to worry about things getting gross between when I leave my house and get to work.

      • KC

        Same. I bring my lunch daily, unless there’s some sort of department lunch or it’s a special occasion. I carry a large bag for my gym gear, so the tuperware just goes in the top of that. My commute is short enough that I don’t worry about anything spoiling on the way to work.

    • Ellen

      Yay! Coffee Break! As for the question at HAND, I WISH I could bring my own lunch, but there are a NUMBER of reason’s why I can NOT:

      1) We have to take CLEINT’s out alot, and that mean’s to a restrunt where we wind up sitting alot (witness my tuchus)

      2) I have to walk to work, so whatever I would carry would get WARM and schmusshed if I stuffed it in my lit bag

      3) the manageing partner REFUSES to buy a new refrigereator ever since the old one (from 1945) died. He say’s that when we move to the new place, there will be a PANTRY –YAY! But it better have a referigerator that work’s! FOOEY!

      So as a result of no fridge, my walking routine and takeing out cleint’s to eat, I cant bring thing’s. But there is ONE sliver lineing. The manageing partner pay’s for alot of the food we bring in, even tho I am paying in the form of an oversized TUCHUS b/c of all of the extra food, but at least we get FREE CRUMBS about 3x per week! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    • Wildkitten

      Yes. If I don’t bring it I ended up getting something with melted cheese.

    • Baconpancakes

      The biggest problem for me was dressing, since the tupperwares small enough for dressing would inevitably leak, either in my bag or all over the inside of the plastic bag, making a mess when I got out my lunch, and canning jars are too heavy and clunky for my 1.7 m each way walking commute. I got one of the 2 oz containers specifically made for dressing, and it hasn’t spilled once! http://www.amazon.com/Evriholder-Dressing-Salad-Container-2-ounce/dp/B0076PNQNU

      • Meg Murry

        If you don’t mind a few strange looks, 2 or 4 oz baby bottles with solid caps do a good job holding runny things like salad dressing or milk/cream for coffee. The freezer bags for holding b-milk do as well, if you happen to have a million left over like I do.

  6. Anonymous

    Has anyone visited Olympic national park and victoria before? Thinking about stopping in those places on my way to Vancouver for a day or two. Are there enough things to do/see and recommendations on where to stay? Thanks.

    • anon-oh-no

      I was in Victoria last month and it is just lovely (liked it better than Vancouver). We stayed at the Empress, which I highly recommend. Its a little more expensive (a Fairmont), but its seriously lovely and was probably only $225 a night. Its right on the water in a really good location and the folks there take fabulous care of you (to contrast, we also stayed at the Fairmont in downtown Vancouver and it sucked — will never stay there again). It was raining a lot when we were there and it was low season, so the water planes were running too infrequently for us to try it, but if I go back, I will do that for sure.

      • Anonymous

        When I was in Victoria prob 6-7 years ago, the Empress had the most amazing buffet in its restaurant that I’ve ever had. My husband agreed. Might be worth a look if it’s still there.

    • NbyNW

      Victoria is awesome. Love the Empress. Love walking and/or biking around the Inner Harbour.

      For Olympic National Park, try Lake Crescent Lodge. They have hotel rooms, cabins and more.

      • anon

        I love Lake Crescent Lodge. It is awesome in a rustic way (and the setting is gorgeous). I also stayed at Lake Quinault and loved that.

        • Anon

          Got posting too quickly so will make this short: one square inch of silence in the olympic national forest. Look for it on the internets, cool hike.

  7. Anon

    I bring my lunch everyday. I carry it in a regular cloth bag and put it in the fridge at work. I typically do some mix of salad, greek yogurt, veggies/fruit with some kind of dip (apples and peanut butter, bell pepper and hummus, etc.), soup, casserole-type dishes (black-bean/spinach/artichoke bake, chile relleno casserole, brown rice and broccoli bake, etc.), or occasionally leftovers or rarely a frozen Amy’s/Kashi meal.

    • emeralds

      Lunch twins! I do a lot of leftovers. Today was sliced pineapple for an AM snack, a bowl full of of leftover odds and ends (rice, lentils, green beans), and carrots for an afternoon snack. I always bring food because it’s way cheaper, and none of the lunch options in my area are particularly appealing. By which I mean, Chipotle is appealing but I can’t eat that for lunch every day…

      • emeralds

        I also keep a small stock of healthy snacks in my desk–stuff like Larabars, dried fruit, and nuts. Much as I love the ubiquitous office cookies, they don’t feel me up and just make my blood sugar spike weirdly.

        My hat is off, though, to whoever keeps beer in our office fridge.

  8. purplesneakers

    I bring lunch and snacks every day- I’m diabetic, and the only options near my office are extremely unhealthy. Plus my office is backpack-friendly so I don’t really have to worry about too many boxes and baggies.

  9. B

    I bring my lunch most days, and/or eat from the nonperishable stash in my office. I don’t have access to a fridge or microwave (and am not allowed to bring in my own appliances), which has been a major struggle in my current job.

    From what I’ve read, most/all insulated lunchboxes keep food at a safe temperature for 3-4 hours max. This varies a little if you have freezable containers or pack some frozen items. I leave home before 7 and eat lunch around noon, so that’s a little scary. Yogurt **definitely** does not last unless I freeze it.

    Today I had packaged hummus, quinoa crackers, and am currently having my 3 pm snack which is a protein bar.

    Love Kat’s trick with salad – I will have to try that! I frequently have leftover chicken, and there’s a fairly boring, protein-less salad bar in the office cafeteria.

    • Baconpancakes

      Check out justbento.com – lots of ideas for non-perishable lunches. Japanese bento lunches are traditionally made specifically for storing at room temperature until lunch, and being eaten at that temperature, so there’s lots of great ideas, and the blogger (although not currently posting much due to health issues) has a very multi-cultural approach to bentos, so they’re not all just Japanese food.

    • Anonymous

      In middle school and high school, I used to leave the house with my lunch before 6am for sports practice. Lunch was around 12:30pm. I used an insulated container and 1 or 2 of those blue reusable frozen blocks. I regularly brought sandwiches, yogurt, frozen meals, etc. I never got sick or had any sort of stomach distress, so I take that to mean my food was just fine. It helps if you tightly pack the lunch box and don’t open it until lunch time (ie, keep your midmorning snack in a separate container).

    • Calibrachoa

      Have you considered something like a thermos jar to keep food warm? If you nuke it to piping hot at home, it should still be a good, ready-to-eat temperature when lunch time rolls around.

    • B

      Thanks for the above tips! Really appreciate them!
      *I’ll try the bentos! maybe the blog will help.
      *Good point about not opening till lunchtime. Because I definitely pack my morning snack in with my lunch.
      *I have tried bringing thermoses and sometimes they’re OK. Other times I have weird mental issues related to a 2 week old thermos of spaghetti-os I left in my locker as a sixth grader. I should probably go ahead and get over that, right?

      • IT Chick in MN

        B, life will probably be easier if you get over the scary lifeform in the locker, but I definitely empathize with you! I had a similar experience which turned me off all spaghetti-like stuff for years.

    • KLG

      The yogurt isn’t cold, which is sometimes unappetizing, but it’s definitely not bad. I used to be super freaked about yogurt until my friend lived in Chile and was like “you realize their yogurt isn’t nearly as pasteurized as ours and they don’t refridgerate it?” Now I carry a thing of yogurt to work in my purse and eat it at whatever time of day I feel like. It’s never smelled spoiled and I have yet to get sick.

  10. Lizzy

    We did that trip a few years ago. In my experience, Victoria has enough shops, gardens, bars/restaurants for a pleasant weekend; we had a lovely time, but it was not jam-packed with attractions, events or must-sees. I like that in a weekend get-away, honestly.

    We did the trip around the peninsula and the Olympic national forest on a different longer weekend. Plenty of nature to look at and places to stop and activities (whale-watching, kayaking, hiking) to fill time! We stayed at the Lake Quinalt Lodge, which was lovely and had a surprisingly good restaurant.

  11. Burgher

    I feel like I should go out to eat more than I do, to take advantage of the awesome food choices within walking distance of my building. It’s mostly being cheap, sheer laziness, and the relatively nice kitchen we have here that keeps me bringing in my lunch almost every single day. When I do go out, I inevitably wind up at Au Bon Pain across the street, since they have a lot of fairly healthy and vegetarian items. Oh, and I hate trying new things alone!

    My lunch go to’s are mostly frozen or prepackaged items (like steamed veggies or Indian lentil packs), due to the aforementioned laziness. When I was pregnant, I went out of my way to eat healthier, and would stop into the local grocery store twice a week for organic produce, but that was when I was onsite and had access to my car. I’d like to get back into that habit, but it’s tougher with a 2 year old than when he was in my belly!

  12. Sydney Bristow

    I bring my lunch pretty much every day, mainly for financial reasons but it also makes it easier since I don’t have to decide. I typically prep all 5 days on Sunday and put them in Tupperware that I can throw into my Built lunch bag each day. I’ve been getting parmesean-crusted chicken and mashed potatoes (and I’m trying to switch to sweet potatoes next week) from Fresh Direct, which I cook up on Sunday. Then I’ve been adding some veggies to the Tupperware and add a yogurt to my lunch bag each day. It’s not a lot of variety, but it’s cheaper and easier than eating out for me.

  13. Skorts?

    Shopping Challenge- So I recently played golf in a skort (private label from a golf store) and was surprised at how comfy it was. It was made of stretchy material and was probably the skort equivalent of yoga pants. I’ve wanted to incorporate more casual skirts into my weekend wear rather than just wearing shorts all the time. Between chafing and chasing after a small child, I usually wear skimmies under skirts anyways. I’d prefer the skirt all the way around look instead of skirt in the front, shorts in the rear. Bonus if there isn’t too much extra fabric to add to my hips. Any winners out there?

    • Anonymous

      Please please do not start wearing skorts as day wear because kids and chafing. There are no winners out there. This look says to the world: I give up. I exist for the removal of jam from fingers and the provisioning of healthy snacks.

      • Anonymous

        ETA: If you must, try Althleta and pretend you are on your way to tennis, but really just don’t.

      • Lyssa

        That seems kind of ridiculous to me. I would call a skort a step above a pair of shorts, and I don’t think that (well-fitting, neat) shorts for casual summer wear suggest giving up at all. If you like that skort and think it is flattering on you, then rock it.

        • Anonymous

          If you think a skort is flattering, I have a pair of rompers to sell you. As a general rule, if you never would have considered it pre-kids, don’t wear it post-kids.

          • anonymama

            Shockingly enough, styles have changed since before I had kids. There was also a time when I would never have considered wearing skinny jeans, or leggings, or booties, or chambray shirts. Modern skorts are often more flattering than shorts, and also can be very comfortable and practical.

          • WIL

            Rompers and skorts are actually quite popular for the mid-20s set. I don’t know if they are wearing the types of skorts you are thinking about, but there is a particular skort from Zara that it seems like every fashion blogger has.

            “The Zara Skort That’s Taking Over the World” http://www.luckymag.com/style/2013/07/zara-skort

      • Lady Harriet

        Wow, that was rude.

        If you get a good skort then nobody should be able to tell that there are shorts under it. I don’t own any currently, but I used to have several that just looked like a-line or straight cotton skirts. I look awful in shorts, so they were great for things like hiking when it was too hot for pants. I frequently wear cotton bike shorts under my skirts to prevent chafing and keep from flashing people when I bike in a skirt. (I also do swing dancing, and they’re great for this.) If I could find skorts I liked again I’d happily buy them.

        • Anonymous

          No. No. It is not rude to tell someone asking a question on a fashion blog that skorts are the summer equivalent of mom jeans.

        • Anonattorney

          So, I’m pretty sure everyone should just ignore Anonymous @ 4:25. She/he clearly does not do any activity outside, because if she/he did, she/he would know that skorts have become a staple in outdoor gear and are actually quite attractive and very comfortable.

          • Anon

            I’m not that Anonymous, but I will say that as someone who does plenty of outdoor activity, I recognize that skorts/running skirts have become increasingly popular for outdoor sports, but I also think they look incredible ridiculous. FWIW, I also think they look silly on tennis players, but at least there’s history there.

            But c’mon. If you’re running/hiking, just wear shorts. If you don’t think they are flattering on you, then try a different size or style. If you’re chasing after a toddler and running/squatting/bending, then a sharp pair of slim bermudas and a fitted breton t-shirt looks classic and polished and relaxed.

          • Anonattorney

            For people with bigger thighs, skirts are almost always more attractive than shorts (says the woman with bigger thighs, who almost always chooses skirts or dresses over shorts in the summer). And they don’t look “ridiculous,” unless you think skirts look ridiculous, and that just confuses me. For people who live in cities where bike commuting is at all a thing, skorts are an every-day clothing item. For anyone who golfs, skorts are pretty much a staple.

            I feel like I’m taking crazy pills.

          • Anon

            I don’t think shorts are as popular as they used to be. I see some college kids in skorts now.

          • Lavinia

            And I see college kids in high-waisted denim short shorts…so basically mom jean cutoffs. ;)

    • oil in houston

      ignore the other comment.
      I got skort from Athleta and am quite happy with it.

    • Cat

      I think the OP said that she doesn’t want a skort that LOOKS like a skort – rather, trying to find a skirt that has built-in shorts underneath (i.e., shorts not visible from the rear), to avoid needing to wear a separate under-layer. So the “omg so dated” reactions can be ignored. I think looking for longer tennis skirts might be the best option.

    • Anonymous

      Athleta has some cute ones this season. Eddie Bauer has had cute ones the past few summers too, but I haven’t looked this year. The ones I have are skirts all the way around, not the skirt in front, shorts in back look (which is kind of weird and perhaps what the Anonymous commenter above is referring to?), and you really can’t tell from looking at them from the outside that they are skorts and not skirts. Basically, they are skirts with a sewn-in shorts liner, not shorts with a skirt over them, if that makes sense.

    • S in Chicago

      I don’t know about their summer line, but some of Athleta’s skorts over the winter were definitely for casual wear and not sports attire, and frankly you wouldn’t know the difference. I purchased a purple one that is actually more flattering than my cotton pencil skirts because it drapes better. I wouldn’t necessarily lump it into the same category as yoga pants/spandex or that sort of thing–which is what I’m assuming is behind that comment.

    • Skorts

      Yes, to be clear, not the dreadful skorts from the early ’90s. I’ll look at some of Athleta/Columbia options.

  14. Meg Murry

    FYI, some insulated lunch bags are actually too insulated for fridge use, and actually keep your food warmer than it should be. I had an insulated lunch bag that taught me this lesson the hard way, so now I unzip at least slightly before putting my lunch in the break room fridge.
    I also did a similar salad trick to Kat – at one job there was a gourmet-ish grocery store with a salad bar. I did the math and determined that spinach and lettuce were cheaper from the by-the-lb salad bar, but other things like baby carrots, sesame seeds or a bottle of salad dressing wasn’t, so I would buy parts of my salad off the salad bar, bring in parts, and buy other parts out of the grocery section, then assemble salads at my desk for 2-3 days in a row using the pieces parts I had purchased.

    • rosie

      Why do you put your whole lunch bag in the fridge? Is that what most people do? Some people at my office do it, but there’s not room for everyone to put their whole lunch bag in the fridge, and it’s annoying to have to dig through seas of lunchboxes to find the container & yogurt I put in the fridge.

      • Meg Murry

        At one office where there was room, yes, it was easier and the lunch bag wasn’t giant, so most people put in the whole bag. At another office where space was a premium, no.

  15. NWanalyst

    I have severe allergies and take transit to work, so if I don’t bring my own lunch, I don’t eat. I find that the 2-cup Pyrex containers with the silicone and glass lids fit well in my work satchel, and I can also usually fit the flat rectangular 3-cup containers. I don’t bother with an insulated bag because my commute is short. I mostly bring leftovers, and simple things like goat cheese with bread/crackers, or a salad.

    Now that it’s summer, I might re-consider an insulated bag for my lunch. My satchel is fairly large and traditional/masculine (briefcase-style, with the straps and buckles), so one of the things that has turned me off lunch bags is the aesthetic…. I just don’t “do” bright splashy patterns. But I feel like a plain black bag is too utilitarian-looking…

  16. Philanthropy Girl

    My employer has a lovely cafeteria with a beautiful salad bar, and plenty of healthy options. Plus, I get a 60% discount (list price is for our residents), so I often eat lunch at work. I usually don’t pay more than a couple bucks for unlimited soup and salad, or a full entree if I’m feeling really hungry. It’s been a nice time saver, and keeps my diet varied instead of an endless string of leftovers, and often it doesn’t cost much more than packing something.

  18. Shopaholic

    In the healthy vein, how do you ladies get motivated for morning workouts? I’ve realized that with work/my social life, often my evening workouts get bumped and I’d like to just be able to get them done in the morning. But I’m an awful morning person. Any suggestions?

    • roses

      If you can wake up around when the sun rises, leave a curtain cracked in your room. I find it much easier to wake up to sunlight. I also find that it’s weirdly easier for me to go work out at the gym in the mornings than it is to work out at home, because I can start waking up my body on the way to the gym rather than just plunging right in at home.

    • anon-oh-no

      The only way I can do it is to pre-pay for a workout class — Pilates, Bar Method, Dailey Method, etc. — where I get charged if I don’t show. But this works really well for me and then I feel good all day long.

    • anon

      First I tell myself to just get up and get a glass of water. I don’t have to work out, just drink. Then I tell myself to just put on my workout clothes. I can always go back to bed. Then I tell myself to just walk on the treadmill for 5 minutes, and then I can go back to bed. By then I’m usually pretty much awake and keep walking the full 30 minutes. Although once in a while I do go back to bed.

    • Maudie Atkinson

      Seconding anon-oh-no. Paying in advance initially got me motivated, and the increased energy all day long has kept me hooked. If I fear the night before that I might be reluctant to exercise the next morning, I will occasionally sleep in my workout clothes and set my alarm on the other side of the room. If I have to get out of bed to turn the alarm off, and I am already dressed, there is no excuse.

    • KinCA

      I sign up for a class where I really cannot cancel, like Spin or Pilates. Typically, those places charge you if you cancel at the last minute or no-show, and I’m way too cheap to pay for something and not use it.

      I will also lay my workout clothes/hairband/shoes out near my bed the night before. For some reason, knowing that I don’t have to fumble around in the dark for my workout top makes getting up a little easier.

      Last resort – find an AM workout buddy. I will occasionally get up to run with my FI or meet a coworker for a spin class. There’s no getting out of it when someone else is waiting on you!

    • Pep

      My morning workout consists of walking/running on a treadmill at home. My simple tip: I sleep in my workout clothes. (Just a tee and capri leggings.) That way when I roll out of bed, I’m already dressed – I just need to put my shoes on and throw my hair into a pony.

  19. First Year Associate

    Question about vacations: I’m a first year associate (been here 8 months), and I’m trying to figure out how many days I can take off for vacation. My firm has no rules on this. A fellow first year is taking 10 days, but it is for her honeymoon so everyone is very willing to let her take the time. Is a Thursday through Monday trip too long? Should I just do Thursday through Sunday? I have been told August will be slow, so I’m not expecting anything big to come up.

    • Cat

      I’d be careful of asking for more than a week at a time as a 1st year. Considerations:

      can you ask a midlevel or senior associate what’s typical? (If a typical honeymoon is 10 days, I’d be wary of asking for a 10-day “normal” vacation. Also, you may want to build up more goodwill before taking more than a week in any event, depending on your firm – I waited until I was a 5th year to do a Thursday through Monday week and a half trip.)

      is there a particular reason you need more than a week? Or do you just want to go somewhere that has long travel time? (Brother getting married in NZ = good reason. Can mitigate an “atypical long vacation” office.)

      how have your hours been so far? (Obviously, the higher the better for justifying a longer vacation.)

      do you know if others will also be out in August? (Can be tricky. I work with three partners most of the time, and would not dream of trying to take a vacation at the same time as any of them, even in a traditionally slow month, because I’m managing the workflow while they’re out.)

      • First Year Associate

        I meant just 4 or 5 days total, not more than a week! But your advice on what to consider is very helpful, thanks.

        • Cat

          oh, I misread your Thursday to Monday reference in light of the mention of the 10-day honeymoon! I would not be worried at all about asking for a 4-day long weekend toward the end of your first year.

          I think it would actually be easier to ask for a week (which in my office, is perfectly appropriate as you’re ending your first year anyway) than to ask for a Thurs-Fri-Mon combination, because then partners are kind of aware that you are out “that week” and back the following Monday, rather than forgetting over the long weekend that you’re still going to be out on Monday.

        • anon atty

          Don’t ask. Just schedule your vacation when you think it makes the most sense given your schedule.

          But, be prepared to cancel it if something major comes up, but hopefully it wont. In 13+ years of practice, I’ve only had to cancel one vacation (I was a first year and a trial got pushed to coincide with my vacay) and push back another one (I was a third year and a mediation got moved, so I just pushed back my holiday plans by a few days).

          Either get refundable tickets/hotel, or be prepared to eat the cost (you used to be able to bill to firms/clients, but these days, its rare that you can do that).

          • DCR

            I recommend talking to some mid-level associates in your practice group to get a sense of firm culture, since it varies a lot across firms. I took a 2 week vacation after about 15 months, and it was not a problem at all. I havdgood hours, managed to find a time when my cases were slow, everyone knew I was out, and the mid-level associates on my cases encouraged me to not worry about it. I went somewhere without internet access and everything — no problems.

            On the other hand, I was traveling for a wedding just after being at the firm for 2 years. I had originally planed to take a full week after the weding, because it was in a relatively fun travel desination. One of my cases blew up, I was the only associate on the case, and offered to switch my travel plans and come back early if the firm would pay for my new ticket. I got bonus points with the partners by offering to cut my vacation short and didn’t have to eat the cost of the ticket.

        • SC

          I agree that it’s easier for your team/ bosses to remember if you are back in the office Monday morning or at least by mid-day Monday. I’d say a Thursday-Sunday trip would be ultra-safe, but I think Wednesday-Sunday would be better than Thursday-Monday.

          • Anon

            This. But with two points:

            (1) Just because you’re a first year doesn’t mean you’re not allowed to take vacation. Feel free to take a full week — or Thursday to Monday or whatever — if you want to.

            (2) That said, if you do Thursday to Sunday it looks like a long weekend. Thursday to Monday (or, IMO, Wednesday to Sunday) feels like you’re taking a “real” vacation and people remember it much more like taking a week off. Not a huge deal either way if you’re not planning on taking more time off soon…but if you do want to take another vacation soon, you may want to portray this one just as a long weekend.

    • Tax Attorney

      I’m a 5th year associate in biglaw, and I’ve taken all of the allocated vacation each year since I started (20 days a year). In fact, my very first trip (around 6 months after I started) was slightly over two weeks – and the partners were happy to have me take vacation time in large chunks of time since it was easier to deal with absence that way (rather than a day here, a day there). I’m a big advocate for taking your vacation time! I’ve never had any negative consequences, and I’m always confused when other associates worry about using up their allotted vacation time.

    • Batgirl

      I generally think first years are expected to not take more than a week at a time, no matter how many vacation days you “get.” This varies from firm to firm but was definitely the case at mine (big law firm in NYC). Thurs to Mon sounds fine but not multiple times during the same season and not when anything was going on that would need your attention.

      P.S. This is part of why I left my firm!

      • LH

        This is really not true everywhere, especially if you’re junior. It’s a know-your-office thing.

    • Anonattorney

      It’s definitely a know-your-office situation, but I took a full 2 weeks my first year and no one batted an eye. I did it in August, gave everyone a ton of notice, and didn’t have any problems (I’m in litigation and yes, August is extremely slow).

      In fact, most partners told me that it’s pointless to take a week for a vacation – do either a long weekend or two weeks. You won’t be able to push any work off your plate if you take a week, so you will come back to the office with twice as much work as when you left. If you take two weeks, you can ask other people to cover for you or projects will get assigned to someone else.

      But, again, know your office. I would talk to associates at your firm and get an idea of what they did, and more importantly, if they know of any partners or people who would be bothered by a first year taking that much time.

    • anon

      If your billing a lot of hours and don’t have anything going on during your intended vacation days, no one at our office would care if you took 2 weeks.

    • LH

      I agree that 4-5 days (or even 1 week) is perfectly reasonable to take off after you’ve been there close to a year. But I agree with others that its better to take it in a single calendar week, i.e. Wed-Sun is better than Thurs-Mon. And yes, honeymoons are very different, both in terms of how long you can reasonably take and how much people will insulate you from work while you’re gone.

  20. Calibrachoa

    I mostly work odd hours so I don’t have many options besides bringing my own lunch. What I bring in generally changes a lot based on how I am feeling, but one of my favourite things to do is to buy ready made cheap pasta salad with tomato sauce and add feta and spinach from my stash. My lunch container is actually a “picnic lunch container” from Aldi and it works miraculously well – the lid fits tight and itäs compartmentalized so I can fit in all kinds of goodies. (Right now, there’s a leftover bean and rice burrito, cherry tomatoes, grapes and fresh strawberries in there waiting for me to head into work) another salad I love that is a PAIN to transport is shredded cucumber and grated cheese – it gets so wet it’s not even funny if I don’t get the chance to drain the cucumber properly.

    I actually get to visit the office cafeteria on occasion these days and I won’t bring in lunch those days (although I still go to my drinks stash which is far cheaper than the vending machines!) because the selection is pretty good and it’s subsidized so it’s also not bad price wise.

  21. newlawyer

    I always bring my own! 1. Saves money 2. The only way to eat healthy while eating out is to get a salad, after which I am starving in 45 min. I’d much rather bring in my lean protein/healthy carb/loaded with veggies meal and be happy and full.

  22. Baconpancakes

    Probably too late in the day for responses, but any suggestions for dinner? I was planning on steaming some frozen bao, but I don’t know what to pair with it that will take less than a half hour to make.

  23. Anony

    I would like to bring in food from home, but we have an office cafeteria where you pay a flat rate for food. That seems to be basically the ‘socially acceptable’ lunch option. Do I just suck it up, or do you have ideas for still saving money/eating healthily?

    • IDoNotLiketheConeofShame

      I had to buy it because our refrigerator at work is getting overcrowded – so I wanted something I could just keep in my office.

  25. anonyomous

    My favorite lunch box ever is Lunch Sense. http://www.lunchsense.com/

    Reasons:
    I HATE reaching into a lunch box that has something leaking into it and it not being able to totally get it clean. Lunch sense folds FLAT so you can clean every corner and not worry about weird stuff growing in the corners.

    I use pyrex, super heavy glass to carry my stuff in – and this holds it like a pro.

    I can throw it in the washer and it cleans up and drys and looks amazing year after year.

    I also bike to work and hate my lunch getting squished and this has zero of that problem.

    For my xmas letter I always mention my 3 winning products of the year that I would take with me to my grave. This made the list. Thats how much I love it.

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