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Frugal Friday’s Workwear Report: Short-Sleeve Button-Up Shirt

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A woman wearing a bright orange button-front shirt and white shorts

Our daily workwear reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices.

Now that summer is officially here, I’m looking for lightweight tops that can work for the office or for the weekends. This vibrant button-up blouse from J.Crew Factory would be a great option for business casual or casual casual.

For work, I’d style it with some high-waisted trousers and a sweater blazer. For weekends, these mid-rise shorts from Banana Republic Factory have been a real winner so far this summer, and I love the look of the bright reddish-orange with olive. 

The blouse is $39.50 at J.Crew Factory and comes in sizes XXS-3X.

Sales of note for 7/15:

162 Comments

  1. I’m solo this weekend and pottering around – going to yoga, coffee with friends, and doing a bunch of house jobs.
    Can you recommend a really immersive podcast series to keep me company (I hate a quiet house)? I’m a fraidy cat so nothing too scary. I liked the History Bureau, Foundling, the Secret World of Roald Dahl.
    Anyone watching anything great?

    1. We have been enjoying the classic jdramas (esp. Long Vacation) that made it to Netflix. The episode counts are more like miniseries, which feels just right to me.

    2. Warm Pages or Nocturnal Tales—a lot of fanfic Miss Marples and Hercules Poirot mysteries on podcast.

    5. I like putting on familiar movies for this kind of thing – I know the story so well that I don’t get distracted by following the plot, but it’s comfortable background noise!

      1. True—like Murder She Wrote or Midsummer Murders for me. I think k both have their own free channels.

    7. I like the The Rest of History podcast because of the conversation dynamic between the two hosts. You can see episode recs on Reddit.
      Another I like because of the conversation is SmartLess.

      I’m watching The Rivals (which I imagine you may have seen, already, if you’re in the UK) and enjoying.

    9. I’m confused about how you watch a podcast, but if you are looking for a good podcast, I just binged Love Trapped and there are a lot of episodes and it just gets crazier and crazier.

    10. Articles of Interest is an absolute fave – fashion history, but SO well done and interesting.

  2. What should I know about going on SSRIs? I’ve never been on medication for depression or anxiety, but its looking like I’m at the point where I need it and I’m nervous about the effects.
    I went through a horrific time recently (posted a few months ago about having to wait to hear if bad thing would happen, bad thing did in fact happen, and I’m now a few weeks out still dealing with the fallout) so part of me thinks with enough time I can get through this without the meds (prescribed Zoloft), which I understand take a month or two to even have an effect? But at this point I’m barely able to function and still crying every day so I guess I’m just looking for experiences/hope that the meds will actually help.

    1. The biggest thing to know: if you don’t like it, you can just quit. No one’s making you take it. You have agency here. Take it because it might help you.

      They say it can take months to take effect, but I’ve been on an assortment of everything in the last 15 years and I always feel it within a day or two.

      Zoloft is a good starter med. Just see how you do with it. It may well help. If it doesn’t, just stop taking it. Go back to the doc for something else if you want.

      Best of luck to you.

      1. You can just quit… unless you experience a lengthy discontinuation syndrome that’s more severe than anything the meds were originally prescribed for.

        1. GTFO. With your fear-mongering. Severe discontinuation symptoms are not common and are less likely to result from short-term use.

          1. Discontinuation syndrome is common. Whether it’s more severe than the original symptoms is just relative to the original symptoms.

      2. It’s really not advised to just “stop taking” an antidepressant. OP, starting one isn’t a commitment to stay on it if it’s not working for you, but you should work with your doctor on how to taper down. Stopping Zoloft in particular without stepping down in a gradual fashion can be very unpleasant for some people. It’s widely documented and I know from experience.

        2. The point still stands that you can stop taking it though, even if you titrate off it.

          1. No kidding. I said that. But your original advice to “just stop taking it” deserved a caveat.

      3. You cant just stop though. You need to taper.Its tough to get off them once you start. They made me numb and fat and I couldnt just stop taking them. So I was numb and fat for a lot longer than I wanted to be. In hindsight I wish I’d just toughed it out. Life is not meant to always be easy.

    2. The intended effect takes weeks to kick in, but the relief is usually much faster; that’s why researchers think they usually work via a different mechanism than just increasing serotonin concentrations. It’s also why they’re used acutely for things like TBI; they can lower brain inflammation pretty quickly. I think the emotional blunting that reduces crying happens faster than a month or two for most people.

    3. It will take 4-6 weeks to get the full effect, but you will get *some* of the benefits within the first couple of weeks. If you’ve been dealing with acute anxiety for awhile, and it sounds like you have, there is still benefit to taking the meds even as the situation improves to settle your brain chemistry and help you return to baseline. Big hugs. Sounds like you’ve been through a lot lately. FWIW, I started taking an SSRI for postpartum anxiety and realized through that that I’d probably needed them all along. Others take them for 6 months or so and never need them again.

    4. I’ve been on four different SSRI/SSNI/Wellbutrin meds, and I’ve always had a reduction in symptoms within a week. I’ve also not had discontinuation syndrome – not saying that doesn’t happen, but it is by no means a universal experience.

    5. I’m proud of you for taking this step!! Medication saved my life.

      Give them a few weeks to start feeling a difference. It can also take a few tries to find one that works for you. That’s normal. It’s also normal for a med to stop working after a few years. It happened to me and I switched to a new one that I’ve now been on for a long time with no issues. You could also ask your doctor about taking more than one med. I’m on one for depression and another for anxiety/that helps me sleep.

    6. I was you 20 years ago. I was so hesitant to take the meds. I’d gone so many years without, surely I didn’t need or deserve them, etc. My doctor finally persuaded me to try a low dose and said she would help me come off it if I didn’t like it. It took a month or so to get the full effect but it was so worth it. They turned my life around.

      1. I could have written exactly this. My main regret in life is that I waited too long to try them. They completely changed my life.

    7. Sorry to be the downer on this thread, but my experience with anxiety/depression meds has been bad. I tried two, one after the other, and both of them just made me really tired and numb. And when I quit cold turkey because I didn’t like sleeping 12 hours a day and feeling like a zombie, I had pretty significant effects for a couple weeks after – crazy mood swings, vertigo, depersonalization. I guess my point is that you should be aware that while an SSRI is most likely to help, there’s also a chance that it could make things worse for a while, and you may need a backup plan if you’re out of commission. If you’re already barely able to function it’s probably worth the gamble, just come up with a basic crisis plan (what counts as crisis and what you are going to do), whether you decide to go on meds or not.

      1. There’s science on the odds of SSRI helping, not helping, or making things worse. I just wish they could predict in advance who would fall into which bucket!

        1. There are plenty of people who get side effects even when they don’t quit, and if you’re completely nonfunctional on the meds, you may not even be able to afford the time to try a nice taper off. Hence having a crisis plan.

    8. I started taking Zoloft a year ago, on the lowest offered dosage (literally the last one people use before tapering off completely). It almost immediately quieted my inner monologue that had been causing anxiety for years. I just… didn’t realize it was an option to not have a constant hum of things that could go wrong in my head (and which had increasingly spiked into physical manifestations/ panic attacks).

    9. i hesitate to say this but… just be cautious and ask a friend to check in on you. suicidal ideation is a side effect of half of SSRIs; my uncle killed himself a few weeks after starting prozac.

      1. I’m sorry. I experienced this, and it’s why I had to quit suddenly. I didn’t have depression and was not taking the SSRI for depression, and I had no previous history of or experience with s* ideation. Maybe this helped me immediately recognize it as an alarming side effect and maintain some distance from an overwhelming, irrational impulse that felt like it was coming from entirely outside my own mind. Or maybe I just didn’t experience it as severely, since it really felt like being hijacked.

    10. Process the issue with a qualified therapist instead of starting with options that don’t work for everyone and have a relatively high risk of side effects. The therapist can help you decide whether you need meds down the line.

    11. So you have an idea of how the meds feel (for me) when they’re working well – they don’t fundamentally change me, but they ‘turn down the volume’ on the anxiety and rumination. Were a great help to me, even on low doses. Definitely follow your doc’s advice for weaning on/off any meds!

    12. I took Zoloft for six or seven years. What I found:

      * I got tipsy/drunk really fast, like on one glass of wine
      * I had lactose intolerance for over a year, almost immediately while on the medication
      * I slept more, usually 9-9.5 hours a night
      * I gained about 5 pounds (going from 125 to 130, so not very noticeable)

      But it might be different for you. Good for you for taking care of yourself!

    13. I’ve had some baseline of anxiety/depression for most of my life. It took a few tries to find a medication that worked, but a really low dose of an SSRI has really, really helped me. I regret waiting so long to try one.

      Talk therapy was useful at some points but overall a mixed bag.

    14. I’ve been on SSRIs in the past and found them to be very helpful when I was dealing with general anxiety/depression symptoms. They basically allowed me to quiet my anxiety down so that I could learn some new coping skills without having my brain in constant fight or flight mode. It didn’t take very long for me to start feeling some of the effects and I stayed on the lowest dosage for around two years before tapering off without any issues. For some people, they’re a forever thing, and that’s okay! For me, they were a tool to help me get my brain where it needed to be so I could help myself.

      One other thing to consider is seeking out a specialized trauma therapist. Lots of us don’t think our Bad Thing is “bad enough” to be considered traumatic, but if you’re feeling like you’re stuck in an unhelpful loop of thinking over everything that went badly, there are some modalities of treatment that can be very useful. I had my own Bad Thing in early 2025 and cognitive processing therapy improved my quality of life so much.

    15. I tried Wellbutrin and it made me have so much anxiety I stopped immediately. I went on Lexapro a few years later and it has really helped me. I still feel my emotions but I don’t get so angry my day is ruined anymore. As to discontuation syndrome, one time I let the prescription lapse for more than a week. Just got busy . . . and found myself wanting to drive off a bridge. So I make sure I have my new prescription well in advance.

  3. Is there a good comprehensive overview that I don’t need a health journal subscription for in US maternal death causes (vs rates)? I know there are a lot of disparities by race from general news reports. I went to a presentation by our local EMS on baby deliveries in the field (often poor women with no prenatal care at all) in our major US city and I really wanted to learn more but was eye opening. I had so many questions. I’m not a scientist or a doctor so I don’t know what I don’t know.

    3. Cardiac (postpartum preeclampsia, high blood pressure, etc.); clots (pulmonary embolism or stroke); infection (sepsis); and mental health are the top causes of maternal mortality and morbidity in the US. Most data shows mental health as the #1 issue, but if you look by race/ethnicity cardiac issues are #1 for Black women over mental health, often misdiagnosed and undertreated. This info was previously available under prior administrations, but is no longer accessible through federal websites. Your state department of health may publish your state data, depending on where you live. Thanks for caring about this topic! Awareness saves lives.

  4. Anyone who can share your experience with Hashimoto’s disease? Was just diagnosed.

    1. I have Hashimoto’s type hypothyroid and it has not been a big deal for me at all. I see an endo every 6 months or so (more frequently when I was ttc/pregnant/nursing) to check thyroid levels, and I take synthetic thyroid hormone daily. I have had two thyroid ultrasounds in the last few years just to check on the size of my thyroid, it was shrinking for a while but has stabilized.

    2. Any resulting hypothyroidism should be fully treatable with a good doctor. Most people will be symptom free on standard first line treatment. Some people need to do some troubleshooting to be asymptomatic (these people can sometimes be loud), but thankfully those troubleshooting steps are all pretty standard by 2026 as well.

      The hope is usually that thyroid meds will be enough to calm down the autoimmune component of the condition. Troubleshooting recurring flare ups is harder and more YMMV, but not everyone even deals with this, so there’s no need to borrow trouble!

      I think of Hashimoto’s as a really easy condition to manage overall, though being either underdosed or overdosed on thyroid meds can be miserable. The genetic risk factors are linked to other autoimmune conditions, but Hashimoto’s is the most common, so it doesn’t mean others will arise. It just means that that if we get a whole new set of symptoms later, the odds are higher that the explanation will be another autoimmune issue.

    3. You might be easily treatable on just Synthroid, but you also might not. Start with Synthroid but if you’re not actually FEELING better (regardless of your TSH which is not always as useful as many endos will pretend), get yourself to a doctor who will prescribe T3 at appropriate doses.

    4. I’m dealing with a stress-induced flare that caused many symptoms including weight gain that overlap with perimenopause symptoms. My PCP was only measuring TSH and T4, not T3 and autoantibodies, and letting my TSH stay on the higher range of normal despite continuing symptoms. In my case getting a full workup and dose adjustment by an endocrinologist has allowed me to have the energy to exercise more and I am finally starting to lose weight with diet and exercise. I also plan to work on stress reduction. Before the dose adjustment I was always exhausted and in survival mode. So I recommend seeing an endo for care unless your PCP is really on top of it. Symptoms are subtle and can sneak up over time.

      1. The main thing I tell people who ask me about this because they were recently diagnosed w/hypothyroidism is that the goal of being totally symptom free is a reasonable and attainable goal… even if getting there requires name brand Synthroid, combination therapy, gel cap or liquid levothyroxine, or keeping TSH within a tighter range (such as the TTC range that a lot of women prefer!). And younger endocrinologists often seem to be the most up to date.

    5. I have had Hashimoto’s since I was 8 years old. I’ve worked with a GP and Endocrinologist in the past to manage my medicine levels. I’m now working with a functional medicine doctor as my labs are “normal” but i’m still fighting severe fatigue.
      I highly recommend reading Isabella Wentz’s page and getting familiar with “optimal” vs “normal” lab ranges.

      1. I’d recommend Antonio Bianco over Isabella Wentz.

        Make sure you don’t have parietal cell antibodies/PA because functional doctors miss this (or they go down weird rabbit holes about MTHFR that aren’t relevant).

  5. Would love recommendations for favorite cardigans or other layering pieces that can be worn over sleeveless tops (mostly for overly air-conditioned buildings). I’ve been using a button-down shirt for weekend wear, but also looking for slightly dressier options. Yes, I’m aware that cardigans are not high fashion. I don’t care.

    1. do you mean for the office, or to have with you when running errands? (looking at you, freezer aisle of the grocery store)

        1. For casual, like I’m in a tank and shorts, I use a loose-fitting swim rashguard (the type that looks like a long-sleeved tee) – doesn’t wrinkle even if it’s just stuffed in a reusable shopping bag!

    3. Uniqlo has decently made, decently priced cardigans. I like the slightly cropped ones.

      1. Yes to Uniqlo! They regularly offer 100% cotton or 100% merino cardis. I’ve also found 100% cashmere at Oak & Fort, El Corte Ingles, and Club Monaco. Some good cotton blends at Banana Republic (Factory) too.

        1. Also try Quince. Loft and Old Navy sometimes have 100% cotton sweaters, but you have to dig a bit. Maybe Talbots?

          In my experience Ann Taylor cardigans look nice, but are made of unpleasant blends.

          1. The Quince cotton waffle stitch open cardigan is nicer and fits better than most Quince items I’ve tried, and it’s short and therefore a bit more contemporary-looking than a longer cardigan.

    6. For work, I like the Women’s Knit Blazer from Quince – very comfortable and a little slouchy, which is more current. For running errands, I wear a slubby open cardigan I bought from Costco. If you don’t have a denim jacket or an olive colored cotton jacket, these are both great work horses and I highly recommend them.

    7. Kinda random, but Tommy Bahama has great linen jackets each year. I have a chore jacket and a lady jacket from prior years.

  6. My recent mammogram came back with some calcifications that can’t be immediately be ruled as benign, and I’m scheduled for a followup appointment that is up to two hours long. What should I expect? Prior mammogram was a 3D mammogram.

      1. No, just more imaging. I didn’t have a chance to ask questions because my doctor’s office called during carpooling kids so I couldn’t talk easily and also it was just the scheduler.

          1. I would say it isn’t, since the MRI would have so many questions/instructions about metals – do you have metallic implants, etc. – so she would know.
            For anyone doing a breast MRI, you lie face down with your oo s in carved out circles. Mine took maybe 25 mins in the tube total. Loud and not comfortable like any other MRI, but no worse.

        2. In my experience, the follow-up appointment was a more focused (diagnostic) mammogram, and then, if needed, a breast ultrasound. I had both in the two-hour follow-up appointment, met with the radiologist, and she then determined if I needed to schedule a biopsy.

    2. I went through this and the timeframe for me was because they did a scan that was read on the spot by a radiologist, who then came and gave me the results immediately, in person. The waiting was for the doctor to have time to read the results, etc. I was very grateful to get immediate results and a personal conversation about them, without days of waiting.

      I don’t know where you are in your process, so this may not be what you have at all, and some other test/scan/procedure may be involved.

  7. Trying to bring my lunch to work a bit more. Does anyone have a favorite set of glass “Tupperware”? I tend to have smaller meals vs pack a large single meal, so that might be my only specific consideration. I also like to bring salad dressing for dipping sliced veggies, with the veggies currently being packaged in a disposable ziploc sandwich bag (same iwth sliced apples and peaches). Recommendations to reduce plastic and single-use bags?

    2. I use a glass container with plastic top I got at Wegmans. I use stainless steel cups with silicone lids for dressing/snacks/etc, I got a 3-pack on Amazon

    3. Our current glass containers are from IKEA and we’re very happy with them. We have the square and rectangle ones in varying sizes, because my husband insists that they fit more efficiently into the fridge than the round ones. (I’m not saying he’s wrong, I just didn’t care enough to notice!) Anyway, there are both shallow and deeper versions of each and the lids are the same for both within the overall shape. We put the containers, lids, and seals in the dishwasher and haven’t had any problems with that. They also have some very small ones that would work well for salad dressing.

      1. +1, and totally agree on the shape!

        For dressing, I keep a bottle in the shared office fridge – way easier than risking a messy spill during the commute.

    5. These – they work for both hot and cold options and are well sized for single lunches
      https://pyrexhome.com/collections/pyrex-simply-store/products/pyrex-simply-store-10-piece-meal-prep-rectangular-glass-storage-set
      If I’m heating something up, I remove the lid and replace with a small plate (at home) or a paper towel (at work).
      Fairly stackable, freezer and dishwasher safe. They are the right size height for a sandwich as long as you aren’t using a big roll or baguette. They also fit my silicone muffin cups to make a charcuterie plate.
      I frequently take salad dressing or crispy sprinkles in a mini bonne maman jar to add at the last minute. Cute. And gives me an excuse to buy mini jam jars lol

    6. Spring for rectangular or square shapes, and snapware style lids.

      I have round Pyrex without the snapware lids and wish I had gotten the others. These are not very space efficient and the flat lids have all cracked. I replaced the lids once (with Pyrex brand ones) and the replacements also cracked very soon. Some lid colors are very brittle and the edges have started to crumble.

    7. I use an assortment of PlanetBox stainless steel containers. There’s a two sides one designed for dips + chips/veggies, and I have the adult lunchbox that has a microwaveable try. I have a few small ones I can use to pack separate components.

    8. if you tend to drive this may not be an issue, but the thing I find annoying when bringing several glass containers is that it gets heavy. I’m on the lookout for metal containers to solve that. Nowadays there are even microwavable ones.

      1. I love my Lunchbots metal bento boxes (and little sauce cups with silicone lids). Dishwasher safe and super sturdy, not microwave safe, though.

      2. I only use glass containers for the stuff I have to microwave. I use plastic ones for everything else.

    9. I like Glasslock, and they have baby food containers that are great for stuff like salad dressing.

  8. Does anyone have a recommendation for a machine-washable towel with grip? I’d like to start using a towel (instead of a yoga mat) for floor work/stretching and it would be nice if it had a little grip. I just won’t clean a yoga mat and I need to reduce barriers to getting this done more consistently.

    1. there are yoga towels that are basically this — wirecutter reviewed a fancy one and an amazon cheapie, i got the cheapie. i prefer to use it on top of a yoga mat though for my poor knees.

  9. out of curiosity are there any good books on Epstein? or are all the fascinating ones being written now?

    1. I don’t know about books, but Julie Brown at the Miami Herald was the reporter on this story for many years.

      I don’t know if fascinating is the right word. The full story reflects extremely poorly on many people and institutions.

  10. Has anyone ordered from Petal and Pup before? I am on the hunt for a wedding guest dress and they have a lot of options. FYI- I am petite but have a large bust for sizing reference. Thanks!

    1. My daughter’s rehearsal dinner dress was from P&P last summer, and it was beautiful. I ordered a bunch of white dresses for her to try, and she put the P&P one one and we were both just, “Wow.” She is also petite and has extremely broad shoulders. This dress sold out quickly, so if there is one you think you want to try, don’t count on its being available a month from now.

  11. Hopefully a fun topic. What are your hobbies? Do you have certain ones you are very good at, and others that you engage in regardless of skill? Do you dabble lightly or are you fully immersed? Any you haven’t tried yet but want to?

    1. My indoor/quiet hobbies are reading and video editing (I make highlight reels from our adventures – not for social media, just for family). I’ve tried other things like knitting but nothing has really stuck. I’ve found that reading 50-60 books a year is the sweet spot for me – any less and I know that I’m spending too much time on the internet, any more and I’m not spending enough time outside.

      My top outdoor hobbies are skiing, mountain biking, and whitewater rafting (I dabble in others as well – camping, hiking, stand-up paddleboarding, etc). Out of those, I’m the best at skiing. I’ve done it my whole life and love it so much – I CANNOT WAIT to introduce my toddler to it this winter. I also can’t wait to get him on the child seat on my mountain bike now that he’s finally big enough.

      I plan to take a whitewater kayaking clinic next year as well – I’ve done some pretty awesome rivers in an inflatable kayak but the time has come to try a hardshell. I’m turning 38 this year and I feel young at heart with tons of adventures left to try. My body doesn’t always keep up but I try!

    2. Urban DINK here.
      -Container gardening – we have 13′ of sidewalk and make the most of it. This year installed a timed watering system! Very helpful given hobby #3.
      -Cycling – esp. on weekends when a nearby artery is closed to car traffic for a ~6 mile stretch!
      -Traveling – we take 6-ish flying trips a year, 3 of them 7-10 days, the others 4-6 days. This year, three of them are Caribbean, two Europe, and one domestic. Add in a few driving distance 3-day weekends. Between the planning, the packing, and the actual traveling, it’s my biggest hobby and I love it.

    3. I have gotten into music in retirement and it’s been great. I am in two choirs and also taking a piano class (just six of us) and voice lessons. I can read music but my voice certainly isn’t what it once was, and I took piano lessons as a kid but that was 50+ years ago. So I’d say I’m not very good at all but I love it.

      I also like to bake and I’m getting better and better at that as time goes by. We haven’t bought any bread products at the store since the pandemic and you should see the nooks and crannies in my English muffins!

      Also reading: I’ve finished 64 books so far this year and loving it. And I’m in two book clubs.

      1. And if traveling is a hobby, that’s a big one. This year we have done or have planned three international trips (one to Japan, two to Europe), a road trip to Utah/Arizona, and a week in NYC. Also trying to fit in a week in Mexico that we bought at a charity auction.

      2. Music is such a satisfying hobby! Singing provides the most opportunities for adult amateurs to get on stage with an ensemble in front of an audience.

        I majored in music performance on an instrument and quit after college to get a “real job.” I did zero music for more than two decades, then took up voice lessons four years ago in my mid-40s. I now sing with my city’s symphony chorus and my church’s chancel choir and chamber choir. Symphony chorus is a blast; so far I have gotten to perform the Verdi requiem, a contemporary requiem, an absolutely insane contemporary piece for two choirs and two orchestras in contrasting meters, Messiah, and an opera in concert along with many shorter works. I have also done quite a few solos and small ensemble pieces in church, and recently appeared in my first community theatre musical. This summer I am focusing on opera arias and improving my dance skills for future auditions, and I’m planning my first solo recital for next season. It’s a lot of work, but there is just no thrill that compares with live performance.

    4. Horseback riding, gardening, photography (landscape and wildlife), yoga, reading, traveling, sort of hiking (more to get to good spots for photography). I’m going to be such a good retired person, y’all (my assistant says she doesn’t know what she’ll do when she retires and I just don’t get it). As for the ones that require skill, I’m not very good at any of them, but decent at all of them, I suppose–Horseback riding is a massive time sink (I own a horse), so fully immersed, though despite riding for like 30 years, I would only consider myself an average rider. If I had more time (because, you know, I don’t have enough hobbies already), I’d like to take up something crafty–maybe stained glass or embroidery. I did a lot of beadwork and cross stitching/hand sewing when I was a kid. Oh, and probably get back into swimming, which I also did a lot when I was younger.

    5. I’ve tried a lot of hobbies but the ones that have stuck have been the sport I did as a kid and now photography. For the sport I’m on an adult team, I don’t make it to practice as much as I should but I go consistently enough. So that’s really a treasure that a sport I was never that great at even as a kid is still a hobby to this day.

      Recently I bought a camera and have gotten more into photography. I’m part of a meetup group that does photowalks 1x every 1-2 months. I think my photos are at least solid but I try to stay away from the pretentious/obnoxious strain there is in every hobby. I want to talk pictures that I and my friends and family like, and I do that.

      1. It’s such a “life hack” for having more fun as an adult to get back into the things you enjoyed doing as a kid.

    6. I read. That’s always been my main hobby and passion but I feel like it’s such a boring answer.

      1. Reading isn’t a boring answer! If you feel that way, though, you could always jazz it up (in an icebreaker situation or whatever) with some details – “I love reading, especially non-fiction. I recently read ___ in preparation for our trip to ___.”

        1. I always love to hear about books that people enjoyed and why they enjoyed them.

      2. It’s a fine answer. People shouldn’t be asking you such personal questions like “what is your hobby” in real life. Totally fine for an anon thread though.

        1. Oh wow, it is wild to me that someone thinks such a basic small talk intro question is not appropriate.

          I do think if you in any way want to be seen as having good social skills, it is incumbent on you to have a bland answer at the ready if your hobbies are such top secret or NSFW ones that you are offended by the question.

          1. Yeah, I feel like “what are your hobbies” is about as innocuous question as I can imagine. You can make up something in advance if your real hobbies are something like S&M or criming.

          2. Small talk can be super invasive. Don’t ask me about my weekend—you want to hear that I did chores? I have to defend my use of time?

          3. I’m sorry, but no. Hobbies and “how was your weekend” are very, very normal and acceptable small talk options. If you feel defensive about how you used your time, then either do stuff that makes you happier or respond normally with “oh didn’t do too much this weekend, how about you?”

          4. The “small talk is invasive” comments always come from the same generation that puts their entire lives on social media, which I find ironic. I think they are afraid that adults will use their responses to small talk questions to find out that they are gay or autistic or like to smoke the green plant leaves or something like that? Which is an unfounded fear. You can easily give an anodyne response that reveals nothing! Just say “I like cooking” or “my weekend was nice and relaxing.”

          5. If I don’t feel like discussing my weekend for whatever reason, I just say it was wonderfully peaceful. I mean this as code for “quite dull but I’m not mad about it”.

    7. I’m the biggest nerd – reading, baking, puzzles. My newest hobby is the nerdiest of them all: living history interpretation. Yep, walking around in costume talking to kids and adults about what life was like during the American Revolution. It’s not cheap to get the costume right: a custom, historically accurate dress and all the underpinnings was about $800.

      1. When I was homeschooling my kids eons ago, we very much appreciated the people who were so passionate about history that they volunteered for this sort of thing.

      3. I love reading and jigsaws too! I’ve always been very proud of how well I can do puzzles but last year was the first time I tried speed puzzling, and it was lots of fun, even though I don’t normally try to speed solve. I got a few team trophies but the individual events are hard to place in!

    8. Gardening (flowers & veggies), knitting (intermediate), thrift shopping, sewing (novice), cooking when I feel like it, other crafts when I feel inspired. :)

    10. I garden and keep chickens and bees, and I am getting into the grandma business later this year. I am pretty terrible at gardening, but I am learning. My chickens are thriving, and I share tons of eggs. Bees are a steep learning curve, but they are amazing creatures. I expect to really kill it in the grandma department. I never had a nearby grandparent when my kids were little, so I want to be that helpful, always-on-call grandma that I had growing up.

    11. The joke is I have too many: horseback riding (own two), cycling (gravel and mtb), yoga, trail running, reading, crosswords, traveling, and hiking are what I do most often, although obviously I do some more than others!

      Things I have dabbled in over the years: ballet, painting, pottery, photography, rugby, and archery.

    12. Reading, running, dogs, and running with dogs. I have run marathons and ultras for years, and have always trained with my GSPs and rescue dogs. Just started getting into canicross and also run dogs at the shelter on Sunday mornings. Dogs are the best mushy-brained love buckets, and they make everything better.

    13. Reading is #1.
      I want to do more art, specifically watercolor. I just need to put my book/kindle down and do that!

      I play Mahjjong.

  12. Ideas for making the most of a lake rental for 3-4 days? I will be happy kayaking and paddleboarding, and we are planning to rent a boat. I’m looking forward to the downtime, but I expect to hear some protests from the teenager about there not being enough to do. (Which, let’s be real, that’s par for the course for traveling with teens.)

    1. If you’re going to rent a boat, you’ll be totally fine – just make sure it comes with a wakeboard and water skis!

    3. I think it’s healthy for kids to not be entertained 24/7. You’ll be at a lake! They can figure out stuff to do.

      1. True. Boredom is good for their imaginations (provided they aren’t left to scroll)

    4. Misc lake house activities:
      Coffee on the porch, reading outside, cornhole, fit pit hang/snacks, floating in lake with beverage in hand, grilling/dining outside, picnic on the boat, sitting and staring at the water.

    5. Is there a cute little town nearby with a cute little bookstore that you could visit on the first day to get the teen some new books?

    6. When we go to the lake, we will often plan a half-day-or-shorter outing, which tends to break up the day and get them moving around. Indie bookstore, shopping in the boutiques, blueberry (or whatever is in season) picking, going to a particular park/beach/dune for a change of scenery, or a day trip to a fun town an hour or so away (usually only when we’re there for 5+ nights). My kids are also teens and while they probably should be capable of entertaining themselves, we’re all happier when they are not left to their own devices (and electronic devices).

  13. The top is cute, but the shorts and the “workwear” threw me for a minute. But yes if I ignore the shorts the top is perfectly cute.

  14. A weird home maintenance question for all of you. Our kitchen sink area is smelling gross more often than it should. We use the garbage disposal often for small things, but it gets run frequently. I try to clean out the dishwasher drain and filter every couple of weeks. I really don’t get it … where is the smell coming from?!

    1. No answer to why; however, here is an easy fix that also works for any other drain/toilet/tub/shower drain smells:

      1st – put in 1 cup baking soda
      2nd – add 1 cup white vinegar (it will bubble up)

      let it sit for 10 minutes

      run the HW for 5 minutes to clear it out

    2. You can either buy the cleaning pods for the garbage disposal or use vinegar and baking soda. Food still gets trapped there but adding one of those steps should help.

    3. It it close to the stove? Make sure you’re cleaning the grates for the exhaust fan. Grease builds up and goes rancid. Also clean out your trashcans (the cans themselves) and get a dishwasher cleaner (Finish makes one) and run a cleaning cycle. There’s also a method for cleaning your disposal with vinegar – google it.

    4. Could be the gasket (that you push the food through)- it pops out and can be/should be cleaned regularly. I had no idea about this for decades. Be prepared, they are absolutely disgusting underneath, get your rubber gloves out for this job. Or just get a replacement- they are very inexpensive, and if you’ve never cleaned it before, then probably a better call.

    5. It’s an old (or new?) wives tale that you should combine baking soda and vinegar to clean things. The fizzy sound is gratifying, but the result of combining sodium bicarbonate and acetic acid is that they just neutralize each other, creating water, a salt (sodium acetate), and carbon dioxide (which makes the fizzy sound).

      For stinky drains I have had good results with pouring a cup or two of vinegar into the drain, letting it sit for an hour or so, then pouring boiling water down the drain , let it sit for a little while again to loosen any gunk before flushing with more hot water from the tap. Plus clean the gasket as Anon at 12:48pm suggests.

    6. Is your kitchen sink vented under the sink or up through the roof (or not at all)? Does your dishwasher drain line have a high loop?

      If the sink is in regular use the trap on that fixture shouldn’t be dry, but if there are other drains in your home that don’t get used often they could dry up and let sewer gas and smells back into your home.

  15. I am waiting to hear if I may or may not be fired and looking for ways to distract myself over the weekend. I work in a high pressure job where my boss keeps headcount in our small team flat (i.e. if he hires someone, someone on existing team is fired). This is not due to P&L pressures–we are a very profitable, leanly staffed, revenue-generating team. My performance has been good, but my boss is very unpredictable.

    We just did a final round interview with a candidate who has a profile very similar to me. My boss’ way of firing people is usually a phone call out of the blue. If it happens, it will likely be next week. How do I distract myself over the weekend and not drive myself insane worrying about this?

    1. Reach out to your friends! Stay busy. I’ve been there and I’m sorry, it sucks. Leaning on my friends was the best thing for me.

    2. Effed up. I’m sorry. Maybe you should look for a less bonkers situation. Good luck.

    3. I recently went through a four month period where the signs were pointing towards me being laid off but my boss refused to give me a straight answer until he finally pulled the trigger. Four months of signals and people being weird to you will make anyone second guess themselves and go a bit crazy.

      It was so hard to distract myself but really the best thing was to immerse myself in non-career related activities. That is, spending quality time with my daughter, working out (and trying to pursue new goals working out be it a faster 5k time or lifting more volume in weights), and time with friends. At least where we live, most people really don’t care what others do for work or ask much about how things are going. Realizing I had a life and value outside of work, and would continue to have that, went a long way.

    4. Prepare financially, take your personal stuff out of the office, reach out to your network. Don’t wait, and don’t give them the satisfaction. What an awful environment. You deserve better.

      1. this. Start looking at jobs. Sheesh, and I thought my company was disfunctional!

    5. This is awful. And while this isn’t a terribly comforting suggestion, based on what you describe here I would just assume it is going to happen and take steps to mitigate the harm to yourself. Clear out your personal items, clean up any items or files that you don’t want to leave for someone else, and freshen up your resume. Even if your horrible boss doesn’t call you this time around, it seems like a precarious enough situation that you need to line up something else ASAP.

      1. This is what I would do also. OP – your workplace sucks and your boss is an A-hole. Why not look online for better places to work and start sending out job applications? You might be the one who leaves them first. Good luck to you.

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