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Sales of Note…
(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
- Nordstrom – 2,100+ new markdowns!
- Ann Taylor – Extra 50% off all sale styles
- Banana Republic Factory – 40% off everything; extra 30% off orders $100+
- Eloquii – $39 select styles; 50% off select styles
- J.Crew – 25-50% off wear-now styles; extra 50% off select sale styles
- J.Crew Factory – Up to 60% off everything; 50% off women’s dresses; extra 60% off clearance
- Loft – 60% off sale styles
- Lands’ End – Up to 40% off your order
- Talbots – Semi-Annual Red Door Sale: Extra 50% off markdowns
- Zappos – 26,000+ sale items (for women)! Check out these reader-favorite workwear brands on sale, and some of our favorite kid shoe brands on sale.
Kid/Family Sales
- J.Crew – 25-40% off kids’ styles; extra 50% off select sale
- Lands’ End – Up to 40% off your order
- Hanna Andersson – 30% off all kids’ & baby clothing; PJs on sale from $25; up to 75% off clearance
- Carter’s – Rule the School Sale: Up to 50% off; up to 40% off baby essentials
- Old Navy – 50% off back-to-school styles; 30% off your order, even clearance
- Target – Backpacks from $7.99; toddler & kids’ uniforms on sale from $5
- Pottery Barn Baby – Summer sale: up to 50% off
- Nordstrom – Limited time sales on brands like Maxi-Cosi and Bugaboo.
- Strolleria – Free infant seat car adapter with any Thule stroller; 30% off all Peg-Perego gear in our exclusive Incanto Collection
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And — here are some of our latest threadjacks of interest – working mom questions asked by the commenters!
- If you’re a working parent of an infant with low sleep needs, how do you function at work when you’re in the throes of baby’s sleep regression?
- Should I cut my childcare down to 12 hours a month if I work from home?
- Will my baby have speech delays if we raise her bilingual?
- Has anyone given birth in a teaching hospital?
- My child eats everything, and my friends’ kids do not – how should I handle? In general, what is the best way to handle when your child has some skill/ability and your friend’s child doesn’t have that skill/ability?
- ADHD moms, give me your tips to help with things like behavior in the classroom, attention to detail, etc?
- I think I suffer from mom rage…
- My husband and kids are gone this weekend – how should I enjoy my free time?
- I’m struggling to be compassionate with a SAHM friend who complains she doesn’t have enough hours of childcare.
- If you exclusively formula fed, what tips do you have for in the hospital and coming home?
- Could I take my 4-yo and 8-yo on a 7-8 day trip to Paris, Lyon, and Madrid?
Kids' savings? says
Q: if not your kids’ 529 account, where do you put money? I’ve just stuck any money we’ve received for/given to our eldest daughter in her 529 account because it grows tax-free and our state gives us a deduction. This year we’re going to max out the deduction between her and her sister, so I’m wondering what to do with the $500 check she just got from her grandparents for birthday. I’m inclined to still stick it in the 529, but just curious — do you have a regular savings account? Are you waiting until you have the minimum to invest in a Vanguard/Schwab investment account? Is there some other vehicle I should consider? DD is 4.
Katarina says
I have a regular savings account in my son’s name for his money, which is from birthday gifts. When there is more money we will invest it in an investment account.
KJ says
Wow, $500 for a birthday? Your DD is a lucky girl!
Where you should put the money depends on what it’s for. Is it for college expenses? Are you saving to cover if she needs braces one day or wants to spend a semester in France? Are you going to make it available for her to spend on whatever she wants at a certain age? Is it for an emergency? If its for shorter term expenses or emergencies you will want to park it somewhere with low risk, like a money market or CDs. If it’s longer term then consider an investment account.
mascot says
I like the idea of saving some for a future trip or some other “fun” expense when she gets older.
ANP says
We have a 529 for each kid and while we haven’t maxed it/them out just yet, I put birthday money (usually small checks, $100 MAX) into a savings account earmarked for either DS or DD. It’s probably a good idea to throw some of that at a CD eventually, but I can’t see this amount getting to be very high in the next 10 years — maybe $2,500, max? — and I think I would have appreciated having that type of nest egg as a high schooler. S/he can either save it for college or use it to help pay for a car, an expensive extracurricular, etc.
H & M sizing? says
Can anyone comment on sizing of H&M in general or especially for maternity? I suppose with maternity it doesn’t hurt to just size up if I can’t decide between two sizes?
KJ says
I find that H&M normally runs small, but their maternity stuff runs large. I bought several tops there that I couldn’t wear until the very end of my pregnancy.
Shayla says
I thought their maternity pants ran small.
H & M sizing? says
Thanks for the responses! I was ordering tops only, so I decided to go with L in the cotton, machine-wash-and-dry shirts, so they can shrink, and M in the “silk” (poly) blouses, which probably won’t shrink.
I’ll report back…
anon eagle says
Hmmm. I’m going for it. I rotate between the same 2 dresses as my only work attire, so that says a lot!! I used promo code 10259 to take $20 off this dress. I hope the neckline is high enough for my personal preference.
ANP says
I LIVED in Lands End dresses while I was pumping at work. I love LE in general for washable, wearable, business-casual clothes, and they have a ton of wrap or faux-wrap styles that are extra-conductive to pumping. I never ever paid full price and typically picked them up for less than $30 apiece. The only LE dress I have that doesn’t work for pumping is, of course, The Dress (ponte sheath, as loved by millions of R e t t e readers on the main site).
Daycare costs says
Curious how people shifted finances to pay for daycare. We’re in a HCOLA where daycare is higher than some people’s mortgage in other parts of the country.
Did you
1) have plenty of money and didn’t need to change a thing to put kiddo in the Harvard of daycares
2) scale down your standard of living slightly – no European vacation, fewer visits to the spa, less skiing and golfing for DH
3) scale down your standard of living significantly – no vacations at all, no going out to eat, sticking to a bare-bones budget basically
4) scale back contributions to retirement accounts/investments
5) use a cheaper daycare alternative like a nannyshare, au pair, having relatives help out
DH and I are a bit split on this- he thinks we’d need to go with 4), but I think we could keep all contributions as is just by doing 2). Of course we’re not even pregnant yet, so I think it’s not unreasonable to think 1) might happen by the time kiddo is ready for daycare (that’s at least 9 mos from now, plus 3 mos maternity leave – it is totally possible that our raises and bonuses would cover tuition by that point without any sacrifices except maybe scaling back to domestic-only vacations).
Just curious how others do it, and if anyone else even thought it through this much!
FVNC says
I live in a low COLA, so our Harvard-type daycare centers probably cost half of what you’re looking at. We’re also incredibly fortunate to receive a tuition subsidy due to my husband’s active duty military status. As a result, we fall into #1 on your list above.
You may find that #2 occurs naturally — with a baby around, there’s less time for spa / golf / skiing / European vacations / eating out (not saying those activities don’t happen, but I think their frequency necessarily decreases. And if it doesn’t for you, please tell me your secret). Personally I consider contributions to retirement / investments pretty sacred, so I’d pick #2 or #3 before #4.
OP says
Oh I totally agree that #2 occurs naturally with kids. DH’s brother and his wife had a second home that was often the jumping off point for their skiing/golfing/other expensive sports. As our niece & nephew have gotten older, they find they don’t have the time/inclination to go up to the second home and are renting it out.
We’re looking at around $20K per year for daycare, which is still a bit more than just scrapping a trip to Paris. But again, being child-free we take probably a half dozen other domestic vacations that wouldn’t happen with kids either (a conference in Florida getting extended to a long weekend at the beach is likely not going to happen with a daycare-aged kid. Right now that’s just a day off work and a few miles put to use – with a little one? Not so much)
ANP says
I live in a relatively low COLA area, so my answer will also be a bit different from what might work for you.
With Kid #1, we went with option 1 with a little bit of #2 in there, based moreso on prioritizing free time — i.e. I got fewer pedicures because I’d rather spend that time with kiddo, so went longer in between nail appointments. We had enough discretionary income in our budget that we didn’t feel the squeeze too badly.
With Kid #2, we were lucky in that my husband got a significant raise right before he was born. Still, we were more squeezed this time around — so I’d say a second round of #2 (again, based on both budget and time constraints).
We’re now considering a 3rd kid and both #1 and #2 are older (duh). #1 is about to start private school (this week! Sniff!) and that’s factoring into our overall cost analysis. We also just bought a new house that’s a squeeze for us now, but will hopefully be temporary. We’re seriously questioning, though, whether we can have a 3rd and still maintain our current lifestyle (or some semblance thereof). I’d be curious to hear from others who have faced/are facing this decision.
We’ve maintained our retirement savings but have less cash liquidity than we used to. Also, we rely on a relative to provide 1 day per week of childcare, which has become more critical to the budget now when we just had one kid. Our children are in daycare the other four days.
Re: Harvard of daycares, just remember that every setup isn’t equally great for every family. I’ve had friends RAVE about nannyshare/in-home care arrangements that don’t have all the formal bells and whistles of a daycare center, but that provide a warm and nurturing environment nonetheless. As long as your child is safe and cared for, I’m not sure there’s necessarily a “wrong” decision to be made (although as someone who spent several evenings obsessing over Just The Right Lunchbox for my kiddo’s 4K year, I understand the pressure we put on ourselves in these situations!). Good luck.
OP says
thanks! I also am totally open to other daycare options – I mean does a six month old really need “math class” (not joking, that’s the kind of places they have here)? That’s why I was curious what others did and how it worked out.
FVNC says
I think it’s great that you’re open to alternatives. When interviewing daycare centers, I found one that I just loved. But, it was 15 minutes out of the way and did not accept the subsidy I mentioned above. After a lot of hemming and hawing (because of course my baby “needs” “the best”!), we decided on our second choice center, which is super convenient and far less expensive because of the subsidy. It has worked out beautifully, even though it has laminate tile floors rather than hardwood (and yes, that is the level of craziness I had descended to). At the end of the day, you need to have your baby in an environment that you feel comfortable with — whether it’s a nanny, with relatives, or at a daycare center, then decide on how adjust the rest of your expenses to accommodate that decision.
anon eagle says
Hi FVNC. I live in a HCOL and we were able to convince our daycare to apply to the NACCRAA program. We were able to get 6 months of temp subsidy while the daycare submitted their paperwork for national accreditation. The daycare was thrilled to apply to the NACCRAA program and of course, I was thrilled to get the subsidy. Just a nugget of info in case you need to strong arm a daycare in the future.
FVNC says
Thanks, anon eagle! That is a very useful nugget indeed :-)
Sarabeth says
Yeah, especially for the first few years, we’ve come down on the side of not sending kiddo to the Harvard of daycares (or “baby paradise,” as we call the lovely local Montessori that costs twice as much as every other daycare in town). On the other hand, all the in-home places we found were either unable to accept kids under two, or had unacceptable safety issues (we toured places with no outlet covers!)
Nonny says
We live in a similar HCOL area and this is very relevant to me because my 8-month-old is just starting daycare! Daycare for us is $1,200 per month, which is average for our area.
Basically for us it means a combination of less disposable income for “fun” things and less savings. We don’t do a lot of frivolous spending (my most expensive activity is buying clothes, and I am scaling that down, and my SO’s most expensive activity is skiing, and he is all suited up for about the next 10 years), so can’t cut back much in that area, and we already rent out the basement suite in our house, so don’t have the opportunity to obtain more income. Essentially the rental income from our basement suite will be redirected from savings to daycare.
FWIW, when babies are little, they don’t need things like math lessons. My best friend, who has two little boys, gave me some sage advice when I was initially looking into daycares. She told me that what you need is a place where they will love your child and communicate well with you. That is it. Everything else is extra. I kept that in mind and feel pretty good about the place I ended up with.
FVNC says
Excellent advice. Our daycare supposedly teaches baby yoga, and I think is also supposed to encourage use of sign language, but I am 99% sure those things do not happen in her classroom. I don’t care, though, because every single day when I pick up baby, she is being cuddled by her teacher and is usually smiling or laughing. That’s more important to me than whatever formal programs are or are not taught.
KJ says
We’re in a HCOLA, and our “solid state school of daycares” is $1600 a month. We are covering it by the cash flow we are saving from buying a house rather than renting, naturally reducing travel due to pregnancy and baby, and fewer contributions to investments (retirement is still fully funded).
NewMomAnon says
My DH and I fought about that decision too, and ultimately realized that it was more a fight about time allocation than budget. He had a “Peter Pan” period while I was pregnant during which he demanded to be allowed to continue his expensive and time-consuming hobbies once the baby came. It all evened itself out once the baby hit about 8 weeks old; now he doesn’t want to go on his single-guy weekend trips because he would miss time with his family.
But my point is – think about not just the cost of these options, but also the lifestyle each one entails. If your DH plans to continue golfing and skiing once the baby comes, and you are looking at a daycare center, you may find yourself providing lots of solo baby care while he plays or paying to hire babysitters while both of you do your own things. Are you OK with that?
OP says
This is totally true, you make a good point. The concerns about money could just be a proxy for not wanting to give up the pre-baby lifestyle.
NewMomAnon says
That was a huge issue for us – it almost killed our marriage (while I was pregnant, awesome). We did couples counseling before and after the baby was born and it helped, but the thing that finally “cured” him was giving him some time to bond with the baby. But it is worth talking about both of your expectations of what a “family” is and does. My DH and I had very different childhoods, and it is actually fun exploring those differences now that we are doing it consciously instead of just feeling disappointed when our own expectations aren’t met. I think it’s great that you’re thinking of this now!
Spirograph says
I live in a pretty high COL area. Just to throw some reference $$ out there: For infant/under-2 care, daycare centers run close to $2k/month (give or take a few hundred), in-home is significantly less around $1k (again, give or take). Going rates for nannies start around $500/week, or slightly more than an average center. We have “downsized” to an in-home daycare (which we love) instead of a nanny, and are on the waiting lists for a few centers, but unless something changes with our current situation, I’m not sure we’d switch even if offered two spots. We will definitely consider an au pair when the kids are older, but that really doesn’t fit into our lifestyle/house right now.
I agree that #2 occurs naturally. We haven’t made a concerted effort to reduce “fun” expenses, but they are definitely lower than our pre-kid days. I would say that childcare really just took the flexibility out of our budget — we used to have a significant amount of play money that we could throw at various things without needing to budget. Now we have to be mindful, and if we need to scrape some extra $$ together for something, we tend to scale back investments since childcare’s not an optional expense. ie, we scaled back retirement/investment contributions by 25% temporarily because of some short term expenses, but I agree with FVNC that it isn’t a great pay-for-childcare (or anything else) long term solution.
I would not consider #3 – if that is the only way to pay for your childcare, you are spending too much and should switch to #5. Honestly, the price of childcare doesn’t have as much bearing on the quality of it as you might think. Yeah you should be skeptical of someone who will watch your kid for $50 a week, but there are a lot of other factors beyond care that factor into prices- especially centers in areas where real estate/rent is very expensive. Basically my advice to anyone would be to look at all of your options, and multiple options in each “category” of childcare. Family wasn’t on the table for us, but I think I considered just about everything else. All of them have trade-offs; price is only one factor… and really not the most important one (to me, at least).
OP says
thanks for the input on in-home centers. There is actually one on our street that I drive by and have wondered about – only $1K/month would certainly be a big difference from the fancy corporate centers!! All of my peers use those, so it definitely seems to be a ‘keeping up with the Joneses’ mentality I might need to get out of.
pb&j says
Oh yeah, childcare stinks. We’ve been trying to eat at home more and I’ve been trying to ship less… we’re at the point where I’ll probably have to sell investments in order to contribute to my ira this year. Joy.
Nonny says
Well ladies, today is the first day of daycare for my 8-month-old.
I am teetering between feeling generally OK and wishing I was there with her to give her a cuddle.
I could use some pep talk and stories, please, about how daycare worked out OK for all of you! This is very tough.
NewMomAnon says
Love my daycare!!! My kiddo is 7 months old (in daycare for the last 4 months) and smiles at everyone as we walk into the center, reaches out her arms to be carried by her teachers, and generally thrives off the hustle and bustle. They take her for walks outside, do finger painting with her, sensory boards, story time…basically a bunch of stuff that I would never to think to do.
They have also helped us trouble shoot crib sleeping, diaper issues, feeding issues, and pointed out when her onesies were too small and cutting into her legs (oops). Other parents noticed when my kiddo was getting ready to crawl and made a little cheering squad for her.
If you’re at a center, don’t make any quick decisions. It took me about a month to really feel comfortable with the center we chose. Spend some time there with your daughter at drop off and pick up so you get to know the teachers and the other parents. The biggest issues we’ve dealt with are illness (yes, she has been sick several times and missed a full week once) and staff turnover, but her teachers have stayed constant.
Meg Murry says
We love our daycare. Love, love, love, love it. The staff are kind, friendly and love our children. They taught our kids to be polite, to try new healthy foods, and they even potty-trained them! Total win.
Its hard to be gone from them all day, but they love daycare too. My 2 year old was totally confused yesterday because of Labor Day weekend – he kept saying “I go to school today? Why I not go to school today? Why [big brother] not go to school today?” The kids have friends they love to play with, I made friends (ok, polite acquaintances) with lots of the parents there, we love it. But they are excited when my husband or I pick them up too – no teacher will ever replace mommy & daddy snuggles.
I always remember that while I’m good at the job I do, daycare teachers are great at what they do too, and most of them love their jobs and it shows.
JJ says
You can do it! We love our daycare. The teachers are wonderful and attentive, and my kids have totally blossomed. We switched to a new daycare in May (our old one was fine, but a new one that was much more convenient opened then), and it has been wonderful. I feel totally confident that my kids are well cared for, eating healthier foods than what I generally default to for dinner after a long day, and “learning” more than I would be teaching them (if the weekends are any indication). My oldest is currently being potty-trained at school. I love that both my sons know how to interact with other kids, so we don’t have to worry about them playing nicely with others.
All that said, both of my boys run (or crawl) to me when I pick them up. And we had lots of extra snuggles yesterday on our day off. And while dealing with the near-constant colds/infections is annoying, I wouldn’t trade our daycare experience.
Spirograph says
It is so much harder for you than it is for her! My son started daycare around 1; he had a nanny prior to that. He cried every morning the first week, which broke my heart, but the providers assured me he stopped pretty much as soon as I was out of sight, and by the time I picked him up every day he was super happy. A couple weeks later, he would lean out of my arms toward his favorite teacher when I brought him in. Now he runs across the yard, up the steps, and knocks on the front door himself when I get him out of the car. This morning he was the 2nd kid there when I dropped him off, and the first thing he did was give the other boy a big hug. So freaking adorable. He’s always excited to see me or DH when we pick him up, but I am confident he’s having a great time without us during the day. I love that he’s playing with other kids of different ages, doing a bunch of activities that I frankly wouldn’t have the time or energy to orchestrate myself, and learning another language (our in-home providers speak very good English, but run the daycare in their native language, so it’s basically an immersion environment for the kids). Also, I’m pretty sure am a much better mom for 4 hours in the evening than I would be for a full 12 hour day every day with no breaks.
ANP says
Hugs mama! We love love LOVE our daycare — in fact, my youngest (19 months) is in a situation right now where there are just 2-4 kids (total) in his room on any given day, so he basically has what amounts to a nanny share within a daycare center. Our teachers have been like family in some instances! My kids’ lives are more structured and learning-focused at daycare then they would be at home. S/he will always be happy to see you (well, most of the time) at day’s end, but there’s real love to be found with a good daycare provider.
So, how'd ya do it? says
Ladies, if you are here, you probably have kids. We’ve been trying for a year and a half, with no luck (one loss – fairly late). We do ovulation predictors, I’ve tried acupuncture, I try relaxing (and I stink at it), we time the “trying,” all of it. I guess I’m looking for a bit more informal magic. Did anyone here have trouble conceiving, and if yes, is there anything you did that you felt was the “lucky” try. Vitamins? Vacation? Standing on your head? Old wives tales? I know there are a billion suggestions on the broader internet, but I am an old timer ‘rette, and have trusted this community for so long. I’d rather try your wacky-but-maybe-true suggestions than the “Ellens” of the Internet.
Thanks so much. Who knew this would be so hard?!
Hawaii! says
First, I am so sorry for your loss. It took us the bettter part of a year, which is still within the range of normal, but the lucky try was when we took a vacation for a week and a half. The relaxing (and extra “trying”) can’t have hurt!
Anon for this says
So sorry for your loss. It took us about two years (with one loss around 12 weeks) before my pregnancy “stuck.” Part of the reason was that my husband traveled Monday through Friday. The other part, I discovered when I read Taking Charge of Your Fertility, was that I ovulated much later than I thought. So, if you haven’t done so, I highly recommend reading that book. I also bought the ClearBlue Easy Fertility Monitor, which actually tells you which days you are ovulating. Within two months of reading the book and using the monitor, I was pregnant. Having no idea if it helped, I’ll confess to spending a few minutes after “trying” with my legs in the air vertically. I mean, it can’t hurt…right?
It was so easy to get wrapped up in “trying,” I understand where you’re coming from. For now, focus on all the amazing things that you get to do while not pregnant and don’t have children. Try having fun in every room in your house, at any hour that you want. Drink wine and eat lots of sushi. Just make it as much fun as possible.
CPA lady says
I also really recommend that Taking Charge of Your Fertility book. I got pregnant fairly quickly, but found the information in the book to be very helpful, though it would hardly qualify as “informal magic”. It’s my understanding that when you track your cycle like they teach you to in the book it can be very helpful to your doctors– it can eliminate unnecessary testing and help them more quickly pinpoint what’s going on if there is a medical problem. Get your thyroid level checked too, because having an out of whack thyroid can keep you from getting pregnant.
It is “funny” though, because you spend your entire life believing that every single thing you do will get you pregnant, but then you read the list of things that can keep you from getting pregnant and its a wonder that there are any babies at all.
So, how'd ya do it? says
Thanks for this! Yes, we are doing all the tracking (other than basal body temp – I tried but forgot more than I remembered). And, you’re right. It has been helpful to the doctors. And Anon For This – I also ovulate later than the standard day 14, so tracking has been helpful. Thanks for your thoughts and support, ladies. CPA – you hit the nail on the head. You can spend so much time (for me, more than a decade) trying NOT to get pregnant, only to find out it’s not half as easy as you once-feared-now-wish!
Anon says
Honestly it would not hurt to go to a fertility clinic. They would test you and your husband. Your problem could just be timing, but there are a number of different conditions that are correctable that could be interfering and making it harder to for you to get pregnant. A year and a half is a long time to wait and fertility is a window that closes, so I would recommend to anyone trying for that long to at least get tested.
Baby mama says
The firs month I used an ovulation predictor, and preseed I got pregnant. Coincidence, maybe, but it’s worth a try.
Diana Barry says
Go to an RE and get a workup. We needed help with our first because my cycle didn’t work. The other 2 happened the first month.
Anonymous says
Does everyone really dress specifically for pumping? I am sitting here in my office in my standard issue sheath dress, with it unzipped to the waist with my bra on the desk next to me, pumping away. I cannot imagine limiting myself at work to dresses that were accessible from the front. I also wear a normal bra to the office then change to a nursing bra or tank when I get home. I think it would involve way more time thinking about pumping friendly clothes for the office than just half way disrobing. Is this just me?
anon eagle says
I wear pumping friendly dresses because I like to be covered at work. My first go-around pumping I sat shivering in my office. I tried blankets, heating pads and cover ups. I had a do not disturb sign on my door and coworkers still barged in. I dreaded every minute of pumping for my first baby. When my 2nd baby came along and I returned to work, I was determined to make pumping less miserable. I had to buy new clothes anyway to accommodate my larger size. I decided that I simply could not deal with the topless exposure so I prefer to wear pumping friendly dresses right now. Now that I am covered up with real human clothes, I feel more relaxed and the pumping goes much smoother.
I wish I had your outlook, but I simply could not deal with the nudity.
Nonny says
I feel the same. I could wear my standard issue sheath dresses too (and I miss them), but it just feels…wrong….somehow (not to mention cold) to sit in my office half naked. I want to make pumping as easy as possible, so for now it is things that open down the front, FTW. It is only a few months out of my life, after all, and there are enough things that make pumping at work difficult. I’d rather that my clothes not be one of them.
I don't says
Nope, this is exactly how I did it too. My building has a dedicated pumping room with controlled access, so I wasn’t worried about nudity or interruptions… although I was a little cold occasionally.