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Splurge Monday’s Workwear Report: Crepe Blazer

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2025 Update: The Nordstrom Half-Yearly Sale will begin again around Memorial Day — sign up for our newsletter to stay on top of all the great sales!

The below content is about the 2018 Nordstrom Half-Yearly Sale.

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

I've seen a lot of pink blazers in my time, and something about this one makes me feel like this one is it — I love the structure, the sliiiiightly puffed sleeves (they have NOTHING on the Smythe blazers out right now), the super slim arms. Even the cotton candy shade is perfect, although I particularly love it as styled here with a darker shade of pink (although: know your office; halter tops or things that look like them may not be appropriate even under blazers). The blazer is $1,595 at Nordstrom and Net-a-Porter. Crepe Blazer

Looking for a more affordable option? This lightweight pink stripe blazer is $159 and comes in regular, petite, plus, and plus-size petites. Smythe also makes a cotton candy blazer (sans puff sleeves) that is a mere $695.

Sales of note for 3/15/25:

  • Nordstrom – Spring sale, up to 50% off
  • Ann Taylor – 40% off everything + free shipping
  • Banana Republic Factory – 40% off everything + extra 20% off
  • Eloquii – 50% off select styles + extra 50% off sale
  • J.Crew – Extra 30% off women's styles + spring break styles on sale
  • J.Crew Factory – 40% off everything + extra 20% off 3 styles + 50% off clearance
  • M.M.LaFleur – Friends and family sale, 20% off with code; use code CORPORETTE15 for 15% off
  • Spanx – Lots of workwear on sale, some up to 70% off
  • Talbots – 40% off 1 item + 30% off everything else (includes markdowns, already 25% off)

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

Some of our latest threadjacks include:

292 Comments

  1. I’m seeing pink everywhere. I guess it’s a thing. Is this the millennial pink I keep reading about, or is that a more peachy shade?

    1. IDK — I think that this color would work for blondes (b/c it is so light) or would be a nice contrast for a WOC. I am a ruddy-skinned brunette and this color would be awful on me.

      FWIW, BR has something in a similar color for ~200 and they are always running sales.

      3. Just posted a pink blazer from J-Crew that’s stuck in moderation but it’s pretty cute.

        But pink is definitely in right now, bc almost everyone I clicked on would have the pink sold out.

    2. Millennial pink is more gray, but pink is definitely in right now. Super about it. This blazer is so pretty.

    4. This particular blazer is not millennial pink, but pink is really in right now. I think it started with the rose gold trend a few years ago.

    5. I must have been subconsciously influenced by marketing and social media because in the past month, I’ve bought two pink tops and a pair of pink shoes. And now I really, really want this jacket (if only it were about 10% of the price…)

    6. pink is my lifelong favorite color and i love this, but even if i had $1600 laying around, i wouldn’t spend it on a synthetic blazer.

    7. It is a seasonal thing! I love pink and look ok in it so the manageing partner approved a nice suit for me, but I cant wear it in the summer b/c it is just for Spring! YAY!!!

      My new associate will be starting soon. She is very cute but smart also, and the manageing partner wants me to take her under my wing. I will teach her everything I know, and she will come with me to all meetings to get up to speed. I really hope she does more then Mason did b/c he was a disaster.

    8. Millennial pink is essentially salmon, not this. It’s the color of the Acne Studios bags, for instance

  2. I’m trying to eat better (i.e., more vegetables). I have always been scared that restaurant salads are really just a way to eat a lot of calories (cheeses, lots of cut up bits of ham and bacon, cut-up boiled eggs, etc.). That’s before you get to the devil: dressing. Even if I limit myself to just a viniagrette, am I just kidding myself that restaurant salads are really going to be healthy? I know I will be eating more veggies, but still.

    Conversely, when I get a burrito at lunch, I get a tiny bit of rice, some pinto beans, cheese, guac, and lots of tomatillos. I’m not kidding myself that it is anything but calorie-dense, but it is also nutrient dense and has a lot of veggies / good things in it.

    I have a lurking suspicion that it may just be better to eat a meal of chips/salsa than a restaurant salad (esp. since the portions seem to be gigantic). Are there some that are legit healthier / lighter than others (e.g., maybe a greek salad if not too heavy on the feta and if I get it vegetarian?).

    1. No, a meal of chips and salsa is no where near as healthy as a salad, even with toppings. Obviously you can choose relatively healthy dressings and topics for your salad. Cut up boiled eggs are fine. Cheese and ham is also fine. You need some protein and sufficient fat or it wont keep you full.

      Burritos…. are pretty much calorie and fat dense tasty treats.

      1. “Burritos…. are pretty much calorie and fat dense tasty treats.”

        I guess burrito portion size matters (and also: not coated in queso). But salads can be too, just disguised with lettuce (which might kill you these days), lots of pita “points,” and a side of virtue.

        I saw a calorie count for one salad I wanted and it was about 1,000 calories for something that I thought would be more like 500 (not sure why: assumption of maximum dressing use, portion size, etc.). I ordered a margarita pizza instead.

        But I’ve held off on restaurant salads in favor of home ones. Greek salads would be my weakness, but a vegetarian one didn’t seem soooo bad (conversely, the salad bars we have at work for catered lunches seem to be a minefield with scoop-your-own olives and feta crumbles).

    2. Get salad. Ask for no meat, no cheese. Sub chickpeas or black beans or any kind of beans for the meat. Don’t put any dressing on it other than vinegar (red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, apple cider vinegar, etc.). Enjoy!

      2. This. Salad doesn’t need meat/cheese. There are so many different vegetables to try, experiment and figure out the combination that works for you. I love boston lettuce with articokes and olives or spinach with pine nuts, fresh basil and tomatoes.

    3. Salads are what you make of them. Don’t pour the dressing on your salad. Order on the side and dip the tines of your fork in it, then fork the veggies. It takes a couple of times to get used to it, but once it becomes habit, salads get a lot easier for managing calories. And you don’t have to get all the toppings on the salad- leave off the bacon, ask for light cheese, ditch the croutons. Hardboiled eggs have protein, avocado has healthy fat, opt for lean meats (grilled chicken, shrimp, lean ham), asked for extra veggies on the salad.

    4. Vegetables are always going to be healthier than chips, burritos (maybe minus the tortilla) as well. Lower in calories, maybe not, but you could probably mitigate that by not getting all the high-cal add-ons like cheese or sugary or gloopy dressings. If you can avoid it skip the places with bad salads, life is too short for that nonsense.

      1. I am not sure I’d eat a salad w/o cheese on it. I know I’d take a hard pass on light cheese.

        OTOH, HUMMUS on a salad is awesome. But I realize the things I like on a salad (other than cukes and peppers) are all:
        high calorie
        high fat
        high salt

        So maybe I am kidding myself. Or I should just keep the salad to the size of a teacup and not the size of a dinner plate (esp. when in a plate w/any depth to it).

        1. Or maybe if you’re actually serious about this you accept that healthy doesn’t always equal my maximally delicious preference? What are you looking for here?

          2. It is not hard to make a salad lower calorie. It doesn’t really sound like you have any interest in doing it though. So yes, if you don’t have any desire to take off the high calorie toppings, then I thought what is going to be high calorie. There are plenty of ways to make salads healthy and also tasty it is not hard to make a salad lower calorie. It doesn’t really sound like you have any interest in doing it though. So yes, if you don’t have any desire to take off the high calorie toppings, then it is going to be high calorie.

          3. Disagree! You can eat delicious foods! You just have to control the portion. Bleu cheese is great for this – super strong flavor so you get a lot of bang for your buck. Same with olives. A portion is something like 4 olives, you can’t sit there nomming away at all the olives and keep the calorie count in check.

            When I’m trying to portion/calorie correct, everything that goes into my mouth goes on a food scale first. It’s so easy to forget what a portion is supposed to look like.

          4. I guess that’s the thing: delicious and low-calorie salad items.

            I like craisins, but they have added sugar. They don’t seem too bad though.

            OTOH, I never have bacon in my at-home salads b/c it’s such a pain to make. So an at-home salad for me is: lettuce, crasins, pine nuts, some blue cheese, some cut-up apples, some real nuts, maybe some cukes, maybe a boiled egg. Not enough for a meal though, more like a side item.

        2. Maybe you just don’t like salad and it’d be more satisfying to eat the cheese on its own? Though the types of restaurants that serve those high cal salads usually just have terrible salads, in my opinion – bland lettuce, flavorless chilled tomatoes, dressings from a bottle, etc. You can probably do better if you’re really determined to find healthier salads that you actually like.

        3. I found it more helpful to take a full-day view of my intake, versus just that one meal. I’m not going to choke down a pile of vegetables covered in vinegar. It’s bitter and miserable. I’d much rather enjoy some real salad dressing and make up for it by cutting calories and sugar elsewhere during the day, so I quit all liquid sugar and switched to black coffee and water for my beverages.

    5. I make Cobb-style salad at home with bacon bits, hardboiled egg, and goat or blue cheese (in addition to homemade balsamic dressing). I don’t worry about the calories because it fills me up, is packed with veggies, and tastes so delicious I could eat it all the time. Buy quality ingredients, use reasonable portions, and don’t turn to chips instead.

    6. It depends on what you mean by “better (i.e., more vegetables).” Is this just a proxy for “eating fewer calories,” or do you mean you’re trying to get more vitamins and whatnot? Salads and burritos can both be “nutrient-dense” or “light,” but it’s difficult for anything to be both. Fat is a nutrient!

      In my experience, “house salad” is mostly greens and little bits of tomato and carrot, which will get you micronutrients (vitamins, minerals) but not much in the way of macronutrients (carbs, protein, fat). A burrito is, in my opinion, basically a super-salad in a tortilla, and I eat them at every available opportunity.

      1. For me, better = more vegetables. I like them, but never have time at dinner at home except on weekends.

        But I don’t want to slide into eating more by accident in the practice. I had a great salad the other week, but in retrospect it has a lot of deli meat (which was delicious but I otherwise eat little of b/c of the high salt content) and bacon (again: love, but salty and calorie dense) and cut-up boiled eggs (again: love, but the cholesterol!) and olives (love! good fat! But ugh the salt again). I thought about it and realized that for the benefit of veggies, there was a high salt/very processed food/calorie cost to that. So maybe weekly-ish is OK but as a daily thing, maybe not so good.

        And in the summer, I salt-bloat like crazy. Went to a Qalo ring b/c my metal one was so uncomfortable.

        1. You know that “salad” doesn’t mean necessarily deli mean, cheese, bacon, and eggs right? You can put literally anything you want on a salad. You’re making this more complicated than it needs to be.

          1. I try and pick one protein element and one fun element, and as many veggies as possible. So lettuce, tomato, cucumbers, peppers, etc plus eggs or chicken or beans and a small sprinkle of cheese or avocado or nut, dressing on the side.

        2. You don’t need to worry about cholesterol in egg yolks. They’re jam-packed full of essential nutrition and are not associated with raising cholesterol in the blood. That’s 80s/90s thinking to fear egg yolks.

          1. OMG — I had no idea. This is fantastic.

            OTOH, deviled eggs aren’t delish w/o the mayo component. :(

          2. If you start keto, deviled eggs are a “diet” food. They’re my go-to fallback when I need to bump my fat for the day.

        3. Do you have time for steam-in-the-bag microwave veggies? They takes less time than assembling a salad, at at least to me, feel more like “real food” so I’m more likely to reduce my portion sizes on other foods accordingly. Also they’re delicious.

        4. Respectfully, I think you need to learn to cook/prepare food. Vegetables do not have to take much time or effort to prepare. And once you learn a bit more about food, I think you will be able to deconstruct a restaurant salad so you know what can come out of it or be subbed for something and leave a satisfying, tasty meal.

        5. I am currently doing a goal that is explicitly “More. Vegetables.” I want to have one meal a day that is basically a plate full of veggies. (Most days. I’m not strict. I don’t f with Real Diets because I’m too crazy, but just making sure I’m eating a bunch of veggies should be a good step.)

          Anyway, salad, to me, is …meh. BUT like Lana says, cooked veggies, yes! I don’t have a microwave so I roast veggies, and they’re so so so so good. I do brussels sprouts cut in half, broccoli in little chunks, cauliflower, eggplant in cubes, squash, etc. You can try tossing them with Braggs aminos if you want that delicious hippie taste, or maybe roll ’em around with some cumin, etc. etc. Mmmm. When I’m really on top of my game I roast a bunch on Sunday night for snacking all week.

      2. Yes! Make a salad, add veggies (carrots, tomatoes, sugar snap peas, chopped roasted veggies), and add some protein and fat (nuts, chicken or turkey, beans, even a little cheese), and dressing (olive oil and vinegar). If you don’t add some fat and protein then you will get hungry and also you need calories to survive. You can make a really good dressing with olive oil, vinegar, chopped shallots, and mustard: tasty and healthy. But like, if you’re trying to make a meal of lettuce and vinegar, you are not being healthy at all.

    7. Buy frozen Amy’s meals and burritos if you have no time to cook! They are delicious and full of vitamins. Also, the ingredients are clean…unlike the crap from TJ’s!

      1. IDK — that seems so processed. I’m trying to eat better by eating more foods in the form-they-were-grown-in form.

        So a fresh tomato/tomatillo/pico de gallo salsa is OK and I try to use that as salad dressing. Minimal cheese is OK (so lite cheese or “cheese” seems to be too processed a food). Minimal bacon is OK. One cut-up boiled egg is OK (but not 3).

        “Salad” requires further analysis /gatekeeping to keep it healthy (or not 1500 calories, even if 1200 of them are good / high protein / good fats).

        1. Frozen foods like that aren’t typically processed in an unhealthy way, since they’re preserved by freezing. You can definitely get unhealthy frozen foods but there are lots that are fine. Kind of confused about using pico as a salad dressing, that seems awful on greens. Maybe that’s why you don’t ‘like salad very much?

        2. “Processed” with what? Have you even picked up a box and read the ingredients. It isn’t Lean Cuisine or like I said, Trader Joe’s, crap. It’s food you could have cooked at home and frozen.

          2. Is that seriously true? I have seen things in TJ’s that look identical to Amy’s…like the dairy free pizza…but tasted TOTALLY different and bad. I think what you said is fake news. TJs is full of canola oil, soy and crap. Amy’s is not.

    8. I’ll gently suggest that you do some reading on what a healthful diet looks like. It’s not just about calories, or eating more veggies, it’s about finding the right overall balance. Focus on your macros – fat, carbs, protein – and your nutrients. If you have a pretty low calorie limit (like a lot of women), you want every single calorie to work hard to meet your nutritional needs and make you feel satisfied. Salads are great for that – lots of fiber and nutrients from the greens and veggies, limited carbs from your sweeter veggies like carrots and tomatoes (ok technically a fruit), endless protein options, and moderate good fats like avocado and healthy oils. I like adding strong cheeses like a nice bleu to get a really satisfying flavor for not a big calorie spend (because a little goes a long way).

      You’re not getting the same bang for your buck with a burrito and certainly not with nachos. That’s just empty calories that won’t keep you full. Especially a burrito – that tortilla is like 200+ calories alone. I’m not really sure how you think a burrito is more nutrient dense than a salad?

      1. How is a burrito empty calories? Tortillas have complex carbs that will drip into your bloodstream slowly; beans have complex carbs and protein and vitamins; cheese has protein and calcium; etc etc. (They’re aslo *macro*-nutrient dense, which may be part of what the OP meant.)

        1. If you’re talking about a restaurant burrito, the tortilla is going to be plain ol processed white flour, not whole grain unless you ask. It has like 2-3 g fiber – your complex carb – but something like 40 total carbs. So you’re talking 37-38 net carbs. For JUST the tortilla, that’s not counting any of the high-carb fillings, like rice or beans. For reference, a Chipotle flour tortilla has 320 calories, 50g carbs, 3g fiber.

          If you can get corn or whole grain tortillas, your fiber content is going to be higher which means more complex carbs which are better for you because they won’t convert to glucose and spike your blood sugar. But a tortilla still has quite a lot more net carbs than you might expect, since they’re typically billed as the “healthier” option as compared to a sandwich.

          1. Starch is also complex, though, and that’ll also keep you energy up because it takes longer to break down than simple carbs like sugar (0g in a Chipotle tortilla). Same for rice and beans (which also have protein and micronutrients).

      2. I’m in BigLaw and a burrito is perfect for fueling me into the evening hours (when I finally get home and have something like cheese and triscuits). It’s a lot of calories, but I think they’re all pretty good: beans, salsa, cheese, guac. The guac is so, so good, as are beans + cheese. And a tortilla isn’t all bad — I’m not on Atkins and eat yogurt for breakfast and it’s one of the few carbs I get. Sometimes it’s just beans + cheese. I think that that’s fine.

    9. “Salad” and “burrito” are both such broad categories that it doesn’t make any sense to say that one of them must always be healthier than the other. If you want to eat healthier, you have to think about what is _in_ these things and whether you’re getting a good macro nutrient balance. You can get a bean burrito with grilled veggies, minimal cheese, and no rice and as long as your portion size is reasonable that’s a perfectly healthy meal.

    10. I’ve tried to eat more salads in general, but I won’t force myself to eat one at a restaurant if they don’t have one I like, but a garden salad or house salad, with no dressing and some chicken added (if that’s an option, and not ridiculously expensive) is a good go-to. Even when they have meat and cheese, it’s still gonna be one of the healthier options because that stuff is on a bed of veggies rather than, say, potatoes or bread, and a grilled chicken salad will probably have less meat than the grilled chicken breast entree.

      Remember, it is okay to ask for certain things to be left off the salad! Just limit it to one or two requests. You can also pick things out and not eat them.

      I do add feta to the salads I make for myself, but most of it ends up at the bottom and doesn’t get eaten.

    11. Adding cheese makes me eat salad more. Don’t get too fixated on the idea that “___ is bad” when it may lead to healthier choices overall.

    12. Just ask the restaurant to leave off the calorie-heavy parts of the salad. I usually ask for no nuts, croutons or cheese (or them on the side so I can portion control). I avoid salads with anything fried (whether chicken, goat cheese, wontons, or onion straws). Sometimes the easier, more portion controlled way to get a salad is to order a sandwich without the bread, sometimes with a side salad. Burgers, grilled chicken, club sandwiches, etc are all good for the bunless treatment. Even then with the cheese, it’s usually just one slice rather than an untold amount of grated or crumbled cheese.

    13. When I get salad (usually from a salad bar at a grocery store), I give myself some limits – if I want more than a little olive oil and some vinegar as dressing (i.e. ranch) then my salad has to be entirely veggies with egg or chicken as a protein (no cheese, no nuts or seeds, no bacon, etc). If I’m going to have bacon, cheese (I don’t really dig cheese on a salad but still), croutons, nuts, etc, then I have just oil and vinegar. If I’m really going crazy with toppings, just vinegar, no oil.

      But yeah a salad with cheese, ranch, croutons, bacon, and a bunch of sunflower seeds is going to be packed with fat and calories (and probably a lot of sugar, too).

      1. I’m sort of bowled over by people leaving nuts off a salad to make it healthier. I’ve never been on a calorie restricted diet but it seems like the nutritional contributions of nuts would outweigh the additional calories? Have I just spent too much time with people doing Atkins/keto diets?

    14. The lettuce in salad bulks up the dish without adding more calories and will help you stay full longer. But you can always ask them to omit higher calorie things and keep the dressing on the side. It’s better than, for example, a rice bowl where the dish is bulked up by a high carb item.

      Sticking with chips and dip is going to mean you’ll get hungry and be way more likely to snack (though if you want to, you can always pack healthy snacks to eat throughout the day rather than having one major meal at a time).

      But at the end of the day, weightloss is about calories in and calories out, and most restaurants (esp chain ones) are now required to provide caloric info for their dishes.

  3. Confession of the day: I’m trying to use up this really expensive eye serum that did nothing for my eyes, so I slathered it all over my neck and chest just to get rid of it. I feel kiiiinda guilty for “wasting” it, but hey, at least I’m using it up, right?

    1. My friends and I often trade skincare products if something isn’t working for us – that way it isn’t wasted and someone else gets to benefit.

      1. I’ve been using my very expensive night cream on my hands. It’s so thick that it caused my face to break out, but my extremely-dry hands have been benefiting.

    2. I use an eye serum on my face, neck, and chest lines about twice a week. I have very sensitive skin and most anti-ageing products make me break out or cause a lot of redness. Anything that’s meant to be used around the eyes is gentle enough that it doesn’t irritate me.

    3. No guilt! Better than sitting in your cabinet until it expires or just gets thrown away anyway. And I’m sure your neck and chest (my mother would say “decolletage”) were like “ahhhhh….”

    4. Ideally, it is wonderful to use serum/lotions on your neck/chest/backs of hands. Those are the places that also show age the earliest……

    5. I’ve done something similar with an essence – a category I’ve decided is not to be part of my life ever again – that made my face red. It’s lovely as a light moisturizer on my legs.

    6. A PHA cream that was a bit to heavy for my face is doing WONDERS for the bumpy skin on my legs/arms. Go for it – using it is better than tossing it!

      1. Do you have KP? The KP scrub from Sephora works really well for me. The results are almost as good as the rx steroid cream from the doctor, but without the skin-thinning side effects.

        1. I do – I find a good scrub with an acid exfoliant works really well, this cream just happens to be one of the best ones I’ve tried so far! The CosRX PHA cream.

  4. I struggle so much to find a blazer that looks sleek on me so I can buy one for professional attire and another for putting over a tshirt/jeans to complete the look… I’m an hourglass shape (can be pear, depending on the br@). Blazers seem to either want to be cropped which looks like I think I’m 14 or they hit me weird at the waist and make me look wide. I initially wanted something without buttons or embellishments like the “going out” blazer but now I just wonder if my body type isn’t meant for blazers at all!

    1. Similar shape. I look for blazers that hit at the high hip, above where I curve out. Also, waist shaping/definition is key for me. I prefer either blazers with princess seaming for shape, or one or two button blazers with a deeper v neckline that accentuates my waist. Also, I frequently buy petite blazers to get the right proportion.

      1. This. My answer must be in moderation. I’ve done well with the Boden blazers lately. I also go through resale and get St John and Armani. For the zippered fronts, I leave them open and put a belt on my waist to give definition. A tailor, more times than not, as an hourglass figured person, is usually my best wardrobe addition. I have nearly everything taken in at the waistline, and that includes some blazers.

    2. The longer jardigan works for me. Normally blazers are too boxy for me in the waist, even the supposedly slim fit/tailored ones.

    3. I’m an hourglass. I wear blazers all the time. I find I need a blazer with a single button or some sort of seaming at the natural waist. I buy blazers that are at a “regulatr” length … not cropped and not the longer, “boyfriend style.” It takes some looking around. I like the Boden Elizabeth blazer and the one that is navy with red/white floral on it. I also look great in a variety of St John jackets, both the zippered kind (I put a belt on my dress and wear the jacket unzipper) and the kinds that have seaming in the front, making it more of an a line or “princess” seamed garment. Finally, I find that Armani designs for my hourglass. TBT, I buy the St John and Armani via resale…

      Hope this helps.

    4. In addition to the other comments, you might look at blazers that are belted at your national waist line, so that it emphasizes the hourglass shape. I think shawl collars with single buttons would work well as well. And I would bet you’d do better with longer blazers like the one here.

      You’d also look great in something with stiching or other details that emphasize the shape (or even a peplum if you don’t feel like that look has been too played out.

    5. I have a similar body type, I have been living in Rag and Bone’s “Blake” winter white blazer. Note: it’s 100% a splurge piece, but it hits in the perfect places to give me the right shape without making me feel like I look like a linebacker.

  5. Thinking of going blonde. Currently dark brown long hair with blonde ombre (totally blonde at the bottom). Fair skin with yellow undertones. How often do you have to get your roots touched up? Are dark roots in right now?

    1. Don’t. Dark roots on obviously-bleached blonde hair are not a classy or professional look. Either commit to impeccable maintenance or choose a more natural color.

    2. I have your exact skintone and hair color. I did balayage to go blonde with purposefully dark roots. It is perfectly blended and looks fine in between appointments. Balayage is very in.

      Invest in a purple shampoo to keep the brassiness away in between appointments too

      1. Any recommendations for a good purple shampoo?

        I just had my color redone (same as yours) and need to fight off the brassiness.

        1. Yes! On Amazon: Schwarzkopf BC Color Freeze pH 4.5 Silver Shampoo (For Grey & Lightened Hair)

          It’s dark, dark purple. I shampoo with it probably every other time I wash my hair, and then leave it for 5-10 minutes probably once a month.

      2. My ombre transitions to bayalage highlights so I would really just be having then start higher up. Thanks for the advice, I need to start looking into purple shampoo anyway as my ends are looking pretty brassy.

        1. BTW – my stylist told me to buy Jhirmak purple shampoo…. around since the 70’s or before. Cheap, cleans well. I don’t use it every wash, and co-wash on alternate days. Unfortunately I have a pixie cut so have to wash my hair every day.

          Walmart sells it cheap.

          2. The mention of Jhirmak just made me dizzy with nostalgia. As a kid, it was what my wealthier friends used while I was using Suave. (I still had the best hair, though!)

  6. I’m in the midst of attempting this. I had long very dark (no highlights) brown hair and I have pale skin, cool toned though, yours sounds warm if you have yellow undertones). I’m going for dark ashy blonde with lighter (cool) highlights around my face. I currently have medium
    Brown hair with caramel highlights and I hate it bc it is way too warm for my pale, cool skin. Anyways, no help, but following the thread and commiserating

  7. Why are the sleeves of this blazer so long? Is it just a poor fit for the model or is this look in now? Can I finally stop having all of my blazers taken up at the shoulder????

    2. I was going to say the same thing. But why do you have your sleeves taken up at the shoulder? I just get them hemmed.

  8. My husband and I are leaving for vacation for two weeks. This will be the longest our cat, who tends to be anxious and shy, has been left alone (with a pet sitter coming once daily). Any tips? Do those calming pheromone callers work? Typically our cat hides under the bed much of the time the pet sitter is here…

    1. If possible, we usually have the pet sitter hang out for a while on the couch (it’s usually my uncle, who enjoys using our cable/HBO while cat-sitting). Our shy cat will come out and sit next to him on the couch if he just hangs out and doesn’t move too much. After a few days she warms up to him enough to accept pets, and even gets some playtime in. Also, extra treats help create positive associations.

    2. I wouldn’t put anything new on my cat’s body before leaving for that long. If the cat has some kind of reaction to it, it’s unlikely the pet sitter would see it.

      I also feel leaving my cat alone for so long. I’ve tried having a friend who he likes stop in to cuddle him, but apparently he’s only social when I’m around. I just try to remember that he’s a cat; he’s not going to be emotionally scarred for life. He’ll be a little clingy for a few days and then he’ll be fine. I try to schedule a full day back at home so I can snuggle him while I putter around doing laundry and such.

    3. No idea on the calming pheromone thing, but if you decide to try, I would give it a try for a few days when you are still home in cause the cat has a bad reaction. As another idea, I normally leave a t-shirt I wear to bed (and have worn a few times) out in one of my cats’ favorite places. It will smell like me, and provide some comfort.

      Also, my cats normally hide with the pet sitter comes when it is a shorter trip, but will come out after about day 4 or 5 on a longer trip. Depending on how long the trips you have taken in the past are, you may learn that they got to be really friendly with the pet sitter by the end.

    4. Instead of a collar, maybe try one of the calming plug-ins so there’s no need to worry about it getting caught or something while you’re out of town.

      I also have an anxious, shy cat and I have learned from pet sitters that his anxiety eventually gets outweighed by his desire for affection. I get daily photos from the pet sitter and can see the slow transition from hiding under the far corner of the bed to coming out for scratchies and snuggling. And this is a VERY shy cat. I imagine two weeks away will be plenty of time for your cat to sort out that there is a new Food Person who can also be a Petting Person.

      Also, as long as they get to stay in their own territory, cats tend to be pretty resilient about this sort of thing. He’ll spend two weeks rotating between his favorite napping spots and looking out the window.

      1. This is my experience as well. Try using a Feliway diffuser about a week before you leave. They also make a Feliway spray you could use on places the kitty sleeps. I check in on my cats via our security cams and the majority of the time they are asleep during the day. If kitty likes to play, you could see if the sitter could engage him in playtime to help draw him out.

    6. I don’t have experience with pheromone products, so I can’t answer that, but I’d talk to the pet sitter and see if they can come twice a day – maybe not every day, but some of the days – just to play with your cat. My very needy cat would go on hunger strikes when we were gone if he didn’t get any love. See if the sitter will play with your kitty, or as Tetra said above, just hang out quietly and see if the cat gets used to them being at your house and realizes they aren’t scary.

  9. I recently switched jobs, and my new job doesn’t provide long-term disability as a benefit. I have about 30 days left to decide whether I want to convert my group policy from my old job to an individual policy. Before deciding, I want to compare prices to see if I could get a better deal in the marketplace.

    Any ideas on to price out long-term disability policies? The group policy would provide $4,000/month – any idea what that should cost?

    1. This is dependent on what occupations it covers (your specific one, versus any occupation), your current income, etc. A lot of variables, like all things insurance.

    2. I’m not much help, but in your situation I might call my current source of car/home/rental insurance, and ask them for a price, just for comparison. Then maybe call/check online for a couple places that are reputable – Geico, State Farm. Allstate is pretty evil so I would avoid, but that’s from my own behind the scenes knowledge. Probably all insurers are just as bad.

    3. Lots of moving parts on this question. I would find a decent broker and move quickly because you may have to go through health testing to get approved and get a really accurate price.

      1. This. I had to do some back and forth before being approved. Not testing, I don’t think, but inquiries about a health condition (that would never trigger a LTD claim!).

  10. My student loans have been sold off again and this time to two different companies so I finally have the motivation to just consolidate them with SoFi or similar. I know this has come up before but having a hard time finding in the comments. Can someone comment on the process? Is SoFi still the go-to? Thanks!

    1. We refi’d to sofi when we had about $30k left in DH’s MBA loans. We switched from a 10 year (we were about 3 years in) to a 5 year loan and our payments went down ever so slightly. We paid them off aggressively and paid them off 2 years early (2/2018!). Process was super easy, paying ahead was super easy, paying off was super easy. And one year they sent us a pie.

      1. I should say payments went down bc the interest rate was much lower. I believe we switched to a variable bc we planned to be aggressive and the rate was much less.

    2. Yes, SoFi is amazing! I even moved my IRA over to them. I’ve been so happy and they gave me a fantastic interest rate. Plus, you can get $100 off if you use a referral link.

      1. Referral link, if you’re inclined – and no worries if not! sofi DOT com/share/56005

    3. I refinanced fairly early on (early 2015) and was very happy with SoFi. Since that time, a lot of new players have entered the game. I’d get quotes from a few before deciding who to go with. At the time I chose SoFi, they were offering a couple of the protections that the federal loans offered like forgiveness if one became totally disabled or died. They also had a career center for people experiencing job loss. I also was able to get rid of my cosigner. I paid off my loans about a year ago so I don’t know if they still offer those benefits. For me, the biggest pull was getting a much lower fixed interest rate. If you do decide to go with SoFi, here’s a referral link that will get you some cash back. It ranges from $100-$300 depending on what the deal is at the time you apply. No matter what company you go with, look for a link from someone as almost all of them offer some kind of sign up deal.

      https://www.sofi.com/share/8854

    4. Thanks for all these! How long did it take? I’m wondering if I can do this before my next payment is due…

      1. AIMS, the one issue I’d watch out for is if you have some loans at a much higher rate than others (my law school loans were way higher interest rate than my undergrad) so it would have ended up with me paying more in interest rates on my undergrad student loans. (This can also apply to subsidized vs. unsubsidized loans). Our strategy was to pay the minimum on the lower interest loans and then pre-pay the higher interest loans bc, honestly, where else can you put money where you effectively earn an 8% interest rate which is sort of what happens when you pay more on the high interest loans more quickly.

        Just a different perspective, at the end of the day I’m sure the difference isn’t that substantial.

        1. SoFi let me pick and choose which loans to refi so I kept out a low interest one from undergrad. Even if you are trying to pay the loans off fast, it make sense to refi to a lower rate if you can. I paid them off so much faster going from 8% to 5% (fixed).

          1. Interesting, I feel like when we looked into it, whichever agency was doing it then required you to bundle all the loans.

            Oh and hi! We need to catch up like forever ago. Especially if catching up means going out for bimbim bop again, just saying.

          2. This was my experience recently, you had to do them all and the interest rate wasn’t that different. (my loans are between 4.5 and 6.8, and I was basically offered 5.5). None of them offered any protections either, so I just left mine federal

  11. Need some outside opinion. A family member had a birthday last month. We’re not in the same geographic region, and I wasn’t expected to be there in person. I reached out a few days in advance to send a ‘happy birthday’ communication. I wasn’t sure if I’d have enough service on the day of, and I figured it would be better to acknowledge the occasion in advance.

    She’s upset. She doesn’t understand how someone could be busy for an entire day. She’s made it a point to say that she’s crying herself to sleep over it. This seems unreasonable, right?

    I’ve made an effort to lessen communication with her over the past year. It has been such a good decision for me, but I doubt she’s in agreement. I don’t even want to respond this time.

    1. Crying yourself to sleep because someone said happy birthday early instead of day of? Nope, not reasonable.

    2. Crying yourself to sleep is definitely unreasonable. That said, what does “send a happy birthday communication” mean? A text or email (or worse a FB post) is a little impersonal. If you couldn’t contact her on her actual birthday and you really care about her, I think a phone call explaining that and wishing her well would have been more appropriate. I do think she’s overreacting though.

    3. No, it’s not a normal reaction, but if it is someone close like your mother or a sister it does send a message that you’re too busy to care. May not be the message you want to send to someone who is obviously having a tough time mentally.

    5. This is slightly….. crazy? But I guess you know that, and is one of the reasons you are less communicative. Unless this is your mother, I think it is very manipulative and unhealthy on their end. And even for a Mom, they can mention it once (“I would have loved to talk to you….”) and then not put a huge guilt trip on you.

      My family was very unhealthy and yet, I should have been more thoughtful to my mother on her birthday. My parents’ marriage was terrible, and when they separated finally for good, my mother was in a deep depression and all of us kids ran away because we were so miserable ourselves. We literally ran as far from our hometown as possible. In retrospect, I should have done better at salvaging a relationship with my parents individually. Now my mother is deceased, and I feel guilt.

      But every family is different. No idea about your situation.

    8. Something about the way this post is worded suggests there’s more to the story than you are letting on. If the “family member” was your mom, and “reaching out a few days in advance to send a ‘happy birthday’ communication'” means you sent a text, and you didn’t actually tell her you couldn’t call on her birthday, I can understand why she would be upset. Also, you say you weren’t sure you would “have enough service” on the actual birthday (?), but then you apparently told her you were too busy to call. Doesn’t add up.

      1. +1. My takeaway from this post is that you texted your mom happy birthday a few days in advance and then did nothing in the actual day and yeah that’s kind of uncool. If this is a second cousin or something then disregard. But I definitely got the mom vibe too.

    9. I couldn’t figure out what you meant by “I couldn’t figure out if I’d have enough service” to call on the birthday.

      What is that?

      Were you camping on a distant tropical island without cell phone service?

      If not, honestly….. if it was a close relative you could have called, right? You just couldn’t be bothered, and now they know that.

      AND your relative is great with the guilt trips. Nice….

      But if they are in the middle of a hard time (recent divorce/death/trauma), or you know they are sensitive to these things (ie. especially because you are avoiding their calls lately? Not visiting anymore?)…. it would have been nice to call.

      No, an email a ?random number of days before the b-day is not a good substitute. That’s a nice substitute for my old friend that I haven’t seen since college who emails…. “hey, isn’t your b-day sometime around now?”

    10. I’m guessing something else happened and you’re the closest punching bag. Did you already mention that you weren’t going to have service the day of? I can understand a little bit thinking – how can you not have a free 10 seconds to send a hbd text – but if you don’t have service then it’s really not about being too busy. If you’re inclined to respond, I would say something like, I told you I wasn’t going to have service and I was right. I can’t build cell phone towers wherever I want them, so I couldn’t text you.

    11. I read this as the OP may not have had cell service that day, not that she was too busy to send a message. When you reached out the few days before did you explain you may not have service on the day of? I think you can explain that now if you haven’t and if she’s still upset, that’s on her, not you.

    12. What? No, she’s completely overreacting! I can’t understand being remotely that upset over getting a “happy birthday” in advance! If anything, I think it’s fun to stretch things out a little*, and that includes getting birthday wishes in advance and belated, because I know people have busy lives around this time of year.

      *I know “birthday months” make people angry here, so before anyone assumes the worst, I just want to clarify that no, I don’t do that, or anything resembling any sort of official “birthday week” or “birthday weekend.”

      1. I love birthday weekends/weeks/months. I don’t expect other people to acknowledge them, but I think it’s fun.

      2. The people here who get up in arms about bday celebrations are all marrieds whose husbands do something nice for them for their bdays… and Valentine’s and their anniversary and xmas and every other gift giving holiday. If you’re single, your bday is the one day a year that people take time out of their busy lives to tell you, hey I see you, you’re special, and I love you. If you don’t understand how invisible it feels to be a longtime singleton, you don’t get to tell me I shouldn’t want some kind of bday celebration.

        1. I think there are also people with really awesome groups of friends willing to throw them parties or take them out on their birthdays, but I see what you mean, the attitude is often “you don’t ask to be celebrated, you let people celebrate you if they want to” with the assumption that someone *will* want to. Forget that! I will organize a get-together with friends if I want one!

          But . . . while I don’t like the birthday haters, I also kinda get it, just like I hate the concept of people being supposedly “gift grabby” but I can see where it might come from. After a while, if you deal with enough “it’s my BIRTHDAAAAY, that means I’m the queen! I get whatever I want and everyone must worship me!” birthday-zillas who take the totally natural desire to feel special to a completely ridiculous place, you probably do feel kinda *over* the whole birthday thing and anyone who wants their birthday acknowledged makes you cringe.

          But I digress. I am seeing comments in this thread acknowledging that, depending on OP’s relationship with this family member, an early “happy birthday” communication with no explanation or context could have rubbed this person the wrong way. I would be upset if, say, my mom did this, or my sister. I’m not entirely sure I would have cried myself to sleep over it, but I don’t know what this person might be going through, and I do know that I can be extra sensitive to little things when I’m going through a tough time.

        2. My spouse and I don’t do anything for V-Day, anniversaries, or frankly even birthdays. We try to be minimalist in gift giving and we are too busy anyway so we mutually decided to not be gifters. Your assumption sounds like jealousy.

    14. I think they are extreme and you are not in fault.

      However, I was also super annoyed at my husband’s dad who when my husband called his dad a week before his 30th birthday (for a random reason), his dad was like “Oh btw Happy birthday I guess this will be your birthday call.” and then didn’t call him on his 30th birthday! No one from his family called him on his birthday. Just my family and his friends . So thats an example where I think a person is justified to be a bit upset.

  12. Fwiw I used Earnest because it offered me a better rate than SoFi. Only five months in, but so far they’ve been very transparent and made the process easy.

    1. Power pose beforehand. I felt ridiculous doing it, but I did find that it helped put me in the right head space.

      1. +1

        Even though the “evidence” for this has been questioned more lately, I find it very effective. Just doing the pose makes me smile, which also causes a nice physiologic happiness response. And if you believe it, it will be true. I love placebos too!

        And power pose effect + smile effect + I believe in placebos effect = triple threat!

    2. Be super positive! Not just in attitude, but in what you say. Have something nice to say about every job and every boss that comes up, even if you wanted to punch that boss in the face every day.

      1. +1. I have an immediately negative reaction to interviewees who badmouth their current company/boss.

    3. Put together a book or summary of things you’ve done well and read it just before heading in. It puts you in a good head space and reminds you of things to bring up when they tell you to tell them about yourself or whatever.

    4. You have just as much power as “they” do – remember that both of you are looking to see if this is a good match.

    5. Have solid questions for the interviewers about job/company/industry. So many times I get the feeling the person I am interviewing has little idea of what the job is but won’t ask (for fear of appearing stupid? doesn’t know it’s OK to ask?) so it’s a waste of both of our time.

    1. They are my first pair of cowboy boots, but for the price they are very comfortable, seem very well made, and have a great sturdy sole.

    2. Their customer service is impeccable. I sent it an exchange request and instead of just sending me a return label, a rep called and asked what my fit needs were. The pair I ultimately selected are tennis shoe level comfort.

      +1 that they are well made with a sturdy sole.

  15. Thanks to everyone who suggested various tote bags last week. I’m now thinking of purchasing a vegan tote. Anyone have experience with Matt & Nat vegan bags? Other stylish vegan bags to consider? I need a fairly large tote bag with a zipper closure.

    1. I had an zippered Olivia + Joy tote that was perfect in every way except the piping and straps started cracking and separating within a year. In general, I don’t notice much price/quality correlation in leather imitation products and trim (some very inexpensive “reversible” vegan totes seem indestructible, while the leather imitation trim on expensive leather bags is often their weakest link). With that in mind, you may have luck checking a place like DSW.

      1. I have two Matt & Nat bags that I use pretty often. They’re holding up well. After a year, the trim around the zipper is cracking, but it also cracked on my Kate Spade tote after about a year.

        1. I think this confirms what I said about price point not always correlating with quality. But your bags are not really “holding up well” if the trim is cracking after a year. That’s pretty much planned obsolescence.

    2. I’ve been considering them too. Two friends have their bags and are very happy with them. As far as I can tell, they look great after about a year of normal wear.

    3. I got a small bag from an ex-boyfriend’s parents as a Christmas gift in 2003. I haven’t carried it regularly for years (too small for my current needs), but I can’t bring myself to get it rid of it because it still looks great. So high marks for their quality.

      1. This is funny. Mrs. Sheketovits once gave me a small bag, which smelled funny b/c it was made out of some kind of rope material. I was very gracius, but gave it to Rosa who now has kept her kid’s crayons in it. I suppose it does not matter of crayon’s smell funny, b/c they do already! YAY!!!!

    4. I’ve had a couple of nice vegan totes/computer bags from French Connection.

  16. I mostly wear pants and find myself sending them to the dry cleaners a little before they probably need to go simply because of creases or because “I feel like I’ve work them a bit.”

    I am comfortable ironing the items, but curious about how you decide when to send pants off for dry cleaning. Until then, do you iron them parts of them again? Do you spray them with something? Any tips and tricks would be great.

    While the money part isn’t fun, I am more concerned about preserving my items since dry cleaning can be brutal on black pants. FWIW, no offensive/stuck-in smells, just regular wear.

    1. With my non-dry clean pants, I spritz them with water from a spray bottle, give them a good shake out, and hang them back up by their hems overnight. Then iron, if still necessary (it rarely is). I don’t know if plain water would harm the pants you’re talking about.

    2. You can spray them down with vodka, or some other freshening spray, between wears. I don’t buy dry clean only clothes anymore but when I did I would only dry clean once a season, at most. If they don’t smell and don’t have a stain on them, you don’t need to clean them that often.

    3. Back when I used to wear dress pants and suits, I would send them to the dry cleaner for pressing between cleanings. The steam gets odors out, and pressing causes less wear and tear than the whole routine of cleaning and then pressing.

    5. Only when they smell or are otherwise actually dirty (like, I got something on them). I air them out and then steam in between every wearing. (Home steamers are great–or you can often accomplish the same thing with a steam or linen setting on your iron and holding it some distance away from the fabric.)

    6. Can you just steam them? I don’t iron – I get a lot of extra wear by steaming things that have only been worn once and aren’t yet dirty.

    7. I steam them. I find that ironing will make the fabric shiny but a steamer every so often and hanging them up properly between wears really extends time between cleanings for me.

    8. What is it that steaming does, exactly? I’ve been thinking that it would bring smells to the surface and make them worse (sweat is the key thing I have to address, especially as I wear a lot of not-natural fibers). Do I have this exactly wrong?

      1. It gets the wrinkles out and makes clothes look fresh. Doesn’t do anything for smells although I have a friend who adds a tiny bit of lavender oil to her steamer to give her clothes a fresh scent. I’m not one for scented anything and have always been nervous about oil and clothing so haven’t tried it despite her constant raving about it.

          1. I’ve never heard this. In fact, I thought the opposite was true because of things like essential oil diffusers?

          2. Does anyone still use Dryel? I don’t necessarily think it’s a true substitute for sending things to the cleaners, but I’ll use that in between to help freshen dry-clean-only items.

          4. My understanding is that essential oil diffusers can be bad for you (especially for people with asthma). I thought I had heard this specifically about lavender, but on looking it up now it seems like eucalyptus is more prone to irritating the respiratory tract. But people also say it helps with breathing difficulties? And peppermint is safe, except it makes children stop breathing? Personally I would stay away from anything not evaluated by the FDA because some oils are seriously potent and there’s so much conflicting information.

          5. Also, my steamer says to never ever ever put anything but pure water in it, and I’m paranoid about gunking it up.

      3. Steam is, by definition, super hot water. Super hot water kills bacteria and most mold spores. Bacteria and mold are the source of most smells on clothing that otherwise isn’t stained. Thus, in addition to making items look nice, steam will actually rid your clothes of living microorganisms.

      4. I also have the wool/cashmere and the regular scented spray from the Laundress and use those from time to time to freshen things up. I find that they work pretty well.

  17. I’m so excited! I posted a week ago asking for advice for an interview presentation since I’m a teacher and not used to corporate. After three rounds of interviews, I got the job. I’m starting in two weeks. Any advice for going from a teaching non-profit organization with 20 employees to a large, corporate cubicle office with international locations?

  18. I now have a tire around my midsection that I want to get rid of this spring/summer. Anyone have advice or success stories for eating healthier, exercising more and losing weight?

    1. Intermittent fasting, eat from 12 pm – 8 pm every day. Don’t eat the rest of the time. Easily lost 10 pounds this way. Drink lots of water and do some physical activity.

      1. I’ve seen IF recommended a lot on here… is this just basically, you skip 1 meal a day? Or do you eat all 3 meals in an 8 hour window?

        1. I’ve found that you will not want to cram 3 meals into 8 hours, so you will eat less. Overall it’s just giving your body more time to burn calories between meals so you deplete the glycogen in your liver and then your fat stores.

        2. I also do the 12-8 pm routine and eat 3 meals within that window. Meal 1 at 12, meal 2 at 4, and meal 3 at 8.

        1. Yes. been doing it for a year and don’t intend to stop. Not trying to lose weight but just maintain weight. It’s been amazing and easy for me.

    2. Figure out what kind of exercise you enjoy. I tried just about every class and non-class exercise out there and discovered that I really enjoy the Les Mills classes, yoga, and ballet, enough so that I am motivated to get up early and go to the gym, or drag myself to the gym in the evening. Solo exercise and other classes (I detest barre and cycling) are misery and I just can’t get myself motivated.

      1. +1. I hate all kinds of group exercise with a passion but was trying to force myself to go for so long. Now I swim,walk, and rock climb. On my own time, with my own rhythm and without superloud music and someone yelling at me. Swimming makes me feel weightless and I can turn it into a sort of meditation. Walking allows me to listen to podcasts/audiobooks. Rock climbing is something I can do with my partner. Calorie-wise I was burning more at the group classes but this feels relaxing rather than oppressive, so it’s part of my life rather than a chore.

        1. I mean, what do you want? There’s no shortcuts here or magic diets that will make you lose weight without having to put in any effort. You can’t get around physics.

          1. So sorry to burst your negative little bubble, but there was a pretty big NYT article not too long ago that gave the evidence debunking the idea that weight loss is a simple calories in – calories out equation. I would find it for you but I figure you can figure out how to use Google. Also I am actually working instead of just posting snide, unhelpful comments here. Unlike some people.

          3. No, this cannot be “debunked” because it’s science whether you like it or not.

          4. It absolutely is not just calories in minus calories out.

            HUGE difference between 200 calories of bread or pasta vs 200 calories of protein.
            Your liver processes it much differently and decides what it will store as fat vs use as fuel.

            Ummmm I think you should do some research.

      2. So is it just ‘Calories In’ minus ‘Calories Out’?
        Do I account when I have a big poo? does that count as calories out?

    4. Add veggies to your plate before the protein and carbs- Make sure veggies cover half the plate, then serve yourself the protein (1/4 of the plate) and then the carbs.

      Replacing a shake for a meal- frozen fruit, handful of frozen spinach and kale, greek yogurt, chia seeds, hemp seeds

      The thing that worked for me best, but was the hardest, was to limit carbs to post-workout meals only.

    5. I finally lost the last 5 lbs after childbirth. My advice is 1. Find some relatively plain items you can eat that keep you full and satisfied for 3-4 hours and eat as much of it as you want for breakfast and/or lunch. For me it’s oatmeal cooked with cheese or eggs; black beans with hot sauce; cheesy grits; creamy lentil soup; breakfast sausage with toast. I find that those low-cal things like packaged snacks or shakes just give me a low-blood-sugar headache and make me want a soda an hour later. Also just put the cream in your coffee. It keeps your blood sugar steady (which darker coffee can mess with) and prevents you from wanting sweets after coffee. 2. Walk every day until you are physically tired (not a huge stretch for me with a toddler) and 3. Sleep until you are DONE at least once a week.

    6. I was in the same boat and started weight watchers in early March. I’ve tracked my meals/snacks on the app for the last 9 weeks, and am very happily down ten pounds, with almost no other lifestyle/exercise changes. It helped me realize what I was eating and where I could cut back. As a Type A person, I also found that tracking my points was a key to making sure I stuck with the diet and keeping myself accountable (though I did have a cheat day once a week where I went over).

    7. Check out the book Target 100 by Liz Josefsberg. She emphasizes changing habits in a gradual fashion so that you can maintain progress. Her tips have helped me lose ten pounds since March 1. I am losing weight in a sustainable manner that I feel I can maintain throughout my weight loss. It is not a fad diet and relies on simple tracking (tracking carbs and staying under 100G per day). She focuses on eating whole foods, upping water intake, (100 ounces a day) and increasing relaxation and exercise (100 minutes of each per week).

  19. How do you clean your floors? I’ve been using a mop with reusable, washable pads, but I don’t feel like it really gets the job done. I don’t want to use a Swiffer because of the plastic waste involved, but I would love tips for effective ways to do quick cleans that don’t involve me getting on my hands and knees.

    1. For mopping I use a spray mop with a microfiber pad. I think it’s OXO brand? I fill it with a mix of water and vinegar. I always vacuum and swiffer first (vacuum gets up most of the dirt and big stuff, swiffer picks up any remaining dust).

      I also have a small, light stick vacuum that is good for quick clean up when I don’t want to get out my giant Dyson.

      1. That is what I’m doing – I mentioned in my OP that the pads are reusable, but I didn’t mention it was with a spray mop style. I also do water, vinegar, and some all-purpose cleaner, but I do feel like the floors aren’t getting very clean.

        1. I don’t use any kind of cleanser or soap on floors – it can dry slightly sticky and actually attract more dirt and dust.

    2. Following – I scrubbed a spot of our wood floor where the cat made a mess this weekend, and was appalled that the surrounding floor was so dirty, despite regular cleaning!

    3. This is going to sound flippant but I don’t mean it that way: my floors are just not that clean. We vacuum weekly. I mop with a mop like they one you’re describing probably every other month. It’s fine. It really is. No one is doing sterile surgery in my house. The counters where I prepare food, those get thoroughly cleaned. The floors? I just don’t worry about it.

      1. Same. I wet-swiffer on occasion, but even with the rarity, the pads just don’t look that dirty. I’m fine with it.

    4. I have one of those spin buckets (I got mine on Amazon but I’ve seen Costco selling a similar one). It is a set of bucket and mop that is designed to wring the water out without getting your hands dirty. I love it.

    5. Also, do you wear shoes in the house? I’m not American but I’ve noticed this is a very American thing! No shoes = cleaner floors.

      1. +1 Before I hired someone, your socks would be dirty walking around on my floors. I cannot be bothered to worry about this.

      2. My housekeeper does a crappy job on the floors (but a great job everywhere else and the price is right, so I live with it). I (once a month or so) use my libman wonder mop with a bucket of hot water and a spash or two of vinegar and spoonful of baking soda mixed in (you would think they would neutralize each other, but it seems to work better with both, so not sure on the chemistry) and do the hardwoods downstairs to get a deeper clean. And I’ve just accepted that my 9 month old puts EVERYTHING into her mouth, and if it’s a choice between slightly dirty floors in our “no shoes” house vs. the actual soles of shoes that go outside (save us now) or other far more terribly items (dirty gym socks she snatched when no one was looking come to mind), I just let it go.

    7. I fill the sink of with water, add a little soap, and do a quick once over the floor with a regular old mop that has one of those handle wringer things on it. Then I refill it with plan water and remop it to get up any soap residue. I have one of those steam mops but honestly when I use that I just end up pouring some water on the floor to help it along.

    8. I used to use a Swiffer Wet Jet for my floors, but recently switched to a regular mop (sponge mop with a handle on the pole that wrings it out) and hot water/Pine Sol or Murphy’s Oil Soap and cannot believe how much cleaner it gets my floors. Plus, way less wasteful than the Swiffer. Game changer.

    9. What about wood/engineered wood? I’ve tried the fill-your-own mop using a little Murphy’s Oil Soap, or a steam mop, but both seems to leave a little haze. That said, I’m like the other poster that rarely gets around to this.

      1. I use a plain microfiber cloth on a swiffer (so I can wash and re-use). I’ve found the Libman hard floor cleaner works fine without being sticky – it’s a green solution sold next to the mops and brooms.

    10. I find those pad/spray mops are only good for in-between cleanings – to really get the floor clean, I use a Vileda microfibre mop (with a bucket that wrings it out), HOT water and cleaner (I like Mr Clean but I’m sure there are better options out there). And then I like to go over it one more time with plain hot water. The “easy-wring” mops linked above also look good. It’s a pain so I don’t do it as much as I should, but when I had a good housecleaner do it every 2 weeks it was magic.

    11. I cannot recommend a steam mop enough. It definitely does more but is equivalent effort to the swiffer mop et al. The steam pulls up more than just the spray and wipe mops. I use the shark. It was not expensive and I use the reusable pads, as well.

  20. Recommendations for our next book club? We’re co-ed, pretty intellectually-minded, and nerdy, but we’re all pretty busy, so shorter-length books are better.

      1. I just read this and really liked it. I think it would be great for a book club, though it does discuss miscarriage and other fertility issues that could be problematic for some people in the wrong environment.

    3. Martha Wells’ ALL SYSTEMS RED — it’s an exciting and action-packed scifi novella that can provoke a lot of thoughtful discussion about personhood, and it was just nominated for the Hugo this year.

    5. My (non-fiction) book club recently read The Stranger in the Woods by Michael Finkle and it was a huge hit across the broad spectrum of our members (from retired teachers to young professionals to musicians and artists of all ages and both genders). It was a very quick read that provided a lot of conversation fodder, positive and negative.

      Our next pick is Hillbilly Elegy, which I have been putting off reading because I am not excited about it. I am considering just listening to the audio book because I have a long road trip coming up ahead of our next meeting. I read the runner up (and hopefully our next-next pick!) right after and LOVED it: Born A Crime by Trevor Noah.

      A previous runner up that I also read and enjoyed was Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson. It would probably be best for a younger, weirder crowd that is comfortable talking about mental health.

        1. That is exactly my impression of it (having not yet read it…) Very much not looking forward to reading it, but we have a diverse group and the vote came down in favor of Hillbilly Elegy. And I like bing a responsible book club member. So, read it, I shall. Just begrudgingly.

          My only positive spin so far is that someone mentioned it was a fast read.

      1. I could not get into this one. It’s gotten such great reviews though!

    8. Have you read the Miles Morales Spiderman book? It’s actually really deep and interesting for a superhero topic.

      Also Born A Crime by Trevor Noah is amazing.

    9. Defending Jacob is my favorite book club pick. Catches your attention, easy to read, lends itself to good discussion.

      1. I first heard of that book here and liked it a lot. It’s more thought-provoking than most in that genre.

    10. Real American by Julie Lythcott-Haims. I think it’s an important addition to the national discussion on race. It’s also really well written and engaging.

    11. Do No Harm by Dr. Henry Marsh (nonfiction). He’s a British neurosurgeon writing about neuroscience and ethical issues in treating decisions, along with problems with the healthcare system. Although his experience is obviously with Britain’s system, it sets up easily for a great discussion on our system. Top choice of our book club.

    12. My book club read Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi yesterday, and everyone really liked it. It reads like a collection of short stories, even though it’s all one book, so it’s easy to fit in around busy lives.

    14. Sing Unburied Sing
      The Underground Railroad
      The Sympathizer
      The Genius of Birds
      The Notorious RBG

  21. Recommendations for a resort in Puerto Rico with Middle School age boys? Two or three families, one of them is very set on Puerto Rico, I’m open to anywhere. I thought an all inclusive would be fun for them with their current crazy appetites. I’ve searched online a little but I’m not finding one that stands out. Six boys from 15-12 and one 16 yo girl who will probably be bringing a friend!

    1. I thought PR can’t do all inclusive? Something about it being banned for US/territories?

      2. I don’t know about PR but there is a Club Med in Florida so I don’t think all-inclusives are banned in the US.

      3. That could explain why I’m not finding much!

        I think I’ll work on my friend to go to Mexico I think the kids could spend an entire week moving from one restaurant/ice cream shop/buritto place/coffee shop to the next with a little pool and beach mixed in.

        1. I personally think PR would be way more fun for 12-16 year old kids than a resort in Mexico. PR has stuff like hiking to waterfalls, rainforest ziplining, kayaking in a bioluminescent bay, etc. that my pre-teen would love. Resorts where all there is to do is pool/beach/eat/repeat are best for burned out adults and little kids who are too young for the adventurous stuff.

          2. I went to PR for my honeymoon and it is true that they don’t really have all inclusives. I think there is only one and it isn’t in San Juan (this was 2011 so perhaps that is changed). Not sure if this is for legal reasons or something else. The bioluminescent bay is fantastic, body surfing on the beach is always good, rainforest hiking and old town San Juan should round out a fun trip and appeal to all different types of teenage boys.

          3. Mexico has a lot of stuff to do but it sounds like OP is suggesting they just hangout at an AI and veg out all day.

    1. Meh….it’s a typo. I take issue with many things Kat does like not properly disclosing sponsorships and not reading the comments, but everyone makes typos.

  23. Can any Chicagoans tell me more about the safety of the Hyde Park area? My husband is going there for work (U of C) and suggested our baby and I accompany him (to the city, not to his work stuff). From what I can tell online the actual area around the university is fine but if you go too far to the north, south or west it can be dangerous. We’d be driving there and I’m a little concerned we’d accidentally wander into a really bad neighborhood trying to get there. (Apologies if this question seems silly or overly cautious – I probably wouldn’t have thought twice about this pre-baby but now I’m a paranoid mama bear).

      1. +1. Hyde Park is a great neighborhood. GPS will get you to your destinations – don’t miss out on a fun trip to an awesome city based on this silly and outdated perception of the neighborhood.

      2. I had both my babies while we lived in HP. It’s a great neighborhood. Doll, there’s a Whole Foods there now. I mean.

    2. I live in HP – you will be fine. You will likely have to drive through some tough neighborhoods to get there, unless you take Lake Shore Drive coming in from the north or south, but the neighborhood itself is very safe.

      1. Just take Lake Shore Drive to get there if you are driving – the area from the lake to the campus is fine. Coming from a U of C grad with native Chicagoan parents and a family of Chicago cops. Also, if you’re not used to driving in Chicago, recommend leaving the car parked somewhere and taking public transit. U of C is difficult to get to via the El, but the buses that run up and down lake shore drive to downtown are great.

    3. There are some intimidating areas around Hyde Park, like in a lot of cities, but you’ll be fine. If you are actually going to Hyde Park with him, just park the car there and take the Metra Electric to Millennium Station and you will be right in the middle of downtown with a million things to do.

    5. Adding to the chorus that HP is great and perfectly safe. Agree with either taking the Metra or driving down Lake Shore Drive to get there. If staying downtown and depending on age of baby, don’t miss Maggie Daley park.

        1. Is it? I haven’t been yet, but drive by it all the time and from the road…. what are those ugly Praying mantis looking lights there for?

          What is so nice about this park?

          On the other hand, I love the walking torso’s further south…..

    6. Clearly the tens of thousands of people who live in Hyde Park and the immediate surroundings manage to get to and from their neighborhood every day without serious bodily harm. Do you really think that everyone who lives there/works at UofC stays in the neighborhood 100% of the time and never leaves for fear of…whatever?

      Also, FWIW, the area immediately south of Hyde Park (Woodlawn) is fine, and the neighborhoods to the southeast are pretty nice as well (Jackson Park, South Shore). The neighborhood to the immediate north (Kenwood) has some of the nicest homes in the city (i.e., where the Obamas lived) and even north of that pocket, it is fine too. Immediately west, Washington Park can be a bit rough, but plenty of people commute to and from HP via 90/94 and Garfield Blvd every day.

      The south side of Chicago is great. Don’t believe the r*cist media hype.

  24. In higher ed. Heard boss (director) and one faculty talking – faculty turned to smirk at me. I approached and my boss said “I would have quit a long time ago if I were you. I don’t know how you do it.” The program received bad news the day prior from external accreditor. I didn’t know what to say so I walked away. It kept me up each night over the weekend.
    Should I address this with boss? I’ve tried to manage up as much as possible since I’ve been here for almost two years. Even got promoted and 20k raise 5 months ago. What do I say? Or say nothing and just start looking for new job?

    1. What? Why? You just got bad news? You’re sticking with it? I do not see the issue here at all.

    2. That’s a weird comment for a boss to make, but is it possible that s/he was trying to sympathize? Maybe they were trying to say they admire your perseverance on the project. Unless there’s other weird stuff going on, it sounds like you’re kicking a$$ on a tough project.

    3. In higher ed, too. Not enough information here. Are you in some way responsible for fixing the situation that the accreditor found? (I assume you are not responsible for the mismanagement that has now been discovered.) Or do you simply have to communicate around the issue (crisis management) as the situation goes public? And how is this your problem, but not the director’s?

      Does sound like a good time to dust off your resume, if only so that you see what other options there may be for you across campus.

    4. I think this post is fake because “higher ed” and “20k raise” don’t belong in the same sentence. I’m also in higher ed and I’m lucky if I get a 1k raise each year. My husband is faculty and gets a lot more than me but nowhere near 20k!

      1. At my institution, a large raise like this would require jumping to a new “pay band”–adding significant management responsibilities, say.

        Pugs: Yes, it struck me that it could be a really awkward attempt to be complimentary, while covering the fact that they were talking about her and the miracle they’re expecting her to work?

  25. OMG. I had scheduled PTO today and I completely forgot about it. I’ve been working quietly at my desk all morning, thinking how lovely it’s been to have uninterrupted time without meetings, and to catch up on expenses and sfdc entry.

  26. Every time I wander in BR I leave empty-handed, b/c I can’t figure out which of their pant types (if any) will work with a curvy bottom half (am a pear – waist a size smaller than hips/rear). Their descriptions don’t help – it sounds like everything is cut straight , which is not what my flatters my saddle bags. Nothing kills my shopping mojo more than trying on a pair of pants in my size, only to find they do not want to pull up over my thighs, or cut me in a way that just looks awful. I”d rather wander over to another store. But I do hear great things on this site about BR so hoping one of you can guide me.

    1. All of their styles fit me, and I don’t have a big difference between my waist and hips. My suggestion is to skip trying on pants at BR or plan to go up a size and take in the waist.

      1. Yeah, maybe try Ann Taylor curvy fit, Talbots makes one I think, maybe others will chime in. I have always sensed BR was not for our shape but perhaps that’s unfair.

    2. As a fellow pear, I do not believe BR currently has a pant fit designed for pears or curvy people. They used to, but it disappeared. Now their fits are more about the shape of the pant than the shape of the person. The Logan (which is a trouser fit) is the best I think, but I still end up buying 1-2 sizes up and having the waist taken in a lot.

      1. Ditto. I used to buy all of my work pants from BR but nothing there fits anymore. When they switched their pant cuts a few years ago, they got rid of the Martin fit which always fit me. Their new “curvy” pant doesn’t fit. Loft usually has a good selection of curvy pants. Side note – BR clothing has been so terrible the last few years. Everything has ruffles, or huge sleeves, or is cropped. Who is buying this stuff?

        1. I’m not particularly curvy, but Martin used to fit my “athletic” body type. Every other fit seems, to me, like it is for a curvy person. Or a person with a big, round behind.

    3. I am curvy/pear shaped. None worked for me.

      Loft Julie fit and Express Publicist work for me. But they don’t carry Publicist in many stores and only a few styles exist in Publicist cut online. And in Loft Julie I wear a 2 and Express Publicist I wear an 8…. so there’s that.

      I hate buying pants……

      1. I wear a six in my Loft Julie pants and they are pretty loose. Their sizing is so weird. I’m generally an 8-12 everywhere else.

    4. I’m a pear, and the Logan and Ryan cuts both fit me really well. Stay away from the Sloans, those are definitely meant for straighter figures.

  27. If a program isnt getting accredited, that’s a far-gone sign of systemic problems that likely started a while ago.

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