Coffee Break: Decorating Hanging File Folders
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Ooh: I feel like it's harder to find cute hanging file folders like these from Paper Junkie.
Cute folders? Sure, yes. I still snap up good ones when I see them, even though my paper filing needs seem to be less and less every year.
But cute hanging file folders? Those are harder to find. I like the sophisticated geometric gold foil patterns on these pretty ones from Target, and I think they'd be a small way to bring some personality and fun into your office drawer.
The folders are on sale — they were $29, but are now marked to $18.92 at Target. They have a number of similar products in different patterns with gold foil, including more hanging folders. I can't quite find a match in regular folders for the hanging ones pictured, but this set is pretty close.
Sales of note for 5/27/25:
- Nordstrom – The Half-Yearly Sale has begun! See our full roundup here. Lots of markdowns on AGL (50%!), Weitzman, Tumi, Frank & Eileen, Zella, Natori, Cole Haan, Boss, Theory, Reiss (coats), Vince, Eileen Fisher, Spanx, and Frame (denim and silk blouses)
- Nordstrom Rack – Refurbished Dyson hairdryers down to $199-$240 (instead of $400+) + Father's Day gifts up to 60% off
- Ann Taylor – 25% off tops & sweaters + extra 30% off sale
- Banana Republic Factory – Memorial Day Event: 50-70% off everything + extra 25% off
- Boden – 15% off new women's styles
- Eloquii – $25+ select styles + extra 60% off all sale
- J.Crew – Summer kickoff event, up to 50% off 1000s of styles+ extra 50% off sale styles
- J.Crew Factory – Up to 70% off everything + extra 70% off clearance
- M.M.LaFleur – Memorial Day Sale: extra 20% off with code + try code CORPORETTE15 for 15% off.
- Rothy's – Up to 30% off everything
- Spanx – Free shipping on everything
- Talbots – $29.50+ must-haves + extra 50% off all sale styles
Seattle area recs! The boyfriend and I will be heading to Seattle for a few days for a work trip (my first time in the PNW) and we’d like to head out of the city for the weekend. I’m thinking an overnight in Orcas Island, unless you all would recommend something different for my first time. Also, any Seattle recommendations you have would be greatly appreciated!
Go to an Asian grocery store. They are so good out there (I am assuming you’re an east coaster). I really enjoyed going to a Mariners game while there, too.
It is a very steep hill down to the water! Like one side of a building is in the ground floor and the hill is so steep that the other side of the building is entered a few floors higher. It was cool to walk down to the water and by the original Starbucks, even though I don’t drink coffee. And there is a big mountain right there next to the city, which is definitely not an east coast city thing.
The downtown area of Seattle used to be lower! The early white settlers made major changes to the topography and built on top of the old city after a fire—so some old buildings’ “ground floor” is now below ground. You can also do an underground tour of parts of the city that were once ground level. (I haven’t don’t this so can’t say whether it’s worth it.) Check out the book Too High & Too Steep if you’re interested. It has a really interesting history!
The underground tour was the highlight of my time in Seattle!
We enjoyed a day trip to Bainbridge Island.
Be sure to make reservations for your ferry trips and Orcas accommodations in advance. I spontaneously headed to Orcas while on a work trip and learned the hard way that capacity is limited. It’s a great trip!
A day on Bainbridge was my favorite part of the entire trip. I would go back just to visit the islands.
Orcas are gorgeous. Hire bikes. Enjoy!
The San Juans require a ferry reservation and are a ways out of town. If you are staying downtown or in the metropolitan area you may find it easier to plan an overnight on Bainbridge Island or the peninsula. Easier to get to, less transit time and more “being there time”. If you like hiking and outdoorsiness, Crescent Lake on the peninsula would be a good choice, as would anything to do with Olympic National Park. (There’s an amazing national park lodge there.) Dress casually. Asian food of all kinds is everywhere as is seafood. If you’re in town and staying on the Eastside there’s a new Asian market called T and T that took over a former Wal-Mart that everyone is fawning over.
For everyone with sleep issues, has anyone completed a CBT-I program? I understand this has the best data to support it versus drugs, etc., but of course people prefer pills to therapy.
Yikes you’re being awfully judgy
Cognitive behavioral therapy is great for cognitive behavioral problems.
My sleep issues were neither.
(I have nothing against sleep hygiene, sleep apps, wearables, etc. and they can help! But it wouldn’t be good to miss a treatable underlying medical issue while focusing on behaviors.)
Pretty judgy. My rational brain is fine, my physical body likes to be in fight or flight all the time. Like I told my shrink, if I could talk therapy my way out of it, I totally would, but it’s a hormonal and chemical brain soup problem and I love my pills.
I’m one of the posters who uses pills occasionally, but it’s pretty situational (mainly before early morning flights) and it’s not caused by anxiety in the traditional sense; I love to fly and have no fear actually being on the plane, it’s more just having a lot of adrenaline about the trip which makes it hard to sleep. Maybe some anxiety about sleeping through the alarm, I guess, but that isn’t the sort of irrational anxiety that therapy is designed to address.
After wasting many thousands of dollars and hours on therapy for various humans for whom I am responsible, I have concluded that therapy’s only value is to line the pockets of the therapist. Drugs have risks and side effects, which leaves total physical exhaustion from exercise and/or listening to a comfort show or other audio as the best solutions.
I feel some of the sleep hygiene stuff makes a difference (blue light before bed is a big one for me that I wouldn’t have thought of on my own).
I think researching behavioral therapies can be tricky because “complaining about symptoms” and “seeking help from medical providers” are highly modifiable behaviors even if nothing else has changed.
I’ve experienced trouble sleeping from issues as simple as nutritional deficiencies, and in retrospect I wish they’d considered that before drugs or talk therapy.
My best friend did it and had more success than with any sleeping pill aids.
The first step should be a sleep study! I have sleep apnea. Therapy would not have done anything.
Blegh.
Has anyone been executor or administrator for a parent? A parent with a million joint mutual funds? And a million small trailing medical bills? I get that it will eventually end but it is a death of a thousand cuts and I could easily fill a filing cabinet with minutia (that I guess after maybe 5 years I could shred).
Yes, I did. It is painful. Is the other parent still living? That is easier, if they are the “joint” person on mutual funds. Now is the time to slowly start simplifying things so that when that parent passes it isn’t quite as painful.
Keep good records. Yes, I had a lot of old school file folders. And I made a lot of check lists. And I had a notebook where I literally wrote down everything that was being done, and things left to do with each step.
Nothing needs to be done quickly. Just do it a bit at a time, when you can.
I’m sorry you are going through this. It was very hard for me when I was so emotional.
Do you have a specific question?
No, but just confirmation that at some point it really is final and done.
The other joint tenant is elderly and wants me to handle with a POA from him, so just more paperwork. TBH, without a smartphone, computer, printer, and scanner, it would be hard for him to manage.
Yeah, I understand. It is a great kindness for you to facilitate all of this. Honestly, it is impossible for most people to manage it alone when they are elderly and loose a spouse.
The conversation about global MBAs and the like got me thinking. What other opportunities are there for midcareer professionals who want to learn, meet new people, travel, but don’t want/need an MBA? Fellowships, residencies, etc.? I know this stuff exists but I don’t see people in my life doing it. I miss being an undergrad when there were tons of opportunities like this. You could do a week volunteering at spring break or a semester abroad or an internship.
What is there like that for us now in the second half of our careers?
I see people doing that but can’t swing it. I took a NOLS wilderness first aid class (unrelated to work; related to too much COVID era camping) and it was the most amazing thing I’ve done as a working adult. They have other types of classes and some that just look like travel (that is very rugged, possibly too rugged for me).
I also enjoyed wilderness first aid and I’m planning to do a whitewater kayaking clinic next year. I’ve had friends who enjoy ski patrol and CERT.
But do you want it tied to your work, though? You say you don’t want/need the degree side of it. It was fun in college because college was your life. Sitting in class was the least fun part of studying abroad – it was everything you did outside the classroom walls that was fun. So subtract the classroom part! Being involved in my community and saying yes to opportunities gets me meeting new people and learning new things. Join organizations and clubs – say yes to things – there’s lots out there if you look.
I wish I knew. My college and law school run lots of great-looking travel that is heavy on the educational content but it is geared to retirees with LOTS of time. I need something that is done over a weekend or in smaller chunks.
FWIW, Wilderness First Aid is a 16 hour course, easily done over a weekend. Some are in cool locations, some you have to camp for, some are overseas. Worth a look b/c it’s basic first aid and IMO never not useful to know, especially if you have zero background. There is no homework but I bought the book.
Good point! No, I actually don’t want it tied to my work. I like the way you reframed it!
What are you interested in? Take those interests, and find local universities with those majors, and see if the departments have public lectures, sponsor any conferences or workshops, bring experts to town, host master classes, etc. Also look for local organizations or museums focused on those things, and see what activities they sponsor. Google around for classes or tours associated with those interests. What “passionate amateur” groups are around, for those interest areas? Find out if there are any certificates available for those things, etc.
I think this is why trips with universities or organizations like National Geographic are popular. Some of them provide lectures or in-depth immersion opportunities. Same probably for things like cooking schools or artisan retreats. If you just want to go learn something though, you could probably take like a maymester or condensed summer program anywhere as continuing education. Lots of state schools let seniors of a certain age take classes for free without earning a degree. We should have more opportunities to learn.
I’d like something medical but for non-medical people. Like how to understand bloodwork numbers, how to think through an advance directive, how POAs work, etc. What to think of for senior housing, assisted living, nursing home, etc. Does this exist already?
Yes, your local senior center probably has seminars on these topics. Mine does. But this is neither thrilling nor inspiring, which is kind of what I got from OP’s post that she wants.
I will have 36 hours to myself in DC this weekend after a conference. Where should I eat, where should I wander, and which museums should I see? I have too many ideas and not enough time! What would you DC locals recommend?
So fun! Here’s what I would do with a free weekend:
-Ethiopian, try a platter with a variety of items. Chercher on 9th street is a personal favorite!
-Cocktails- if you drink, DC has a great bar scene. Jane Jane, Your Only Friend, Cotton & Reed, and Old Ebbit Grill are some of my favorite places to snag a classic beverage and people-watch.
-National Portrait Gallery, take a lap of the presidential portraits and sit inside Kogod courtyard. There’s also an excellent exhibit, Pictures of Belonging, that the NYT covered a few months back.
-Save the national mall/outdoor memorials for a night-time bike ride or walk. You can either DIY and use the red capital bike share bikes ($8 day pass) or join a tour group. I enjoyed Unlimited Biking’s tour a few years back.
-U.S. Capitol Tour via the “redcoats” of capitol visitor center. I love gawking at the rotunda! Free tours, I believe you can reserve ahead of time online.
-Places to walk/meander with coffee & shops: the Wharf, Logan circle/14th street, NoMa’s union market & La Cosecha, Eastern Market.
This is a great list! I would add Kramer’s cafe/bookstore if you’re in the area (DuPont Circle).
Love Kramer’s (where I learned to drink coffee at age 17, before Starbucks and coffee in general were ubiquitous). In the same Dupont neighborhood is my favorite museum, the Phillips Collection, a truly incredible collection of mostly 20th Century art. It is not a Smithsonian institution and charges admission but is worth it IMO.
If you post where you are staying, there might be other recs.
Oh, and don’t swim in Rock Creek. ;)
Lamb chop is currently on display at the American History museum, if your inner child wants to visit.
I’d say the canal towpath that goes through Georgetown. A mistress of JFK was murdered there (Mary Pinchot). But it is lovely.
I also like 16th street between L and M to see the Russian consulate (aka The Rezidentura from The Americans). And all the embassies. Just walking around DuPont Circle. Saint John’s Church on H across from Lafayette Square and the Off the Record bar across the street. The Willard. All of it — DC is great.
I still dream about the salmon from Old Ebbit Grill.
Museums are free. If there are any that interest you, plan out your visit to catch them while they are open and visit whatever outdoor sites are nearby between museums.
Any recommendations for a slim cross body to wear while traveling in Europe this summer? I’ve moved beyond the stage of life where I want to just shove a credit card in my front pocket or some other location or carry a full purse. Is RFID tech a real concern and are the anti-theft cross bodies just a gimmick?
I like Bagallini for travel and they do have RFID technology for the credit card slots (which IDK if it’s necessary but it’s there). They also have a few specifically “anti-theft” models.
Literally any cute bag
You don’t need special tech
I travel to Europe annually and take my Lo & Sons Pearl with a wider strap. I like a cross body because otherwise my neck starts to hurt and I like that size because it is big enough for what I need without being so big I am tempted to try to cart my life around with me.
The only theft I worry about are pickpockets in cities that are prone to them, but I find that having sections with zippers pretty much takes care of that – at least so far (knock wood). From what I have read RFID-blocking is totally unnecessary
I have the Pearl too and getting a different wider wrap for it in a cute design was a game changer for me. I thought the bag no longer looked current (there’s that word again) with the skinny strap it came with. Now I use it a lot because the size is so good and I love my new strap.
I mm south asian and everyone tells me pastel colors look good on me? What other colors would look good? Dark brown hair and eyes.
Have you already tried to identify your undertones or tried the spring/summer/autumn/winter analysis? Pastels can mean winter or summer, but if you can figure out which, there are a lot of guides to other flattering colors.
I always thought that jewel tones looked great – deep rich colors.
Echo this as someone who also has dark brown hair and eyes.
My husband is South Asian and I think every color looks good on him and my in-laws. Gold, yellows, cobalt, emerald, magenta. It’s a flex since those of us with northern European descent are much more limited!
Someone here recommended the Rainbow Plant Food lentils, and they really are fantastic. So thank you for the recipe!
I missed that rec – do you have a link? Thanks.
DC/policy thinktank folks: Looking for info about the Niskanen Center. There’s a communications opening there that looks really interesting, but some of the things I read about the center’s roots give me pause. Some of their policies look downright progressive (especially re climate change and UBI), but they’re described in various places as libertarian or even center-right, which is not me at all. Founder has a background with the Cato Institute but the current president comes from the Brookings Institution.
You might get some answers on a DC-focused site like PoPville.