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Frugal Friday’s TPS Report: Asymmetrical Silk Top

Trouvé Asymmetrical Silk Top | CorporetteOur daily TPS reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices. This asymmetrical silk blouse looks great — the relaxed fit feels easy and unfussy, and I like the details at the collar. Many colors of the blouse are alllmost sold out, which is always a good sign. It looks like Nordstrom has other colors still at full price ($68) (with good reviews attached, too); the pictured blouse is on sale for $40. Trouvé Asymmetrical Silk Top Seen a great piece you’d like to recommend? Please e-mail tps@corporette.com. (L-3)

Sales of note for 12.5

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

Some of our latest threadjacks include:

118 Comments

  1. I like this blouse!

    Immediate thread jack.

    The guy I recently started dating shared with me that he has herpes. We have not yet had sex. I am fine with this and it is not a deal breaker. We have agreed to both get fully tested for STDs, including the blood test to determine what type he has so that we/I can make decisions about how to manage it moving forward. He has said he is willing to go on medication and, obviously, use condoms. I am the first person he has dated after he found out he has it and the poor thing was so nervous. I am so thankful that he told me and that he is willing to manage it proactively and protect me however he can.

    Now to the question: can those of you who either have herpes or have dated someone with it give me a real-life this is how I/me and my partner manage it, etc. I plan to talk to my doctor about all of this as well, just wanted to hear other people’s experiences. Thanks!

    1. Yay Kat! I love Fruegal Friday’s but am NOT a big fan of this asymetrical blouse. It kind of look’s like something someone like a Nurse Jackie wear’s but after a doctor start’s pawing around the boobie area! FOOEY! It is important for us women to maintain our dignatiy and NOT let doctor’s grab our boobie’s unless they are doeing an examination. DOUBEL FOOEY on Doctor’s that need cheep thrills with our bodie’s!

      BTW, Kat, there is a typo in your script. You said “allmost” when the word is spelled “almost”. But none of us are perfect. YAY!

      As for the OP, I know it sound’s tough, but you do NOT want to go thru life with a guy you can NOT be inimate with for fear of herpe’s. Also, you do NOT want to have herpe’s and try for a natural childbirth b/c that could give the baby herpes. I know you think this is tough, but do NOT get sexueal with this man. You deserve a full sex life and that mean’s without herpetal infection. I do NOT have sex with any man until they get STD tested and that is what dad told me b/c when he was young, they knew about certain VD’s, but not all. Now there is alot of more serius types of diseases includeing Aids, Clamedia, Herpes, Syphilis and Gonorea, and others like crabs, scabies and other GROSS stuff. If a guy comes calling with this stuff, show him and his weenie to the door IMMEDIATELY. There is no shame in keeping your knees locked when men do NOT fess up. That is why I insisted that Sheketovits get a complete physical, and the few other guy’s I have had sex with had to get a CLEAN bill of health from an MD, not some schlub at a clinic. Also, no DMD’s or DVMs or whatever. Fake doctors I do not want, and would NEVER date or marry either!

      I DO feel rather strongly about this b/c I live in NYC where men are very promisucus, and will poke their weenies in as many women that will let them. Be smart, just say FOOEY and move on to another man. I know this may sound strong, but I am SERIUS. FOOEY! FOOEY! FOOEY!

    2. I suggest checking out some of Dan Savage’s commentary on this STD. I think you’ll find it comforting as he really takes the drama out of it and acknowledges how incredibly common it is, and how it’s not a big deal.

      Also, you probably don’t need me to point this out, but that’s a very good sign that he is being open and honest with you (in particular before s-x). He seems like a keeper!

        1. Thanks! I agree that his openness is a good sign. This honestly is not a big deal to me as I know it’s manageable, but I do like to be informed.

          Thank you for the Dan Savage recommendation!

    3. I have been dating someone with herpes (HSV1) for 2 years. He was very upfront about it when we first met (thank God). He takes Valtrex daily. He is prone to outbreaks when he gets run down; so staying healthy, unstressed and well rested is key for him. It’s pretty simple…when he has an outbreak, we don’t have sex. HSV1 can normally only be transmitted during an outbreak. And, GASP, we don’t use condoms (I have an IUD). IMO, Herpes is not a big deal. There’s a lot of crap out there that can kill you…Herpes is not one of those things.

    4. Ex-H disclosed that he had herpes when we first started going out. This was pre-Valtrex initially. We were careful for a long time, using condoms at first and then just watching for outbreaks and abstaining then. I did finally get it — after 22 years together. I was a bit bummed — and maybe more so now that we’re splitting and I’ll be back in the dating pool and having to disclose myself — but it’s mostly no big deal.

  2. Has anyone worked with a career/resume/interview coach in the DC area? My husband was recently unemployed, is now re-employed, but he’s not excited about the position and hopes to find something else in the fairly near future. We’re hoping to find someone to help him focus his future search, improve his resume, etc. Just doing a quick search online, these services seem a lot more expensive than I anticipated. We don’t mind paying for quality services, but we’d hate to put down a chunk of money for worthless advice. He reached out to his university’s career office and didn’t receive any assistance at all…they just told him that his resume looked great (which isn’t really true) and didn’t make any suggestions.

    Thanks in advance!

      1. +1 to AAM, and occasionally she will post resume-writing services. Not sure how often, but it was only $99 last time she posted the offer (may 12, 2014).

        1. I cosign the AAM recommendation, but she did a resume review offer within the last month or so–suspect there won’t be another for probably at least a year.

    2. To be honest, I don’t really see much value in these types of services, but perhaps it depends on your field. If you say his resume doesn’t look great, can you point out what specifically doesn’t and fix it yourselves?

    4. Not local to you, but the guy I went to does this for jobseekers around the country. It’s an initial phone session and then he works with you on the resume: http://www.aaatargeted.com/ I was pleased with the results. His website is not too fancy — and neither is he — but the work is solid.

  3. Shopping help! I’d like to purchase a sturdy, rather large leather tote – I won’t be traveling with my laptop in it, but I will probably have multiple phones, files, etc. that I’d like to carry. I’m leaning towards the Mulberry Willow Tote or a Bayswater Buckle – anyone have any first hand experience with either? Or other suggestions? My preference is for a red or oxblood color (grey would work too), something a bit more fashion-y than a plain leather tote but still very classic, and I’d prefer to keep it to $2.5k or under.

    1. This is totally not answering your question, but why? Any large leather tote with multiple files and things in it will be very heavy so I stay away from them altogether. I’d much rather go with a good nylon tote (Tumi or Longchamp) or canvas one (Filson) rather than real leather, if only to save my shoulders.

    2. I like Ghurka. They don’t get misshapen from too much stuff inside and they look very professional. I don’t like nylon and soft leather ones for this reason — they may be lighter, but they look bad very quickly.

  4. My husband and I currently have separate bank accounts but have one joint credit card which is what we use for almost all of our purchases. At the end of every month, he pays off the cc but if he does not have enough then I pay the rest of. We are in the process of buying a house and will have a mortgage soon enough. I was thinking it is time to get a joint bank account to make things easier. For those who do have a joint bank account or for those who do not, what are the pros and cons? TIA

    1. It’s been five years since we got married, and we haven’t combined our accounts through sheer inertia. (though we consider all finances “ours,” whether credit, debt, income…). The plus to having separate accounts: we use mine as the “savings” one, and the hubs for all expenses (so we’re essentially saving my salary while living off his). We are planning to combine accounts soon, since his bank started charging him for checking.

      We considered a house purchase last year, and it would have been one less account to keep supplying updated statements for. Going forward, I think it’ll be easier to keep track of just how much we have, since it’ll be in one pot.

    2. To me, the biggest pro is that I get to do whatever I want with the money left over after we’ve done all the responsible things we do (savings, bills, etc.).

      I have the same set up as you right now, except we split the credit card down the middle. The joint cc is only for purchases that affect both of us – grocery, dog food/medicine, meals out together, trips. We have our own ccs for stuff we do solo. I make slightly more than him, after bonuses are added in, but not enough that it really matters. If that changes, our system may change so it keeps being fair. We use the iphone app Venmo to pay each other (i.e. I pay the mortgage, and he sends me half the amount due) – it’s a really easy and free way to transfer money, so we have not seen a reason to have a joint account yet.

    3. If you already are paying for almost all of your purchases together, I don’t see why you shouldn’t get a joint account. The only two reasons I can think of for not having a joint account are 1) you have to figure out some system for buying gifts for each other without the other seeing them, and 2) if in the terrible event that one of you unilaterally decides to leave the marriage, that person might take all of the money and shut the other out. My husband and I dealt with #1 by not looking at the credit or debit card statement close to holidays and birthdays, and I simply couldn’t fathom either of us doing #2 totally by surprise. I respect other couples’ decision to have separate finances, but for us personally it makes it feel like we’re more of a “team” combining them.

    4. My husband and I have a joint checking account, joint savings accounts and separate credit cards in our names (but these get paid out of the joint checking so they’re basically joint). It’s a lot simpler to pay bills now and we don’t have to worry about “owing” each other half or some portion of the bills each month. Our retirement amounts, savings amounts and credit cards bill get paid out automatically, and then we can use what’s leftover. We both just tend to make splurge purchases individually and haven’t had any disputes yet. I tend to think of both of our incomes as our money so hope that wouldn’t change if one of us made significantly more or less. We talk through larger purchases – over $200 or $300 or so.

    5. I think it is more convenient. My BF and I just officially moved in together and decided to split household expenses 60/40, with the person who earns less paying less. We made a budget that covers his mortgage (it’s his house), groceries, utilities, and a little extra for going out together or going to the movies, and we each deposit our share at the beginning of each month. (We also each contributed to a significant cushion that will prevent us from over-drafting even with two people using the same card). We are able to put many of the bills on auto-pay this way. We agreed on what purchases can come out of that account and that for any one item over $100 we will consult the other before purchase. Works so far. And beyond our contribution to the joint account, we each keep our own money/credit cards. Also from a practical standpoint if we break up it’s easy to divide the money again because we each own a percentage of it.

    6. Everything we have is joint and has been since the day we got married. It was important for us psychologically. I guess the downside is that if one of you is a bigger spender than the other, it’s harder to track unless you have a budget you follow (which we do). But I think the joint account just makes it very clear that this is *our* money, no matter who put more or less in. For us, I think having separate accounts would have made us feel less married.

    7. We have everything joint, EVERYTHING, except for retirement accounts which are in my name or DH’s name only, and a couple of store credit cards that only I have.

      We jointed up everything when we moved in together, so have never had separate accounts. It works really well because neither of us is an excessive spender and we don’t bother each other about spending money on the things we like (me: clothes, DH: random tech, knives, and archery).

      1. Also all joint. I think it’s super easy. We have checking, savings, and a couple credit cards. All bills and various loan payments are paid on auto-pay from the checking account. Checking account automatically transfers a set amount into savings every two weeks. I manually pay the full balance on the credit cards every paycheck. We keep open communication lines about fun spending and so far haven’t run into any problems. We track everything on Mint and both have access to the same Mint account.

    8. Interesting that in past similar threads, most responses have been about a yours, mine, ours system of joint and individual accounts, but today it’s all about the joint all the way.

      DH and I have individual checking accounts and a joint savings account. We can transfer between the joint and either individual, so it’s simple. I make more money, and pay the majority of the shared bills from my account because I’m better at deadlines that he is. The shared bills coming out of his account are on auto-pay. Ultimately, it’s better for both of us to make large financial decisions together, but keep the smaller ones to ourselves.

    9. Thanks everyone! Your comments are very helpful.

      Currently, I make more than double what DH makes. He still pays all the bills but I have to chip in too because his income does not cover everything. My account is mostly savings + money gets taken out for student loans. We both charge almost everything that can be charged on our joint credit card. Only things that do not get charged are car and loan payments. So I’m wondering, is there a point to even getting a joint bank account because we already kind of have a “joint” system? And we both know the login information for both of our bank accounts so it’s not like we are hiding stuff from each other. Thoughts?

      1. I have to say that to me, it’s not really a “joint” system if either one is still worried about who makes more, or anyone views themselves as chipping in on expenses that benefit both people. Separate fun money accounts for each of us plus joint savings and joint checking for everything else is what works for us.

      2. Is your name on his account and is his name on yours? I’d suggest adding them, because if something were to happen to you and he needed to get money out of your account (or vice versa) its much easier if the accounts are joint accounts- even if you still manage them as if they were individual. We’ve found it most useful when one of our accounts or debit cards is compromised and we don’t have access to one of the accounts when we are waiting on new cards (thank you, Target and Home Depot data security breaches) or when my account was compromised and we didn’t want to mix real transactions in with the fraudulent ones so we only used his account.

        I’d suggest considering a joint account for the mortgage and car payments, especially if you can both split your direct deposit into 2 different banks as a way to ease into a joint account.

      3. If you’re asking if there’s a point, we’ve been married for 25+ years and gotten mortgages without having joint accounts, but with 100% transparency, like you.

    10. If nothing else, you should talk to your mortgage broker and/or real estate agent about what kind of check you will need to produce for earnest money or down payment. I read good advice here once about making sure you have a local bank account (and checkbook) for that reason – when you put down earnest money, you have to write a check on the spot, which you can’t do with online only banks without paper checks.

      When we were first married, we had 2 checking accounts with 2 different banks, and each of us was “responsible” for one of the accounts and paying certain bills, while the other handled the other account and other bills. We were both listed on both accounts as joint accounts, but we each only carried “our” debit card and checkbook – so the debit card with my name on it for “his” account we kept in the safe (and same with his card for “my” account). It worked well for us since we were living pretty much paycheck to paycheck at that point, so we didn’t have to worry about him writing a rent check the same day I made a car payment and winding up with overdrafts – we each kept track of “our” account and what checks or payments were still outstanding, and if one dipped low we used only the other person’s account for eating out or groceries that month, or wrote a check from one account to the other.

      When we moved across the country, we closed both of those accounts and went to a fully joint system. If you are buying a house, I suggest you open a joint account at least for the mortgage payments at the bank that holds the mortgage and direct deposit or auto transfer into that. We found that when we went fully joint, having one account for the fixed monthly expenses (mortgage, student loans, car payment, auto and life insurance, cell phone, internet, etc) where the correct amount was direct deposited each month was the best way to go for us – then our other joint checking (and linked savings) account was for everyday purchases like groceries, and variable bills like gas and electric.

      Now we have a much more complicated financial situation (rental properties, he runs his own business) so we have 4 checking accounts, multiple mortgages and loans and then only advice I can give is to have one person assigned to be the “manager” for each account – you both have access to all the accounts, but one person keeps track of whether their account has any big outstanding money about to come in or out, especially if you don’t actually actively balance your checkbook but rather just look at online banking systems and hold outstanding checks in your head or have a bunch of auto-payments

      1. Real time experience here: I’m closing on my house Tuesday. We have an online bank and we provided a check within 48 hours for downpayments… twice.

        I’m in a very competitive market (Boston) and the earnest money/producing a check on the spot had zero bearing on whether our offer was considered. In fact, because our broker does it all electronically, we sent a copy of our check. When we had an offer accepted (happened twice as we had to walk away from one) that’s when we had to produce the real check, but we had ample time to do that – we were told on X day and X+3 days later they needed a paper check. After the initial good faith deposit the rest was done/will be done via wire transfer.

        1. Good to know. That’s why I suggested asking – I wasn’t sure if this was necessary advice or just one realtor’s suggestion.

    11. I would wait to set up a joint account until you know which bank will be your mortgage lender. We get .25% off for having a direct withdrawal set up from an account with our lender.

    12. All of you with separate accounts MUST get financial powers of attorney. Even if you are married, you cannot access those accounts without legal authority, so if something happens to one of you, it can easily get very complicated.

  5. I’ve been feeling compelled to buy a lot of lately. I’m still well within my budget, so there’s not really a problem, but I really am not a person who likes to spend money or have more than just what I really need. I’m bothered by my trend in this direction. How do I want less?

    2. Are your purchases unsatisfying? I find that if I buy something I only kind of like, then I am not satisfied by it. Like, I bought a pair of summer sandals but they are not AWESOME so I still want to get a pair of summer sandals.

      I would say a good way to want less is to buy nice things first, not stuff that is only kind of meh. You should actually like what you own.

    3. It’s fairly straightforward – if you really want to cut back on shopping, stop visiting shopping sites because shopping sites make you want to shop.

      1. Also, I found it helpful to share your shopping ban with others, especially people with whom you live. Then stay off shopping websites, Pinterest, etc. Also filter your “coupons” emails so you don’t see them.

        When I got the urge to shop, I would fill up a cart online and then close the window. By the next day I had totally forgotten what I put in them. :)

      2. I put everything on a wish list so that when I feel compelled to buy something I can compare it to the things I really want to buy. I make myself wait to buy things so I can rationally think them through instead of making dumb choices in the instant, which is how I made most of my dumb purchases in the past.

        1. Yes, I love the Amazon wish list bookmarklet. That way I can easily save something I “want” – and then I go back days later and I’m all, “I wanted that weird blouse?” or “I definitely do not need that candle.” Delete off the wish list, boom.

          But to address the OP – this is totally Projecting 101 because this is what *I* do, but are you feeling out of control in any area of your life? My binge shopping times usually go around periods of uncertainty or feelings of being out of control (like, major house renovations that disrupt my life, work stuff, relationship things) and shopping is a weird way for me to feel in control of my life.

          This is not good, but now that I know it, I can acknowledge it and tell myself to stop.

          1. Yes to coming back to things, both online and in real life. My shopping goes in waves, usually in January, June, and September. If I try something on in a store but I’m not sure, I take a picture of it, and if I’m still thinking about it a couple of days later, I’ll go back and buy it. If it’s sold out by that point, that’s probably fine. I’ve put things on my Amazon wishlist that I’m still thinking about a year later, and at that point, I’ll track it down and end up wearing it to death.

    4. For me, if I find myself spending lots of time online shopping or browsing, it’s usually a sign that I’m stressed out about something else. If I feel insecure, my (unfortunate) first response is to somehow buy something feminine to make up for it. Hence, I have ~300 dollars of eyeshadow, even though I’m a tinted moisturizer and mascara kind of gal.

      Maybe there’s something triggering your desire to shop, as well?

  6. Where else can I find blouses like this? I like the looser fit and that it doesn’t seem to be sheer. I HATE sheer! :) Any suggestions for similar looks in the under $50 price range? Thoughts on the Pleione blouses at Nordstrom?

    1. I think it’s going to be hard to find one in a light color that isn’t sheer. I really, really want the Pleione one in true white, which of course is not available in my size right now. I want a 3/4 or long sleeve one, which seem incredibly hard to find in the color and size that I want in a plain style. UGH.

    2. The pleione blouses at Nordstrom are my hands down favorite. I think I have about 5. Some of the patterns are cut slightly differently than the solids so try them on. The white is still pretty sheer but all the other colors aren’t.

    4. Fit on the Pleione blouses? They look a little boxy. I am busty and shortwaisted so boxy doesn’t always work.

      2. Large and sort of boxy. They’re nicely made, but I am athletically built and a 32B, and they always gape off my chest. I feel like being larger chested would help, but sho knows.

        1. I am pear shaped, small on top 34A and tall. This top is very large and boxy. Comfortable, not really flattering on me, and this shape means too casual and low cut for work. I agree that a larger chest could make it work.

    5. I have a long-sleeved one and love it–it’s a pattern, not too sheer but I still wear a tank top under it. I’m tall and thin, and it works well with pencil skirts for me. They do run large/boxy–I’m 32C/usually a M, but a small in this blouse.

  7. A belated thank you for the SF recommendations last month. We had an amazing trip – spent loads of quality time with my parents in suburbia,spent a few days in Pacific Grove, and a 12 mile Cb-directed walking tour of SF. We ended up at Tartine for brunch, went to Alamo Square, walked through Golden Gate Park and then went to the Off the Grid at Fort Mason. A fairly mellow introduction to the city but we’re hoping to make a biannual trip.

    1. ooo fun! Those are some of the best highlights, so you did good. But there are still 5 million things, so you will have plenty of other things to check out. ;o)

  8. My apartment got broken into on Sunday. During the day. At 4pm…..

    I live in a vintage condo building (I rent from owner). I was gone for the day. The intruders broke through the front door to the building with a crowbar, then through the lobby door, then through my double bolt locked front door. Easy. The went through every bag, drawer, cabinet and even through my medicines and under my mattress. After ransacking my place, they went out through my back door and broke down the back door to my neighbors condo, and robbed her. Took all of her laptops, small electronics, jewelry.

    It turns out my exact apartment was robbed 5 years ago, and my landlord never told me. It turns out my building has had multiple break-ins over the years, and they don’t tell the residents. It is a condo building, self-managed and no one goes to meetings (I am not allowed, as a renter). And they don’t tell the residents anything. This shocked me.

    My building is almost all single women. I can’t believe they don’t tell people about crimes, so we can be more vigilant or even decide to move if we aren’t comfortable. The cops told me that the building is not obligated to tell me about crimes that occur. So I asked them where I can go to find out if/when crimes are occurring in my building and they said ….”I’m not sure…”

    Just…. crazy…

    I am actually incredibly lucky, as they didn’t take anything. I had my laptop/phone/tablet with me at the time. My valuables are actually things that are not typically stolen/identified, and I keep jewelry in an atypical place that they didn’t find.

    This experience was a good reminder to me that anyone who really wants to get into your place, usually can. Do not keep valuables out in the open and in typical places. Make sure you have home owners/renters insurance, and if you have items of value, realize that a typical policy does not cover very much for expensive jewelry/electronics/art etc… and you need additional riders to cover those items in full. Make a list of all your valuables, ideally with serial numbers and receipts (!), or at a bare minimum…. walk through your home and take pictures of everything. And finally, get to know your neighbors….. It turns out that multiple people saw someone unfamiliar trying to get in our back door, then leaving with items etc… and no one did/said anything.

    1. So awful. I’m sorry. I know you feel violated even though they didn’t take anything.

      1. Thanks for your support. I am sorry to say that this is not my first break-in. The last break-in happened when I lived on the East Coast, and they broke in at 7:30am while I was home alone sleeping. They just broke down the door with one swoop. I screamed and screamed and scared them away. That one was rough, and I was on edge for months.

        And the sad thing again, was that no one heard me scream, and no one came to help….. I swore after that I would always live in larger buildings with more neighbors, but that is still no guarantee help will come.

        1. I also had someone try to break in while I was home, back when I was in college. It totally shakes your sense of security in the world. Part of the reason I live in a high rise now.

    2. Someone else mentioned it here and so I ordered SimpliSafe and I ordered it and I really like it. You can get 10% off with the code Friend10. It’s customizable to the size of your condo, has no contract and you can install it yourself, and you can get a panic button in addition to the standard alarm system – I keep it on my bedside table if I’m home alone.

      1. I live in the center of a large US city and it took the police 11 minutes to arrive at our home when someone was actively trying to break in. Panic buttons are great, but please also make sure you have a game-plan for what you’re going to do between the time you hit it and the time the cops show up.

        1. 11 minutes is great, compared to how fast it would take them if you live in a predominantly minority area of town ….

          1. That is true, absolutely. My point was simply that a panic button is a great way to quickly notify the police that you need help, but you still need a game plan for the time period between notification and them actually arriving.

        2. This is always what I don’t know. Do I try to hide? Do I try to get out of a window? Do I barricade myself in? I don’t know how you determine what is best.

          1. I think this probably depends on the situation, but my general thought is that it’s best to get out if that is possible to do safely. We have a back door, and I’ve always thought that if someone breaks in the front, I’m bolting out the back and running as far as I can.

          2. You get out if you can, otherwise you start screaming “FIRE!! FIRE!! FIRE!!”

            At least that’s what I did, and it worked.

            When I was in grade school, they had all the girls take a self-defense class. They taught us that if you are grabbed on the street, you should not just scream because people ignore screams…. especially if they are from kids/high voices because they think people are just playing. Similarly, don’t yell “Help”. People will ignore you for similar reasons, or sometimes be scared and hide themselves, or just assume someone else will call the cops.

            You yell FIRE!! Everyone’s instinct is to come and look when there’s a fire. Everyone is worried about whether the FIRE will spread to their home, and are more likely to call 911.

            Sad… but true.

          3. I think every woman should take a self-defense class at least once in her life. There is so much you learn. And this would be something the instructor would talk about or you could ask them and they could help you figure out some good plans.

      2. This might be a good option for me because I rent. Did you find it easy to install?

        1. Yes. To be honest, my boyfriend did the installation, but it did not look hard. We had people breaking into our apartment building the crowbar method, so mostly I wanted the part of the system that calls the police if the door is opened while the alarm is armed. Also you can give people individual codes and see online when they are entered, so I can know that the dog walker came that day and when, or deactivate the PIN for the old housekeeper when I switch housekeepers.

          1. Thank you so much for this information. This really looks like a great option. I am going to consider this. My neighbors have both set up ADT systems already, but I have hesitated because I hate those endless high-priced contracts.

            Can you easily dis-assemble it and take it your next apartment when you move? Fabulous….. just fabulous…

          2. I think I was the one that first recommended Simplisafe on here and I still love it. It paid for itself in the first year we had it. Our door mysteriously opened in the middle of the day. No sign of forced entry. Police think it was bad wind. I think someone used my hidden key and got spooked off by my dog. No way to know for sure. Either way, the alarm went off, the police were sent and within 5 minutes (I live right near the PD) they got to my house where there was a wide open front door. I was less concerned about my possessions but that my pets could have run out into the busy road. They “cleared” my house and re-secured it for me all while I was at work. (Totally embarrassed about the state of my house at the time. Some things were out in the open I would normally put away if guests were coming by lol).

            I also agree with having a safety plan. Getting away is best but have a plan if you can’t. Also, test your plan. Our plan was tested when our alarm went off one night and I could not wake up my husband. Not something we ever thought would happen.

      3. My mistake – there is a monthly service charge of $14.99 (no contract) + $350 to receive the basic package components. I still like the flexibility though and many perks compared with ADT.

        So in the end it is definitely cheaper than ADT (I got quote of $47.99 per month with $240 to install and $200 for city permit from ADT in my location, although installation charges can often be waived with ADT).

        1. Actually, it’s even cheaper for the basic package – about $250.

          I am definitely buying this. Thank you so much for the recs!

    3. So awful! I would be so much less concerned about stuff and so much more concerned about the fact that they broke in during the day on a weekend — they were either trying to find people home or just didn’t care. How scary. Do you have friends or family around who can help you make your place more secure? (or help you move?)

      1. Thanks TBK. Yes, I have learned from my break-ins that actually it is more common for break-ins to occur during the day – especially in apartments – when the intruders know most people are gone at work. But a Sunday… sheesh….

        It was interesting, but I was not so worried about my stuff when the cop first called to tell me my apartment had been ransacked. Thanks to recommendations on this site (!), I now wear my Mom’s beautiful diamond ring on my hand instead of keeping it in my jewelry box. That is the only thing I would have missed, except for a couple items that the typical burglar has no idea are valuable…. thank goodness.

        It would have been much more traumatic if my apartment had been trashed, as that image would be seared into my brain. Fortunately, they were very neat….

        I’m not sure how much more I can do to make my place more secure. I am pushing the building to secure the outside doors better with newer locks and possibly cameras. But there’s only so much you can do. So I appreciate the recommendations about security systems, which I am now considering.

        God, I HATE moving….. but maybe….

    4. This is one of my worst nightmares…oddly it freaks me out more than if I were actually at home. I’m so sorry to hear that happened to you. It’s one of the reasons I’m slightly reticent to buy a condo in a 5-6 unit vintage building vs. one in a 100+ unit one with a doorman.

      Do you mind if I ask where you live?

      1. Thanks. I hear you.

        But I guarantee you, it is much scarier when it happens to you when you are home. I am so grateful that I wasn’t home this time. Then I would have to move for sure.

        I almost bought in this building, and had been strongly considering it until this break-in happened. It is true that you do have added security with a doorman…. plus the expense.

        I live in what is described as an “urban suburb” right on the edge of Chicago.

        3. 24 hr doormen and key fob entrance only still isn’t a guarantee. I lived in a condo in one of the most expensive neighborhoods right in downtown Chicago, and our place was burglarized on a Monday afternoon. They went through every single drawer in our bedroom / closet until they found my jewelry and took anything of value and lots that had only sentimental value (e.g., costume jewelry from my beloved deceased Grandmother). We recovered nothing and insurance was a joke. Personally, I think it was an inside job or someone that the window washers tipped off that our place was unoccupied

          Now I have a safe deposit box at the bank and a motion / noise activated security camera that sends me alerts anytime something moves; we’ve tried a few different cameras and the Canary system is our favorite. Highly recommend for peace of mind while away.

    5. Any chance a dog is an option? They can be great deterrents because many burglars don’t want to hassle with them and will just go next door. We have 3 very large dogs. None of them are aggressive, but one of them doesn’t like new people and reacts in an aggressive manner when people come to the door. Whenever we have random people in our house (contractors, etc.) I make a point to mention how I need to put him outside because he is aggressive….no need for them to know he isn’t.

      1. My neighbor who was also robbed, had a large dog. The robbers assaulted the dog. It is a sweet, and big dog. Awful. It was a rescue and had already been through enough abuse in its life, I’m sure.

        2. Yeah – my house got robbed when I was a kid, and we found our little dog underneath an upside-down laundry basket, and our big dog gnawing on a steak bone, when we got home. The police were like “oh hey, at least they didn’t poison your dogs!” Awful, awful, awful.

          (On the flip side, at a different house there was at one point a string of break-ins around us, and our house got “skipped,” although we were never sure whether it was because of our loud, large, visible-through-the-front-door doberman, or because my mom kept a really unpredictable schedule, so there was no “good time” to break in.)

      2. I have a friend whose house was broken into during the day and the thieves stole their crated puppy (along with other valuables). It took a week of relentlessly sharing their story on the news and lost dog sites, which led to donations for a reward in the thousands, for the puppy to conveniently be “found on the street” right after they announced the increased reward.

    6. I’m curious where the atypical place is that you keep your jewelry that even the burglars didn’t find?

      2. They did steal some of my jewelry… my most treasured family jewelry. I kept it in my medicine cabinet in the bathroom, since I wear it on so often.

        So that is not a good “hiding” place, although I wasn’t really hiding it.

  9. I’m wearing track pants at my big law firm. Yup. And I think they look awesome, and I have gotten so many compliments on my outfit today. Just wanted to share.

    1. So when I read “track pants” I think those Adidas/Reebok/etc tearaways with matching warmup jackets. Um, is that what you are wearing, or are track pants something else?

    2. Can you share which ones you got? I was literally talking about this with a friend last night, and her insistence that they are not work-appropriate made me want their sleek comfort even more. I tried on a pair at LOFT that I liked a lot, but the one size was too big, the other too small.

        1. So they are basically regular pants but have an elastic pull on waist and pleats? I can see how someone trendy and slim could pull this off, but for me it would look too much like I ventured into the section where my grandmother shops or like I’m wearing early maternity pants.

    3. I have an awesome pair of navy track pants I got at Club Monaco last fall. I wore them all winter and felt great in them. They’re like dress pants with a normal waistband and zipper, but they have a knit cuff at the ankle like, well, track pants. Love ’em.

    4. I wear my track pants once every two weeks and love them.
      Can we please make elastic waistbands a work-professional thing?

  10. The weekend open thread won’t load for me. Chrome. No error message – won’t load at all.

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