This post may contain affiliate links and Corporette® may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
I love pearls, and I hate post earrings, so it is perhaps not surprising that I really like these pearl earrings with lever backs from Lagos. Two things to note: First, these are pretty big earrings — 12MM — but that can be a great look, particularly for a woman with more of a preppy vibe. Second, I would not recommend wearing these with a pearl necklace — the whole look would just be too matchy-matchy for me. (But, hey, you do you.) The earrings are $295 at Nordstrom. Lagos ‘Luna Pearl' Fluted Earrings
(L-2)
Sales of note for 9.10.24
- Nordstrom – Summer Sale, save up to 60%
- Ann Taylor – 30% off your purchase
- Banana Republic Factory – Up to 50% off everything + extra 20% off
- Bergdorf Goodman – Save up to 40% on new markdowns
- Boden – 15% off new styles
- Eloquii – $29 and up select styles; up to 50% off everything else
- J.Crew – Up to 50% off wear-to-work styles; extra 30% off sale styles
- J.Crew Factory – 40-60% off everything; extra 60% off clearance
- Lo & Sons – Warehouse sale, up to 70% off
- M.M.LaFleur – Save 25% sitewide
- Spanx – Lots of workwear on sale, some up to 70% off
- Talbots – BOGO 50% everything, includes markdowns
- White House Black Market – 30% off new arrivals
Some of our latest posts here at Corporette…
RSS Error: WP HTTP Error: cURL error 60: Issuer certificate is invalid.
And some of our latest threadjacks here at Corporette (reader questions and commentary) — see more here!
Some of our latest threadjacks include:
- What to say to friends and family who threaten to not vote?
- What boots do you expect to wear this fall and winter?
- What beauty treatments do you do on a regular basis to look polished?
- Can I skip the annual family event my workplace holds, even if I'm a manager?
- What small steps can I take today to get myself a little more “together” and not feel so frazzled all of the time?
- The oldest daughter is America's social safety net — change my mind…
- What have you lost your taste for as you've aged?
- Tell me about your favorite adventure travels…
Living in small spaces
How large is your home or apartment? My husband and I have lived in a 500 square foot apartment for four years and are considering living small forever (a la the tiny house movement), but I’m wondering if we’d start to feel cramped over time, especially as we consider starting a family. Do those of you living in small spaces recommend it longer-term? Do those of you in larger spaces appreciate all the space, especially compared to smaller houses you may have once had?
Also, I would definitely want a large yard/open space no matter what size house…
Anonymous
1 person in a 750-800 sq foot condo, pretty open layout, with no outdoor space. Feels the right size for me, but I feel like I would need more space in order to share with someone.
What kind of climate do you have? Can/do you spend a lot of time outdoors? It’s inhospitable outside 6 months out of the year here, so I would think smaller would start to feel even more claustraphobic than normal cabin fever does around Feb.
Zelda
My apartment is around the same size. 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom with dual sinks, open living area/kitchen and a walk in closet. Shared outdoor space has a pool, grills, etc. It works really well for my needs.
The only thing I might add is a 2nd bedroom (for guests) and a small balcony/patio so that I could have my own grill and maybe a few chairs. If I was living with someone else, in addition to the previous sentence I would add a 2nd bathroom and a slightly larger living area for a table that sits at least 6. If I had kids (max 2) I’d want at least 3 bedrooms.
I live in a great location in my city and am not willing to give that up for a larger house in the burbs.
Ellen
Yay! Coffee Break! I love coffee break and these pearl earing’s! I am hopeing my Grandma Leyeh will leave me her pearl earing’s, but for onley $295 at Nordstrom’s, mabye I should by these now. I can alway’s give them away if I INHERRIT from Grandma Leyeh. But I think Grandma Leyeh will not leave me the earings now that I have NOT produced a child for her. She has said as much b/c I took the $50K, put it in my 401(k) and did NOT even try for a baby. I said why would I try with a looser that will NOT marry me? Any idiot would be happy to huff and puff, drop his load and walk away, but I need a HUSBAND, not just a baby. I think she KNEW I was right, and the last thing I need is to have an absentey father. FOOEY on that!
As for the OP, yes 500 square feet for living space is WAY to small. I live all by myself (FOOEY) and my 2 bedroom is 1850 square feet, but of course that DOES include my home office with it’s own wireless rooter for which I get a TAX deduceion–YAY! But I think even this is way to small for 2 peeople b/c I ONLEY have 1 toilet and Alan was in there all the time when I needed to poop or pee, and he made the room unliveable with his gas. FOOEY on men that eat alot of bean’s and drink alot b/c when they go, beleive me, EVERYONE know’s it includeing the peeople in the hallways! DOUBEL FOOEY on that!
So when I am married, I will insist on a 3 bedroom, with at least 2800 square feet, and 2 1/2 bath’s to cover all eventuealities, including our first child. After that, it’s straight to Chapaqua with a 5,000 square foot home on 3 acre’s. My husband will of course have to make enough money for the both of us b/c I will NOT want to work after I bear him children. FOOEY on all work. I want to be like Rosa, goeing to the health club and then haveing lunch in town with her freinds, and then traveleing down to Nordstrom once a week or so. YAY!!!!
But for now, I must work. The manageing partner and I ate with the judge. The judge said now that it is spring, I should be weareing lighter outfit’s and shorter skirt’s. I told him that the manageing partner must approve my clotheing, and the manageing partner said very clearley that if the judge want’s me to wear shorter skirt’s in the summer, he will bankroll them for me! YAY!! But does that mean I can get 100% reimbursement for all my new shorter skirt’s? I have to figure out a way to make the 100% work for me. If the hive has any idea’s please tell me b/c I am lookeing to buy at least $1,800 worth of summer clothe’s. YAY!!!!
Diana Barry
My husband and I started out (when we were dating) living in a dorm room together. Too small! Then we moved to an apt – about 1200 square feet, but with some stairs.
Fast forward about 10 years and we have a 3100 sq ft, 4 BR house. It is just big enough, but I would like it to be bigger and/or laid out differently, with one additional bedroom to use for guests only, and a *dedicated* playroom for the kids. And a bigger office for my husband, who works at home.
Anonymous
How many kids do you have? 3100 sq feet seems like plenty for any family, if not a bit much in many circumstances
Diana Barry
Whoops! We have 3 kids. The square footage by itself is plenty, but I would rather have 5 bedrooms, 1 for each kid and then a guest room – it would really help to minimize fighting and encourage sleeping!
In addition, about 350-400 sq ft of that is my husband’s office and bathroom, which also feels cramped when I am working there with him.
Lyssa
My house is around that big, and laid out the way that Diana would want, I think (4 br and an office, which we’re using as a playroom – that gives us rooms for 2 kids and a guest). I definitely like it a lot and can’t imagine living somewhere smaller with kids (or even with just me and husband). But I admit that it gives us a lot more room to be messy/disorganized/pack-rat-ish in, so I can see the benefits to a smaller space. But I really love, love, love the ability to have a very well-stocked kitchen, store things that I might need later, have plenty of room for get-togethers, have plenty of space for kids to run in, have room for the ridiculous number of toys that grandparents can’t stop buying, etc.
ETA: I do live in an area where space is really cheap.
Lofty
+1 on layout being a major factor in whether you feel cramped or comfortable. My husband and I share a 800 ft^2 loft – there are some partitions but no walls. He has to hear me discuss baking with my mother and I get to hear him watch football on tv. It’s normally fine but I’d love to move to a home with a little more privacy.
Lady Tetra
My boyfriend and I lived for two years in a 650 sq ft apartment, and last year we moved to an 850 sq ft place, which is so much better! I really like having space for a dining room, so we can invite more than two people over at a time. I still would ultimately like a place with two bathrooms, but we’re managing with one for now.
Sparrow
Yes, I appreciate the space we have in a our larger house. We started in a small one BR apartment, then a slightly larger 2BR apartment and then lived in a 1500 sq ft house for 10 years. A year ago, we moved into an approx 4000 sq ft house. Part of that is the finished basement. When we were looking for a new house we knew we wanted a large kitchen, dinette and living room area for entertaining. Also the basement is used for exercise equipment and my husband’s band practice area.
However, there is some “wasted” space in the house that we don’t use, like the formal dining room and sitting room off the master bedroom. We had a choice of floor plans from our builder and this was the one that best met our needs.
When we have people over now, it is much less cramped for people to move around and be comfortable. Also, I love having an island in the kitchen. We don’t have plans to move anytime soon, so we wanted to make sure our new place had the main features that were important to us.
Parfait
I don’t know the square footage, but I share a teeny tiny one-bedroom with my fella. It’s in a FANTASTIC location and below-market rent, so we are in no hurry to move out. It is definitely a snug fit, but the only time it really bothers me is when we both need the bathroom at one time.
A lot of people think we’re nuts to both squeeze into this small space, but it’s working so far, and we are saving a lot of money toward an eventual REAL house. I don’t think we’ll go super huge even then. Too much to keep clean! My ideal would be a cute little bungalow with a lemon tree on a postage-stamp sized lawn.
greenie
4 of us in 750 sq ft. We’re a very close family… we are right downtown and able to walk to everything. I usually love it, but this rough winter left us all with cabin fever. We pay more for daycare than our mortgage- so we’ll be staying here another few years until both girls are in school.
la vie en bleu
I would be happy with this amount of space for a family including kids, especially if there was outdoor space and a good enough climate to use it for a good chunk of the year. By HS my family of 4 was living in a 1500sqft, 3 br townhouse, which has a full basement which is nice. But I think it still would have been doable without the basement. My parents have never felt the need to move into a bigger house, and I also like smaller houses. Maybe from spending a lot of time growing up in Europe, but I feel like if space is used efficiently, I only need a little of my own space to live in, and I like it that way. ;o)
Anonyc
Right now we’re a family of five (three kids) in about 1850 square feet. It is by far the biggest place we’ve ever had and it’s still new enough to feel big. I’ve lived in apartments with spouse that were about 700 square feet, and that was totally fine. One kid and 700 square feet gets cramped, but is doable. We did 1200 square feet with two and then three kids, and it was tough. One thing that made it easier was that we were close to green space (i.e., parks) and the kids were in daycare all day. Were we far from parks/playgrounds and if we had a nanny it would be miserable. I’d also consider whether you have a place (like grandparents) that you can go to when you need to break out a bit.
My dream would be maybe 2500-3000 square feet, close to parks/green space, with a tiny yard that I mostly don’t need to care for. One of the blessings of city living is not taking care of a house, yard, driveway, etc.
mintberrycrunch
+1 to smaller house and yard being one of the perks of city living. DH and I live in a 1200 sq. ft. rowhouse right now, and it’s more than enough space for the two of us – we never use our 2nd bedroom or office space (unless we have guests, which is infrequent these days). I’m sure that if we have kids, we will eventually feel cramped, but I can’t imagine wanting more space that absolutely necessary. Too much to clean and maintain – and I’ll trade my city commute for extra living space any day.
Anon in NYC
I grew up in a house that was roughly 1600 square feet. 3 kids, 3 bedrooms, so there was no dedicated office or guest space. My sister and I shared a room. It was tight, but I think I was just used to it. Both of my parents have pack rat tendencies, so there was a lot of stuff in our house. My husband grew up in a 2500 sq ft home and that seems so big to me. Shortly after we got married I got it in my head that we should buy a house and I just naturally gravitated towards smaller ones – the ones that were about 2200+ just seemed so large.
InfoGeek
2200 sq ft house (3 bedrooms/2baths), with very small front and back yards.
Now, it’s just the 2 of us, but we have lived here from the time my daughter was 3, so there were 3 of us most of the time.
If anything, the house is too big, but I love it too much to move without a major event.
Baconpancakes
I share a 2-bed, 1-bath 900 SF apartment with a roommate, and it’s just barely big enough, but I’m the kind of person who hosts 8+ person dinner parties twice a month, 15+ person Friendsgiving and Passover dinners, 15+ person casual parties, and throws a party with 50+ invitees at least once a year. I have two friends who crash at my place so often they keep toothbrushes there, and hosting Sunday brunch for a houseload of people makes me incredibly happy. Not to mention as I’ve gotten older, my parents expect to be able to stay with me in comfort. I am also decidedly not a minimalist when it comes to clothes, and I have a lot of hobbies (that I regularly practice!) that take up a lot of space with stuff. My dream house would have his and hers closets, a walk-in pantry, a huge storage space for a deep freezer, canning pots, and other hobby-related things, and at least three bedrooms (eventual kiddo, master bedroom, and guest room/office). And while the yard doesn’t have to be huge, it MUST be sunny, and have at least one fruit tree.
It really depends on what you need. If you don’t need space to keep 50 canning jars, and you’re happy in your small space, roll with it.
anonsg
I grew up in a house about 3000-4000 square feet (family of 6). I miss it sometimes, even if we primarily spent time in mainly two rooms. I don’t miss cleaning it (wiping those floors by hand was not fun lolol). We had a pretty big yard, but I didn’t spend much time there, so I could probably do without that.
I now live in a 600 sq foot apartment, and it’s nice, not too small, but it’s also just me. I think with a family at least 1000 sq feet would be more comfortable. I feel like with children , having some bonus room or open space in the home to play in would be good.
Killer Kitten Heels
Just moved into a 1200 sq. foot 3 bedroom house (with a 1000 sq foot basement, so I guess total we have about 2200 sq feet of usable space), and coming from a 750 sq. foot apartment, I have to say living in the house is amazing.
The biggest positive change for me has been that we now have single-use spaces for all of the functions that are important to us, where before, every single room was pulling double or triple or even quadruple-duty. It’s nice to have a room that’s just my office, a room that’s just the dining room, just the living room, just our bedroom, just our guest room, etc. We don’t have a ton of belongings, but we like to entertain and we both work from home at times, so the problem with the smaller apartment wasn’t necessarily that we didn’t have enough room to keep things, it was mostly that we didn’t have enough room to *do* things.
We’re in the northeast, so outdoor space only helps for about a 1/3rd of the year, max, and we’re in the true suburbs so there’s not much in the way of public space to use for socializing the way it would be if we lived in the city, so I think that contributed a lot to the apartment feeling too cramped for our lives.
August
Myself and my husband happily live in 1100 sq ft apartment. If we buy a house, it will be when we want to have children, it will be around 1500 sq ft and not more than that. However, we want a big backyard as we both like gardening and we miss having a garden in our apartment. The reason why we want to keep it medium sized is the ease of maintenance, environmental concerns and most importantly, that is all we really need.
ml
When I was single, I lived in 500 ft studios and had no problem with it, but I need a little more space if I have to share with someone. DH and I lived in a 1200 sqft 2 br+den apartment before kids (all 1 floor) and now have two kids in a 3 br, 2-floor house that is about 2000 sqft including the finished part of the basement. Our small yard and patio are “livable space” for half the year, too. I think it’s less about square footage and more about style and function. In a lot of ways, our apartment felt bigger because the living area was open concept and there was a wall of floor-to-ceiling windows (we also lived downtown and spent less time in the apartment), but our walls-everywhere 1940s vintage house makes it easy to shut yourself up somewhere “private,” which can be a blessing when people start to get on each other’s nerves.
I actually think the square footage we have is ideal, but I miss the optical illusion of space in our old apartment. In any case, for me, the key to smaller spaces is minimizing clutter. I don’t feel cramped unless there is STUFF closing in on me.
suburbia
family of 4 plus dog in about 2200sf house on a third of an acre. We could lop off about 500 square feet (the living room & dining room) because we never use them, but that’s more about the usefulness and layout of the space, rather than just the numbers.
We don’t have guest quarters, and in the space we have, I would love to be able to have that. Right now, our guests stay in our hand-me-down king bed in our basement, which is, a basement–unfinished.
What we have that we love: open kitchen/eating/den area; dedicated sunroom (which is the kids playroom); they each have a bedroom & share a bath, we have a bathroom, plus a half bath. Ideally, we want guest quarters & a full bath for them too. We could easily do what we want, with better laid-out space, in less square footage.
L in DC
I’ve lived in less than 700 square feet for about 15 years now. I currently share a 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom, 650 square foot apt with my SO. The only reason I’d want more space is so we can have larger parties! I’d just want a larger version of our existing layout though. A large living space (i.e., combined living room/dining room) connected to an open plan kitchen. In theory, I’d love to have a second bedroom for guests, but it would be less expensive for me to pay for a hotel room for every visitor than to upgrade to a two bedroom apartment.
The things I love about small space living — I have to be very intentional about my accumulation of things, it’s relatively easy to stay organized, I’m forced to think about being efficient (no single-use kitchen appliances that I use once a year), and I like being in the same space as my SO (we both work a lot and spend a lot of time out of the house so when we’re home, I like being in the same room even if we’re not actively having a conversation). I tend to naturally be a bit disorganized/packratty, so limiting myself to a relatively small space has been hugely helpful and has resulted in me becoming a mostly organized person with a closet that contains only clothing that looks great on me and that I wear frequently. This would NOT have happened if I had more space…
Actually, the biggest thing I love about small space living is that it’s allowed me to afford living in fantastic urban locations without spending tons of money. DC also has pretty comfortable walking-around weather for most of the year. I think it would be different if we lived in the suburbs and/or an area with less temperate weather.
HSAL
“In theory, I’d love to have a second bedroom for guests, but it would be less expensive for me to pay for a hotel room for every visitor than to upgrade to a two bedroom apartment.”
I love that you said this. We didn’t have a guest room growing up so the idea is still pretty foreign to me. If you have frequent visitors, sure, a guest room makes sense, but otherwise it’s a big expense with only occasional payoff.
TBK
We have a townhouse that’s 1,400sqft above ground, but with a walk-out finished basement (so really more like 2,000sqft). With two kids (and all their gear), a 70lb dog, and three adults (me, husband, au pair), it’s really tight. Before the kids, however, it was so spacious! We never even used the bedroom that’s now the kids’ room. Also, we rarely use the basement because it’s too much of a pain to carry the kids down. Once they’re walking and doing stairs, I think we’ll be using the family room downstairs to play a lot more. More than space, though, I think layout is important. Our bedroom is huge (half the top floor, or maybe more) and I’d really rather have that space elsewhere. We also have a dining area plus eat-in kitchen, but our living room is tiny. So if I could take the extra space in our bedroom and the eat-in space in the kitchen and tack it onto the living room, I think the house would feel a lot bigger.
SuziStockbroker
Our house is about 2500 sq ft. 2 adults, and 3 children now but our nanny lived with us 5 years as well.
The two main floors are about 1700 sq ft. We do also have a finished basement, which houses the room and ensuite that was our nanny’s (now a home gym, and could be a guest room). My husband’s “workshop” is also down there, no one uses that except him. Kids very recently started hanging out a bit down there as we have just repainted/recarpeted.
It’s not a ton of space for 5 people, tbh, but it is laid out well (we did an addition on our 1940s home when we had our second child). The bedrooms (4+the one mentioned) are small ish.
I am happier to live here in our fairly urban neighbourhood, with lots of parks, and many things walking distance, short commute to work than I think I would be in a bigger house in the suburbs.
I will admit to coveting some of the tiny houses I see on FB etc (I have a friend that posts heavily on this!).
Anon
We have 3 kids and live in a (about) 2000 square foot, 4 bedroom house with 2 bathrooms. It feels like it is just the right size for us. We have a fairly big lot for our area (about 1/2 an acre) so there is lots of room to play outside. We also live near a park. We used to live in a house that was slightly under 1000 square feet with 2 bedrooms. We only had one kid then and it was starting to feel cramped. I would like to have a separate playroom and an office, but our mortgage is pretty cheap and so I don’t want to move at this time. I like having the extra money every month for kids activities, etc.
NYNY
After 11 years together in a 600 sf 1-bed 1-bath apartment, DH and I moved to a 1000 sf 3-bed 1-bath about 4 years ago. DH is a musician, and the largest “bedroom” is his studio. I love small space living in theory, but having all the guitars in one room (that isn’t my living room) has been a godsend. We have a spare room for guests, which is used 4-10x/yr. Not a necessity, but it’s nice to have. No outdoor space, but we are right across the street from a gorgeous park, so that’s the “yard.”
To your question about feeling cramped over time, it’s really all about how you use your space. Working from home, for example, is doable in a small home, but you need to commit to it.
kc
I lived in 350 sq feet (efficiency, but kitchen/office was actually a seperate room) by myself and it was fine. Now live in 1100 with my husband and dog and it’s more than enough. We’re committed to never buying a mcmansion, but we wouldn’t stay in this apartment with more than 1 child. My thoughts on the tiny-house movement: It’s a total freaking gimic. Ok yes, live smaller. I’m totally on board with that. If you don’t have storage, you buy less stuff. But those actual tiny houses that people are building and purchasing are completely over-priced. If you want to live small in a mobile home, then buy a freaking mobile home. They are cheaper than many of the “upscale” tiny houses that just look cute on pinterest.
Pretty Primadonna
I live by myself in a 2-bedroom, 1248 square foot apartment. The second room serves as a guest bedroom/office. I love the space and I am so used to the space now that I don’t know if I would enjoy a smaller apartment. I wouldn’t mind sharing my apartment with my beau, but anything beyond 2 additional people would likely feel cramped to me. Ironically, though, were I to buy a home, I wouldn’t want a huge McMansion; a cute little bungalow would be perfect.
The worst thing about all the space is accumulating things to fill it.
KinCA
FI and I live in a 1,500 square foot apartment (this includes our large patio and the apartment is two stories, so some of that square footage is taken up by the staircase). We’ve never lived in anything smaller together, though I did just fine in 650 square feet when I lived alone. Our space has two large bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms. It seemed like SO MUCH SPACE when we first moved in, but we’ve slowly furnished it and now it seems perfectly cozy and homey for the two of us.
I love it so much and if it were just the two of us, we’d probably stay here forever. However, we are planning to have kids in the next 2-3 years, so we’ll probably move soon to a single-family home with more of a yard and an extra bedroom for our hypothetical future offspring (eek!).
AIMS
I forget what this phenomenon is called, but I think most people just basically expand to fit whatever space they have. Obviously there is a certain amount you need to be comfortable but for me it’s like desks – no matter how big my desk gets, I always manage to fill it with stuff. I’ve lived in a several apartments and no matter how big or small, I’ve always managed to fill the space to the fullest extent it was reasonable and I’m by no means a pack rat.
Honestly, it always makes me laugh what people “need” to live nowadays. Obviously, do what makes you happy, but it really is such a recent phenomenon and very uniquely American one, I think, and so many people treat it as though it’s the only way to live. Just the other day a friend of mine said it was “impossible” to live in a less than 1500 sq. feet with 2 children. Ha. However did people do it 20 years ago (never mind 100)??
Maybe it’s because I’ve always lived in big cities but to me it just seems like you really don’t need that much space to be comfortable and happy. My current apartment is probably around 550-600 sq. feet (actual sq. ft., not broker sq. ft.) plus outdoor space that we use in warm weather. It’s just the two of us and a dog and for the most part I think we have plenty of space. It’d be nice to have an extra closet for odds and ends, and maybe a half bath, and if the kitchen was a bit bigger because we like to cook, but if we didn’t want to ever have a kid I think we could comfortably live there for the rest of our lives. And there is so much to do outside of the apartment that I don’t tend to go stir crazy. I think eventually when/if we have kid(s), we’ll have to move somewhere where we can have an extra bedroom and it would be nice to have a small den/office/guest room extra too, in a sort of “ideal world” situation. But honestly, I don’t think I would ever want too much more than that.
Mpls
Well, it’s a property of a gas – it will fill the volume of its container. You can add more gas, which increases the pressure.
Is it uniquely American, or just a function of people thinking their way of doing things (or how they grew up) is the only/best way of doing things? A self-affirmation bias. Like in the post on blowouts – some people couldn’t imagine paying for something so easy to do, because they had never had to deal with anyone’s hair but their own.
Lynn
Small can be tough. I live in a one bedroom with my two young kids, no spouse. Honestly, I love it, because I live in an expensive area and saving on housing lets us do other stuff. The location is fantastic. I also think it’s easier with kids than with a spouse/bf. That being said, I know that they will want more space as they grow older. This is a five-year plan for us, and then we will look at 2 bedrooms. I think 3 bedrooms in DC is a pipe dream, but hey! I won’t be paying daycare, so that’s an extra grand right there!
500, 900
When my husband and I first lived together, he moved into my 500 square foot apartment. We were tripping over each other, so we moved to an apartment that is 900 square feet — this was almost too big for just the two of us. The second bedroom was mostly a junk room… But we appreciated the extra half bath a ton more than we thought we would. Our kitchen is a 2-butt kitchen, though, max, which has always been very small.
Two kids later and we are tripping each other and all the toys. My husband jokes that he doesn’t have a single square foot that is his very own. I often work from home, the nanny is here with the boys… It is way, way too small and cramped for us 4 (5 if you count the nanny who is here for 40 hours a week.)
Anon
Hi there – can anyone recommend any tasty restaurants relatively close to the Marriott Wardman Park in DC that would be good for a group of 4 to catch up on a Wed night? I’m thinking in the $20-entree range. Thanks!
cc
oo go to District Kitchen- it has been great lately! and on wednesday there is free corkage, you can bring your own wine! That is the only thing I’d recommend in Woodley proper, but if you want to walk a bit (just up Conn Ave- very easy walk) there is medium rare (if you all like steak) ardeo bardeo and indinique
Kelly Andthenblog
Lebanese Taverna is right across the street from the hotel/metro, and is very affordable/flexible for a group, as is Petit Plats. I love Petit Plats, but I’m betting the entrée price is closer to $25/pp.
Enjoy!
Anonymous
ugh no to both of those! those are two of the worst places in woodley. I mean lebanese taverna food is ok but honestly a chain?
Kelly Andthenblog
Yes, honestly. So sorry to have offended you! You may have had bad experiences there in the past, but it’s probably because both restaurants have a strict “no trolls” policy.
Anonymous
You’d think a blogger would know what trolling was? I am not calling you a troll for suggesting a chain – please don’t call me one for disagreeing with you.
Anon
Oh good god. Anonymous- you didn’t just disagree, you disagreed in a rude way, which is why you got called a troll. Further, saying “but honestly a chain?” makes you sound like a brat. Grow up.
Kellyandthenblog
You are right, I am sorry for that. It was too far and not how I’d speak to you in person.
Anon
Trolling is entirely different from run-of-the-mill rudeness.
Do you think Anonymous said that for the express goal of making people mad? No, she just bluntly shared her honest opinion.
P.S. I am a different Anon…sorry didn’t notice names
A Nonny Moose
+1 to anonymous. Blegh.
Walk 15 mins to adams Morgan and go to Mintwood place or donburi. Or north up Wisconsin as cc suggests.
Kellyandthenblog
I’ll have to check the others out, but I don’t think these are, like, the absolute worst suggestions. happy to try new places, but for this, I wasn’t sure what her other parameters were. She gave the location she was looking for, and I figured that was controlling.
Going back to work now…
cc
Mintwood is great I forgot about it because I haven’t been in a while. Very similar vibe to District Kitchen actually. In general Woodley is a tourist trap- very over priced and lebense taverna is for all the tourists/zoo people. Petit Plat is not the place I’d go for a girls night- it has a very old person date night vibe
rosie
Isn’t Lebanese Taverna a counter service place? I probably would not recommend a counter service chain to someone looking for a $20/entree-range restaurant. Just saying.
Kellyandthenblog
It’s sit down at that location, if I recall.
L in DC
Yup, I’ve been to that Lebanese Taverna — it’s sit-down and has perfectly fine food. It’s no Mintwood Place, but it’s on the less expensive side, convenient, and is a completely reasonable suggestion.
rosie
Good to know. I have only been to the Silver Spring one.
roses
Agreed that Woodley is not an ideal destination for food – I had terrible service and food last time I went to Lebanese Taverna. I love Mintwood Place but I think it’s probably more expensive than $20/person. I’d do as cc suggests and walk the 15 mins up Wisconsin to Ardeo/Bardeo or Ripple.
L in DC
+1 to Ripple. Excellent food/service.
another anonymous
+1000 to Ripple.
Kellyandthenblog
A friend mention this to me today…I’m adding it to the list after hearing you all tout it here! Thanks!
Anon
Thanks everyone! I love Lebanese Taverna so no complaints here and also offered up District Kitchen to the group – it looks great. Thanks to everyone for the suggestions.
RLS
My closest friend (we’ve been friends since childhood) moved away about a year and a half ago. We’ve always lived about 3-hour (drive time) apart, but now it’s a 3-hour flight, and I’m finding it harder and harder to keep in touch. I want to mail her a surprise box of little things just for fun.
I’m trying to come up with ideas, and while I have a few, I would love suggestions on what you ladies would like to get in something like this. I’m going to include a few greeting cards with things like “for when you wish we could go for coffee,” with a short note and a gift card to a coffee place in her area, etc. But I need other ideas! I’m looking to spend probably $10 on each item, though I’m willing to go more.
sweetknee
Can you find a “vintage” toy that you would have each had/played with together? Or a type of candy you both liked as kids? I am sure I am older than you, but I remember playing with ShrinkyDinks and Fashion Plates and eating Pop Rocks. Might bring back some memories.
TO Lawyer
What about little things that she loves that’ll make her think of you? Or things you’ve discussed buying/trying but haven’t had a chance to yet? I’m thinking fancy lipbalm, a nice topcoat or something, nice hand cream, maybe a spiralizer, a cute notepad…
Sydney Bristow
When I moved across the country, my best friend sent me a package with things that made me think of her. It had a sticker from our home state, a toy that was part of an inside joke, and a gift card to Panera along with printed out directions to the closest location (we used to eat together at Panera all the time). It was so sweet!
AIMS
This is what I like TJ Maxx/Marshals for – I’d do a fun shower cap with the terry lining, some soaps and/or lotions, maybe one of those eye masks you can throw in the freezer, a fun nail polish, a cute mug, some chocolate, or a scented candle, etc. … You could also throw in a book you want to read and have a phone book club over it … Some specialty food from your area could be good too, or if she, say, really likes hot sauce or tea or whatever, something new in that vein…. Also, if she has a garden/backyard, you could get her a bunch of seeds. No green thumb required: just scatter on the ground next month before a good rain and in a bit of time, flowers will emerge.
PS: You sound like a really awesome friend!
Zelda
How about fun food items from your location and/or her old city? For example, when I lived in Michigan I used to buy cherry jam, salsa or candy for friends and they loved it. A cousin in LA used to buy See’s Candy for friends.
anonymom
Love this idea. My good friend from college once sent me a gift basket from the place where we always used to get coffee and study in college. It felt very thoughtful.
la vie en bleu
yes, for me, food. Always food. ;o)
Brunchaholic
Was going to suggest the same thing. Double points if she can’t get something that she loves in her new location! Have been meaning send my best friend who moved to Europe some Trader Joe’s Cookie Butter and you reminded me to up my game…
Anonymous
You know Europe invented speculoos spread…she probably doesn’t need the TJ version, it’s way better there.
Pen Pals Forever
This is great – my friend and I do a similar thing, where we have a small box (a Fossil watch tin) we occasionally fill with something and then mail back and forth from her state to mine and back again. If you were interested in that, it’s great to have just the one thing plus a letter coming regularly. I feel like that definitely helps us keep in touch better than just big gifts on birthdays and holidays. I never spend more than $15 on a thing, so it’s not a big investment.
Those gifts have included: handmade hair ornaments, earrings, candy, a tiny vase, a vintage handkerchief, tea, heirloom seeds, cute post-its, a small toy chicken.
Smart Casual
This is a cute idea.
Simsi
Does anyone have recommendations for psychologists/therapists in Atlanta (ITP)? Even if not, how do you go about finding a good one?
January
I can’t give you a recommendation, but Psychology Today has a “Find a Therapist” feature that seems to cover most areas. Beyond that, ask your primary care doctor for a recommendation. My OB-GYN keeps a list of specialists that they recommend, including psychologists.
2 Cents
I second the Psychology Today search tool. Therapists can write up their own bio on there, so you get a sense of the person.
Wildkitten
Inspired by the small space post above – I might move into a larger apartment from a small one and am at a loss of what to put in the second bedroom. Guest room? Office? Home gym? I haven’t had space for any of that for the past 5+ years and now I am not sure which priority to put in the space I might have. How do you guys set up a spare room? (I realize this is an absurd “problem” to have, but appreciate input anyway).
Anonymous
It depends on your priorities. A lot of apartments won’t allow treadmills because they’re so loud, but an elliptical or bike might be okay.
I’d probably just do a guest room/office, because I workout at a gym.
Mpls
Sewing room/guest room
C
I have mine set up as office/workout room. This means I have a desk, computer, printer and an elliptical. I use it in some form or fashion every day.
kc
We use ours as guest room/office. We actually have guests about every other month, or every month so it works out. Barely use the office-side of things as when I work from home I stand up in the kitchen most of the day. Will be converting it to a nursery/guest room one day…
NYNY
Spare room/office for me.
You don’t have to keep the spare room set up the same way forever, but I would suggest committing to a plan from the outset, even if it may change down the road. Otherwise, the spare room becomes the junk storage space really easily… ask me how I know.
Wildkitten
That’s what I’m afraid of! Or ending up with three rooms but always both being in the spare room so we might as well just have one room again.
Anonymous
Pool table.
Anon
art studio
*wistful sigh*
rosie
Do you do workout videos? I think it would be nice to have a room that is kind of like a studio/open space so you don’t have to move the couch, coffee table, etc. whenever you want to do a video.
nutella
I rarely have guests, so a full bed would have taken up too much space for me. I have a desk on one side and a couch (with a pull-out bed for that occasional guest) on the other side. I use the open space in the middle for working out, the gear for which (weights, mat, ball, etc.) are kept in the closet.
Wildkitten
This sounds perfect! I also found some inspiration on apartment therapy – I just had to search because the side bar treats each room as unifunctional.
Anon
Need career change advice- I have practiced law (specifically litigation) for about 3 years now and I hate it. I have felt for some time now that I am not cut out for litigation because of my sensitive personality. For the past 6 months, I have been thinking about a career change. I am now seriously considering transitioning to law school administration, particularly admissions. Does anyone have any insight/experience with such a transition? Did you ever regret leaving law? Also, realistically, would I be able to go back to practicing after leaving?
another anonymous
I think we might be the same person. Definitely interested in hearing any responses to this. Good luck to you!
Anon for this
I have several friends who have done this – some at their alma mater, some at other schools. Those that have for the most part are very happy with their decisions. It is definitely a pay cut from most bigger firm jobs, but their are positives. Depending on your specific role in admissions, you may have a significant travel requirement, particularly during portions of the year. When you say you’re “sensitive” is that code at all for introverted? Because if so, you may find you don’t love this role either as it requires a lot of interfacing with the public. If you just mean you can’t handle opposing counsel and people being ugly to each other, than yeah, this might be a better fit.
skim latte
I did exactly 3 years of BigLaw litigation and I couldn’t stand discovery disputes, motions to compel, and all of the posturing anymore… so I switched into doing transactions and I’ve never missed litigation. Seriously – so many interesting fields out there – corporate, tax, real estate, trust and estates, bank regulatory, healthcare, technology transactions, employment counseling, labor, etc. I would try one more practice area before you give up on practicing law, especially if you like being a lawyer (or at least the pay/perks of being a lawyer). FWIW, I tried 3 other practice areas within the ones I just named and the third one stuck.
Gerri
I will add that if you have labor law experience, you may be particularly useful in an employee benefits department because restrictive covenants, separation agreements, etc., all come up there in a less adversarial context.
tesyaa
Question for the group: if your sister-in-law gave your mother a brand-new-with-tags tan Lesportsac handbag, and your mother didn’t like it so she gave it to you, and you didn’t want it, what would you do with it? I’m too busy/lazy to list it on ebay or even local message boards.
It’s not like it takes up so much space, but I try to limit clutter as much as possible. Does anyone else’s mother do this?
AIMS
Give it to one of your kids?
Zelda
If you don’t know anyone else who would want it, either a consignment store or Goodwill.
Maddie Ross
I’d bring it into my office and keep it in a desk drawer for the nights that I suddenly have stuff to bring home than I can carry.
rosie
Just donate it. The bag cost you nothing, it will take very little brainpower/effort, and you aren’t keeping stuff you will never use.
Wildkitten
Send it to ThredUp.
Sydney Bristow
I sent a bunch of shoes to ThredUp recently and was really happy with it. $20 in my pocket that I wouldn’t have if I just dropped them off at Goodwill like I was planning.
la vie en bleu
This is so silly, but I am clearly ridiculous because I need help.
I just moved to a different department where I don’t have access to a kitchen/sink or freezer or dishes/silverware. There is a mini-fridge and a microwave in a storage room. Even the bathrooms are on a separate floor (due to renovation work) and it is quite a hike.
For many many years I have been bringing Trader Joe’s frozen meals to work and heating them up and keeping my own coffee mug and water glass at my desk and washing all my dishes during the day. This is the first time not having at least a sink in so long, and I am completely thrown.
What do you do if you don’t have access to a sink to wash things? Do I give up on having a coffee mug and just use the paper cups and throw them away? :o( What could I substitute for lunches that are not frozen, but only need to be refrigerated? And yet is also comparable in price ($2-3/day)? Clearly I am too lazy to cook. ;o\
lurkyloo
This doesn’t solve the washing up problem, but with the food, you could try putting the frozen meals in an insulated bag with one of those fake ice things. This isn’t an all-day solution, but if you normally eat around lunchtime, something that’s already frozen wouldn’t really thaw that much in just a few hours.
anon
When I lived in an apartment with an unreliable freezer I bought a small stand alone freezer on amazon… I want to say it was 150-200 dollars. Maybe not even quite that high. It worked perfectly for keeping a few lunches or frozen veggies for stir frieds.
la vie en bleu
hmm, that’s a thought. So if I have an insulated lunch bag (which i have) with an icepack and keep it in the fridge, it should still be frozen by lunch? That might work. I still can’t eat those things out of the package they are in, though, so I’d have to have a separate container to eat out of. Wow, this is so complicated reworking my whole lunch system!
Monte
Trader Joe’s also has some shelf stable meals that you don’t have to freeze. I usually go with the Indian-ish meals, but they also have noodles and pre-cooked brown rice, so I can fashion something out of that. I would also think about sandwiches and/or yogurt and granola a lot more. But for me the solution was buying a minifridge + freezer on line — it allows me to be more productive, and generally the comments I get are ones of envy rather than having a bigger fridge than my colleagues.
No advice on the lack of sink, though. That is terrible. I would probably keep a large soup bowl/mug in my office, clean out all s0lids in my office and rinse in the ladies room. Even though that sounds dreadful.
la vie en bleu
yeah, there’s a sink I could probably go use bc people like me, but it involves a complicated multi-floor maze bc of construction , so I just don’t want to do it for my coffee mug :-(
but I will investigate more of trader joes for other meal options, thanks!
HSAL
Not sure if you’re still reading, but I agree with the suggestion of the ice pack in an insulated lunch bag. But don’t keep the lunch bag in the fridge – they take up way too much space for a communal fridge. I eat frozen meals for lunch fairly frequently and I honestly just stick them in the fridge. By the time I’m eating lunch in a few hours, they’re still mainly frozen and I just cut down the cooking time a little.
Blonde Lawyer
Bring your dishes home to wash them. Use something light like tupperware instead of a heavy glass bowl. Easier to lug back and forth.
la vie en bleu
Okay, I guess I can do that. I am super squicky about plastic in the microwave, which is why I usually use real dishes. But this should only be for a few weeks so it’s probably nothing to worry about.
And I guess if the container is big enough to fit a fork/spoon in, I just throw it all in, click the lid shut and take home to clean? I guess I’ll be doing some shopping this week!
Anonymous
I use glass lock for this reason – no concerns w plastic in the microwave.
Take the top off and stick a piece of paper towel in it and you’re good to go.
Its a little bit heavier, but i think it will solve your issue
la vie en bleu
right, but if I use a prepackaged meal (which I have been because TJ’s makes my life so easy), then I have to carry the meal AND the glasslock to work each morning and carry the glasslock home each night? that is what is giving me pause. I am also public transit commuting, so I’m not excited about so much to carry.
But this might be what needs to happen. Thanks for all of these suggestions, folks!
Wildkitten
Bring all the meals in in a baggu on Monday, and only carry the glasslock back and forth.
la vie en bleu
ah, good one. yes that might work.
D
Kat, Can we have a roundup of machine washable pants, dresses/clothes that are professional? I just don’t have the time/energy to go dry clean all the time. Granted I get that good suits/jackets may not be machine washable…
I thought MM LaFleur was going to be mostly machine washable but most of their machine options has decreased to 1/4 of the options. :(