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Updated: Nov 1, 2018 137 Comments · by

Coffee Break: Large Jet Set Flat Saffiano Travel Pouch

Coffee Break· Under $150

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Michael Kors Large Jet Set Flat Saffiano Travel PouchYes, we just talked about the Michael Kors Saffiano tote, but I'm still excited about this pouch for a few reasons. 1) It's on a great sale at Last Call, where there are actually a ton of great sales (and lots of lucky sizes, so first filter by your size). 2) Again and again I hear readers say how much they love having a wristlet/tech case/travel pouch to carry their money, phone, and ID for lunch breaks, coffee runs, and more; this one (at 6″ x 8.5″ x .25″) looks like a great option. 3) I saw the turquoise color in person while out and about this past weekend and am absolutely in love with it — it's bright but sophisticated, and truly gorgeous. (And I always think a wristlet should be colorful so you can find it easily in a larger tote). This pouch was $278, then marked to $125, but with the additional 35% off Last Call is offering through 7/22, it comes to $81.31. Get free shipping with code LCJUL75. Michael Kors Large Jet Set Flat Saffiano Travel Pouch (L-4)

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Comments

    • Anonymous

      I don’t understand the obsession/hype. Not trying to be snarky, but I really don’t see how this is so fasinating. Same for the Kardashians.

      • A Nonny Moose

        I let myself get caught up in the hype despite a strong distaste for the Kardashians by noting that KM is actually a good role model.

          • L

            She conducts herself with class. She has an education, does community service, and seems generally a nice normal human being.

          • Anonymous

            In terms of the “fluffy” stuff – she of course always looks beautiful, and has (IMO) a nice sense of style.

            In terms of substance – she’s always seemed to comport herself with grace and class while under intense media scrutiny. I’ve felt that ever since that awful media scrutiny began when she was in university. The videos I’ve seen of her interacting with the public (as I have never met her personally) have given me the impression that she is warm, empathetic and kind and has a wonderful way of relating to people. She has behaved in a way that I think or hope I’d behave if I had lived a fairly normal life, and happened to fall in love with someone of international celebrity.

            In general, I find her admirable in many ways. She hasn’t cured cancer, of course, or achieved world peace. But she’s been graceful, poised and strong through a life I’m not sure many of us would choose, if it really came down to it. I think that is worth emulating.

          • Anon

            Bonnie, I think the above references to classy are regarding Kate Middleton, not Kim Kardashian.

          • emeralds

            Classic mixup. Seriously though, that made me laugh out loud and re-read that post, trying (and failing) to imagine Kim Kardashian the whole time.

      • mascot

        I don’t generally follow celebrities, but I like the royal couple. They seem like caring, responsible folks and I like all the pomp/history that goes along with it.

      • Anonymous

        I don’t understand why in every discussion about this, there’s someone who is commenting that they “don’t get it” or it’s “so shallow.” I appreciate that you weren’t trying to be snarky (and I’m not even responding to you, just trying to make a point).

        For me it’s like… okay, then? I don’t get why people enjoy skydiving, but I don’t post on every discussion regarding skydiving about how I personally don’t get it or how I think people who do it are a bit cracked in the head. I’m just like, hmm, people are talking about something I’m not interested in, time to move along.

        The world is a varied, diverse and beautiful place and we all find different things interesting. That’s okay.

        • Pamela

          Well, since you asked, I don’t like it because I can’t reconcile the idea of smart career women (the majority of this community) liking celebrity gossip. It’s so vapid and destructive to the culture, not to mention awful for women and girls. I can see a r*tte being a kick@ss skydiver, and that’s awesome. Gushing over pretty rich people is not. And saying “guilty pleasure” isn’t a defense imo. It’s “guilty” because it’s awful and you know better!

          • A Nonny Moose

            What if it were a sitting President + First Lady’s new baby? Would we be “allowed” to be interested then?

          • Need to Improve

            Maybe you can’t reconcile the two, but plenty of us can. A lot of high acheivers like celebrity gossip. I was just at a weekend getaway with my college girlfriends, who are all highly successful lawyers/doctors/software engineers/nonprofit directors, and we read and discussed celebrity gossip magazines.

          • Anne Shirley

            I’m royal obsessed and I don’t feel guilty about it at all. It’s a hobby. And as a proud citizen of the Commonwealth, taking an interest in the royals is part of my culture.

            And my baby name prediction is George.

          • Pamela

            Um, *the* culture. Of culture. Do you honestly think that the worlds of literature, essays, music, poetry, film, dance, theater, art, comedy, photography, etc. etc. are improved by the contributions of the glossy celebrities who are stalked by an insatiable crowd of idiots dying to know the details of their weddings or what their houses look like inside? Celebrity “news” is a relentless assault of empty headed nonsense, and much of it is designed to sell you something.

          • Em

            I wonder if you say the same thing to men (or women, for that matter) who deconstruct every aspect of a football or basketball game.

          • k-padi

            Darn. I’ve failed to live up to the expectations of a stranger on the Internet.

          • mtr

            @ Pamela – well thank god I have you to tell me about the culture. of culture. because there’s only one culture. of culture. and being interested in the royal birth is either not adding to, or is destructive to, the culture. of culture (you said both so I’m not sure which one it is).

          • Anon

            Hmmmm I’d say the worlds of literature, essays, music, poetry, film, dance, theater, and art have been heavily influenced by the monarchy. I, for one, don’t feel guilty/shallow at all for paying attention.

          • SoCalAtty

            Pamela – no, but I do know that very much poetry, literature, and art has been influenced by the British Monarchy…

            HA – Anon, you beat me to it.

          • Brooklyn Paralegal

            So then I suppose in everything you do you’re contributing to the creation and maintenance of culture, huh? Thank god you’re not like the rest of us “idiots”.

            I don’t know what century you’re living in, but this isn’t an Edith Wharton novel and I can assure you that philosophy, literature, and fine art will continue to exist. They have a couple hundred years under their belts; I don’t think caring about the royal baby is going to do them any significant damage, so don’t worry!

        • Monday

          Maybe people just post this comment because they feel like they’re the only one who feels this way. I agree it’s not particularly constructive, but perhaps people are interested to voice the opinion and see whether they actually are alone. It can be pretty overwhelming to feel like EVERYONE is obsessively following a story that just holds no interest for you–but these things pass after maybe a week, max.

          I’m not comfortable with the concept of royalty and thus can’t get excited about any of them. I also have mixed feelings about how Kate Middleton is praised. But I don’t expect anyone to be interested in my opinion and don’t usually bother sharing it, since others’ enjoyment of royal news is pretty harmless on the spectrum of media politics.

          • January

            Thanks for an empathetic response, Monday (as always).

            Personally, I just consider celebrity gossip (including the royals) one of my silly things – like brain candy, essentially. I can easily understand why one wouldn’t care, but I don’t really see the need for hostility towards people that do. We all have our little indulgences.

      • Anne

        For me, unlike with celebrities’ babies, the fascination with royal babies is actually more with the historical elements, tying the history and the future together. I enjoy the name guessing, as well as the other ceremonial elements involved in it.

    • Anon

      I don’t understand the obsession/hype. Not trying to be snarky, but I really don’t see how this is so fasinating. Same for the Kardashians.

  2. Rude

    Is it considered rude to not say hello or acknowledge a coworker in passing while in the hallways? There is one particular coworker who seems to purposely ignore certain members of the team by doing this as well as leaving them out of office lunches, etc. How do I stop this behaviour? I’ve noticed that even when the other party greets said coworker first, she just ignores them in a mean girl way. And no, it’s not because she’s busy or rushing to meetings.

    • Anon

      Is it considered rude? – Yes

      How do I stop this behavior? – You don’t. Your coworker is an adult, and she knows she’s being rude, and she doesn’t care.

      • Nordies Lover

        +1. I often have to remind myself that it’s not my job to make people do the right thing. Even when I have good intentions, addressing things like this often backfires.

    • Ellen

      It is very rude. At my firm, some times Madeline does NOT even aknoweledge me in the hall, and it is NOT like there are so many peeople around. Even when we see each other in the hall way goeing to the toilet, b/c Frank is busy using the firm toilet, she barely say’s boo to me. At best, she grunt’s and goe’s into the stall, and then grunt’s some more.

      I on the other hand am very outgoeing, both to peeople in the firm as well as in the elevator. That is how I got my job, and I alway’s tell young attorney’s to be freindly so that you can get a job. There is NOTHING wrong with smileing and being nice to peeople. Just b/c we are attorney’s does NOT mean we have to be sour faced. FOOEY ON THAT!

      Dad is comeing in for the last week to finalize his report to the firm. He stand’s to collect his money for onley about 25 hours of work. At an hourley rate, he is doing alot better then the rest of us. I hope his report is a good one.

      He has not met Sam and I am afraid to bring him up to him b/c he is from the U.K. Dad spent a year or 2 in the UK before I was born. He never said what he was doeing there but I think he was working for the CIA or the NSA or something secret. He NEVER talks about that and mom stayed in the USA. She does NOT talk about that time either. I have to think if I should even bring up Sam, because he is a VEEGAN, and Myrna says that b/c Dad is a meat eater, he would NOT like Sam. FOOEY! What would other ladie’s in the HIVE do at this point? HELP?!

    • Anon

      If it’s an office lunch in that it’s an actual company event, then it’s probably a managerial or hr issue. If it’s just coworkers getting for lunch, then those of you who are not happy with this can issue your own lunch invitations.

      I don’t think it’s necessarily rude to not acknowledge someone if you’re just walking by them in the hallway. I don’t do it and I think most people at my office don’t. It’s rude if they stop and try to talk to you and you brush past.

  3. Susie

    Thanks tesyaa and AIMS for your static cling suggestions in the previous post. This brings up a good question – what is in your office “emergency kit”?

    • Lola

      Advil, lotion, pantyhose, eyeliner, mascara, bandaids, liquid bandages (best for paper cuts), cuticle scissors (best piece of the kit in my opinion), mints, floss, tons of lip gloss, teeny bottles of perfume (thanks birchbox), feminine products, bobby pins, safety pins, hair ties, eye drops, glasses wipe (most borrowed item), hairbrush, my office mate has static spray, also – I would put in contact solution if I had contacts – everyone always asks, snacks, wrap, sweaters, tote bag, plastic bags, and i THINK that’s it… oh and a phone charger. In my purse I also have benadryl, hydrocortisone, more mints/lip gloss, and some repeats of the above. Have yet to meet a situation I’m not prepared for!

      • AIMS

        Great list! I also find that a lint roller is very helpful to have on hand, and I keep a toothbrush/toothpaste in my emergency supply drawer as well.

    • Cornellian

      lotion, hand sanitizer, eyeliner, mysteriously NOT mascara, contact solution, extra glasses, bobby pins, make-up wipes, hair ties, chapstick, floss sticks, benadryl….

    • NOLA

      I don’t have an emergency kit in my office but in the wintertime I always have an extra pair of black tights in my office. I usually have some kind of snacks. And gum and Aleve in my purse.

    • Sydney Bristow

      My office may disappear any day, so I carry stuff with me. My emergency kit contains hand sanitizer, comb, small brush, hair ties, spin pins, band aids in various sizes, tampons, Advil, pepto bismol, mints, gum, mascara, eyebrow brush, powder with a small mirror, folding toothbrush, floss, and travel toothpaste. All of that (except the brush) fits in a small zipper pouch that I can switch from purse to purse if I want to. I also keep a small umbrella, bottle of water, and spare iPhone charger in my purse.

    • Sarah

      I think we need to re-define the word “emergency” if makeup and perfume make the kits!

      • TO Lawyer

        +1 I love Clueless.

        But also I don’t know that floss or a hair brush would be useful in a real “emergency” either. In my mind, emergency kit includes the supplies I leave at the office (or carry in my bag) when I need to freshen up or have an unexpected meeting/outing.

        I don’t know if this counts as emergency kit but I also have a black suit and fairly conservative blouse at the office this in case. I keep my court robes at the office too so if I’m pulled into court and I’m in a dress or a coloured skirt, I can use my black skirt and look appropriate.

      • Sydney Bristow

        Perfume isn’t on my list, but I have some makeup in there because I don’t wear makeup on a daily basis and have been caught unprepared before when I need to be in a picture for something at work. Having powder and mascara in my bag to put on a minute before I go take a new ID photo makes me feel a little better.

      • Susie

        Yeah sorry my question is vague. I was thinking fashion emergency along the lines of my horrible static cling today – AIMS mentioned keeping anti-static spray on hand.
        Most of my stuff I actually keep in my purse not desk: some makeup, anti-bacterial, floss, and a bobby pin. I don’t have much just in my desk, except usually a few snacks. Oh I do have a nail file. My office has a first aid kit, though I do also usually keep a few bandaids in my purse. I have deodorant in my gym bag which I keep in my car. I have to admit I’ve considered using tape or staples when my pants’ bottom hem came undone so I think I need to add some safety pins.

    • Jordan

      Mascara, gum, pantyhose, thread and needle, mirror, sanitizer, lotion, body spray, deodorant, tums, ibuprofen, makeup wipes, and a can of soup.

      And I never reply to these but it’s an already in quotes. If yours is a first aid kit and fireman just say that, buzzkill.

      • Jordan

        Sorry after an – I wrote “office emergency” but it got removed because I put “” these around it.

    • AnonBK

      tweezers, lint roller, motrin, mints/gum, dollars for the vending machine, toothbrush/toothpaste/floss, concealer, eyeliner, chapstick, sweater, heels…. tiny bottles of booze.

  4. Swimwear question

    Does anyone know where I can find high-necked one piece swimsuits that aren’t Speedos? By high-necked, I mean collarbone.

    • pinkrobot (engineer)

      nooooo! That’s my alumni event day and I won’t be able to make it! :(

  6. Job Search

    After a year of searching for a full-time job and only being able to secure part-time employment, I’m considering looking for job opportunities outside of the legal field (which also means I can look for out-of-state opportunities). For those of you who have used the internet to find a job, are there any particular sites you’ve found to be more helpful than others? In the past I’ve always gotten jobs through networking, so I’m not sure where to begin when it comes to looking for something out-of-state. I’ve looked on Monster, Indeed, etc., but I’m wondering if there are any lesser-known sites that may be more promising.

  7. Furniture

    I’m moving out of my apartment soon and a friend-of-a-friend is taking over my part of the lease. I’m hoping to sell her some of the large furniture (I don’t want to deal with moving it, and she is a recent grad living at home so I don’t think she has any furniture yet). The items are about 2 years old and in good condition, but they are from Ikea so they aren’t exactly the highest quality. What percentage of the original price is reasonable to ask for?

    • downstream

      a really small fraction. I’m thinking like 10%. When I moved I gave away my Ikea furniture. The stuff just does not hold value.

    • goldribbons

      I think you can ask for up to 75% — and see what she’ll pay for, and then discuss a package price for everything based on how much she wants to spend.

    • Jordan

      Only chiming in because I thought 50% or less of what you paid depending on condition.

    • Anonymous

      My rule when shopping on CL is that I will pay no more than 50% of retail for something in mint condition. So I agree with the 50% ceiling, but think you should adjust for any damage and because she is a friend.

    • A Nonny Moose

      Green, magenta, orange-y red, orange, yellow, or khaki pencil skirts or ankle pants.

    • mintberrycrunch

      coral, hot pink, light pink, Kelly green, purple, red (although that would be very nautical/patriotic)… you could almost do any other color I think!

    • tesyaa

      Argh, navy makes me crazy since every shade of navy is different. I basically stopped wearing it 15 years ago, despite its attractiveness and versatility. Unless you get an exact match from the same BR line, you might not be able to pair this with another navy piece.

    • AMB

      I have a similar one from last year, I’ve worn it with khaki, white, coral and jeans mainly.

    • anonypotamus

      I love my navy blazer with a cobalt sheath dress. I also like it with burgundy, because it doesn’t look at patriotic as a bright red. I also pair mine with jeans, Kelly green, purple, and mustard.

  9. Need to Improve

    I really need a wristlet. I love everything about this one except the logo. I kind of hate obvious logos/brand names. Any comparable logo-less ones out there?

  11. Anon for Traveling

    Regular poster, but anon — because I need help!

    After several years at my (no longer) new firm, I am taking 2.5 weeks off in a row to travel! yay! Now I need help planning my grand destination for the end of October!
    Hubs and I are trying to choose between:
    1. Russia – have always longed to visit, but we aren’t much into art museums. we LOVE hisotry, but not really art. Can we fill up two weeks in St. Petersburg / Moscow with minimal art museum visits? if not, is there another city we can easily join to this?
    2. Safari – the migration! tanzania and Kenya! wow. but sooooo expensive. of course, I am sure it is wroth it — right?
    3. New Zealand – we love the outdoors (hiking, etc.) and beautiful scenery. and with 2.5 weeks, we can justify the very long flight.
    4. Brazil/Argentina – we have almost ruled this out. We want to see Igauzu falls, but I think it will not be as lovely during rainy season. of course, it will be powerful, but not as sunny and scenic. am I wrong?

    HELP!
    apologies for the misspellings, I am typing toooo fast. and am very excited!

    • Cornellian

      I’d do NZ… Russia’s an amazing place and you can fill up two weeks, but it’s also not a super-stable or tourist-friendly place right now, and you may need a visa for that long of a visit. I’d look in to that immediately (and for other countries, presumably)

      • Plain Jane

        I will add that while I am not a boycotter per se, things I’ve read in recent months about anti-black violence and Putin’s antigay agenda would make me uncomfortable traveling and spending money there. Especially when I could go one of the other places you mentioned.

        • Anon for Traveling

          thank you. I try to put that aside. I would have missed out on many, many countries otherwise.

      • Elle

        I believe that for New Zealand and some other countries only require a special visa for visits more than 1 or 3 months. Obviously it is something to check, but I doubt many that you are looking to visit require a visa (beyond the form you fill out when you enter) for 2.5 weeks.

      • AIMS

        You always need a visa for Russia and traveling multi-city means you also need to register in each one (not a problem if you’re staying in nice hotels, otherwise it’s a hassle and a trip to the local police dept.).

        Politics aside, both Moscow and St. Petersburg are safe enough for tourists (and the overnight train between the two is awesome if you book a private compartment), but end of October is not a great time to go. Think sleet and rain and cold and misery. Much better times to go are Winter around New Year’s when everything is cold but magical, or in the Summer (particularly late June/early May when St Petersburg has White Nights).

        Plus, a lot of stuff will be closed or have limited hours in the fall.

        I would go on Safari instead. Or what about Thailand? End of October (or better yet early November) should be really nice.

        • Anon for Traveling

          Thank you, AIMS. I realized it was fall, but had not researched enough to realize HOW cold! and the limited hours would be unfortunate.

          I’ve already visited Thailand – it was amazing!

      • Anon for Traveling

        I am all good with visa stuff. No worries there.

        but what did you do in New Zealand? I know shockingly little about it — just know it is beautiful and great for hikers.

        • ss

          My 2 cents on NZ is that it’s a very long way for a scenic experience unless you’ve exhausted all the possibilities in your part of the world (Pacific coast, Utah etc for North Americans and Irish/ Scottish/ Nordic coast for Europeans are all equally pretty, although quite different geologically). On specifics to do :

          Hiking – the one on most folks’ bucket lists is the Milford trail, a 3 day trail through the sounds at the southern end of South Island. Lots of cool stuff enroute including some spectacular waterfalls but the big drops from snow-capped peaks into the sea are what makes this landscape particularly special, geologically speaking. Hard work though – accommodation is entirely in a series of service huts on the trail (you carry you own food and supplies) and rainfall is very high in this part of the world (hence the lush green landscape). Certainly my memories of the experience are dominated by squishing around in the wet with another xxx hours to go before the cold comfort of that night’s hut.

          You also need to know that there are a limited number of slots for the trail available daily – best check on their website soon since October will be the start of the spring hiking season.

          The other good hikes are the Marlborough sounds at the northern tip of South Islands (supposedly one of the sunniest parts of the world) and the volcanic zone of North Islands. I haven’t been but both seem friendlier for casual hikers ie. you can count on spending the night in proximity to a hot shower after a day of trekking.

          Mountains – spent a half-day being helicoptered around Queenstown/ Milford. A bit gimmicky perhaps (our pilot had worked as part of the filming crew for the Lord of the Rings movies) but a good way to take in the spectacular landscape. And yes, it does look like Middle Earth.

          Queenstown – pretty lakeside town, skiing in winter, lots of adventure sports in the summer amid wonderful natural landscapes (bungees etc). Expensive by US standards though.

          Bigger cities – sorry to say this but these may seem a bit provincial for a foreign visitor, perhaps best regarded as transit stops to the good stuff.

          We noticed a lot of touring campervans and I think this would be a good way to see South Island. There are vineyards, reserves, natural sights and big stretches of clean coastline to break up the driving, including a point on the east coast which is an important feeding zone for whales since someone mentioned whale-watching.

          Hope this helps !

    • Elle

      I spent 2 weeks in New Zealand (south island) and it wasn’t enough. I think you can easily fill 2.5 weeks there!

    • Bonnie

      We went to Iguazu in October and it was amazing. It did rain, but did not interfere with our trip. Actually, going there in October meant that there were fewer tourists and it was not as hot as later in the year. October would also be a great time to see Ushuaia; I think that’s prime whale watching season.

      • Anon for Traveling

        I had NOT thought of whale watching!!!
        did you have any blue skies in Igauzu? I’m scared it will be solid cloud and rain.

    • Anonymous

      I went to Kenya/Tanzania this time last year and it was the most amazing 2 weeks of my life! I really can’t say enough about it. We did a week on safari and a week on Zanzibar (beach/history). So incredible! We use a travel agency (Game Trakkers, I think) to plan everything, and it was incredible. Seeing the wild like that is like nothing else I’ve ever done on vacation. We got to see the big 5, and then some (including 15+ lions, ranging from a couple weeks old, to fully grown, all playing in the Mara). Not to mention experiencing the culture and history of a completely foreign and beautiful part of the world.

      • Anon for Traveling

        that’s EXACTLY what we had considered. what time of year were you? Was Zanzibar increidble?

    • Hannita

      Actually, late October is a fantastic time for Iguazu. It’s not suffocatingly hot and humid, and it’s not majorly crowded because it’s not around summer vacation. And, the falls are very full and impressive. And October is also lovely in other parts of Argentina – Buenos Aires is beautiful because of all the jacaranda trees, the weather is nice (not into the heat/humidity/thunderstorms of summer), and there is still stuff going on in the city (which empties out during summer). And Mendoza (wine country), the northwest, and Valdez Peninsula should all be great then (if those areas were of interest in Argentina). Bariloche in northern Patagonia will be cold still.

    • LH

      I haven’t been to any of the above except New Zealand (all are on my list though). New Zealand is incredible and I think it is easily a place you can spend 2.5 weeks. The big thing is naturally beautiful scenery, which is abundant, but I went as a kid who was not especially into scenery and I was definitely not bored. Some non-scenery/hiking things I remember doing were going to a sheep farm and herding sheep, going to the mudpots and geysers in Rotorua, going to glow worm caves, and exploring Christchurch, which is a beautiful city. As far as scenery, Milford Sound and Mt. Cook were the highlights but I remember thinking that it was just a gorgeous, gorgeous place everywhere we went. I’m dying to go back with my husband.

  12. Patty Hewes

    Is anyone else having trouble viewing this site on their iPad? The last few days, it takes forever for this site to load when I go to it on iPad/safari. And I mean more than three minutes and sometimes it does load at all and is stuck with the page still loading. I have noticed this more since Kat upgraded the site over the Independance Day holiday. No issues at all at work on IE.

    • Susie

      Not with iPad, but this site does seem a little slower for me today. I’m using Firefox.

    • Leigh

      I’m using Chrome and it takes at least 5 minutes for the page to load, no matter how I try to get here. Google, Facebook, or typing in the address directly.

  13. MH

    How do couples approach managing/controlling their individual retirement accounts? Do you manage by consensus, or do you make individual decisions about your account and contribution rate and let your partner make his/her own decisions? I know this is going to be very different for each couple, but I’m just curious.

    • Susie

      My husband and I discuss contribution amounts, but I let him handle investment choices for both our accounts. He likes to discuss it with me, or would be fine with me managing my own, but I really don’t know (or want to learn) enough about the markets to have a strong opinion so I’ve asked him to just take care of it. In exchange I take care of the bill-paying.

    • Nonny

      We have completely separate investment accounts. Because we only pool 60% of our respective incomes, we each make investment contributions out of the remaining 40% so make individual decisions. However, we are roughly aware of what the other is doing. Who knows, things may change once the baby is born if we decide to pool a larger percentage of income…

    • MH

      Quick follow-up – what about if one partner makes significantly more than the other?

      • Susie

        I would say I make significantly more than my husband. We each have separate checking accounts and have one joint account. Every month we each transfer enough money into the joint account for household expenses including taxes, mortgage, HOA, and utilities. It’s not always equal or the same every month and no formal system just a few seconds convo “I transferred $X int the joint account” or “can you please put $Y into the joint account?”. Now we make enough that it’s not really a question of do we have enough for these basics and ultimately for us, we don’t really keep track of or care who pays what.

        • MH

          How do you determine how much each person is going to contribute to a 401K (or 403b, or TSP, etc.)? Is it a percentage of each person’s income, or a flat amount?

          • Susie

            It varies. Before when we were making less we each tried to contribute the max allowed ($5000) to our respective Roth IRAs. Some years we decided not to make the max contribution, due to limited funds. Now I contribute to a 401k the % to get the max company match. I have just been doing the minimum for the max match because when I started this job ~8 months ago we had some home renovation and other planned expenses, but we will probably review and either up this and/or contribute to my employer’s ESPP.

      • TBK

        I make significantly more than my husband does (roughly triple) and we make all the decisions 100% jointly. I can only speak from my own experience, but I think it becomes more likely that everything financial is done jointly if one spouse makes a lot more than the other. At that point, you’re clearly living mostly on one salary and the other salary sort of fills in the gaps (or goes straight to savings). Although I realize different arrangements work for different people, I can’t imagine having a healthy relationship if one spouse effectively controlled 75% (or more) of the family resources.

    • Brant

      RIght now, DH and I make within 25% of eachother, with me outearning him presently (he’ll probably out earn me next year). I used to make about half what he did. We each contribute $X per paycheck into our joint long term savings/investment account, we each get $Y into our respective “fun money” accounts (has varied over the years, since we’ve both been in and out of work/school/etc but now it’s equal), and the remainder goes into joint checking, which pays all our bills. Any surplus building up in the joint checking after a few months gets split 50/50 between our fun money and long term savings accounts, or earmarked for something fun, like an unplanned vacation.

      We both max out our 401(k)s, and until we exceeded the earnings limits, we both contributed $5k to our Roth IRAs. Now we each do $5k to a regular Roth. We manage these accounts separately, but I consult heavily with DH before making a big change (he’s more savvy about long term investing, but I want to learn).

      DH ultimately manages our joint investment/savings accounts, but I monitor them day-to-day as well.

    • ER

      Right now DH and I both contribute to our 401(k) plans. I max mine out, and DH contributes 100% of his salary to his. (He’s part-time but still has a 401(k) benefit.) If we weren’t able to save so aggressively, we would be contributing only to DH’s plan, because he has a generous employer match and I don’t. I believe our 401(k)s are community property (although to be honest I haven’t really researched it). We are named as beneficiaries on each other’s accounts.

      The match should be your first consideration, though. Can’t really beat that kind of ROI right now!

    • MH

      Thanks for all the replies! DH and I both were contributing to our 401K’s up to the match and a little more, but we weren’t maxing out. He’s going back to school in a few months so I think we’re going to roll over his 401K into a Roth (probably after the new year to take advantage of a lower tax bracket). I think I’ve decided that I’m not going to contribute to his Roth from my salary. If we were maxing out my accounts, I would do it to get the tax benefits of his accounts, but we’re not maxing out yet. If he gets a part-time job while in school, then I’d be fine with taking a much large percentage of his take-home pay and putting it into the Roth.

      Anyway, that’s kind of my gut reaction. I don’t know if that’s right — do I have a spousal obligation to contribute to his retirement in addition to mine? But it’s what I’m going to do.

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