Coffee Break: RFID Blocking Card Holder Wallet

57 Comments

1. I need a new vacuum. I’ve been thinking of getting a roomba for a while. If I get a roomba, do I still need to get a regular vacuum? If I get a regular vacuum, do I still need a roomba? Also open to recommendations on specific vacuums and roombas or other brands. I prefer cordless vacuums. Other relevant info: I have a relatively small place – 2 bedrooms, living room, dining room, kitchen, and a basement where I can store things. I have a cleaning person who comes 2x/month. I mainly use the vacuum to pick up pet hair in between cleanings, and to clean up any random messes we make. I have 2 dogs, and 2 new kittens. One kitten has been really into digging dirt out of our potted plants, which have lately been the “random messes” that need cleaned up frequently.

   1. I’m very afraid of a Roomba smearing a pet accident all over my floors, even though my pets aren’t prone to accidents. It just feels like tempting Murphy’s Law to me.

      I’ve been using a rubber broom for pet hair, and for other “in-between cleanings” I’ve been using a stick vacuum (in my household it’s usually “me spilling coffee grounds again” rather than kittens digging up dirt), but it just stopped recharging. So I will be interested to see what others recommend.

      1. I only use my Roomba when I’m home, which I feel like takes care of that risk.

         1. Right, I only start up my roomba after I move a few things out of the way so if there were anything pet related (would be rare but one of my cats does enjoy the occasional hairball) I would see it before starting the roomba.

      2. Same, I covet a robot vacuum but my floor is a minefield. My cat barfs multiple times per day (known managed issue, don’t @ me).

         1. My gray cat is 90%+ indoors but he occasionally opportunistically darts out an open door so he can spend 15 minutes eating grass. Then he asks to be let back in so he can barf it up all over the house.

      3. I love a rubber broom for pet hair (I have been known to take ours to the walls and sofa to get every last bit!).

         We’re new to the world of Roombas (I can hear ours bumping around in the other room as we speak) but so far have just loved it. My husband and I were sitting on the couch sharing a snacky lunch the other day while it was running and he looked at me with this big grin and said, “Guess what! We’re cleaning right now!”

      4. I love the stick vacuums. I’ve been using Swiffer sweeper vacs for years, but it feels like each one I buy doesn’t work as well as the previous one and it dies even more quickly, so I’m finally ready to take the leap to a real cordless vacuum.

         1. Get the Dyson. I got the v11 animal at Costco.

            1. I got the same Dyson at Costco. It is really good for pet hair and I also learned the other day, cleans up dirt/soil from the carpet really well (cat tipped over a potted plant.) It is less good at things like cereal spilled on the floor.

   2. I vote both vacuum and robot. The robot won’t do the corners properly, and might just smear wet dirt unless you do a fancy one with mop. But the robot is fantastic for everyday upkeep and everyday pet hair removal.

      1. +1. I didn’t think I’d like our Roomba so much but I do. We only run ours while we’re at home given that our pug is old and less continent than she used to be.

   3. A roomba doesn’t fully replace a regular vacuum, but if your cleaning person brings their own vacuum and does the deep vacuuming, I think you could get away with just having a roomba. I love my roomba though and would never go without it now that I’m used to having one! I say get the roomba, see how it goes, and get a new vacuum if you find yourself needing it.

      1. I agree with this.
         The cleaners do vacuuming here and I love my robot vacuum for in-between. The robot also does a great job under the bed and couches where the cleaners don’t vacuum.

         I’ve had one for around 15 years and am on my second. The new generation ones do a great job.

   4. Obsessed with my cordless Dyson. I know not for everyone (battery only lasts for 5-6 min of max power at a time) but it just makes vacuuming so EASY. I can usually get my downstairs vacuumed in one charge and the tradeoff of having to work around the battery life is worth it to me because of how lightweight it is and not having to deal with a cord. I also love how you can use it as a handheld vacuum for say, vacuuming your car.

      I also have a Eufy brand robot vacuum, which is also great. One thing to keep in mind is that a robot vacuum will be annoying if you have lots of loose cords or items it’ll get stuck on (dirty clothes on the floor, dog toys…not that there’s any of that at my house). I end up not running the robot vacuum as regularly because of the five minutes of tidying cords and closing doors, blocking off the fireplace, flipping that one chair over it always gets stuck under etc.

      I do think in general that the robot vacuum/cordless vacuum combo is ideal though.

      1. Is your Dyson older? My v11 animal battery lasts way longer than 5-6 minutes at max power and I also find I don’t need max power for most things.

   5. My place was too small for a roomba – it’s a decent sized apartment but not enough room for it to go “home” or work properly. I was disappointed and gave it away.

   6. I have an upstairs Roomba and a downstairs Roomba, and for everything else we have the shark pet pro rechargeable vacuum, which is like a dust buster with more features. We do need this for the occasional quick cleanup (like the Roomba is going to lazily bounce back and forth to clean your whole room, not focus on a specific issue like spilling some flour) and also use it as a long dust buster for cleaning corners, cobwebs, etc. I think you need both.

      1. Dyson and roomba with self emptying cup.

         if dyson cordless doesn’t cgarfe check for clogs, wash filter. still no? replace the battery.

         1. are the cgarfe clogs available on Amazon?

            1. IKEA.

   7. I inherited an old Roomba and like it better than I thought I would. It’s great for a periodic light cleaning and the set-it-and-forget-it aspect is fun. That said, it does require some cleanup of the room before using, doesn’t work well on a thicker rug, and I feel that mine mostly gets surface debris. I recently got a plug-in shark vacuum and was horrified at how much dust got sucked out of my relatively new, regularly roomba’ed low pile carpets. Maybe having the biweekly cleaning would negate that problem for you, though.

      1. That’s funny. I had sort of the opposite experience. We had an old Miele, so a very reputable vacuum, and a biweekly cleaning service, and then got a Roomba. At first we were running the Roomba every day, as one does, and every single day the bin was absolutely full. We were gobsmacked. Where was it coming from? My husband and I looked at each other and said, “We’re gross!”

   8. I’d go tiny handheld vac and roomba. Use the tiny one for dumped pot soil or coffee grounds or to get in to your couch, and let the roomba run otherwsie.

   9. I loved the Dyson, but the battery died in mine and a replacement battery is about $130…yikes! For a little more money, I got a brand new Shark vacuum (the stick). My Dyson stick lasted a long time, but the thought of paying that much for a replacement battery when I can get something brand new (and newer technology) for a little more made sense to me.

   10. I had a Roomba for a couple years that I used for regular pet hair cleaning, and I absolutely loved it! It has some issues with the floor levels in my new place (my bathroom has about an inch lift, and the Roomba can’t handle that). I was recently gifted a Dyson Omni-Glide + and I am absolutely obsessed. It cleans extremely well with little effort compared to any prior push vacuum I had before. While I love the schedule and ignore aspect of Roomba, I do find the Dyson does a better job of cleaning in a pretty quick amount of time and with minimal effort. If you’re going to splurge on one, I’d recommend a Dyson based on your needs.

2. Does the moleskin trick for “repairing” a wired bra with a wire poking through actually work? I’m bummed because I bought a duplicate for my favorite, best-fitting bra, and of course on the third or fourth wear the wire came through and stabbed me. The first one is still going strong, so I think this was just bad luck! *I don’t sew or have any ambition to start, and it’s not returnable.

   1. I feel like maybe duck tape with moleskin over that. The duck tape will grip the fabric better.

   2. I would take it to someone who does sew and see if they can patch / fix it.

      1. This works (although since I sew, I do it myself). I would not attempt a fix with something adhesive because that seems it would just turn the fabric into a gummy mess over time.

   3. You can do a simple sewing fix on this – poke the wire back down in the hole and then sew the hole closed with five or six short stitches, all right next to each other (vs on top of each other), then tie off. It honestly does not take “sewing skills” to do this type of repair, just needle and some thread. Since it’s in your bra, it doesn’t matter how the even the stitches turn out; pick thread that sorta matches the bra color (if you pick up a sewing kit from Walgreens or something, pick whatever color’s in the kit that’s closest) and you likely won’t even notice the repair once it’s done. There are YouTube videos out there on how to do simple stitches and repairs of this type.

      1. email wherever you bought it from and the manufacturer for a replacement

3. PSA: If you’re in California, your property taxes are due today! I about had a heart attack when I remembered because I always think it’s the same as the IRS, which it’s not. A few years ago I paid a four-figure penalty for being late, so don’t be me.

   1. Thank you!!

4. Where can I get a new, on-trend-ish, size 16 spring wardrobe stat?

   Somehow I totally missed that this coming weekend is Easter, and we leave to visit my ILs on Wednesday – two days from now. DH’s entire extended family gets together for the occasion, and I have nothing to wear. I’m at my highest weight ever, and I’ve been wearing nothing but joggers and t-shirts for two years. I’m a size 16, so not everywhere has my size in stock. (The girl at the J.Crew outlet a couple months ago tartly informed me that my size is only available online.)

   I am not even remotely a ruffle puff girl – my closet is full of (now too small) sheath dresses, blazers, and heels – but I suppose I need something ruffley to be on-trend. I’m 40 and consider my style pretty classic. Help please.

   1. Target is excellent right now in my city. And very size-inclusive.

   2. Talbots, Ann Taylor, Loft

      1. Talbots for sure. They have some really cute dresses right now that are not tiered/ruffly (a silhouette I loathe). Do any of these catch your eye?

         https://www.talbots.com/belted-shirtdress—dotted-lemons/P221036181.html?cgid=apparel-dresses&dwvar_P221036181_color=INDIA%20INK%20MULTI&dwvar_P221036181_sizeType=MS#0f9f9bb166caac9aeecb2b4b19=&start=1

         https://www.talbots.com/clothing/dresses?start=0&sz=54#c506d40b40c5ab21769aa702c8

         https://www.talbots.com/side-tie-slub-shift-dress—morning-stripe/P221036114.html?cgid=apparel-dresses&dwvar_P221036114_color=PUNCH%20PINK%20STRIPE&dwvar_P221036114_sizeType=MS

      2. +1 to Ann Taylor spring collection. I never visit Ann Taylor because my workplace is uber casual, but ended up there couple weeks somehow and was shocked how much I loved their spring clothes. I ended up buying a pair of earrings that came about 5 days earlier than expected as well.

   3. I would suggest Talbots or Lane Bryant – go to a store in person if you can, and buy 3 pairs of pants/bottoms, plus a dress, and 5-6 tops. Or if you prefer not in person but 2 sizes of all the above online. Tell the sales person you need 5 days of outfits, budget of X, one carry on size bag – so they don’t load up too much.

      Honestly – if that sounds miserable – my first suggestion is Kohl’s. If your family is snobby and /or you have the money I’d say go for jersey dresses (brand to brand, not much quality change there) and make sure your shoes and jewelry are brand names. No one will judge whether your pants or floaty sweater is name brand, if you’re in trendy or expensive accessories.

      1. Hannibal Lechter is right — always have presentable shoes. People notice when you don’t.

         For clothes: Target.

   4. In my area, Ann Taylor Loft carries 16 and XL in stores and runs large, so you may find you are a 14 or L in some items. The website allows you to search what is available at your local store(s) by size, so you could confirm if there are items you would consider before trekking to the store. If you have several in the area, you could figure out the location where there is the best selection by searching several stores.

   5. I think Old Navy has a lot going on in the Easter-y department, and they are working hard at being size inclusive. Not sure how that translates to in-store, but seems like it would be worth a try.

      1. Old Navy was going to be my suggestion – that or Target. Depends on where you’re located.

   6. been there – for last minute personally i’d go to target b/c the online store tells you what’s in stock at the store, plus you can buy it for curbside pickup or (as of today) get it delivered by thursday.

      https://www.target.com/p/women-s-plus-size-short-sleeve-knit-wrap-dress-ava-viv/-/A-84595221?preselect=84068727#lnk=sametab

      https://www.target.com/p/women-s-plus-size-short-sleeve-button-front-dress-ava-viv/-/A-84128862?preselect=84097709#lnk=sametab

      https://www.target.com/p/women-s-plus-size-puff-short-sleeve-v-neck-mesh-top-ava-viv/-/A-84294994?preselect=83842379#lnk=sametab

   7. I recently purchased this dress from Macy’s, and it is SO flattering on me (I’m a size 16 as well).
      https://www.macys.com/shop/product/city-chic-trendy-plus-size-shibuya-wrap-dress?ID=13487856&CategoryID=37038&isDlp=true&isDlp=true

5. I’m finally going to visit my 80ish parents with my family! It has been since 2019 (obvs they live in a hotspot and it’s a flying trip; we can’t reliably plan a trip until summer due to chance of snow even in April).

   I’m pulling the kids out of school for a few days when my work schedule is quiet (let’s hope the truancy gods don’t descend on me, but I swear it’s eldercare-adjacent b/c they live alone and I don’t want to wind up as the next Alicia Witt).

   1. Yay! I am anti-pulling kids out for vacays but this is different. I hope you have a great trip!

      1. I live 12 hours from my parents and I’m the geographically closest blood relative to them, so no one sees if things have gone sideways in a way that I need to coordinate repairs or make a strong push towards assisted living. They have long since been on notice that if messages are not returned within 4 hours or by the next morning (phone or text), their neighbors will get a call, and then it will be a police wellness check. They generally clear trips and we discuss weekly schedule items (lots of doctor visits even though both are well –ears, eyes, teeth, screenings). They both have hearing aids but mom is good at paper note-taking during visits. They seem lucid. But so did Bruce Willis. My in-laws were hiding that they didn’t have a working toilet for a while and I worry about stuff like that or just general safety with loose railings. [Any other tricks / tips for managing long-distance elderly?]

   2. I know you’re saying that tongue in cheek. But man, that story hit me hard. I felt so bad for her. Hard enough to lose family that way but then have the whole world know and sit in judgment. I’ve definitely had stubborn relatives where that 100 could have been them had they not passed from other reasons first and the remaining spouse was more amiable to help. I can’t imagine what her life must have been like to be a movie star and meanwhile deep down you’ve got this awful dynamic where you still are so helpless. Makes you really wonder how many others are walking around bearing weight like that. Just awful to feel like something so tragic didn’t have to be that way.

      Definitely makes me want to hug my own annoying-in-their-own way parents a little harder and be thankful I’m not dealing with something like that .

      1. Not really tongue in cheek but it is short-hand for why delayed family visits are not strictly social now. It is planned to be fun. It may be sobering once we get there. It may help forestall something really bad.

         1. Good plan. When my parents finally had the medical emergency that ended up with them having to move to assisted living, things had gotten a lot worse in a fairly short period of time and I ended up wishing I’d been more on the ball with the visits.

      2. My MIL had apparently been going downhill for a couple of months by the time she fell (the first time) and ended up getting diagnosed with terminal cancer, which she died of just over a month later. We hadn’t seen her in some time and were relying on my husband’s aunt to tell us what was going on. Little did we know, until after she died, that my MIL and her sister had gotten into a tiff and hadn’t spoken to each other in some months. My MIL kept telling my husband on the phone that everything was fine, and she wasn’t fine – she had lost significant weight and really let conditions go in her apartment before anyone figured out anything was wrong. We learned, a little too late, that there really is no substitute for having eyes on your elderly relative yourself. My husband’s cousin had gone to see my MIL at Christmas and noted the weight loss and that she was having trouble with her balance, and said nothing to us about it. We should have gone to see her, Omicron or no Omicron.

6. TW: weighing ones self

   I weighed myself this morning, which I only do sporadically. I lost a tiny amount of weight (yay) but this morning I have had the best-food-choices-for-me morning all around! (not just low calorie stuff but protein, fiber, probiotics). I haven’t prepped overnight oats in weeks but made some today; as I was making them I realized it was all heavily encouraged by my weigh in.

7. This inspired me to clean out my wallet and order a smaller one (a little more than this but way less than the big thing I had with a strap!) so thanks for that!

8. [deleted by management]

   1. Can we block or at least remove this post?

Comments are closed.