Coffee Break: Warming Lunch Box
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This warming lunchbox seems like it could make bringing food from home a lot easier.
I like that the charging component can be used in the car or in a regular outlet at the office, and I also like that you can remove parts of the lunch box so some things can remain unheated.
A friend of mine told me she loves to use these kinds of lunches with her Souper Cubes (my review here) — she'll plop one in while frozen, even, and as soon as she gets to work she'll turn it on. The lunch box works like a portable slow cooker, warming her food.
I could see it being great if you're trying to lose weight, on a limited diet due to health concerns, on a budget, or just trying to eat more healthfully and avoid processed food.
The lunch box is under $25 at Amazon.
Psst: hunting for stylish office lunch containers that are also eco-friendly? Some of our favorites (Sistema containers, Thermos or Mira food jars, and this classic bento) are pictured below — also check for cute lunch bags from Modern Picnic, Artelaris, Kate Spade, and Built NY! (If you're working from home, we love glass containers from Snapware and Anchor Hocking.)
Sales of note for 10/3/25
- Ann Taylor – 40% off must-have styles, and 30% off your full price purchase
- Banana Republic Factory – 40% off everything + extra 25% off
- Boden – 10% off new womenswear styles with code
- J.Crew – 40% off sitewide
- J.Crew Factory – 40-70% off everything + extra 60% off clearance
- M.M.LaFleur – Fall style event! 25% off $500+, 30% off $750+ — try code CORPORETTE15 for 15% off
- Nordstrom – 1000+ new markdowns!
- Nordstrom Rack – UGG up to 40% off
- Soma -$25 off when you spend $110+, also get a free bra when you buy two
- Talbots – 30% off entire purchase, and free shipping on $150+
I use a similar style lunch box with a heating element and bring soups, leftovers, etc. to work all the time. The lunch box works great and never overheats or traps smells. I’ve even lent it to DH when he has gone skiing and stayed at a basic hotel room to heat up egg dishes for early breakfast so he can be first in the lift line. Highly recommend, I think it is better than a microwave.
seems interesting for on the go scenarios. I’ve always worked in an office setting, and always had a microwave available. And luckily, that microwave/kitchen area is usually good enough in terms of cleanliness.
did anyone else find that your cramps got worse as you got older / further into peri? dying today
Yep.
Yup. The ute doesn’t want you to forget she’s still there.
I’ve heard endometriosis, adenomyosis, and/or fibroids can get worse with peri. Dreading this.
+1
OP, check in with your GYN if this is a change. My Mom ignored her pain and symptoms and had crazy big fibroids. She eventually had them treated.
yes – and I’ve also heard that your pain tolerance changes during peri, so if you had a high pain threshold or tolerance before it may be gone once you hit peri. (Apparently the body says we don’t need it once we’re done birthing babies?)
Yes. Everything felt intensified – emotions, tiredness, pain.
For me, everything got easier. I didn’t have bad PMS most of my life but in peri I’ve had zero symptoms.
I’m early in peri, but so far everything related to PMS and periods is getting easier.
Yes, that’s something that HRT didn’t help with. A hysterectomy did help because I had adenomyosis.
How much do you save yearly? We’ve been trying to get our expenses down because this year I’m making less and I’m realizing that a lot of our savings may be … extreme? Just curious what everyone else is doing.
We save:
max for my husband’ 401K ($23,500)
max for my husband’s Roth ($8000 I think?)
max for our HSA ($8500)
max for the kids’ 529s ($4000×2 = $8000)
— and I have a weird retirement plan that last year I put $50k into. if I hadn’t put that much in we’d have owed a lot more in taxes.
Altogether it’s almost $100k.
I think you’re better off looking at your expenses and goals related to your lifestyle, retirement, and college for your kids. So much of this depends on individual factors that others’ data points won’t be that helpful. $100k is obviously a healthy chunk of change to be able to save yearly.
God I hate these types of posts. Yes, you’re saving a ton, congratulations. Clearly you also make a ton, so congrats on that.
Not sure what you’re looking for beyond that since everyone has a different financial situation.
Oh yeah, it’s just the worst when other women are doing well and dare to acknowledge it.
Nah, I get where Anon is coming from. There are lots of posts here for people celebrating big raises, bonuses, hitting a net worth goal, etc, and comments are almost universally positive.
This post is different – someone who is objectively better off than most of the country (and the world), who is saving more money than a lot of people make in a year and seems unaware that her situation isn’t the norm. It’s great that she makes a lot of money – get that bag – but some awareness goes a lot way.
I’m not the previous poster, but I think there’s a big difference between celebrating success and this kind of question. I’ve seen a lot of women celebrated here for high incomes and high net worths and I think that’s great. But “I save $100k a year and have a $6M net worth, is it enough?” is pretty much just humblebragging. Like obviously you’re ok, 99.9% of the population has less money than you.
It’s not humblebragging, and it’s not obvious what the responsible thing to do with a lot of money is. This stuff is relative, and if you don’t come from money, it’s harder to know what’s “enough” because it’s all more than what was (not quite) enough where you were from.
Get a grip! It’s reasonable to come here to look for feedback on situations that aren’t common elsewhere. If people didn’t find helpful perspectives in the comments, they wouldn’t post.
That seems like a lot to me, unless you anticipate really high costs in retirement for some reason.
We collectively save between $50k and $75k/year for retirement in voluntary tax-advantaged accounts (457 and 403s), plus about ~$7k in mandatory (401a) contributions and we get another ~$20k in employer contributions. Lately with rising costs for everything, we’ve been more at the $50k end of the voluntary savings.
We don’t contribute to our HSAs but our employers give us around $2k/year total and we try to save that and pay for healthcare costs out of pocket.
We don’t currently save for college, because we now have enough in our kid’s 529 for in-state public and expect to be able to cash flow the difference for private college if necessary.
We save $100-150k a year, maxing out all tax-advantageous accounts (HSA, 401k and 403/457b, Roth, backdoor Roth). Everything that’s left over goes into an investment account and is split between bonds, ETFs, and some other vehicles like iBonds and a few stocks. Started seriously saving money a few years ago when we paid off our house, and just putting money aside every single month.
There is not enough info to judge whether your savings are extreme or not.
What does the rest of your financial situation look like? Is your HHI 130k, you have a mortgage, car loan, and loads of credit card debt? Do you bring home 500k and outright own your home and vehicles, with no debt?
Yeah I think the answer depends on your much you have leftover after all this saving. If you live comfortably and have a decent amount of disposable income, then maybe it’s not extreme. If you’re abstaining from ever taking a vacation to reach this savings level, that would be extreme to me.
I would also say the savings are extreme if you are sacrificing home repairs, home improvements, and/or moving up to a home that better meets your needs. Thanks to my husband’s financial anxiety, we did not upgrade our home a few years ago when interest rates were low and before prices soared, and we have deferred hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of maintenance. In the long run it’s going to cost us a lot more to fix the issues or move now than it would have if we’d saved a little less and made the necessary changes a few years ago.
Agreed – and sorry you’re in that situation.
also depends on how many years until retirement and current net worth.
You’re saving more than the average American family earns so…
OP here – I think it’s that it feels like we’re losing money if we’re not saving aggressively, but if times are tough then not touching the savings we’ve already made is more important, and anything we can contribute is good. (We’re going to end up bending over backwards to save that much this year.)
We pay off credit cards every month. Cars were purchased outright 10 years ago. House still has a mortgage but it’s a 2% mortgage with 11 years remaining (we owe $250k, house is worth around $900/$1M according to Zillow). We have a very healthy net worth (6m) but at least half that is in retirement accounts (and we’re 50, so long ways away).
Barring some extreme context you’ve left out you are doing very, very well. $3m in retirement, a $1m house and ~$2m in other assets puts you ahead of most of the world.
I don’t really understand the “losing money if not saving aggressively” comment.
Because of inflation? market growth should more than offset that. I doubt I’d be saving anything if I had a $6M net worth! I think you are way, way ahead of most people and you probably know that.
right? I’d retire right now and move somewhere cheap and pretty.
Honest question: What plans are fueling your aggressive saving? If half your net worth is in retirement accounts, you already have 3 million stockpiled for retirement; how much more do you anticipate needing or wanting? And then that other 3 million left in your net worth — what are you planning to use that for? If I already had a net worth of 6 million, I’d want to be sure I had a concrete plan for what I was going to use that money for before I bent over backward trying to save aggressively during a season of reduced income.
(I’m OP) – this is a really interesting question. I think a lot of this is how I was taught to save save save. We realized a while ago that we really do want to travel and that we have our health right now, so we should travel now. But then that makes me feel like we need to save even more because we might be spending some of the money we’ve saved. Lol we’re both heavy drinkers and will probably die in our 70s but I feel like I absolutely need to plan to be in my 90s.
You’re both heavy drinkers as in alcoholism? Because I would spend money getting treatment for that now versus planning to live a life with several diseases caused by my drinking. That is not a situation where having more money later will be a huge quality of life benefit when you could intervene now.
If you have $6mil in savings, chill out and take a gd vacation.
Without knowing incomes and expenses, it’s impossible to tell.
For example, you save more than I make
Honestly, hearing your overall financial picture, you could likely retire now.
Maybe this is the time to think about what you really want your life to be?
I think saving the right amount is all about the whole financial picture and priorities.
One thing I noticed is that the “max” you list for kids’ 529s may be the max for some state income tax deduction, but is nowhere near the max that can be contributed to a 529 (and benefit from tax-free growth and qualified withdrawals). If this fits with your overall picture, it’s wonderful and more than what most Americans will get from their parents. But, if you want them to go to an expensive private college or have a graduate education in medicine, law, business, or dentistry and have no loans, then it’s nowhere near enough.
If I had to choose between saving enough for retirement or saving enough to pay for an expensive college, I’d choose retirement. If I had to choose between having super luxury trips in retirements or helping my kids get an excellent education with no loans, I’d choose the education.
I am starting a new job soon and I am starting from scratch on retirement savings. My new job offers a 401k through Merrill Lynch which I will obviously take part in. I know the company will contribute 6% regardless of what I contribute – so how do I know what to contribute? Is there a limit on what I can contribute? Should I also open a separate IRA that isn’t attached to my job that I contribute to each month? I wish I had someone to talk to about this stuff, but I do not (open to women-only recs in Charlotte, NC though).
Yes there’s a limit, it’s $23,500 this year. It goes up a bit every year, next year I think it will be $24,500. Contribute the max that you can comfortably afford, unless you have high interest rate (>5%) debt or don’t yet have an emergency fund, in which case take care of those things first.
Is that the max for what I can contribute to a 401k or all retirement accounts together? Can I contribute $23,500 to a 401k and then more to an IRA?
That’s just for 401k. IRA is separate but also has a limit.
Please forgive my ignorance. Is there a person (like some type of advisor) who could help me with all of this? Tell me what accounts I can/should open and what my limits are?
You can get a financial advisor to help with this, but it’s not really necessary at this stage, imo.
You can open an IRA online. There are lots of options for banks but if your work accounts are with Merrill Lynch it might make sense to do it there.
For things that go through your employer, confirm with your payroll people, but they normally won’t overcontribute. They’ll just stop withholding from your paycheck once you hit the $23,500 limit.
Congrats on the new job! Agree with this. Contribute to what you can afford up to the max. If you don’t max it out, then you may want to think about every time you get a raise, you put the raise amount into the 401k. That is how DH and I ended up maxing our 401ks about 10 years into our careers – we just kept dumping our raises into it.
The company that administers the retirement plan is likely to have an agent or “advisor” who can answer basic questions about how the plan works and make savings projections. Just be cautious that you aren’t agreeing to put your assets under management or pay a fee, because they may also offer services beyond this basic info for a fee. My employer has a dedicated agent who is very helpful with these sorts of questions, and I even get points in the employee wellness incentive system for having a call with him.
will the company contribute 6% of the max or 6% of what you contribute up to a certain amount? i always thought the company could match you but wouldn’t put money away unless you were yourself saving.
if you don’t have any other IRAs then you want a Roth IRA, not a regular IRA. Roth is after-tax money that can grow tax free, but your 401K is before-tax money that will be taxed once you retire and take it out. Plus 401k the money goes away until you’re 59.5, whereas a Roth you can take the principal out 5 years after contributing it without penalty.
So if I were you: figure out exactly what the company match/contribution is and then contribute that to your 401k. Then max our your Roth (another $7500 IIRC) — you can set this up yourself via Vanguard or Schwab. Then if you can, keep contributing to your 401k.
Know that for both the 401k and the Roth you’re going to need to actually pick investments (just contributing is not enough) – so talking to someone with the company would be helpful.
I’ve had employers who contribute regardless off whether or not the employee contributes. It just depends. Matching is probably more common but it’s not unheard of for the employer contribution to not be dependent on the employee.
It depends on how they structure the match/contribution. My company puts a certain amount in our 401Ks regardless of how much we put in, but it’s as profit sharing, not an employer match.
I’m in higher ed, not the corporate world (and I guess OP is corporate based on having 401k) but I get a straight 10% from my employer. What I contribute is irrelevant.
Same and also in higher ed. We have a mandatory 5% employee contribution, though.
True, we also have mandatory contributions, 4% in our case. I think of it separately since it doesn’t count towards the voluntary contribution limit. We can contribute anywhere from $0 to $23,500 to the voluntary accounts without it affecting the employer contribution.
For picking investments, target date index funds is usually a good and easy option.
These types of questions are well suited for AI or basic google search! Start there.
I actually recommend avoiding this and instead going to the Bogleheads forums. Post your current financial situation and goals, and describe your 401K options. Smart people (like on this board) will recommend how to start your investing, which order to place your money, and will advise which funds in your 401K are best for you (usually index funds, low cost).
Congrats on your job, and for starting your investing so early!!
I have a 100% remote job and I feel like I need to mix it up a bit. My days are either spent on a million zooms or doing deep work, but whether I WFH or go to my coworking space, I rarely have human interaction during the workday, which I hate. I feel like at least if I traveled, I could get some new experiences in.
Where would you go for 1-2 weeks solo in November, January, or February? Only limit is I have to stay in the U.S.
do you care about time zone? I love November in south FL – humidity is relatively low but it’s still beach weather, although the water is usually a little cold for me personally. February I love in CO for skiing but not sure 2 weeks at altitude would be great – my skin rebels no matter how many humidifiers I run, moisturizers I apply, or water I drink, so I’m happy for 4-5 day trips but then glad to be back at sea level.
I definitely would do South Florida.
I would go skiing. It’s something you can do either as a brand new skier or an experienced one. If the former, I’d find a great beginner lesson program in a fun ski town. If the latter, I’d do an advanced women’s clinic with a social component. I’m planning to do one myself!
I feel like the poster is going to work, not to vacay.
Charleston
What do you like to do? I’m not a big nature person so I would go to a city with relatively mild weather and good restaurants (Charleston, Savannah, NOLA and Miami all come to mind) and eat all the things.
Going to NYC and seeing a bunch of shows would also be fun, although not easy on the budget.
I think I’d try and find a cool little apartment or house in Key West, walking or biking distance to Duval Street.
Not for that time of year, but if you ever have the chance to get away from May-October I can’t recommend coastal Maine enough. I work remotely from there for a month every summer and it’s heaven. Actually it could work in November if you’re open to dealing with very limited restaurant and store openings. The weather doesn’t usually get too bad until after Thanksgiving. but many businesses shut in mid-October.
Reminder that we have several U.S. territories that are nice to visit in January or February — Puerto Rico, USVI, and Guam. Maybe not in November during hurricane season though.
After a week of not getting better from what I thought was a bad cold, I tested positive for strep yesterday. I’ve now been on antibiotics for 24 hours, and I’m still not feeling better. (I know it can take a few days.) My kid complains of a sore throat but he tested negative, which doesn’t make sense to me but I guess he could have something else. (He currently shares a bed with me though, so the contagion risk seems high.) I’m taking him in to get tested again tomorrow as I just don’t trust yesterday’s neg test, and I take strep very seriously given the consequences if it goes untreated.
What’s been your experience with strep? Does everyone in the family get it at the same time (there’s just the two of us in our family)? How long does it take to feel better after getting on antibiotics? At least I can work from home but I’m really dragging, with an achy body, sore throat and overall fatigue. (Tested neg for COVID.)
The rule of thumb from our pediatrician is ~3 doses of the meds before kids start turning a corner. As an adult with underlying issues it generally takes 4 doses plus a healthy amount of rest before I’m on the mend. I also take a solid week to ramp back up to full physical activity.
Feel better soon!
My daughter gets strep frequently, I think at least half a dozen times from age 4-6. We didn’t take any special precautions and she only gave it to me once and to DH never (although he has no tonsils, so I think he’s low risk for it). So my experience is that it’s not super catch-y within households.
The one time I had it as an adult, it was horrible, and it took me at least 3 days on antibiotics before I felt better. Hope you feel better soon!
I’ve never caught strep from my kids for what that’s worth. When I was late 20s and had strep I remember being so happy that antibiotics meant it would be 24 hours and then I’d be on the mend. Keep killing fluids and getting lots of sleep.
I always ask my kids if it hurts to swallow — if yes then I take them to the doc.
Stomach pain can also be a sign of it. The first time my kid had it she had no issues with eating or swallowing but was constantly complaining about how much her stomach hurt. We basically brushed it off until she spiked a very high fever and then we took her to the doctor and she tested positive for strep. The doctor told us that stomach pain is the main symptom in some kids. I had no idea it could show up like that.
I got it more than the rest of my family. Turns out I have low IgA levels which is a risk factor.
After the first 24 hours on antibiotics, you’re usually not contagious any more. Strep spreads through direct contact with droplets so don’t share things like utensils or cough or sneeze on them. It’s not as contagious as say measles where it lives in a room days after a sick person has been in the space.
For anyone who has had a breast biopsy, how long did it take for all of the bruising to go away? And the lumpiness feeling from swelling / healing? The pain got a lot better after day 1 and was signicantly over in 2-3 days but it’s just taking over a week on the more cosmetic side of things.
I had to go back for a possible infection after a week, but one round of antibiotics cleared it up and it was smooth sailing after that.
Mine took several weeks, as they scratched me up so bad! I was pretty upset when I got home and took off the dressing and saw what a mess they left me. The nurses had to give me direct pressure to stop the bleeding for 45 minutes. I had no idea this wasn’t normal.
But as long as it is improving, and there isn’t increasing redness/tenderness or fevers, just give it time.
I bruise a lot because of a medical problem. So after any blood draw or biopsy I put ice packs on the site immediately after and several times that day. After 48 hrs when it is more of a bruise, to help the bruise get absorbed and go away, I use warm packs 1 or 2 times a day. You could try that.