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Updated: Dec 21, 2020 54 Comments · by

Coffee Break: Mojo Stripe Tote Bag

Coffee Break

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This handy Topshop tote with a stripe looks great. I love the size — it's nice and big — and I like the texture to the stripe, which is croc-embossed.

It's made from 100% polyester (and is spot-clean only), so it's not the kind of thing that will hold up for a really long time or do well in the rain, but if you're looking for a stylish and really affordable bag, this one is a good option. Mojo Stripe Tote Bag

Sales of note for 9.30.24

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

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Comments

  1. Tax Return Woes

    Any else who is still working on paying off student debt torn about what to do with your tax return? I know that I should put the whole thing towards my debt, but I also would like to use it to treat myself a bit! Any advice on striking a balance (or just tell me to put it all towards my debt – I could use the extra pressure to do so!)?

    • givemyregards

      A long time ago, I read somewhere that when you get a windfall you should put 50% towards debt, 30% towards savings, and spend 20%. You can tweak the actual amounts based on your circumstances, but the idea is that you allow yourself to spend a small portion of it on something fun/immediate to keep your morale up while you’re doing the responsible stuff with the rest of it. This ratio has been helpful to me in terms of getting to enjoy things like bonuses, etc. while not beating myself up later for only “wasting” it on fun things.

      • Anon

        I kind of agree with this approach, but my ratios would be different – 90% towards debt, 0% towards savings (since I have a fully funded emergency fund and already max my 401k), and 10% towards fun/spending. If it was a huge amount, like a law firm bonus, I put 95% – 99% towards debt, and didn’t let myself spend more than $1,000.

      • Anon

        The 20% for fun stuff seems reasonable, but 50% towards debt, 30% towards savings doesn’t make a lot of sense to me, unless you have NO savings. I think it makes more sense to do 80% towards high-interest rate debt (like student loans) or 80% to savings, if your only debt is something like a mortgage.

      • Senior Attorney

        Your tax return is the document you file with the IRS with your tax calculations. A tax refund is the money you get back if you have overpaid your taxes.

        As I think you know. ;)

    • Mpls

      Oh, you mean your tax refund (aka, the money back).

      You have limits with what you can do with you student loan on the tax return (aka the forms filed).

    • HSAL

      I was able to pay off the last of my loans with this year’s refund, so I’m a little biased. But Future You will appreciate knocking out the loans faster. It’s not all or nothing – you can still do a little something for yourself, but put the bulk of it on your loans.

      • Anon

        Not all Future Yous would. My personal preferences would be to spend some portion of it on myself.

    • Anonymous

      In general, I think that the ladies on this board are way more sensible about money than I am…However, I think that you can both treat yourself AND put pretty much all of the money towards your debt. I think you should treat yourself, but it does not have to be huge. Is spending $100 on a new pair of shoes going to feel 25x better than a small latte? get yourself something small (new cell phone cover thing! fancy coffee! fresh flowers from the grocery store), tell yourself it is your treat and go pay off that debt. If you got $3000 back and you spend $30 on something small, then you still have 99% of your refund to go towards debt!

    • Cat

      My rule for my annual bonuses was I’d allow myself to splurge the lesser of $500 or 5% of the bonus, and then the rest went to loans. It’s the reason I could kill nearly $200,000 in 3.5 years, but still allowed me something tangible to mark a successful year. I’d use a similar approach for your refund.

    • Anon

      I’m a point in life where we put 100% in savings/toward the mortgage, but we’re not really depriving ourselves of anything we really want on a day-to-day basis. When I was in Big Law and got bonuses but still had student loans, I did 80/20 – 80% to the loans and 20% to fun stuff, which was most often a really nice weekend away, since I love to travel and longer trips were hard with my schedule.

    • Frugal Saver

      A tax refund is very different than a bonus. If you are getting a refund, especially a large one, it means you were lending money interest free to the government during the year. That’s money that you could have been using incrementally to knock out your loan over the course of the year. Given that, I would put the entire thing towards my debt and look at changing my withholdings so I would get it in my paychecks during the year and then up my debt payment schedule accordingly.

      In years I messed up and got a sizable refund, I would add it to the savings we were going to use to send out kiddos to college, because we generally had our other savings funded at levels we were comfortable with and didn’t have any significant debt (except our mortgage).

      Now a nice bonus, I would do 20% frivolous spending, 80% saving for future me.

      • Biggestballsintheroom

        This. Take a look at how much you are having withheld. You shouldn’t be getting a big refund unless you’ve either been paying in too much or you’ve had a major life change (change of job, marriage, baby, etc). It seemed like it took me forever to pay off my student loans and I used 70% to debt, 10% to fun and 20% toward savings/emergency fund build up. Once I had a comfortable emergency fun it looked more like 80% debt, 20% fun.

  2. Summer uniform?

    Help me with my casual summer uniform. My standard the last few summers has been maternity wear or linen pants/crops and a vneck tshirt. I’m content to do that again, but does anyone have specific suggestions? Winter has been jeggings and long sleeve tshirts. I’m ready to just buy 2-3 bottoms and 5-7 tops and be done with the summer. Three kids 3 and under, so comfort is key.

    • anonymous

      Dresses for me. The fit & flare dresses from Land’s End or the jersey swing dresses from Old Navy. I also find some similar styles at Nordstrom Rack.Also, skinny jeans, flats and a sleeveless top in a bright color or pattern.

      • Summer uniform?

        I have and like both of those dress styles, but they aren’t conducive to all the time I spend on the ground covered in children these days.

        • Laur

          For chasing little kids I really like easy jumpsuits (no exposure, very comfortable) paired with a cute light sneaker for running around (switch to an espadrille if I need something dressier) and a pair of small gold earrings. Simple, can be easily rotated in, and I never need to plan an outfit while always looking pulled together! A black jersey jumpsuit does wonders for slimming post-baby belly and hips on me too ;)

    • Anon

      I’d wear the usual pants but spruce up the tops a little. You’ll feel less schumpy in something other than a t-shirt. Loft has some cute tops right now so you don’t have to break the bank. I’d get some prints that pick up the colors of your pants (so if your pants are navy, black, and beige look one or two shirts with navy as a base, same for black, same for beige). I’d also wear some cute shoes.

    • Anonymous

      What kind of stuff does your summer entail? I usually alternate between “atheleisure” (although, really for me that’s just athletic wear as I so I can fit in a workout whenever I can) and a stable of two or three outfits I like – casual dresses from j.crew, white jeans with a fun color loose sleeveless top in silk or poly (depending on the activity), and a pair of dressy navy or black shorts with a nicer top. These outfits can go from errands at Lowes, to the playground, to a winery or dinner al fresco.

    • MomAnon4This

      I also need help but am wondering for spring – are vests “in”? If so, what kind of vests, what do I wear? Like for work and/or casual? I… am not sure I get vests/layers for spring and summer and I want to! Please help!

    • Houda

      For casual wear, I live in short sleeve short wrap dresses made of silk or cotton + Birkenstocks. I wear jockey Skimmies (tiny biker shorts) under so I am free to move around and I’m all good. Also, when it gets chilly in the afternoon, I wear a sweater on top of the dress or one of those Barbour wax jackets. The contrast with the ditsy florals and mini tea dress hemline is quite nice

  3. Anonymous

    I said yes to a LOT of marketing (non-billable) commitments over an eight week period – six presentations, that I need to prep for and deliver. As a result, I spent most of last week prepping slide shows and researching. In order to meet my billable goal the rest of this month, I need to bill 3 hours more a day than I usually do. Looking for tips on both 1) how to add in that time – I’m guessing come in earlier and work from home 1-2 hours at night? and 2) how do I avoid doing this in the future? I keep a calendar and knew they were all around the same time, I just …didn’t really KNOW what it would feel like to cram in all this prep and what a hit it would take to my hours.

    • Cat

      In the future, check the subject matter you’re being asked to speak on. You may only have to do like 2 sets of slides to get 6 presentations out of them :)

    • Anonymous

      For me, a couple hours each night and some time over the weekend. Sadly, as a working mom, I often work on saturday night – it’s honestly easier than Friday (when I’m burnt out and just want a glass of wine) or Sunday (when I’m prepping for the week) and I can usually get an hour or two in without impacting home life too much. Other ways are shorter or no lunches and maximizing the small projects (i.e., 6 emails at .10 each that really only take a sum total of 30 minutes or so because each one is 3 minutes), etc.

    • Anonymous

      Who is imposing this monthly billable target – you or the firm? If it’s not a formal requirement then just be OK with billing a little less this month. I would not burn myself out unnecessarily in order to meet some imaginary target. There will be plenty of opportunity for burnout when you have 300 hours of billable work that actually needs to be done in one month.

      And in the future, just say no. You can’t reasonably give 6 presentations in 2 months (I’m assuming this involves travel too). Two a month is my max and I really try not to have 2/month back to back.

  4. Wow

    Can you help me find an ankle pant for my pear shape that has a tiny / subtle flare at the bottom instead of a full taper only?. Don’t care for straight leg / full length. And I hate the trendy wide leg crop etc… Those look terribly on me (?most).

    I am 5′ 7″ and wear anything from a 2 to a 10 in pants (lower sizes in curve-y lines like Loft etc…) so pants are a nightmare but still better than shaving ;)

    • Anon

      If you’re OK with jeans old navy has a lot if you search “ankle flare”

    • nutella

      I am generally a dress person but in the days in spring and fall where it’s too cold to go bare-legged and too glum to wear black tights, I wear cropped pants. I have an old pair from Banana but they don’t make them anymore. Search Tory Burch tech ponte cropped flare. They are pull-on, but a thick ponte with a seam detail on the front and back. I’m 26″ waist, 36″ hips and wear a small.

    • Pants

      The mm LaFleur Oshima pants have that shape. They also have a high rise, which I personally love. Not cheap, but they hold their shape well and machine wash

  5. Anonymous

    Continuing the theme about friends talking about money — not just travel related — how do you respond, if at all? If a friend is totally misguided on something do you correct them? I don’t mean value judgments — like I value travel, you value new furniture, so of course I’m not arguing about whether or not you should splurge on that couch. I mean saying things like “oh you don’t need that much for retirement, even in early retirement you can get health insurance for $300” — when you have recent figures suggesting that a single person in your area in their 50-60s has to pay many multiples of that for insurance. Or “oh this apartment investment in NYC will totally be cash flow positive” and then they share the numbers which totally don’t work and you realize it’s because they are making the assumption that they can charge $4000 for an apartment that normally rents for $2200 because that’s what they need to make it make it cash flow positive.

    I’m of the view — not my circus, not my monkeys. But part of me thinks, if you can help another woman (a friend – not a stranger) NOT make a significant financial mistake, should you do that?

    • Anon

      Personally, I’d say something – gently, and only once. Then drop it. I think you owe it to them to mention in a polite way that the rent looks a bit high than seems achievable in the current market, or that you had seen health insurance figures that were far higher. If they ask for more information, or want to discuss is seriously, then great! If they react defensively or dismissively, then you’ve done your duty as a friend and can then step back.

      • Cat

        I’m with Anon here. A simple question like “wow that sounds high for that area, are the apts super high end?,” once, means you’ve done your duty as a friend.

        • Anon

          Another +1, if this is a friend (i.e. someone I care about). I try to ask it in a inquiring way. So, for example, saying “way, that’s a lot lower than health insurance costs when I recently looked for X. do you have any recommendations on where to look for cheaper insurance?” instead of saying “there is no way that health insurance will be that cheap” or saying “wow, that’s a lot more than my friend spends on an apartment in that area. Are you finding in your research many apartments in that range in that neighborhood?” instead of “there is no way that someone will spend $4k on an apartment in that area.”

          But, I will say, I’m pretty open about finances with my friends and we often talk about this stuff.

    • CountC

      Not my circus, not my monkeys. If someone specifically asks for advice, I would point them to an appropriate resource (not me), but it doesn’t sound like that is what is going on here. I would smile, nod, and go mmm hmmm.

    • Anonymous

      I guess it depends on the friend and the situation. If they’re providing this level of detail then it seems like they’re asking for advice. Or at least bouncing ideas off you with the expectation that you’ll chime in if something seems off. I don’t think someone has to invoke the magic words – what do you think about my plan? – for a conversation to involve a request for feedback. If someone is looking for advice then of course it’s appropriate to provide it (gently).

  6. Anon

    Would it be incredibly annoying to email the editor of the newspaper section in which I applied for a reporter position? It is a large newspaper with many sections so his contact info is right there on the website. I’m struggling between advocating for myself versus being annoying. I don’t want this opportunity to slip me by and I am sitting on pins and needles.

    • Anon

      I’m an ex-journalist so possibly things have changed, but when I was working at a newspaper 5 years ago, no, this would not have been appropriate or reflected positively on you.

    • Editors spouse

      Definitely do it. As an executive editors spouse, I can tell you they love finding new talent. I’ve heard lots of good stories about those who reach out directly. Just be sure your grammar, spelling, and punctuation are perfect. Good luck!

    • Anonymous

      Former newspaper reporter and editor here (but from more than a decade ago) and current director at a large B2B publisher that regularly hires editors and freelancers: If this is for an open position, I’d connect with HR only. If this is for freelance writing, I’d connect with the section editor directly.

    • Former PR Pro

      I can only speak as someone who has worked in PR, but I wouldn’t do it. They get enough emails. Leave it to HR.

  7. Anon

    Long shot here – any Buddhist ‘rettes? Recently I’ve been attending meditation and (pretty secular) buddhist classes and have been finding them really good for anxiety, depression and general happiness and peace of mind. I’m thinking of joining a secular buddhist group in my city. Any experiences?

    (FYI – I was brought up high anglican, am an atheist, family a mix of atheist, ethnically jewish and high anglican).

  8. Calibrachoa

    So guess who forgot she is going to a business casual tech networking event tomorrow… at an ambassadorial residence. Any suggestions for what to wear are much appreciated! XD

    • Anonymous

      My go-to for events like that is a wrap dress. I’m not in the tech world, but when especially when events cross lines (like I picture a business casual + tech event but at a potentially nice place could), it seems to similarly bridge gaps.

      • anon diplomat

        Agree. Wrap dress, ponte dress with cool earrings or a scarf, sheath with a cardigan and fun jewelry; ankle pants with a nicer blouse….avoid suits and cocktail dresses and you’re probably just fine. I’m always more comfortable slightly over-dressed than under-dressed, so would tend to an anchor piece that is slightly more formal + something that dresses it down. Also, I lean slightly more formal in the evening than in the morning/afternoon for this kind of event. It would also depend on the country of the ambassador. Japan is very formal; Canada less so (although it could vary by ambassador).

    • Anon

      A nice sheath dress with 3/4 sleeves!

      Or short sleeve sheath dress with a non-suit blazer!

    • Calibrachoa

      I eventually went with black slacks and a patterned grey ponte blazer with my Sensible Shoes Of Doom, and fell into the middle of the pack formality-wise which was my intent. :D

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