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[+] 17 month old doesnt eat much variety of foods, but will eat yogurt, so i wind up givi... 53 replies
- no - it's better than regular, but not as good as organic. When they are this small and eating this much dairy - it is the one time to splurge on organic....
Talk : : November 11, 2009
17 month old doesnt eat much variety of foods, but will eat yogurt, so i wind up giving her a yobaby for breakfast and another for lunch. also eats cheese. and loves milk, drinksk about 18oz a day. is so much dairy bad?
53 replies [ Reply | Watch | Options ]11.11.09, 10:53 AM [ Flag ]-
it's all organic. but i still worry....
[ Reply | Options ]11.11.09, 10:59 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]actually, just hormone/antibiotic free is fine-
[ Reply | Options ]11.11.09, 11:00 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]Not really. The pesticides and "feed" crap they feed to the cows on non-organic farms eventually finds its way into the milk.
[ Reply | Options ]11.11.09, 12:41 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]no - it's better than regular, but not as good as organic. When they are this small and eating this much dairy - it is the one time to splurge on organic.
[ Reply | Options ]11.11.09, 01:38 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
organic benefits have been disproven
[ Reply | Options ]11.11.09, 05:16 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
Is dc overweight?
[ Reply | Options ]11.11.09, 11:01 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]she is actually smallish for her age, 25th percentile
[ Reply | Options ]11.11.09, 11:02 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]offer a variety of foods in addition to the dairy products but don't worry about it too much.
[ Reply | Options ]11.11.09, 11:03 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]ITA
[ Reply | Options ]11.11.09, 11:18 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
sigh. why would dairy make child overweight?
[ Reply | Options ]11.11.09, 11:17 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]If a child is drinking 18oz of whole milk a day and yobaby for 2 meals, and presumably whole milk cheese, that is a lot of fat.
[ Reply | Options ]11.11.09, 11:18 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]it is fine for a 17 month old.
[ Reply | Options ]11.11.09, 11:23 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]my 18 month old eats dairy and cheese up the wazoo and is so skinny!
[ Reply | Options ]11.11.09, 11:27 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
my dd is like this too at 26 mos. she loves yogurt and cheese (but doesn't drink milk at all). Yo baby yogurts are our "go to" food when nothing else works. I would just ask the dr but I don't think it's a big issue. is she constipated though? I think that could be a problem with too much dairy.
[ Reply | Options ]11.11.09, 11:05 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]she probably goes once a day, sometimes twice. this is true even when she eats a lot of fruit (likes berries).
[ Reply | Options ]11.11.09, 11:13 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]oh yeah, berries are huge for us too. berries and yogurt is her favorite meal, regardless of season. you'll have an 18 month check up, right? just ask the dr.
[ Reply | Options ]11.11.09, 11:45 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
i have the same problem with my 14 mo. likes yo baby, goldfish, others are touch and go, sometimes she likes mandarin oranges, french fries, applesauce, sometimes not. she does like juice, though. would never eat baby food, esp. green.. so much different from #1.
[ Reply | Options ]11.11.09, 11:21 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]op: havent started juice yet
[ Reply | Options ]11.11.09, 11:27 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]Don't ever start juice! It is sugar and empty calories.
[ Reply | Options ]11.11.09, 11:29 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]oh dear Lord
[ Reply | Options ]11.11.09, 11:36 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]OR: i only give the watered-down type, half juice, half water, once a day (4 oz). i started it b/c mine did have bad constipation, dc#1 is 3 and only recently started liking juice; i'm not a juice junkie
[ Reply | Options ]11.11.09, 11:36 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]100% juice with no sugar added is good for you in moderation.
[ Reply | Options ]11.11.09, 11:40 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]np Huge sugar hit that doesn't satisfy hunger. Eat fruit. Drink water. I've never served my kids juice. They might have it at a party occasionally, but don't really care for it.
[ Reply | Options ]11.11.09, 01:42 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]hard to feed fruit to a baby who has 4 teeth and doesn't like applesauce or any baby food fruit
[ Reply | Options ]11.11.09, 05:14 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]So give her veggie baby food. Filling a kid full of juice as a source of nutrition is a VERY bad idea.
[ Reply | Options ]11.11.09, 05:24 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]she won't eat veggie baby food. a little juice to help with constipation is not bad, esp. when it's half water. get a life
[ Reply | Options ]11.11.09, 05:28 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]So, she won't eat fruit baby food, but she'll drink juice? Probably because you made it an option.
[ Reply | Options ]11.11.09, 05:34 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]yes, she will drink the apple/prune juice but has never liked baby food at all, esp. green stuff. her 3 yo sister was exact opposite. loved the green stuff. go figure. she does like fish (broiled salmon or flounder) sometimes mashed potatoes, sometime green beans that i mash and put to her, but sometimes she refuses all of them. she is teething pretty badly and i attribute it to that
[ Reply | Options ]11.11.09, 05:45 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
I see a chix nuggets/fish sticks/Goldfish/apple juice/repeat eater in your futre.
[ Reply | Options ]11.11.09, 05:36 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
on the road to bad diet habits.
[ Reply | Options ]11.11.09, 06:51 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
wish I had never started on yobaby. You should try plain yogurt.
[ Reply | Options ]11.11.09, 11:49 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]why??
[ Reply | Options ]11.11.09, 11:51 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]loaded with sugar. If old enough, honey with plain is much better.
[ Reply | Options ]11.11.09, 11:59 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]i don't know about yo-baby, but yo-kidz has 9 grams of sugar per serving, which isn't the end of the world. nutritionists recommend giving dcs breakfast cereals with less than 10 grams of sugar per serving.
[ Reply | Options ]11.11.09, 12:07 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]honey actually has 16 grams of sugar per one TB serving.
[ Reply | Options ]11.11.09, 12:09 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
np Plain with NOTHING or with fruit is best. Why start kids out thinking ALL good food must be sweet?!
[ Reply | Options ]11.11.09, 01:44 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
my underweight db would never eat plain yogurt but would eat the organic version of yo-baby (no high-fructose corn syrup) and the ped says that's fine if it gets calcium and calories into him.
[ Reply | Options ]11.11.09, 11:52 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]what's wrong with yobaby?
[ Reply | Options ]11.11.09, 12:00 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]added sugar
[ Reply | Options ]11.11.09, 12:04 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
YoBaby now makes a plain version. Regardless, this is an extreme point of view. There is nothing wrong with giving your child normal YoBaby. Extreme attitudes toward food breed children with eating disorders, which might be what some parents are trying to achieve. But those parents should keep in mind that eating disorders can go both ways and more often than not drive children (and later, adults) to overeat when finally given the chance to make their own decisions.
[ Reply | Options ]11.11.09, 12:03 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]I don't think it's extreme to give them regular yogurt. That's what my son gets and loves- why introduce sugary yogurt? I often serve with fruit. This is much ehalthier and not extreme on any level. And last night he had ben&jerry's for dessert-
[ Reply | Options ]11.11.09, 12:11 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]what is "regular yogurt"? is there any yogurt that does not have added sugar except "plain" that comes in those big 1 pint containers?
[ Reply | Options ]11.11.09, 12:27 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]I mean plain- and yes it comes in big containers but not really a big deal-
[ Reply | Options ]11.11.09, 12:37 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]np ITTTTA with you. I'm fine with high quality treats, but I don't think every food needs to be sweetened. My dcs love plain Fage yogurt; it's one of their favorite foods.
[ Reply | Options ]11.11.09, 01:47 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
We use the big containers and mix it with applesauce and oatmeal for breakfast. DD loves it. She also drinks buttermilk for a snack. IMO if you don't start them on sweetened foods, they wont know the difference anyway.
[ Reply | Options ]11.11.09, 01:17 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
ITA. Why is it extreme to avoid introducing a sugary, processed food into a baby's daily meals? I think foods like yobaby are fine as a treat, but twice a day? It's similar to giving pudding to a baby twice a day. Seems excessive to me...
[ Reply | Options ]11.11.09, 01:48 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
I used that yobaby a couple times and just switched to plain old danon. My dd stomach would get upset with yobaby but not with regular yogurt.
[ Reply | Options ]11.11.09, 05:21 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
The dairy isn't bad, but yobaby is not a very healthy food. It's yummy, for sure, but tons of sugar. Why not mix plain yogurt with applesauce or something?
[ Reply | Options ]11.11.09, 01:47 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]applesauce is sugar too
[ Reply | Options ]11.11.09, 02:07 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]fructose, not sucrose
[ Reply | Options ]11.11.09, 02:07 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]my baby won't eat applesauce
[ Reply | Options ]11.11.09, 05:17 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]So don't add anything. Or dump in a container of fruit baby food as it has no added sugar (better to do this for yourself, too, than to buy artificially sweetened crap, by the way).
[ Reply | Options ]11.11.09, 05:23 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
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[+] How much do you spend per year on children's clothes per child? 37 replies
- well-made shoes are important for foot development. I buy a lot of my DS's clothes new on sale or at an outlet, but splurge on shoes as well....
- year? Mostly ON or Target on sale. He grows so fast there's no point in getting him anything "nice.". Gymboree is a splurge for me....
Talk : : November 05, 2009
How much do you spend per year on children's clothes per child?
37 replies [ Reply | Watch | Options ]11.05.09, 02:03 PM [ Flag ]~800-1000 (DD is 14mo)
[ Reply | Options ]11.05.09, 02:15 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]Yeah! We need people like you to keep the economy afloat.
[ Reply | Options ]11.05.09, 03:35 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]Holy crap.
[ Reply | Options ]11.05.09, 04:00 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]that sounds reasonable - 1 nice jacket alone is 100. shoes = 70 each
[ Reply | Options ]11.06.09, 12:28 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]Shoes for a 14 mo do NOT have to cost $70
[ Reply | Options ]11.06.09, 04:40 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]Shoes for this age. You are a crazy mama.
[ Reply | Options ]11.06.09, 09:33 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]No, one nice jacket is, um, maybe $40 in "normal people's land."
[ Reply | Options ]11.06.09, 09:42 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]No freakin' way. I got a Gymboree jacket on sale for $20.
[ Reply | Options ]11.06.09, 08:08 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
Never really thought to add it up -- almost everything from Gap and Old Navy with a few special things thrown in... plus cold weather gear etc... maybe $1,000-$1,200?
[ Reply | Options ]11.05.09, 02:27 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]maybe $200 or so?
[ Reply | Options ]11.05.09, 02:29 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]Wow, you're good. That was my last purchase at gymboree.
[ Reply | Options ]11.05.09, 02:41 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]well, i have a ds, so that makes it easier. i shop the sales at old navy, target, walmart. i buy a winter coat a bit big at an end-of-season sale (usually old navy for under $20) to last two years. i buy four pairs of jeans per school year and have been known to get them for $8 a pair at target. i graciously accept hand-me-downs. shoes kill me, though. the pair of skechers i bought at an outlet and he's been wearing since the start of the school year already have a hole in them. : (
[ Reply | Options ]11.05.09, 04:10 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
Too much. $400-500? One ds, 20mo.
[ Reply | Options ]11.05.09, 02:30 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]4k or so.
[ Reply | Options ]11.05.09, 02:34 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]me too
[ Reply | Options ]11.05.09, 04:37 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]I do too but DD gets most of the budget. Most of DS budget goes towards school uniforms.
[ Reply | Options ]11.06.09, 09:31 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]lol, me too. dd probably gets 3/4 of the budget and ds gets 1/4
[ Reply | Options ]11.06.09, 03:43 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
Too damn much! Probably $500 or so per season with a few extras here and there so upwards of $2000 for sure.
[ Reply | Options ]11.05.09, 02:41 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]frightening, but i don't have a clue
[ Reply | Options ]11.05.09, 02:43 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]few hundred. I buy almost everything on clearance the year before. I got 8 gap dresses for $7-10 last year. Snow pants for $15 - everything like 80% off. I did great. I have a big stash for next summer too. Boden, old navy too
[ Reply | Options ]11.05.09, 02:49 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]Ditto, same with us...probably $300 for 8 y/o DS
[ Reply | Options ]11.06.09, 04:53 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]it's the best way to buy. I barely even look at the clothes because they are so cheap - I just buy one or 2 of everything - in a size or 2 up. Everything is so cute - not so cute when they cost $50 but really cute on clearance. Dd has so many dresses and party dresses now.
[ Reply | Options ]11.06.09, 09:50 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
less than $40. So far, all hand-me-downs from cousin. Realize that will stop eventually when dd understands she can go to store w/us and get new t hings but for now, it has been heaven.
[ Reply | Options ]11.05.09, 03:23 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]hand me downs are the best! can you imagine shopping with a couple of little kids? huge headache.
[ Reply | Options ]11.06.09, 06:44 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
$200-$300. I buy most everything at thrift stores.
[ Reply | Options ]11.05.09, 03:23 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]Oh, but then about $300 on shoes on top of that. I won't buy those used and they are expensive!
[ Reply | Options ]11.05.09, 03:24 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]That's a good strategy, good fitting, well-made shoes are important for foot development. I buy a lot of my DS's clothes new on sale or at an outlet, but splurge on shoes as well.
[ Reply | Options ]11.05.09, 11:36 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]<a href=http://emo.ppp.1s.fr/anerar.html>!</a>
[ Reply | Options ]11.05.09, 11:44 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
$500 for both boys (5 and 2). My mom gifts my sons with a lot of the more expensive stuff (sweaters, boots, jackets) so I buy the staples (pants, t-shirts, pjs, underwear, socks). I shop mostly at the GAP, Children's Place, and Gmyboree, and the youngest inherits a good deal of the oldest's clothes.
[ Reply | Options ]11.05.09, 04:01 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]Is this per season or year? Even though I have a ds, I buy him cute designer things and cashmere to play in because it is so cozy. I also buy some Gap stuff, but never anything cheaper than that. Buy him nice shoes, Uggs, etc.
[ Reply | Options ]11.05.09, 04:09 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]me too. DSs dont need clothes from target while girls get all their clothes at barneys!! all my PJ's are target (I used to buy all the petit bateau ones, but then I had another kid. and I realized yea, having snaps vs having a zipper makes a BIG difference for a busy mom with two kids), but his closet has like half stuff from gap (basics) and half from bonpoint, armani, etc. Id say I spend 1000/yr per kid.
[ Reply | Options ]11.06.09, 03:55 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]Bonnie Young has really cute boys stuff, but you'll never keep it under 1k a year per kid with her stuff. Cashmere hoodie and leggings are $250/each.
[ Reply | Options ]11.06.09, 06:12 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
I get hand me downs so $100 to $200 a year? Mostly ON or Target on sale. He grows so fast there's no point in getting him anything "nice.". Gymboree is a splurge for me.
[ Reply | Options ]11.06.09, 04:32 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]including shoes and coats? maybe 5-600
[ Reply | Options ]11.06.09, 09:52 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]Clothes maybe about $300? $400? Shoes, though, are $$$. I only buy 2 pairs to wear per season but winter boots are expensive and I'd say about $$250-$300 for shoes.
[ Reply | Options ]11.06.09, 06:09 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]$200/yr for a 2yo ds. We go to lots of clothing swaps (bring a bag and take a bag etc.)
[ Reply | Options ]11.06.09, 06:42 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]Around $1200/year for my one DD
[ Reply | Options ]11.06.09, 06:49 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
[+] Your favorite restaurant in Carnegie Hill is? 15 replies
- Sfoglia is the only one, IMHO, and I've lived there 8 years. Table d'hote is ok, but honestly, we don't eat out in the neighborhood unless we splurge on Sfoglia....
Talk : : November 05, 2009
Your favorite restaurant in Carnegie Hill is?
15 replies [ Reply | Watch | Options ]11.05.09, 09:00 AM [ Flag ]Sfoglia
[ Reply | Options ]11.05.09, 09:01 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]Thanks. Where is it?
[ Reply | Options ]11.05.09, 09:05 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]92d and Lex
[ Reply | Options ]11.05.09, 09:06 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]Our favorite too. But it is expensive.
[ Reply | Options ]11.05.09, 09:07 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]Thanks. Just looked at it and while it looks great it is too pricey. Any other less $$ recs in the area?
[ Reply | Options ]11.05.09, 09:08 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]We like the Yorkville Grill. Parlor Steak House is also good, but on the pricey side.
[ Reply | Options ]11.05.09, 09:11 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]What about Pascalou? Have you been there (this op asking)? What about Table d'hote?
[ Reply | Options ]11.05.09, 09:23 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
Sfoglia is the only one, IMHO, and I've lived there 8 years. Table d'hote is ok, but honestly, we don't eat out in the neighborhood unless we splurge on Sfoglia.
[ Reply | Options ]11.05.09, 10:18 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]Sfoglia, Parlor Steakhouse, Table d'hote, Taco Taco, Nick's, Barking Dog.. obviously they range in how formal/good they are. For date nights we typically go downtown.
[ Reply | Options ]11.05.09, 11:33 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]Sfoglia. For kids, the best restaurant in the nabe (decent food, too) is Fetch. The chef/owner is really nice and accommodating of kids and strollers.
[ Reply | Options ]11.05.09, 11:35 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]We are thinking about relocating to this area. Do you like it?
[ Reply | Options ]11.05.09, 11:36 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]I am one of the OR's. I really like it up here. It's a little quieter than most parts of the city and super family friendly. I wouldn't love it if I was single or newly married and going out all of hte time. But that's how I feel about the UES in general.
[ Reply | Options ]11.05.09, 11:37 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]We have 1 DS who just turned 2. We are looking for family friendly (like Beacon Hill in Boston) with some parks and good restaurants. Is it an easy commute to Mt. Sinai. Sorry for ?'s. I don't really know that much about NYC except the Meatpacking District.
[ Reply | Options ]11.05.09, 11:46 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]np Mt. Sinai is in the high 90s and Madison. Carnegie hill is between 86th and 96th and Lex and 5th--very close.
[ Reply | Options ]11.05.09, 11:52 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
np I LOVE it. Lots of stuff for kids, fairly quiet for Manhattan, some of the best private schools in the city, easy access to subway, CP, Guggenheim, Met.
[ Reply | Options ]11.05.09, 11:50 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
[+] db is 10 weeks and up until now the pregnancy weight was rolling off ... then i plate... 24 replies
- Exactly. If you can splurge, get a heart rate monitor to see how many cals you're actually burning....
Talk : : November 04, 2009
db is 10 weeks and up until now the pregnancy weight was rolling off ... then i plateaued and now have gained back some weight. went from 10lbs to lose to 15 now with SIL's wedding 3 weeks away.
24 replies [ Reply | Watch | Options ]11.04.09, 08:50 AM [ Flag ]Did you stop breast feeding recently? I have heard that could cause a weight gain increase.
[ Reply | Options ]11.04.09, 08:50 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]nope, still exclusively breastfeeding.
[ Reply | Options ]11.04.09, 08:53 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
Start running. I ran a half marathon 8 mos after my babies were born. It gave me a goal to get my bum out the door and do it.
[ Reply | Options ]11.04.09, 08:52 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]that's an idea. i have been taking daily walks with db but i could alternate jogging intervals, right?
[ Reply | Options ]11.04.09, 08:54 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]Exactly. If you can splurge, get a heart rate monitor to see how many cals you're actually burning.
[ Reply | Options ]11.04.09, 08:56 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]i used to have one ... i think i will get a new one.
[ Reply | Options ]11.04.09, 08:57 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
that's pretty common. I gained weight nursing too, contrary to popular belief. The first stuff falls off quickly, the rest settles in for the long haul. I also found that my waist line expanded as all the lbs. seemed to shift to my middle a few weeks after delivery.
[ Reply | Options ]11.04.09, 08:54 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]^^ it depends on where you get fat though. For some women it moves to their waist, for others it moves to their butt and thighs. Everyone's body seems to have a preference as to where it wants to store the weight.
[ Reply | Options ]11.04.09, 08:55 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]np Can't wait for the fat to move back to my butt, pregnancy/breastfeeding gives me flat, wide butt syndrome - took 18 months for my hormones to shift "back" (tee hee) last time around (I was bf and co-sleeping though - got my period and my butt around the same time).
[ Reply | Options ]11.04.09, 09:10 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
nooooooo! say it ain't so!!!! dh's family is super body conscious :(
[ Reply | Options ]11.04.09, 08:56 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]if you care that much about what they think, tell them you have a thyroid problem. It's common after pregnancies and it makes it much harder to lose the weight.
[ Reply | Options ]11.04.09, 08:59 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]dh won't let that fly and then i will get their sympathy, which might actually be worse.
[ Reply | Options ]11.04.09, 09:03 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]Ugh, making up a medical condidtion to have to justfiy baby weight 3 months after giving birth? Psycho people!!!
[ Reply | Options ]11.04.09, 09:10 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
You're 10 weeks post partum, will be 3 months post partum at teh wedding. Give yourself a berak!
[ Reply | Options ]11.04.09, 09:09 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]i know i should, just worried b/c suddenly gaining weight. :(
[ Reply | Options ]11.04.09, 09:15 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]I put on a few pounds somewhere around there- I think the stress of the first couple of months of parenting also contributes to the weight gain. I bet with some focus on what you're eating (cut out junk) and ramping up the exercise you'll drop another 5 in the next few weeks, at the very least 3-
[ Reply | Options ]11.04.09, 09:20 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]i hope so. i will not touch anymore leftover halloween candy, that's for sure! thanks everyone!
[ Reply | Options ]11.04.09, 09:22 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]^^oops, meant to say the early stress contributed to weight loss-
[ Reply | Options ]11.04.09, 09:29 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
wear something that fits well and have a great time. People know you recently delivered and will be cutting you a lot of slack. Everyone will be looking at the bride anyway, so don't be self-conscious
[ Reply | Options ]11.04.09, 09:30 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]i do have some nice outfits (it is a long weekend over thanksgiving), i just feel like i look so wide, kwim? and the wedding is only immediate family so it will be a small affair. i plan on waving db in everyone's face to distract them ;)
[ Reply | Options ]11.04.09, 09:33 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]yes, the baby is a great distraction. Pack your cutest outfits, know you look good no matter how wide you still feel, and plan to knock them all out with your fitness at the next get-together
[ Reply | Options ]11.04.09, 09:38 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]thanks!!
[ Reply | Options ]11.04.09, 09:40 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
I hit a plateau too and went a few months without loosing the last 10 lbs. Then I really tried to loose weight for two months straight.. working out and watching what I ate and it all came off.
[ Reply | Options ]11.04.09, 09:34 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]thanks! i will try to be more disciplined.
[ Reply | Options ]11.04.09, 09:35 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
[+] Can you live on $150k salary in NYC? 125 replies
- .one that a lot of young people making $25k are splurging on....
Talk : : October 31, 2009
Can you live on $150k salary in NYC?
125 replies [ Reply | Watch | Options ]10.31.09, 06:23 PM [ Flag ]Yes.
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 06:23 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]Where would you live in NYC with that salary?
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 06:24 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]np Not in Manhattan--unless you had a rent controlled or stabilized apt.
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 06:28 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]We each had rent controlled 1 bedrooms, his in Gramercy and mine UES. They were not big enough for the kids.
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 06:31 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
family of 3 living in queens on 75k here.
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 06:29 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]What part of Queens?
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 06:32 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]btdt poster below. you can basically live in any area of queens with that salary. you can even buy a house in most areas of queens. most likely brooklyn and staten island as well.
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 06:35 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]or in queens: we live in sunnyside. we rent.
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 06:39 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]^^ also have friends who are family of 4 and make less than 100K who live farther out in queens and are doing fine. it is completely doable.
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 06:49 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
np: yes! upper upper west side (90s+) and bway/amsterdam/columbus. not rent controlled either. i have 2br, elevator building (not doorman) for $2000/mo.
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 10:22 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]also before i was married lived in amazing east village apt w roommates on 30k!! (but that was rent controlled...and 4 years ago)
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 10:24 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
Riverdale.
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 09:55 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]Not true. We own a small 2/1 coop on the UWS (below 96th) and pay 2700 plus 800 M&M (bought in the last 3 years)...It is possible, but you may have to live in a good school zone.
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 01:55 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
Yes -- but probably not in most of Manhattan.
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 08:07 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]- [ Removed by moderator ] [ Options ]11.01.09, 01:57 AM [ | ]
depends on family size. Honestly if you save $1000 on rent moving to the outer boroughs you have commuting costs to add and and will probably need a car. If you buy you'll have maintenance. It doesn't come out that different. We rent a jr 4 instead of a 2br but it's large - we don't have to pay 4K in rent. We pay 3K. We could pay less but dh walks to work - we will probably just rent forever which most Nyers do. Most don't own. Because I like my apt so much I have no problem staying in and cooking in my nice kitchen etc etc. I save money on other things bc I love my space now where as if I had a crummy little kitchen I'd probably order in more or go out. Cut back in other areas and obviously go to public school - also adds to my rent cost because we will only rent in a good zone but it's still way less than going to private school unless we get a chunk of change in FA. Most people actually earn less than 100K and manage.
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 04:13 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
for sure you can. we just moved here this summer, so no rent control, no stabilization, so connections. we are family of 4, I am sahm, our HHI is 95k. no $$ help from anyone. we live in UES, elevator (no doorman) 2br for $2850. totally comfortable. older son will go to preschool next year (can't afford TT, so a catholic one), we do a few classes, members of a few museums, but we're careful. you can't let yourself be carried away.
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 06:52 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]Im poster above. we pay little more in rent 3195 for a dm large jr 4 with 2 full baths - so it really is a 2 br - we put up a wall. Go to a cheaper preschool - but it will only be an expense for 1 more year and then thank god it will disappear. We do no classes now bc ps is 5 days a week. We just don't do too much - hang home a lot especially in the winter, go to the park -free stuff. I sah too bc it would be more expensive to hire childcare than what I can earn.
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 07:23 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]You're lucky. It's generally required that your gross hhi be 40x the monthly rent. When we moved to NYC, we also paid $2850. 3k was the top of our budget. Hhi was 350k. Foolish to be house or apt poor, imo.
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 10:09 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]such is life in nyc. You cut back in other areas if you want to live here. No car needed so that saves a lot. Walk a lot. Don't go out to dinner etc
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 10:55 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]She's paying nearly 34k in rent. After tax, she's probably got 30k left to live on--for 4 people.
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 11:01 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]depends on her tax deductions. Some people only live on 40K a year
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 02:30 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
Most people get guarantors on leases or most wouldn't be able to afford it
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 11:00 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]Then they're not doing it without help--because if they don't pay, the guarantor does.
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 11:07 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]my dad guaranteed all my leases and he's never paid a cent of my rent.
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 11:38 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]Point is that you couldn't have lived in those apts without using his credit rating and/or wealth to back you up.
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 04:20 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]my credit rating was fine - yes I needed his wealth to sign the lease
[ Reply | Options ]11.02.09, 04:07 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
for some reason my post didn't show up so I will try again. I am the poster paying 2850, HHI 95K, family of 4. we have some savings which I'm sure helped us qualify, but we don't touch them (for college and perhaps a downpayment on a house someday). no guarantor. my parents refuse to help financially and his are in Europe so unable to do things like guarantee apartments here. yes, we probably live on 30K outside of rent, but we live well, IMO. today, for example, we hung out and watched the marathon. yesterday, we went to central park with friends. there is so much in NYC that is free or inexpensive that if you are careful you can live well without high daily expenditures.
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 05:58 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
I am the poster who is paying 2850 for rent and 95k HHI. no guarantor. we have savings that (I suppose) helped us qualify. we don't want to touch these on daily expenses as they are for a down payment on a house and college for the kiddos. yes, we probably will have 30k to live on this year, but NYC has so much to offer you don't need to spend so much on entertainment, IMO. for example, today we hung out and watched the marathon. yesterday we went to central park with friends. I don't feel like I'm not sacrificing a bit. we have all we need and more.
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 05:54 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]So, you're living on $2500 a month after rent? How on earth could you save anything?
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 07:15 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]we already have some savings from before which we don't touch and earns interest (or at least doesn't lose too much in this economy!). we actually manage to save a little at the end of each month, but we've only been here since july so we'll see how it goes. we have a budget and we track ourselves. it really isn't impossible--we live modestly, and try to eat in (get take out 3x/month--chinese or pizza), are members of a few museums and go there, take advantage of city programs like kids activities at the rec. centers (only $75/year), outdoor parks, etc. we don't have a housekeeper, we don't have a babysitter. if we can do it for 95, they certainly can live here and save a little on 150...they could probably get cheaper rent as well, but with 2 under 2 we felt we needed an elevator.
[ Reply | Options ]11.02.09, 05:09 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
We do. Rent a Jr4 on the UES in a DM bldg. DS in full time day care which isn't cheap. We manage just fine.
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 09:51 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
OP; family of 4
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 06:24 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]That could be tough.
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 06:25 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]- [ Removed by moderator ] [ Options ]11.01.09, 02:04 AM [ | ]
That's a little tougher but you can do it. A junior 4 in a MC nabe in the outerboroughs.
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 06:26 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]- [ Removed by moderator ] [ Options ]11.01.09, 02:01 AM [ | ]
If you live in outerboroughs you may be able to get 2-3 BRs for cost of studio-1BR in Manhattan.
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 04:16 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
five boroughs or manhattan only?
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 06:26 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]Five boros. Would we be eligible for a private school scholarship?
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 06:28 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]totally manageable. btdt.
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 06:29 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
depends on what you want to do. public school, eat at home, pack a lunch for work, don't take cabs. it is doable but it something you would need to watch every single day. that would be great money so many other places, why do it?
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 06:28 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]We don't have a choice. DH works for NYC
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 06:28 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]Jersey City, Hoboken, might be more affordable though
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 06:30 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]he has to live in NY
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 06:32 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]then westchester has some nice areas that aren't too pricey (areas in new rochelle, for example) or go father north. i have a friend who is ADA in outborough and lives in rockland.
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 06:50 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]you have to live within city limits if you work for nyc.
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 08:03 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]Actually, not anymore you don't.
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 10:02 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
ME too! Stupid city govt. DH and I want to move and he is all about Hoboken. I can't get it through his head that it is not an option.
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 08:24 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]You know, they lifted the residency requirement. Still no NJ, but you can live outside the boroughs.
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 10:02 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
yes, but public school. sahp or some other low-no cost childcare option. if 2dc or more, either outerborough or cramped into small nyc apt. limited ability to save, but can probably manage a little if you are frugal. i think this also assumes no extraneous costs though like big student loans or medical bills.
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 06:28 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]of course - even with 3000 a month rent - with public school - why not?
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 06:47 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]Of course you can. Believe it or not, rent-to-income ratios in NYC have always been rough. But it depends on what your monthly expenses are and debt-to-income ratio. If it's high, forget it. But if it's low then you can easily live in Manhattan on 150k, especially with rents declining the way they are.
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 06:48 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]I could. Millions of other people can also.
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 07:52 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]We do, but will be making some changes soon. 3 of us in a 1 bedroom with a TINY office we use for db's nursery. West 90's, we own.
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 10:41 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]for the love of god - of course you can. Maybe not up to the standards of the delusional housewives of UB, but it is done by millions of people. Even, yes, in Manhattan.
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 04:44 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]Yes. But don't forget that people living in Manhattan on that little (or less) 1) live in an apt they bought years ago 2) have parents who help them out with housing costs 3) live in public housing 4) live in rent controlled or stabilized accommodation.
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 05:07 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]wrong - most live in market rent apartments and most don't own
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 07:26 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]ITA. Where do people get their "facts" from. Just look at the numbers. There is 6 year waiting list for public housing. The number of rent controlled and stabilized apartments have decreased exponentially in the last 2 decades. Yet many, many people still thrive and survive on 150K and less in Manhattan.
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 08:09 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]we're on 6 waiting lists for 80/20 housing and we just get renewal letters every year. It's very hard to get into them for a 2br
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 08:26 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]Hang in there OR. I know how you feel. I have met only one person ever who got into an 80/20. Those lotteries are pretty much like playing the LOTTO. FYI, HPD won't tell you this, but it's a lot easier to get a unit through the "to buy" lotteries. Even if, say you don't great a great position on the list, they expect a 75 to 80 percent drop out rate because most people can't come up with the down payment and/or the estimated closing costs or can't get past the credit check.
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 09:44 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]we would have been fine - had a downpayment but now we blew through all our savings and now in debt. Dh just got a job and starts in 3 weeks. I'm hoping we finally have some luck. Feel like a black cloud has been over our heads for 3 years. I'm on the Peter cooper list too - they may have to restabilize a lot of apts. They aren't renting till they work this court thing out. So we'll see. I have no idea how long the list is there - we got on about 5 days after it started. I was such a fool not to call right away. Lots of vacant apts sitting there
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 10:13 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]You're on a Peter Cooper list? I thought they closed the Peter Cooper and Stuyvesant Town lists in 2000. All renting seems to be on hold now after the J51 decision. But ifnyou're applying for 80/20 housing, can you afford Peter Cooper, even if it goes down 50%?
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 04:21 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]yes we are paying more now. Using savings. we had a bad year so this year we will qualify for 80/20 - maybe not next year 0- hopefully not. PC.St started a new list - some apts are going up some will go down. Since they can't rent until the final decision they are taking a list of people interested in moving there
[ Reply | Options ]11.02.09, 04:09 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
do you realize how elitist the question is? do you understand how many NYers there are living well below that, I mean way way below. Jesus, of course you can.
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 04:54 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]DING!
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 08:08 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]Well, yes, of course. But that doesn't mean they're living comfortably, though, which is the subtext here.
[ Reply | Options ]11.02.09, 08:57 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
is this a moderator trying to stir up trouble? sigh. $150k is upper middle class even in nyc, even in manhattan. even with kids. anyone who says otherwise is living in a wall st. bubble (and there are a lot of those on here). can't afford private schools on that income? those are for the RICH. Same goes for designer clothes and fancy restaurants other than for special occassions. And cabs are a luxury to be taken once in a great while. That's how middle class and well off people live. RICH is another story.
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 08:04 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]There was an astonishing US census figure cited in the NY Times a few years ago that the median income of white families with children under 5 living in Manhattan was 285K.
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 08:33 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]article is by Sam Roberts, March 2007, titled: "In Surge in Manhattan Toddlers, Rich White Families Lead Way"
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 08:36 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]Im sure that has declined since last year - and that's good actually
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 09:20 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]Yes. It's good that the tax base has eroded. Fantastic.
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 09:44 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]New York was just fine before this "surge". I know people want to think New York was some horrible place filled with ghetto folks, hookers, and free-basers but plenty of working class and middle class generations managed to raise families and have good lives in the 5 boroughs.
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 09:52 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]Just fine? With rampant crime, trash piled everywhere, Central Park a dump and public schools worse than they are now? OK.
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 10:12 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]no this was the 70s not the late 90s early 2000s. Prices need to come down or this town will be only the rich and the very poor
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 10:14 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]Believe what you want to believe. I know plenty of "old timer" New Yorkers from all sorts of professions (transit workers to the Rudin family) who raised their families here during 60s, 70s, and 80s. And for all this talk about how bad public schools were, just about all these people have adult children who gasp, went to ivies, little ivies, and top universities.
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 10:22 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]If rich people are driving everyone not-rich out of Manhattan, how are they helping the city at all? That's helping themselves rather than the common good.
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 04:27 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]The +50% of my gross income I pay in taxes is helping the city quite a bit I'd say. Don't forget that the higher your income the higher the tax rate. I'm not complaining, but I thought I might point that little often forgotten fact.
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 04:54 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]Yes, but...if the city winds up being filled with only millionaires and some low-income people who are just scraping by and can barely afford the roofs over their heads, who is being "helped"? I realize that taxes have improved the schools overall, but I see no evidence that the poorest schools are getting better. The ones in the poorest neighborhoods are still disastrous. The public schools in the wealthiest areas of Manhattan are getting better, but their students bodies are composed mostly of the children of rich people who pay high taxes. So you're paying lots of taxes that mostly help to make you more comfortable.
[ Reply | Options ]11.02.09, 07:43 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
Yes, I remember that. I was blown away by that figure.
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 04:24 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
np If cabs are such a "luxury", there wouldn't be so many of them.
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 09:43 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]Because there're so many of them? I don't get the argument. To many many new yorkers, taking a taxi is still a luxury. Not only that, try getting a yellow cab to go to the outer boroughs or try to get one when Black or Latino. There may be many of them, but they are only serving a certain segment of the NYC population.
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 09:58 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]During a peak workday, there are 8,000 cabs on the streets of Manhattan. During a peak workday, there are eight MILLION people in Manhattan. That's only one cab for every one THOUSAND people. That's not a lot of cabs.
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 10:06 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]also a lot of people are taking them who really can't afford it. so yes, they're a luxury....one that a lot of young people making $25k are splurging on.
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 02:23 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
I don't live in NYC but am certain that $150k is NOT upper middle class. Maybe middle class if you stretch it right and have a small family. Please!
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 01:25 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]Actually, $150K is upper middle class in America (including NYC). At this point you're in the top FIVE percent of Americans. There's nothing "middle" about being in the top five percent of earners in America. And if you "feel" poor, it's only because of your lifestyle (housing, education, etc.) choices.
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 01:31 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]^^^oops sorry meant "UPPER CLASS", not upper middle. Upper middle ends at $140K.
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 01:32 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]it depends a great deal on where you live. It is difficult to move too because your salary changes when you move. So the reality is that you cannot assign a single HHI to middle class "America". You would be very very wealthy on $150k in Nebraska. Not so in NYC.
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 01:41 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]Actually, the Labor Department and the Census Bureau have. $150K is $150K whether it's New York or Omaha. If you choose to live in an expensive city like New York, you're going to have a life more "downsized" than if you lived in Omaha. Similarly, if you chose to buy a Mercedes over a Buick, you'd have to make cuts elsewhere in your budget for such an expensive car. It's all relative. But it doesn't change the fact that you're "upper class".
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 01:51 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]oh God. Give me a break. I do not care what the LD or CB say. If I live in Omaha and have the same profession as someone in NYC, I will make much much much less. My groceries will cost less. I will be the same person, the same class status. But I will have a different HHI. You can'
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 01:56 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]Not necessarily. If you're really "worth" your salary in NYC, other employers will match it in Omaha. We did it ourselves when we moved back to Pittsburgh.
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 02:00 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]Look, I am "worth" my salary and I know without a fraction of a doubt that I could not earn as much if I moved out of state. We have thought about it. We have friends in the same line of work in other states. They do not make as much. If you search City jobs, they pay according to where you live. If you search education jobs, they pay according to where you live. Sorry but you are full of
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 02:03 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]I'm sorry that you apparently don't know how to negotiate your own salary. Not all of us are relegated to be paid what "city jobs" tells us we're supposed to be paid.
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 02:11 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]how snobby of you to suggest that working for the govt is so lowly. I actually work for a private firm but we need people to take the non-negotiable salaries that govt positions offer. Geez. And any private firm owner would be nuts to pay the same rate in Omaha as they do in NYC. You arguments are ridiculous. If you want to claim that 150k is above median income for america, that is fine, but it by no means provides a lifestyle that is above average across the whole country. There is no debate. It just is.
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 07:18 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
thank you!! someone with a bit of intelligence and perspective on this board. if you live in NYC on 150, you are still umc, it's just that the umc lifestyle means a smaller home and less cash to spare. you are still way ahead of the curve in terms of income and lifestyle for this city. what 150 would buy you in omaha nebraska is irrelevant. and if you don't feel umc based on the standards of wherever you came from -- say omaha neb, -- then you move back there.
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 02:32 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]What some people will do to make themselves feel better amazes me. So you just want the ridiculous "title" of being considered UPPER middle class even if you can't afford to buy a car or a decent home in a decent neighborhood for your family?
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 04:47 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]why do so many of the rich people on this board sound so stupid and clueless?
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 06:58 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]BUYING a home and owning a car in a "decent" neighborhood in the most expensive city in the nation is affordable only to the rich. If you want this kind of lifestyle, you have to either enter the ranks of the rich, or move to a more affordable area. In New York City, the middle class don't own, they rent. It's been that way for generations.
[ Reply | Options ]11.02.09, 08:58 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
I don't care who you quote, this is the most moronic statement ever repeated on UB. It just doesn't work that way IRL.
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 02:12 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]Says the woman who can't budget.
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 02:16 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]Not even close. I'm not trying to brag but as example, my HHI is over 20x this example and still live a relatively modest lifestyle in nyc with the exception of owning a nice apartment outright besides maintenance. I realize I am wealthy, but 150K in this city is far from UMC.
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 02:22 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]now THIS is moronic. if your income is 20x 150 YOU are one of the wall st bubbleheads. you don't actually know what's possible on 150k, and it's comical that you are shocked by the assertion that this is UMC. and it most certainly is. average HHI in manhattan is far below this figure. my hhi is less than 100k and we live just fine...plenty of little luxuries too. but we don't expect to live like the wealthy. that means not the slightest expectation that we would own (that's not a middle class aspiration in nice neighborhoods of nyc) or send our child to private.
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 02:29 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]So owning your own home is only for the wealthy now? I'd tell that to the rest of the country because I don't think they know that. In other words, I'm right. 150K is nowhere close to umc IN NYC. In almost any other place in the US, it would be. People who made that COULD own a nice home AND send their kids to private schools because the private schools cost 3K, not 30K!
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 02:34 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]you're not getting the point of this at all. in manhattan only the wealthy can own, at least these days. in other parts of the country middle class people can own. if you live here and your salary places you squarely in the middle of the curve -- meaning, by definition you are middle class -- then you will not be able to own. you're still middle class. it's just that the middle class in manhattan and brownstone bklyn don't get to own.
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 02:37 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]only because you insist on using some economics textbook definition of class rather than common sense and realistic expectations. Your hatred of the wealthy clouds your vision. You'd rather point fingers than face facts. I'm not interested in playing quote the census bureau. I prefer the sense bureau.
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 02:43 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]is this the woman with the $3 mil HHI talking here? snort. why be confused with facts and stats when you obviously are in touch with the reality of life on a budget?!
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 06:55 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
np: that's because in NYC you're poor, not mc!
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 02:47 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]I wouldn't feel poor in nyc on 150K - but you would I guess
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 03:12 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]no, you still make a big salary at 150k, you just decide to spend it on inflated rent in the city instead of a big house in the suburbs. poor people don't have choices. so you may feel that you're living like a poor person because your idea of wealth is a big house. But you are not in fact poor, and are making an upper middle class salary that you choose to spend in a certain way.
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 06:51 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
ok, you married into money, right?
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 02:38 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
Middle Class means you are in the middle of the income curve. It does NOT mean that you get all the "trappings" of a middle class lifestyle that the media has convinced us over the last couple of generations are necessary. Middle class does not necessarily mean owing a home and a car. The average size of an American home in the 50s was 1700 sq ft - that was in suburbia! And in cities, people did not own cars and they only owned 1 car in the suburbs. Now somehow, people expect 1700 sq ft in the city, and 2-3 cars in the suburbs.
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 06:23 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
we do -in manhattan
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 08:09 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]We do. Actually on 15K less.
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 08:11 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]we live on $110. Live in a one bedroom on the upper east side with our 7 month old. its pretty tight, but we make it.
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 08:25 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]Yes, we live in Manhattan. Own a gorgeous 3br in Harlem below 125th, BUT, had savings and parental help for down payment. Now with 2 dcs the big issue is schools as our zoned elementary is not good, there are lotteries for the charter/better ones, and there is no way we can swing private on our hhi.
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 08:49 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]so many people moving to harlem!
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 11:55 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
Yes, we do fine on 100k (actually 38k currently, as dh is unemployed) in Forest Hills, Queens, a great neighborhood w/ good public schools. We own a Jr.4 in a 24-hour doorman bldg.
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 09:25 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]We're living on half that ($78K). Family of four. Manhattan.
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 09:45 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]that's unusual. what is your housing expense?
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 02:45 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]$1850/month.
[ Reply | Options ]11.02.09, 08:59 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
We live on about 70k in a condo in Harlem with one child in public school.
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 10:43 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]Yep. We do it, with one child. We own a condo in central Harlem.
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 11:54 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]Yes, UWS; own Coop (2 bed; 1 bath; 950 square feet--walk-up); Private school for 1 dc; no car; Mass Transit; Good Health insurance; eat out 2x per week; Shop at Whole Foods...
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 01:36 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]Yes, last year we lived on $83,000 in Manhattan (2 adults, 1 child). We lived in subsidized housing from my company, though, so rent was half as expensive as market rate. But we had to pay for preschool, which, as you know, costs a ridiculous amount. This year we make $120,000 and don't have subsidized housing and it is fine. We get to go out to eat a few times a week and I never feel deprived! You can definitely live on $150k but you have to keep things simple and you can't be the type of person who feels angry if you are "deprived" of private school or owning a car in the city.
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 02:40 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]Yes, but unless you have some lucky arrangement, you'll be living in very tight quarters or in a less-than-central neighborhood, and you won't be able to afford most of life's luxuries. We get by on about 150K in a small 2-bed on the Harlem/UWS border.
[ Reply | Options ]11.02.09, 02:17 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]This is a good summary of reasonable expectations for $150K, I think...
[ Reply | Options ]11.02.09, 08:54 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
we live on less in brooklyn
[ Reply | Options ]11.02.09, 07:47 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]We are living of 165K and bought a three bedroom in Harlem, with a yard, and a child in private school. None of life's luxuries to speak of (unless you count a car).
[ Reply | Options ]11.11.09, 08:04 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
[+] Inlaws in town for the holidays. Looking for ideas of things to do with them. 4 replies
- Splurge on one holiday show (Ballet or Radio City or some whatever they are interested in), and take in all of the free or cheap holiday stuff (store windows, church concerts, etc)...
Talk : : October 31, 2009
Inlaws in town for the holidays. Looking for ideas of things to do with them.
4 replies [ Reply | Watch | Options ]10.31.09, 06:11 PM [ Flag ]Get tickets to a sporting event
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 06:14 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]Splurge on one holiday show (Ballet or Radio City or some whatever they are interested in), and take in all of the free or cheap holiday stuff (store windows, church concerts, etc)
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 06:19 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]where are they from? ellis island is good. observation deck of the empire state building. lunch at the sea grill with a view of the rock center ice rink.
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 06:22 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]my ils love a good show (nothing too out there, but well done), a trip to a museum for a special exhibit, the chance to take dcs to something (Yorkville Nutcracker, a Bway show, the special Met one-hour opera productions), a nice dinner out at somewhere more traditional than hip like D'Orsay for example, an hour or two of shopping on Madison (more of a walk than a spending trip)
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 06:31 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
[+] OK, all of you with awesome marriages which are more than 10 years long, what's your ... 55 replies
- families these days need two incomes to pay for a moderate home, food, transportation, and minimal savings for the future. It is hurtful for you two say that my spending is out of control when, for example, I do not so much as splurge on having my hair cut by a moderately priced stylist more than twice a year and I am still wearing the same moderately-priced clothes that I bought a few years ago. You are just trying to make me feel bad....
Talk : : October 31, 2009
OK, all of you with awesome marriages which are more than 10 years long, what's your secret? DH and I are doing OK, but I feel like we live muted lived. Between stressful jobs, kiddo, general household stuff and schedules, we're not really that into each other any more. I mean, we're sweet to each other, etc but I keep wondering if this is the way it's going to be forever. For first couple of years (10 yrs ago) had a pretty good sex life, had a lot of fun together - now it's more of a chore. I used to be a pretty sensual person, don't feel that way at all, and if you asked me, if I didn't have sex w DH for months and months I'd be fine. I recently spent some time away with some colleagues and we had a ton of fun - I kind of remembered the way I used to be, with DH, and feel so sad. Will there be no more of feeling hot and excited for each other?
55 replies [ Reply | Watch | Options ]10.31.09, 11:24 AM [ Flag ]mutual respect, understanding a good sense of humor.
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 11:33 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]Married 20 years. I know I'm going to be flamed, but the trick, really, is to be a SAHM. I did the WOHM thing and our lives were one big whirlwind of stress -- his stressful job, my stressful job, dealing with daycares and babysitters and schools, not getting home until 7:00 PM, not eating dinner until 8:00, household chores until 11PM, kids not getting enough sleep because they were distracted all day by other kids at the daycare and didn't finish their homework until 10PM or later, blah blah blah. Then DH and I sat down and agreed that what we were doing was crazy, and was slowly eating away at our marriage. We really had no "home life" to speak of (neither kid the kids, sadly), since the entire family just used the home to crash after our hectic days. We scaled our lifestyle back so I could stay home, and it's been heaven ever since (OK, with little patches of hell here and there, but mostly heaven). DH works his stressful job, and I'm home all day to take care of the kids and the house. By the time he comes home, the house his spotless, the shopping is done, the kids' homework is done, and dinner is on the table. We eat in the dining room like a family most nights. After dinner, both DH and I are able to unwind *together*, and enjoy the rest of the evening. And the kids started going to bed at a more reasonable hour.
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 11:35 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]^^^after our hectic days. We scaled our lifestyle back so I could stay home, and it's been heaven ever since (OK, with little patches of hell here and there, but mostly heaven). DH works his stressful job, and I'm home all day to take care of the kids and the house. By the time he comes home, the house his spotless, the shopping is done, the kids' homework is done, and dinner is on the table. We eat in the dining room like a family most nights. After dinner, both DH and I are able to unwind *together*, and enjoy the rest of the evening. And the kids started going to bed at a more reasonable hour.
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 11:36 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]many of us wish we could make this work financially. It is not always an option. Unfortunately, we live in a two-income world. It is the irony of the feminist movement. It gave us a little more freedom to have any career that we please but it also put us in a position where we have to have full time jobs AND be fantastic caregivers for our children.
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 11:38 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]This is not true at all. This is only a "two-income world" if you buy into all the Madison Avenue materialistic bullshit. You don't need more than three bedrooms. You don't need Viking appliances. You don't need fancy vacations. Your kids don't need private school. Millions of families (including ours -- yes, in Manhattan on less than $100K) are doing just fine on one income.
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 11:42 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]I do not live in NY. I live in CA in a very moderate house. We do not go on vacations except for on very rare occasions. We are frugal to the max. My husband and I both made about $150k until I recently lost my job. We are scraping by but it is very very very difficult. It is great that you are making it work on $100k but that is very hard to do. Believe me, we have looked at it from every perspective and feel stuck.
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 11:46 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]Your spending is apparently out of control. Unless your husband is only making $35K, there's no reason why you should be "scraping by".
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 11:47 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]that is hurtful.
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 11:52 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]No, that is honest.
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 11:54 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]You are wrong.
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 11:56 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]How so?
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 11:56 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]you are simply blind to the fact that most families these days need two incomes to pay for a moderate home, food, transportation, and minimal savings for the future. It is hurtful for you two say that my spending is out of control when, for example, I do not so much as splurge on having my hair cut by a moderately priced stylist more than twice a year and I am still wearing the same moderately-priced clothes that I bought a few years ago. You are just trying to make me feel bad.
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 12:02 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]np: You don't NEED 2 incomes. My dh makes $15 as a store manager and I stay home. We don't go on vacations and have no savings at all. We barely scoot by each month and truly live paycheck to paycheck. We rent and only have 1 car. We make all the luxury sacrifices that we could have by me working to stay home because we realize it is what's best for our family. My dh, my dd, and I don't need fancy vacations and luxury things, we need time to enjoy being a family.
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 02:08 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]np: $15 what? 15/hour?
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 05:06 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]u are also screwed if dh gets injured and have nothing saved for your future--i would kill myself if i lived your existence
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 05:33 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
np: you are ridiculous. you have NO idea what other expenses or obligations she may have. they may have huge student loan debt (i had over $200K at one point). they may help sick or impoverished family (we basically support my parents). have huge medical bills from illness. have suffered a tragedy that resulted in a big loss or legal bills. there a million possiblities, but the bottom line is it's insane for you to judge someone else with zero information.
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 12:02 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
Sorry, we have three bedrooms in Queens, no private school and we still need two incomes. They're not "fancy" incomes, obviously.
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 11:47 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]Why do you "need" two incomes? How much is your rent?
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 11:49 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]We both work for nonprofits. Care about saving for retirement, education, etc. We could live hand to mouth on one income, but that would be stressful to both of us because we're savers at heart.
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 11:51 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]What good is "saving" if you're working yourselves to death? Stop knocking yourselves out, particularly on saving for "education".
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 11:53 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]Um, I'm not the original poster saying I was working myself to death. Just saying for our circumstances, and what we value, which includes saving, two incomes is a reality. My dh and I could have chosen to work in more lucrative careers, but we both enjoy what we do and our jobs reflect our values, which we think is a valuable lesson to our kid. I'm not saying that if circumstances were different, I wouldn't be open to being a full-time stay at home mom, but it wouldn't work for us long-term.
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 11:57 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
totally disagree -- it may be the key to one marriage, but I have been married for 15years and the fact that I work and earn a substantial amount takes pressure off DH. Likewise, he understands the demands of my profession and is supportive. I think some men need a SAHW, but my DH doesn't.
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 11:39 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]np. Well, I guess for men who can't provide adequately for their families ...
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 11:44 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]NR: Why on earth would you make such a stupid comment. Different people aren't allowed to appreciate/value different things?
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 11:49 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]Of course they can. But if they value material things that require two incomes, they shouldn't bitch and moan about how their marriages fizzle because they spent too much time making money to focus on cultivating the marriage.
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 11:50 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]ittttta. We're all given 24 hours in the day. How we choose to use those hours is up to each of us, as well as how we choose to spend our money.
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 11:51 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]that's actually an unfair leap, we both work because it's satisfying and meaningful to us. we both enjoy parenting a great deal and find our family time especially rewarding. our dual income does allow us to have a modest second home and to be very involved in charitable organizations, but I don't think it's fair to assume we sacrifice our marriage or anything else for material things.
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 11:54 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]Good for you. Again, it's all about choices. You've chosen to scale back on the time you give to your family in exchange for a second home.
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 11:56 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]Both of my kids are in school full time and dh and I take turns dropping them off at school each day. I am a class mom and volunteer for the pta. Iam home every evening by 6pm. I make $2 million -- I don't think it's a bad compromise and I am certainly not "sacrificing" my family for a second home.
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 12:02 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]are you on television? what the heck do you do to earn 2 million AND are home by 6pm?
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 05:37 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]I'm a partner in a professional firm and I control my own schedule.
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 09:50 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]np. I work IN television. I'm also home by 6:00 pm for dinner, but I make $3.7 million.
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 10:09 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
i would be more worried about my marriage as a sahm--
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 05:40 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
Either one of us could support the family alone, we just choose not to, but your uncharitable assumption is revealing. I personally am not judgmental about what other women choose to do.
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 11:51 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]Neither am I. I'm merely observant, and have a low tolerance for people who whine about the consequences of the choices they themselves made.
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 11:54 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]I don't understand your post then, I'm the one who posted that I have been happily married for 15 years and we both work.
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 11:55 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]I was responding to OP.
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 11:56 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
Your trick, not THE trick
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 12:01 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]I completely disagree--I love my job and it makes me so happy, and even though dh was raised in a very traditional home (his mother never worked and criticized moms who did) he appreciates that I use my brain every day and we can discuss our work and not have our lives solely revolve around dcs. I think it's more about reducing stress...our jobs are not super stressful. We left NYC for another city that's more affordable and less stressful, and our marriage improved 1000 times.
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 12:06 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]i would have to say that the change might have a lot to do with the ages of your children. i think it's true that certain things are easier when you are a sahm when dcs are young. but once they get older, some of the benefits are erased.
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 05:02 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]Wow, I sitting here reading this truly shocked. I am SAHM and it is the most stressful thing I've EVER done. My husband works LONG hours and doesn't see me or my dd near as much as we all would like. He is home and awake about 2 hours a day M-F. I can't wait until our life can change which I hope and pray means I will go back to work at least part time and he will work more sane hours. I really truly can not see being a SAHM mom as the answer to an enduring marriage. If that is something the couple really wants then maybe it would help a marriage but certainly not in my case.
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 05:06 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]So let's be clear: you couldn't hack it.
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 05:29 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]I could not disagree more. The most important thing is that you and DH see eye to eye on this issue. ie You both want a SAHP or you both want to be WOHPs. How many SAHMs have you seen posting here about DHs taking them for granted? You have a husband that supports your decision and agrees with it, fabulous, but what works for you doesn't work for everyone.
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 05:38 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
It takes work and ufortunate events bring you closer... unfortunately. Like they say, if it doesn't kill you it builds character
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 11:39 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]DH and I don't have a perfect marriage - but there's a shared feeling that we're in it for the "long haul" (and, as a result, I'm okay with occassional rough patches). I've always been good with compromise - and I definitely make use of this skill with DH (when it comes to little things). DH and I also both admit that our relationship owes a lot to "timing" - that we were both ready to settle down when we started dating (and that that was part of why/how things got serious) and there's a sense of realism about "us".
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 11:51 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]13yrs, 3dc for us. I think the comment about SAHM is interesting. We have been lucky enough to solve that problem with nanny/hker and me working part-time. I think there is a lot of merit to the idea (for us - totally agree it's individual) that one partner takes the financial burden and the other the family/household/organizing burden. That way each person is free to do their part well. but I cannot be ft SAHM as I get pretty depressed w/o structure and stimulation and am not motivated enough to seek these out alone. For us, making sure we have time together, alone is key. We have a night out together each week. We also keep odd hours stay up rather late so we have time together alone after kids are in bed (dh doesn't need much sleep; I work pt so catch up on days off). Other key points: 1. making sure you have sex to maintain intimacy. I am certainly less interested than 10yrs ago, but I know it's important so we try to have sex once a week no matter what. 2. Also agree that difficult times and tragedies either split you up or leave you closer than ever and we've had our share. 3. Having very complimentary personalities/skills has helped us. If we fight, dh doesn't sulk but I do. He seeks me out and doesn't hold a grudge for example.
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 11:57 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]^(dh doesn't need much sleep; I work pt so catch up on days off). Other key points: 1. making sure you have sex to maintain intimacy. I am certainly less interested than 10yrs ago, but I know it's important so we try to have sex once a week no matter what. 2. Also agree that difficult times and tragedies either split you up or leave you closer than ever and we've had our share. 3. Having very complimentary personalities/skills has helped us. If we fight, dh doesn't sulk but I do. He seeks me out and doesn't hold a grudge for example.
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 11:58 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
we waited 11 years to have children and after dc, we are more tired for sex but we really make an effort to have together time without dc. Also, sahm- this does take some pressure off. Granted we have to cut back on a lot of material things and fancy trips but we could not be happier.
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 01:40 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]My dh and I have been together 10 plus years, and our relationship has had its cycles, depending on work, family, etc. We have a toddler and are expecting our second and both of us work full time. We're much more low key about each other than we once were, but there's a lot of love and as our ds has gotten older, I've already seen more time for me and for us. I think it's fine and will only get better.
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 04:59 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]For me, when I turned 40 (and my youngest was 7,) it all came rushing back. Life became more manageable and seemed to mellow out a bit. DH and I started spending more, and better, time together. We were less social with other people too. I don't know if it was our ages, or the ages of our kids though.
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 05:11 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]i wasn't going to weigh in b/c i haven't been married for ten years yet and b/c i don't want to jinx myself or my marriage. but i think the answer is that you really have to pay attention to your marriage. stop and look at it every couple of months and say "how did i get here? is this what we need". for some, that evaluation will result in being a sahm. for others, it'll be the realization that you need to stay at (or go to) work in order to handle the life that you have. but i think that's the major factor: to not take your marriage adn your home life for granted and be willing to make changes in order to let it work better. the second factor is that you can't blame your dh for other issues. you not having fun may have more to do with your kids or your finances than with your marriage. and don't expect your dh to fill every role in your life. it's ok to have the fun or silly part of your life be filled by your friends. as long as it's not at the expense of your dh. thanks for the post. a lot of food for thought here.
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 05:17 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]^^your kids or your finances or your energy level, rather than your dh. don't blame him for things that aren't his fault. and lastly, don't expect your dh to fill all your needs. it's ok to have your fun or silly side be satisfied by friends.
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 05:19 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
I guess DH and I have the perfect mix of being compatible (we pretty much agree on everything, especially "hot button" issues like $) and being able to complement each other. He is definitely more patient than I am but I'm better at doing the household stuff like remembering birthdays and paying bills. We were together for five years before getting married, and another five years before having kids (we were 20 when we met), so we had plenty of time to work out our issues before adding kids to the mix.
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 05:32 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]i think our crazy life contributes to our successful marriage--we both rely on each other to contribute and make the household run--we both trust that we will do what needs to be done and do not judge or at all treat each other harshly--i think what helps is that dh always puts me and the children first--and we know it. We've both been home at times with the kids for months here and there but we both woh with great help.
[ Reply | Options ]10.31.09, 05:52 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
DH and I have been married for 12 years - 4 kids. We are having a very difficult time financially, but we acknowledge every day that we are in this together as a team and we will get out of it together as a team. We truly appreciate each others contributions and try to express it a lot. We have sex at least once a week and are very creative at making it happen. We have an aupair. I am working part-time plus. He is working a fulltime job and has recently taken a second parttime job from 4-8am. We try to be nice to each other and make 60 seconds to share a joke or something positive everyday. We hope the financial part is temporary, but it is sooo scary. So much of sex is mental, so take some time to think about it. Dust off some of the lingerie. Say something a little riske. Get some toys or lotions or something to spice things up a tiny bit. He will probably appreciate the effort enough to reciprocate tenfold.
[ Reply | Options ]11.01.09, 09:56 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
[+] how do all of you nyc moms stay so skinny? 143 replies
- That's what I do (although sometimes I splurge and have dinner and Tasti) - and I exercise. I used to be fat (not NYC fat, but actually fat) and that's how I justify it....
Talk : : October 25, 2009
how do all of you nyc moms stay so skinny?
143 replies [ Reply | Watch | Options ]10.25.09, 04:23 PM [ Flag ]This NYC mom doesn't :(
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 04:25 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]Weight Watchers. Changed my life. I have never been overweight but after having DC, needed to understand how my body/metabolism had changed, etc. Also, breastfed both which made it easier to lose the weight after each pregnancy. Am 5'4", 115lbs and size 26-27 jeans. Not super skinny but feel pretty good.
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 06:12 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]A lot of black clothes.
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 07:22 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]this is a walking city. I lost weight when I moved from the suburbs to manhattan because I walked everywhere instead of getting into a car & driving. Didn't join a gym or do other forms of excercise besides walking, and didn't change my eating habits.
[ Reply | Options ]10.26.09, 09:51 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
every mom i see it so tiny - - i am 40 lbs over and just can't get a grip - you probably are one of them and are 5 lbs over
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 04:27 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]lololol. Nope. Probably fatter than you. Any of my fellow Eileen Fisher hags on tonight?
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 04:31 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]worse! size 16 mom here who used to be a size 6.
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 04:45 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]that is me too!
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 04:55 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
Present!
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 04:45 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]How are you? I gave away an old EF skirt today. Super frumpy one. That's good, right?
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 04:56 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]Yes- try to watch that silly show What not to Wear. It gives great tips on how to say good bye to the frump wear. Apparently it didn't look as good as we thought ;-)
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 06:14 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]Yep. I sometimes see those ultra Orthodox women in the street looking very frumpy--and realize I'm wearing pretty much the same thing.
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 06:24 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
I just stopped eating sugar. Have lost about 6 lbs. in 1 month. Am still eating bread, but just 2 servings a day and it has to be whole-wheat type. No candy, no desserts - just being sensible. 27 lbs. to go...
[ Reply | Options ]10.26.09, 08:58 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
Skinny, not so much. But, I did manage to lose 5 lbs walking DD to/from school every day (20 minute walk through CP)! Only 15 more to go.
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 04:36 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]I stay fit walking everywhere. I literally walk 6-8 miles a day. I'll never be skin & bones but I'm a 5'7" size 4-6. The really skinny ladies my height either don't eat or exercise compulsively or both.
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 04:45 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]They diet compulsively, exercise compulsively and have all their self worth tied up in the constant competition of who's skinnier.
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 04:53 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]no I eat and don't diet. I have always been skinny
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 04:54 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
EF hag here. I walk A LOT, too. Gym five days a week. I like my food. I should go to WW meetings rather than doing it online--the embarrassment factor might help.
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 04:55 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]Or it is their genes.
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 04:59 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
I walk almost everywhere - so even if I only pick dd up at school it's a mile altogether. It all helps. Stress too but I've always been skinny
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 04:54 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]I'm fat. But dc goes to public school so I don't know if I count.
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 04:57 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]Just stop it.
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 05:04 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]Stop what?
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 05:08 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]anyone under size 6/8 looks ridiculous - not jealous of them - i just meant the healthy in shape people - how do you find the time (I work)
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 05:13 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]Huh? I'm a size four and am by means stick skinny
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 05:33 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]I'm 5'7", 135, and a size 4. Very healthy BMI and nowhere near stick skinny. I don't think I look "ridiculous".
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 06:01 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]Ita. 5' 2" and 125 pounds. Size four and plenty of belly pooch.
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 06:06 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]I am 5'2 and 125 pounds and am size 6. There is no way I can fit into size 4. I guess size/weight is not a direct indicator of how think you look.
[ Reply | Options ]10.26.09, 06:45 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]Nope. People are always surprised I weight more than they think I do. It's just the way you carry it. And vanity sizing, of course. I'm probably more like a 6 but in the Gap sometimes I fit into a 2!
[ Reply | Options ]10.26.09, 07:40 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
5'6" and 132-size 4/6-normal with a poochy gut ........
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 10:00 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]I'm 5'8, 140 pounds and a size 10. I've worn a size 10 since I was 14 when I weighed only 120 pounds. I think some people just have large frames and will always need to wear a larger size. I don't think having to wear a larger size is always indicative of having too much meat on your bones.
[ Reply | Options ]10.26.09, 04:23 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]These may be the first realistic weights I've ever read on UB, and I don't doubt you are all healthy and normal-looking. Congratulations! sincerely!
[ Reply | Options ]10.26.09, 06:11 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]Thanks. I'm happy with my weight, belly pooch and all. Surprised to hear I look ridiculous! It's all vanity sizing anyway, I'm probably a 6 not a 4 (and I sometimes even get in a 2 LOL)
[ Reply | Options ]10.26.09, 06:20 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
that's a very healthy weight, depending on body type. i'm 5'6" and look best at 145 (i have giant boobs and a medium frame; i'm 42 years old). i'm 150 now and need to lose 5 pounds. :(
[ Reply | Options ]10.26.09, 09:12 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
I'm 5'2" and 120 pounds and a size 4 petite. I'm definitely not skinny (but I don't consider myself fat either). I still haven't lost the last 5-7 lbs from childbirth. My best weight was around 113.
[ Reply | Options ]10.26.09, 04:20 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
We walk a lot and everything is so much harder physically here for the average person with average money.
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 05:09 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]Yeah, there all "naturally" skinny by starving. Some are but, been around enough to have inside scoop... If you ate what they ate for a week you'd be famished and 5 lbs lighter. But then most of them are just hungry all the time.
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 05:12 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]ok makes me feel better! at least i enjoy food and at least they are suffering for that weight!
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 05:14 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]np That explains why there are so many bitchy moms out there.
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 05:15 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]that's bs. i eat what i want, am not hungry all the time. i'm skinny because i get regular exercise and eat reasonably. some people like my fat ils think it's reasonable to sock away a whole gallon of ice cream after dinner or use creme fraiche in lieu of milk on their breakfast cereal. a reasonable eating is highly subjective.
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 06:24 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]Ditto here, down to the fat ILs.
[ Reply | Options ]10.26.09, 03:53 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
DH said he couldn't understand how all these women pass on the birthday cakes at kid's parties. He said, "I wouldn't want to be married to a skinny woman who has to say NO to birthday cake!" LOL.
[ Reply | Options ]10.26.09, 09:04 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
Totally agree. Carrying strollers up steps, heaving carseats into cabs, etc. etc. It is a lot more physically demanding on top of all the walking. Hence, why I can't move to the burbs because I know I'll gain 20 lbs behind the wheel of a car....
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 06:47 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
nobody eats. really. if you see them eat, it's because they didnt eat all day until that meal. everybody says "oh, it's because we walk everywhere." that's crap. nobody eats. unless you count, a latte for bkfst (skim) a salad for lunch and a tasti d-lite for dinner. a glass of wine a week, tops. seriously.
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 05:15 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]That's what I do (although sometimes I splurge and have dinner and Tasti) - and I exercise. I used to be fat (not NYC fat, but actually fat) and that's how I justify it.
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 05:26 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]Maybe you should seek professional treatment for your eating disorder?
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 06:00 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]I binge eat if I don't do this - so, yes, probably.
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 06:28 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]how about setting yourself a goal of calling a therapist by the end of November to start dealing with this?
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 06:49 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
The people whose diet looks like this end up with their health in a wreck and they look like little old ladies by the time they are 60 because they have been denying their body nutrients for 30 years. No thanks.
[ Reply | Options ]10.26.09, 04:25 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
I neither have the inclination or the will power to eat like that. After moving last year I have a 20 min walk to the subway and a new dog. Lost 10 pounds in no time flat.
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 05:26 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]lololol. ITA. They have this mom's night out thing yearly at my kid's school. I sat next to a stick insect type who at exactly 1/4 of her meal (and she obviously separated that part from the rest of it) in about twice as long as a normal person would take to eat nearly the whole thing.
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 05:30 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]the ana moms. Gotta love it. Such a great influence on our daughters.
[ Reply | Options ]10.26.09, 09:06 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
not me - had apple pie for breakfast, a donut at 11, pizza for lunch, chicken, spinach and mashed potatoes and salad for dinner and zours and wine 0I weigh 98 pounds
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 05:54 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]How tall are you? Short I'm guessing...
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 06:06 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]5 3
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 06:41 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]very short and very skinny
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 06:51 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]not that short. always was skinny 46 years
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 06:56 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]not that it matters, but come on, 5 3 is really short!!
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 07:24 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]5 feet is really short
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 07:35 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]I agree. So is 5-3.
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 07:36 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]5'3 is not 'really short'...5'4 is the average female height in America, so I would say it's average. 5'1 is short.
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 08:18 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
No it's not, Petite sizing starts at 5' 2".
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 08:23 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]I can't even wear petites - the arms and legs are too short at 5'3". I can wear petite tank and short sleeve tops and that's about it
[ Reply | Options ]10.26.09, 07:38 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]Youre wrong. 5'2" is the upper limit of petite sizing. Look at the sizing guides. Petites are rec for about 4'9" to 5'2" Im 5'3.5" and I cant wear them. 5'3" is average or just below for a woman in some ethnicities.
[ Reply | Options ]10.26.09, 12:14 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]really? I'm 5'3" and petites fit me very well usually. depends on the store though; some are like kids clothes, they are cut so short.
[ Reply | Options ]10.26.09, 02:20 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]yeah I have very long legs and arms - no torso so petites are just not for me
[ Reply | Options ]10.26.09, 04:39 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
this sounds like me, plus we have dessert as a family every night. 5'3" maybe 100 lb., but sometimes drop below unintentionally.
[ Reply | Options ]10.26.09, 09:19 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
this is so not true. if you want to believe this to make yourself feel better, fine, but it's not accurate. i eat and all of my friends eat. we're thin (not anorexic or stick skinny) b/c we do walk everywhere and exercise and eat healthy. i think you'd be shocked how much you can eat if you just eat healthy.
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 06:27 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]this is true -- when i count calories and really think about what i'm eating, i can eat 1200-1400 cals a day and NOT be hungry (and actually feel sated). but it takes work, and the willingness to prepare my own meals, which i'm not always willing to do.
[ Reply | Options ]10.26.09, 09:17 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
I eat everyday and 5'6 and 115 size 2 -- I have the same thing everyday. Bagel with Cream Cheese, Salad or Sandwich and Soup for Lunch..dinner varies on Take-out - Pizza, Thai, Sushi..and always have a piece of chocolate for dessert. I think everyone's metabolism is just different. Even when pregnant I ate what i wanted and only gained 20 lbs and my friend ate so much less than I and gained 40.
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 06:54 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]damn..i wish i could eat like that. i'm 5'1 and 120, size 4 is getting tight. i've gained back 5 lbs since losing the baby weight and unless i eat grilled chicken and vegetables i just keep gaining. no bagels for me :(
[ Reply | Options ]10.26.09, 06:16 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
I totally eat. Size 6, so not super skinny, but perfectly respectable.
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 07:54 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]I eat! I eat pizza & birthday cake at parties, and I eat pasta and bread and meat. I don't eat many fried foods or drink any soft drinks. I drink mostly water. I lost weight when I moved from the suburbs to manhattan because of all the extra walking that I did. Didn't change my diet.
[ Reply | Options ]10.26.09, 04:40 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
Walking and hoofing it up and down the subway stairs. It's true some women are anorexic but it's also true that NY is a walking city. There was an article in New York last year about why NYC is so healthy.
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 05:24 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]I am your standard 30 lbs overweight 40 yr old full time wohm mom of 2 dcs. Sorry to burst your bubble!
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 05:25 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]thank god someone is honest. i just always feel like a whale near all the other moms. and i'm not really THAT bad
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 05:30 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]Sorry, but 30 lbs overweight is NOT standard!
[ Reply | Options ]10.26.09, 08:24 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]Me too. Are you me?
[ Reply | Options ]10.26.09, 09:07 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
It's tough. I have to watch what I eat and exercise. Genetically, I'm thin but at my age, it's much harder to keep the weight off unless I consciously watch what I eat and do.
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 05:34 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]This response is typical...all of it is basically code for "I don't eat and I exercise compulsively." It's untreated EDs, plain and simple, that cause NYC women to look the way they do.
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 06:04 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]What part of this makes OR sound like she has an eating this order? This sounds like me and I'm a happy size 6
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 06:18 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]yeah, this woman clearly has weight issues herself and wants to feel better by thinking everyone else has issues.
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 06:28 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]Saying you have to "consciously watch what I eat and exercise" is code...and for the nasty poster below...I have no weight issues. I am 5'7" and 130, size 4. I don't watch what I eat and I exercise to feel good. Focusing on body image, as the above poster does, is unhealthy.
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 06:48 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]No, it's not code for anything other than what it says. I don't diet and just walk for exercise, but I do have to watch what I eat. If I put on a couple of pounds, I cut back on the dessert. I maintain my weight and have no other issues. I am in the same boat at OR.
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 08:22 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
OR- Trust me, I do eat. I love eating and I would not deprive myself of my favorite foods which so happens to be high in fat contents- love pastries, pasta with cream sauce, red meat, rice, bread, and boy do I love butter. I try to eat in moderation and exercise. I hate exercising but I do motivate myself to workout 3x/week. I tell myself, as long as I exercise, I can eat what I want.
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 06:27 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
this post has been done to death. sorry. they just don't eat. that is the answer. i remember one poster saying all she eats is soup. please.
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 05:49 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]I guess I walk 2-4 miles a day. Don't work out and eat pretty much whatever I want. But carry stroller up and down the subway stairs whenever I need to go more than 20 blocks. I also don't stop. When the baby is napping I clean. When the kids get home I'm always running around. And then I try to take walks with friends every so often. I'm 5 foot, 5 inches and about 110.
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 06:07 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]i don't drive a car to go down 5 blocks (whereas weight gaining dh drives the car everywhere). the two kids and i take public transport. i also take them and pick them up from school together, when dh does he drives, and he drives only one of them, not both. additionally, i have a lot of stress.
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 06:10 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]Weight Watchers. Changed my life. I have never been overweight but after having DC, needed to understand how my body/metabolism had changed, etc. Also, breastfed both which made it easier to lose the weight after each pregnancy. Am 5'4", 115lbs and size 26-27 jeans. Not super skinny but feel pretty good.
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 06:14 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]Aww you are pretty skinny. I'm your height and 130
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 06:21 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
Pick a preschool far away. Who knew up and back twice a day, pushing a double stroller would mean I would never need to go to the gym again.
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 06:44 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]I doubt Im considered skinny at 5'3" 130lbs but Id love to loose 5 more pounds but I feel really good about the 20 I've lost after db #2. ww, south beach and walking to PS. I would eat ALOT if I wasnt constantly trying to loose.
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 06:57 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]lots of walking - at least 45 minutes - to an hour a day between walking the dog and commute to work. Used to be a marathon runner but stopped working out all together after I had a baby last November. I eat whatever I want (I love chocolate and rich desserts) but I pretty much don't eat/stop eating if I'm not hungry. (I am 5'4" and about 110-115 lbs). I have found that over the years, if you're going to go for higher fat or high sugar foods - eat the good stuff and not the processed stuff and your body will deal with it better.
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 07:00 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]Eat fresh, non-processed food almost all the time (cook a lot at home) - If I had to take a guess, probably 1700 to 2000 calories a day depending on how busy I am... if I get really busy, I am not that hungry... I also walk a lot... Except for one friend who is overweight with a thyroid condition, the people I know who are overweight (a couple of friends, DH's family) basically overeat and/or eat processed junk. We are not doing farm work - no need to pile in 2500+ calories worth of greasy, junky food every day.
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 07:35 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]Come on ladies - we live in tiny apartments and don't have room for food or different clothing sizes - we can't fit even into our apartments if we don't stay thin!
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 08:01 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
Cigarettes and coffee. Look around, every fabulously thin NYC gal is puffing on a cancer stick and sucking on her tenth venti by the end of the day. Beauty comes at a price.
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 08:05 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]The stress of getting dcs into a tt pushes our metabolism into hyperdrive
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 08:16 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]np I wish. Got dc in and I'm still fat.
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 08:24 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
i'm not a mom but im skinny. i eat whatever i want, but i get full faster than my friends so i guess that levels out all the 'fatty food' i eat. also, im south asian...we're usually pretty skinny. however the negative is that we tend to get a huge belly as we get older...however having a huge belly means one can still wear those size 2 jeans lol
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 08:23 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]if you're not a mom, why are you on ub?
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 09:26 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]i used to nanny for a boy and came here to get ideas for different things. now i don't nanny for him anymore but still like to read.
[ Reply | Options ]10.26.09, 12:26 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]oh; that's nice. good for you!
[ Reply | Options ]10.26.09, 05:02 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
I'm not skinny, but I'm not really fat. I need to lose about 15 lbs and to exercise. I'm really careful about what I eat because I don't have time to exercise (2 DCs, different schools, different schedules, shepherding them around, etc.). As soon as I build exercise into my schedule, I'll be able to eat more. If you aren't moving around that much, you really don't need to eat that much. I have fruit for breakfast, salad with some kind of protein (turkey or chicken) for lunch, and either another salad with protein or fish and some kind of vegetable for dinner. No processed foods, no sugar, no flour, no bread, etc. If I eat that stuff, I blow up. Seriously.
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 08:35 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]Any suggestions for meal replacement bars? I like the Special K protein ones, and occasionally a Luna bar...
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 09:33 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]Those things are crap. Don't eat them. You are better off eating a wrap with turkey, cheese, mustard.
[ Reply | Options ]10.26.09, 04:19 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]I eat granola bars. THey really aren't meal replacement. I try and have a yogurt with that and that's enough
[ Reply | Options ]10.26.09, 05:59 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
Walk a lot. Eat right. Go to the farmer's market/ grocery store and buy all natural/organic food. Do not keep food in a pantry. Shop for what you are going to eat for 3 days max. Stop with all of the artificial sweetners. They screw up your metabolism. Only put into your body food with ingredients that are basic. Stop consuming so much wheat and dairy. Try to replace with brown rice products and organic dairy. I did this in our household and we've never had to watch our weight. Also, remember that alcohol packs on a lot of weight if you are consuming too much.
[ Reply | Options ]10.26.09, 04:15 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]organic food doesn't make you skinny
[ Reply | Options ]10.26.09, 05:59 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]God sounds awful. So you need to watch what you eat. You don't even keep food in the house.
[ Reply | Options ]10.26.09, 06:00 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]Where do you read that? She said not to keep highly processed food in the pantry, and to fill the fridge with fresh and organic produce. Instead of grocery shopping once a week, do it 2 or 3 times per week. Food will be tastier if prepared with fresh ingredients. This naturally leads to eat a piece of fruit for a snack instead of some pre-prepared junk. This is good advice and sustainable (it's not a diet, but a lifestyle). Diets don't keep the weight off, but lifestyle choices like this do.
[ Reply | Options ]10.26.09, 07:50 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]fine they don't eat pasta. Cheese also lasts for a long time. They probably don't eat much dairy. Once again - organic means nothing in my book. Fresh fruits and vegetables are always in my home but I always have a stocked pantry to cook with and freezer. We are a skinny family and we aren't deprived of cookies when wanted either. Nothing is just too little in my book. No reason not to eat wheat unless you are gluten intolerant.
[ Reply | Options ]10.26.09, 08:00 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]oh and if your vegetables don't last for more than 3 days they aren't that fresh when you buy them
[ Reply | Options ]10.26.09, 08:04 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]And what about basic pantry items like spices, rice, cooking oils . . . It's a complete waste of time and money to grocery shop every three days in the first place, once a week with a good list at a store with heavy turnover of fresh produce is enough. No one will ever cook if they have to buy things like black peppercorns every time they want to prepare a meal at home.
[ Reply | Options ]10.26.09, 09:18 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]duh!
[ Reply | Options ]10.26.09, 02:04 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]Obviously you buy the staples and keep them in a pantry. You need to focus your energy on something better than dissecting every word I say. Consider yourself lucky that your weight is so easy to maintain. I'm simply stating my opinion about how it works for me.
[ Reply | Options ]10.26.09, 02:07 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
Thank you. I do eat. I eat whatever I want. I eat cookies. I eat steak. I said to cut back on eating so much wheat. It does in fact pack on pounds. You can cut back by replacing with brown rice alternatives. The body tends to process it better. If you pack your refrigerator with foods that you know you will consume in 3 or so days, you are more likely to avoid delivery as an option.
[ Reply | Options ]10.26.09, 09:00 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]so you are saying you watch what you eat. Wheat doesn't pack on the pounds - not true- if you eat too much of it or anything it will.
[ Reply | Options ]10.26.09, 10:45 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]you don't get fat from restaurant food either -depends on what you eat.
[ Reply | Options ]10.26.09, 10:46 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]np I don't get it. If I only have food for 3 days what happens on day 4 when I don't get to the market? Delivery.
[ Reply | Options ]10.26.09, 04:44 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
No, she said "don't keep food in a pantry" which unless you have a lot of free time on your hands to shop and prepare foods daily, seems ridiculous. I mean seriously--every time you buy brown rice you have to go out and buy the exact amount you're going to cook? Sounds fanatic and intensely unpractical.
[ Reply | Options ]10.26.09, 02:18 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
I'm not skinny but I think I'm fit. 5'5" and 125. When I lived in another city where I drove a lot I weighed 8 pounds more. I think A LOT of it is walking but you really have to commit to doing it. I walk to the East side from the West side for doctor's appointments. I pretty much try to walk everywhere I can and then I also workout 3x a week for about 45 minutes. I will say its getting harder now that my first is out of a stroller because he can't walk the distances I can so I let him ride his bike or scooter. With all of this said, I really love walking and its my favorite thing about living in NYC.I eat and drink (probably too much) but I try to keep my portions down.
[ Reply | Options ]10.26.09, 04:18 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]you are skinny
[ Reply | Options ]10.26.09, 04:48 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
have finally gotten down to pre-baby #2 weight, and i watch calories, so that means i don't eat as much, but i don't starve either. i'm not skinny but not overweight. calorie counting is the key, for me anyway. i've really cut back on bread and cheese. i don't have a lot of time for exercise. if you read the article in Time magazine recently, it pointed out that exercise is not essential for weight loss -- just not taking in as much as you expend. in fact, many people who exercise eat more b/c they think they can and don't understand why they aren't losing weight
[ Reply | Options ]10.26.09, 04:38 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]true exercising daily made me eat more and more. Now work out 3-4 times a week and am losing more since I have days where I can stand to eat less not always hungry
[ Reply | Options ]10.26.09, 09:00 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
that's some weird manhattan phenomena which may be aided by heroin and calling one pea a meal. the question shouldn't be how, but why?
[ Reply | Options ]10.26.09, 06:47 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]If you start at a reasonable weight then it's very easy to maintain it in nyc. You simply walk everywhere. Live in a walk up, carry your groceries home, push a stroller for miles on the w/e. When my friends have moved to the suburbs they gained weight switching to the car culture. That said, to lose weight (like me after the baby), it's like anywhere else, you have to do cardio :-(, or I suppose you could triple the miles you cover in a day. But walking to lose lbs will take you much longer than running.
[ Reply | Options ]10.26.09, 07:21 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]^^PS: we do eat, but I find portions at restaurants in nyc are MUCH smaller than portions in the suburban restaurants.
[ Reply | Options ]10.26.09, 07:22 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
Walk everywhere and watch what you eat. When I go to the suburbs its amazing how little one walks, people circle the parking lot at the gym trying to get the the closest spot.
[ Reply | Options ]10.26.09, 07:49 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]I am skinny because I had surgery and didn't eat for a week. You don't want to get skinny like this. Neither do I.
[ Reply | Options ]10.26.09, 08:06 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]Cocaine, obviously.
[ Reply | Options ]10.26.09, 08:53 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]Pushing a stroller, walking up & down brownstown stairs, walking everywhere...how do you keep weight on?????
[ Reply | Options ]10.26.09, 09:06 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
If you get too big they send you to Queens or Staten Island.
[ Reply | Options ]10.26.09, 09:24 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]LOL - again it's all about walking vs. driving - Queens & SI are more like the suburban lifestyle.
[ Reply | Options ]10.26.09, 09:54 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
K20 protein water as a meal replacement once a day - usually lunch! Delicious and I'm not hungry.
[ Reply | Options ]10.26.09, 09:37 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]this is a walking city. I lost weight when I moved from the suburbs to manhattan because I walked everywhere instead of getting into a car & driving. Didn't join a gym or do other forms of excercise besides walking, and didn't change my eating habits.
[ Reply | Options ]10.26.09, 09:51 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]^^but I never liked fried foods or soft drinks either. You can lose a lot just by drinking only water or fat-free milk and cutting out all other juices and soft-drinks.
[ Reply | Options ]10.26.09, 09:56 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
5'6 120 nyc mom here. I always think I don't exercise much and eat a lot. Then we go visit dh's relatives in western virginia and I realize how different my diet and lifestyle are from theirs (almost everyone we know there is obese). The biggest thing I think is portion size. I eat desserts, but small portions. I eat two cookies, not ten. I rarely eat meat, and when I do it's small pieces for flavoring - not a three-pound pork chop or steak. And then there is the walking and hauling crap everywhere. I think nothing of walking up 5 flights of stairs. My MIL can barely manage the one flight of stairs in her house - it's so depressing! While exercise alone many not be a good way to lose weight, being very active keeps the weight from accumulating in the first place - so it doesn't become a self-perpetuating cycle.
[ Reply | Options ]10.26.09, 10:37 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]^^ also like the poster above I NEVER drink soda (hate it, both regular and diet) and do not eat fast food. I grew up in nyc in the 70's and 80's and fast food virtually didn't exist here. I have no taste for it.
[ Reply | Options ]10.26.09, 10:38 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
green tea in the morning, walking lots, only eating top-end foods
[ Reply | Options ]10.26.09, 10:37 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]top end foods have less calories?
[ Reply | Options ]10.26.09, 01:04 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]No, they are made with better ingredients. Plus, since they are more expensive there are usually less snacks in a package.
[ Reply | Options ]10.26.09, 04:38 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
We all don't.
[ Reply | Options ]10.27.09, 04:40 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]yoga
[ Reply | Options ]10.27.09, 10:09 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
[+] when i was little, i never had the right amount or the right kind of school supplies.... 24 replies
- op: thanks. i wasn't thinking of it that way at all. we are on a tight budget but i think it's worth it for me to splurge on some more glue. it's not exactly a high priced item....
Talk : : October 25, 2009
when i was little, i never had the right amount or the right kind of school supplies. my mom would look at the list and say "you won't need four of these, i'll just send two" or stuff like that. so i was totally over the top about buying dd's school supplies. made sure she had exactly what the teacher asked for, even when it was ridiculous. (had to be a plastic folder, not a paper one). so my point is that i definitely have issues about school supplies. fast forward and dd is using up a glue stick every three days. she said she shares with everyone who doesn't have. with all my neuroses, i don't want to tell her not to share and i don't want to not send another one if she needs it. but geez. she's using up a lot of glue.
24 replies [ Reply | Watch | Options ]10.25.09, 07:56 AM [ Flag ]So, go to Costco and buy a few dozen of them. Make sure the teacher knows you sent them, and you're done for the year.
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 08:06 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]Look at the bright side. Your DD is popular and can help everyone
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 08:13 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]op: yes, that's a bright side. but i think i'm attaching too much importance to it. i think i'm getting caught up in my 6yo's popularity at school.
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 08:19 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]Just be happy for her...it feels great to be needed, especially at that age
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 08:20 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]i needed some perspective. thanks.
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 08:21 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
I teach elementary in a private school, and yes, we go through gluesticks like crazy! The kids press too hard and the glue gushes out over the sides and gets wasted. I am constantly giving out new gluesticks! My advice- just go with it. It sounds like your dd likes projects and likes sharing- both are great qualities! If you can afford it, buy a supply to keep at home and send a new one in each week. Your dd will be happy, and it will fill your desire to have her well-prepared in the supply department!
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 08:49 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]thanks. i am really afraid of projecting my insecurities onto dc. i want to buy her the "right" backpack and jacket, etc. i'm at the point where i can never tell if i'm reacting normally or not. i'm off to staples or costco (thank you, first OR, that's a good idea) to buy some more glue sticks.
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 08:54 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]And plastic folders last longer than paper ones! Paper rips!
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 08:57 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]yes. but why not say "preferably plastic". we went all over looking for plastic folders. and btw, they cost 9x the price of the paper ones.
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 09:06 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]and last 20x as long -- so it's a bargain!
[ Reply | Options ]10.26.09, 10:28 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]it doesn't need to last twenty times as long. the school year is only ten months.
[ Reply | Options ]10.26.09, 11:24 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
I'm like that about packed lunches - my mom was horrible about that and it really bothered me, and now I'm always sure to pack the "best" lunches for DC.
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 09:02 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]argh. that's another one of my issues. what do you end up sending for lunch?
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 09:06 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]LOL! :) Bagels (with cream cheese), turkey sandwiches, roast beef sandwiches, tuna fish sandwiches, some sort of chip or pretzel or goldfish, cut fruit or vegetable, dessert treat, water or milk box. It's not that "creative" - but it's foods that they like and it's neatly packed and I've never forgotten to send it!
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 09:39 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]My kids basically eat the same things over and over- tunafish sandwich, mac & cheese, carrot sticks, bagel, etc. I make them placemats out of paper towels. I draw pictures of their activities- soccer, ballet slippers, love notes, write all the names of temmates, etc! They love to see the surprise placemat each day!
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 09:46 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]that's a cute idea. i need to start being more creative about lunches.
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 04:10 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
I'm you. I never had enough school supplies. My mother didn't care and when she had money it went up her nose. So I was totally over the top with buying school supplies for two older boys when they were in elementary, etc. (both in college and I went crazy then too, lol). What your DD does is what my boys did. If another kid in the class didn't have something, they were more than happy to share their stuff. At first, I was like....where is al this stuff going? I'm not buying for the whole class. Then I remembered what it was like, not to even have notebook paper and I got ugly teasing. So I just started buying things in bulk sizes and on clearance sale in the off season. You have a pretty neat DD.
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 11:12 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]You sound very funny---are you funny in real life?
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 01:09 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]this is pretty much what i'm like in real life. so if this is funny, then yes.
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 03:53 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
those lists were bs, and your mother was right. they make children wasteful.
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 01:12 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]omg, your poor kid! do you often disregard the school supply list and other lists?
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 01:13 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]oh, absolutely. they're starting up a staples in the school. then you realize that your child won't treat anything like it's worth something. there are kids in the world that don't have supplies, and the school wants us to bring 60 pencils per kid??? never happen.
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 01:19 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
I think it's great that your daughter cares about her classmates and is so eager to share instead of hoard her supplies. Unless it is a financial problem for you to keep sending in extra stuff, I would just be happy that she is happy and has friends.
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 04:04 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]op: thanks. i wasn't thinking of it that way at all. we are on a tight budget but i think it's worth it for me to splurge on some more glue. it's not exactly a high priced item.
[ Reply | Options ]10.25.09, 04:10 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
[+] 3d generation NYer here to badmouth your Manhattan neighborhood. Give me your address... 80 replies
- don't even get me started on SoHo. Back in the 70s there was actually art to be found and artists lived here. You grabbed a burger at Bob and Kenns, a slice at Bens or splurged at the Charcuterie when mom and dad came to town but that was it. Now it's the goddamned Short Hills Mall replete with tour buses, sidewalks jammed 6 deep with crap crafts for sale, and the same idiot bimbo SATC tourists you see in the WV,...
Talk : : October 22, 2009
3d generation NYer here to badmouth your Manhattan neighborhood. Give me your address and I will say something bad about it.
80 replies [ Reply | Watch | Options ]10.22.09, 12:17 PM [ Flag ]92nd and 5th
[ Reply | Options ]10.22.09, 12:18 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]Goddamned miserable smug rich joyless people milling all about surrounded by unaffordable real estate. The only consolation is their proximity to Mt Sinai where they can all go drop dead, as far as I'm concerned.
[ Reply | Options ]10.22.09, 12:20 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]Really? 92nd is ok now but even on 5th, 92nd wasn't so expensive 10 years ago. Well off, yes. Rich, eh..much more money lower.
[ Reply | Options ]10.22.09, 04:14 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
oooh do me franklin and hudson.
[ Reply | Options ]10.22.09, 12:27 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]73rd and Lex
[ Reply | Options ]10.22.09, 12:28 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]85th and Columbus
[ Reply | Options ]10.22.09, 12:36 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
Bank and W.4th
[ Reply | Options ]10.22.09, 12:18 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]I'm jealous. love that nabe.
[ Reply | Options ]10.22.09, 12:21 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]Me too. It's become overly gentrified as more and more townhouses are gutted for single families, but as long as I get to say good morning to Graydon, and my black truffle mac and cheese, life is good.
[ Reply | Options ]10.22.09, 12:23 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]Who is Graydon?
[ Reply | Options ]10.22.09, 12:38 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]graydon carter? editor in chief vanity fair
[ Reply | Options ]10.23.09, 07:10 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
hah...you complain of over-gentrification but are mollified by graydon carter & black truffle mac & cheese?
[ Reply | Options ]10.22.09, 12:43 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
ah yes, an inhabitant of what was once "the Village".the Village? what Village? papaya king, porno shops, noise, dirt, burglaries, teenage hustlers with AIDS from the Bronx on your stoop, annoying loud drunk daytrippers from the Island and New Jersey swarming the streets, outta borough guidos on dates every friggin weekend, people "in finance" buying every single house, idiot bimbo tourists lined up for cupcakes and other SATC shilled accoutrements, apts not selling and inventory rising yet still asking over 1400psf...[ And how bout tour buses, crummy Mexican and Italian restaurants, NYU kids and the places they drink, St Vincents Hospital... No wonder the fags and Italians bailed years ago.
[ Reply | Options ]10.22.09, 12:23 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]not bad. a little more apt for other parts of the hood, but you hit on some of the drawbacks.
[ Reply | Options ]10.22.09, 12:25 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]didn't you just post this same comment in response to someone else's post? This certainly isn't my impression of the village - my favorite place for a stroll on a weekday afternoon and so beautiful in the Fall.
[ Reply | Options ]10.22.09, 12:32 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]Sounds like an out of work journalist spitting venom.
[ Reply | Options ]10.22.09, 12:51 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
nicely done!
[ Reply | Options ]10.22.09, 01:09 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
Right around the corner from you. Your dc at 41?
[ Reply | Options ]10.22.09, 04:40 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
111 and Riverside
[ Reply | Options ]10.22.09, 12:19 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]71st and Bway
[ Reply | Options ]10.22.09, 12:21 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]Smug, sanctimonious, pseudo intellectuals and annoying thick ankled Orthodox Jewesses comandeering triple strollers all whining endlessly and coveting their neighbors rent controlled Classic 7s
[ Reply | Options ]10.22.09, 12:25 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]I don't see a lot of Orthos in my nabe.
[ Reply | Options ]10.22.09, 12:38 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]np: they are further south
[ Reply | Options ]10.22.09, 12:43 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]all over the 80s
[ Reply | Options ]10.22.09, 12:44 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
cankled jewesses! haha!
[ Reply | Options ]10.22.09, 01:03 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]close, but the orthodox are about 20-30 further south. there's actually an sro on this block so the residents maybe aren't feeling too smug.
[ Reply | Options ]10.22.09, 01:09 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
10th and university
[ Reply | Options ]10.22.09, 12:26 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]ugly, outta borough drunken imbeciles "doin da Village" with an admixture of clueless tourists and obnoxious NYU undergrads grabbin slices and crummy cheap CHinese food and stumbling loudly out of Bowlmor after an evenings entertainment. Litter strewn streets, decaying infrastructure, noise and................sky high real estate.
[ Reply | Options ]10.22.09, 12:34 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
ooh do me Franklin and Hudson.
[ Reply | Options ]10.22.09, 12:28 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]An 80s hotspot and now...............totally off the radar. A place stuck in some sort of 80s timewarp. The only thing missing down there is Talking Heads in the background and mullets. A so called neighborhood teeming with fauxhemian Lou Reed and Laurie Anderson lookalike/wannabes in black skinny jeans pushing their vintage baby clothes sporting spawn in luxe Euro strollers. Plus, the asking prices for those ugly, crummy, drafty lofts are friggin obscene. Leave this place to the banker douchebags who took over when the interesting people left for Brooklyn or uptown.
[ Reply | Options ]10.22.09, 12:39 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]Interesting people went uptown? Where to??
[ Reply | Options ]10.22.09, 04:12 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]Portland, Maine!
[ Reply | Options ]10.23.09, 06:20 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
72nd and West End
[ Reply | Options ]10.22.09, 12:33 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]80th and 1st
[ Reply | Options ]10.22.09, 12:33 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]44 seaman avenue--corner of seaman and cumming
[ Reply | Options ]10.22.09, 12:36 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]i recognize that intersection from a similar game a long time ago...we've been here too long...lol
[ Reply | Options ]10.22.09, 12:45 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]my friend Mike Hunt used to live there. Yeah, I know the brokers are calling it the new "it" nabe but I think it's overrated
[ Reply | Options ]10.22.09, 12:45 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]it is totally overrated--not a decent supermarket for miles. I grew up there and couldn't even afford a coop now!
[ Reply | Options ]10.22.09, 12:52 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
85th and columbus
[ Reply | Options ]10.22.09, 12:37 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]68th b/w columbus and cpw
[ Reply | Options ]10.22.09, 12:51 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]used to be a place you'd go bang the stewardess or pretty midwestern aspiring waitress/actress you just picked up at the Ginger Man. Now, all those crap walkups cost a fortune and are inhabited by a melange of spinsters and JDaters working in finance. proximity to the Park provides solace to the otherwise joyless.
[ Reply | Options ]10.22.09, 01:04 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]others are good, but this is off. Actually it's become baby central, also plenty of singles in their 30's. No spinsters really- also why is it joyless?
[ Reply | Options ]10.22.09, 02:12 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]NP. This is absolutely spot on. I grew up in the neighborhood and regularly spend time there. Spot. On.
[ Reply | Options ]10.22.09, 03:32 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]um, those singles in their 30s are the new spinsters. don't let SATC fool ya!
[ Reply | Options ]10.23.09, 06:21 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
did you just paste and copy this from another post. Saw the exact same thing written here a few nigts ago. You need to be more original please
[ Reply | Options ]10.22.09, 04:21 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
No one on from my nabe? 84th and 1st
[ Reply | Options ]10.22.09, 12:56 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]a pathetic, barren, amenity free, ugly warren of white brick coops. any last vestige of a once thriving German/Czech ethnic enclave is long gone. if your the type of imbecile who occupies the lowest rung in finance and frequents sports bars and vomiterias this hoods for you.
[ Reply | Options ]10.22.09, 01:07 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
Hells kitchen
[ Reply | Options ]10.22.09, 01:10 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]well, at least they left the word Hell in the name. Good move actually. An ugly, dirty, loud, crowded tenement filled abyss filled with gay priceouts from Chelsea and the West Village with a sprinkling of talentless wanabee ingenues and clueless singles. The locals love to kvell about all the "wonderful, inexpensive dining options".....yeah right! If you consider 243 crap Thai cesspools dining, then be my guest. I liked the nabe better when the Irish thugs and Puerto Ricans ran it. Sure, a Westie would knock your teeth out for your lunch money but that beats the disapproving glance of a homo aghast at your "lack of style" anyday.
[ Reply | Options ]10.23.09, 06:37 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
AWESOME, hysterically funny post... if you are indeed an outta work journalist, I have no idea why. BTW... anything to say about 47th/3rd? Or is that so boring - why bother?
[ Reply | Options ]10.22.09, 01:14 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]Are you male or female?
[ Reply | Options ]10.22.09, 01:23 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]oh oh... female... why?
[ Reply | Options ]10.22.09, 01:29 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]For some reason the funny angry wit seems male. Will you try Park Ave and 82nd?
[ Reply | Options ]10.22.09, 02:04 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]NP - sorry... got confused there, didn't realize you were asking *OP* if s/he was male/female.
[ Reply | Options ]10.23.09, 07:28 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
69th and CPW
[ Reply | Options ]10.22.09, 01:29 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]eh, let's not and say we did. if i wanted you to try and fail to entertain me i'd read your stupid blog.
[ Reply | Options ]10.22.09, 01:29 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]72nd and Lex
[ Reply | Options ]10.22.09, 01:33 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]mine NOW - Mercer and Broome
[ Reply | Options ]10.22.09, 01:43 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]don't even get me started on SoHo. Back in the 70s there was actually art to be found and artists lived here. You grabbed a burger at Bob and Kenns, a slice at Bens or splurged at the Charcuterie when mom and dad came to town but that was it. Now it's the goddamned Short Hills Mall replete with tour buses, sidewalks jammed 6 deep with crap crafts for sale, and the same idiot bimbo SATC tourists you see in the WV, Jersey daytrippers, and euro trash. On a Sunday afternoon the place is an absolute anus mundi as the hordes of disco brunch revelers all coked and xed up descend on West Broadway. This once great nabe should be evacuated and quarantined.
[ Reply | Options ]10.23.09, 06:49 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]Maybe Robert Moses should have paved it.
[ Reply | Options ]10.23.09, 06:49 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
34th 1st
[ Reply | Options ]10.22.09, 02:06 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]a forlorn stretch of nothingness near NYU. unless you and dh are both psych residents at Bellevue, I would steer clear. come to think of it, live here for awhile and you may become psychotic inpatients at Bellevue!
[ Reply | Options ]10.28.09, 06:54 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
27th & 7th
[ Reply | Options ]10.22.09, 02:14 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]i hope you now realize why this ugly commercial stretch was commercial and light manufacturing real estate for so many years. hello, it is ugly and noone wants to live there!
[ Reply | Options ]10.28.09, 06:58 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
24th half way btwn 6th and 7th ave
[ Reply | Options ]10.22.09, 03:42 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]84th and CPW:
[ Reply | Options ]10.22.09, 04:13 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]You are so so funny. I wish you were my friend in real life.
[ Reply | Options ]10.22.09, 04:17 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]I think you should get a column somewhere.
[ Reply | Options ]10.22.09, 04:23 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]really? i don't find any of these cliches funny in the least.
[ Reply | Options ]10.22.09, 04:29 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]what's funny is that she has no idea what she's talking about. there's been a gray's papaya in the wv since the 70s.
[ Reply | Options ]10.22.09, 04:32 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]she is very fast and witty.
[ Reply | Options ]10.22.09, 04:42 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]np. i know i'm in the minority but itda.
[ Reply | Options ]10.22.09, 04:58 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
I love you. Such a refreshing change from the other angry NY mom's on here. Letterman...here you come! GL
[ Reply | Options ]10.22.09, 06:40 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]I can badmouth my own neighborhood. I hate these people.
[ Reply | Options ]10.22.09, 06:41 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]Midwood. Ave M and E 21
[ Reply | Options ]10.23.09, 03:44 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]56th x 6th
[ Reply | Options ]10.23.09, 06:02 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]battery park city
[ Reply | Options ]10.28.09, 06:59 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]Hello, you can't afford Manhattan so why the fuck do you still choose to live here? Whoever told you "it's wonderful down there" and promised all sorts of amenities was clearly FOS. If you're the kind of person for whom proximity to Century 21 and overcrowded, overrated publics is a priority then this Soviet style housing complex is for you.
[ Reply | Options ]10.28.09, 07:03 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]what do you mean, if you can't afford manhattan? bpc isn't cheap...
[ Reply | Options ]10.28.09, 07:08 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]nobody said it was cheap, which makes it even doubly retarded to live there!
[ Reply | Options ]10.28.09, 07:17 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
[+] Curious about couples who both WOH. Our expenses are split 50/50, yet DH makes about... 18 replies
- We have a joint account but we each have our separate accounts with a small balance for discretionary spending. We agree on almost all spending decisions but it's nice to be able to splurge on something just for me w/o discussing it....
Talk : : October 18, 2009
Curious about couples who both WOH. Our expenses are split 50/50, yet DH makes about $20k more than me (HHI is $200k and I consider us comfortable). He is a spender, I am a saver, so this split is not financially straining to me, and I am not complaining. We maintain separate checking accounts. What about you?
18 replies [ Reply | Watch | Options ]10.18.09, 12:47 PM [ Flag ]we also maintain seperate checking accounts here, but we don't split expenses 50/50. (he makes a lot more than I do). we review our finances quarterly to make sure everything looks ok, but our general philosophy is to save bonuses (mainly his, mine is $20k before tax).
[ Reply | Options ]10.18.09, 12:51 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]everything goes into a joint account and everything gets spent every month.
[ Reply | Options ]10.18.09, 12:51 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]no savings? 529s?
[ Reply | Options ]10.18.09, 01:06 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]there used to sometimes be savings. no 529.
[ Reply | Options ]10.18.09, 01:17 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
We're in the same situation as you - I make $100k base and DH makes $120k base. Our paychecks get deposited into a joint account and we each get $1000 a month in allowance - which pays for all our personal incidentals - morning coffee, lunches at work, drycleaning, etc - all that stuff. It works well for us, besides the fact that my DH thinks it should be increased!
[ Reply | Options ]10.18.09, 01:10 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]We have separate checking accounts, but we don't split everything 50/50. I make a lot more right now, so I pay major expenses (rent, utilities, etc.). When we go out to eat, or if he is buying clothes for our son, or something, he will pay. We both put away money for savings, retirement, but we discuss our strategies together (what we can afford, what we will do). We have some joint investment accounts. The separate checking thing is just because I can't stand the way my husband handles money (overdraws the account, etc.). Much better for me not to know!
[ Reply | Options ]10.18.09, 01:12 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]this may sound goofy, but suze orman had some interesting ideas on splitting on the Today show the other day.
[ Reply | Options ]10.18.09, 01:41 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]We have a joint account as well as separate accounts. We both put 80% of our paycheck into the joint account and pay all bills/living expenses from there. Spend the remaining amounts as we wish.
[ Reply | Options ]10.18.09, 01:57 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]All accounts are joint; every major expense is a consensus. Luckily, we are both savers.
[ Reply | Options ]10.18.09, 01:59 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]OP: my chief complaint with our current system is that DH has next to no savings, aside from his 401k. I (and my family) are the ones that contribute to 529, and I maintain a separate savings account and a few CDs. He spends way too much for my frugal taste.
[ Reply | Options ]10.18.09, 02:08 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]All income goes into a joint account, we both get fixed amounts each month back into our own accounts to spend however we want, everything left in the joint acct at the end of the month is put into a savings acct and/or invested - some months it's a decent amount, some months it's nothing. I get more cash back than DH, even though I WOH PT and make much less than DH, because when we looked at our cash spending, it was clear that I spent a lot of my "walking around cash" on household expenses. As for savings, DH maxes out his 401(k), I'm an independent contractor, so no 401(k).
[ Reply | Options ]10.18.09, 03:00 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]I never understand this "separate checking account" business. Why on Earth did you marry if you must keep your $$$ separate?
[ Reply | Options ]10.18.09, 04:52 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]A few reasons - I am an independent contractor, so my business income/expenses are complicated and need to be run differently from the family finances. I also do not want to know what DH has spent on my birthday present and I don't want him to know what I spent on his - with separate credit cards and checking accounts it's easy to do (otherwise we are both tiptoeing around the credit card bill in July, when both of our birthdays happen to be). Finally, it eliminates arguments over discretionary spending - we both have a certain amount of money we don't have to account for, if he wants to blow it playing poker with his friends, I don't care and I don't have to worry that he's going to lose it over a pair of new boots. That discretionary money is a line item in our budget, and it comes after living expenses and putting money in savings/investing. This works for our family, it may not work for yours, completely intertwined finances would not work for us.
[ Reply | Options ]10.18.09, 05:02 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]thank you for a wonderful explanation that really gave me pause...i have always viewed it as a really rocky marriage that would have this arrangement, but never considered the business aspect, or the fact that a family could have enough discretionary spending to not have to account for a certain amount. thanks for your insight.
[ Reply | Options ]10.18.09, 05:12 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
We have $1000 to $5000 in our individual accounts for buying our own stuff and each other gifts. I doubt it's a reason to not get married.
[ Reply | Options ]10.18.09, 05:06 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]np: We have separate checking accounts. It was just going to be a hassle to combine everything once we got married. i have my paycheck deposited into my account, dh does the same, and we split the bills. I love it.
[ Reply | Options ]10.18.09, 05:14 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]^^ also - the number of times we've fought about money in our 8 yr marriage? None.
[ Reply | Options ]10.18.09, 05:15 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
We have a joint account but we each have our separate accounts with a small balance for discretionary spending. We agree on almost all spending decisions but it's nice to be able to splurge on something just for me w/o discussing it.
[ Reply | Options ]10.18.09, 05:18 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
[+] I'm in college..friend is coming over to stay for a week she has weight issues so its... 8 replies
- op: yes it is, my diet is mostly cooked vegetables and occasionally I splurge for a meat dish, cut it into 4 oz portions, and eat some meat at least every other day..it can get expensive for a student..but I keep telling myself its worth it..sigh...
Talk : : October 17, 2009
I'm in college..friend is coming over to stay for a week she has weight issues so its partially helping her out by shopping together and teaching her nutrition etc..problem is I just realized she always buys the cheapest spaghetti etc available for her regular food, and I don't make a lot of $ (she has more $ than I do)...food is not expensive but not cheap either..and when she comes over she's just going to start eating my food and after its gone, we'll gone shopping together..I need a way to give her a hint about the avg cost of food before she comes over so she doesn't get sticker shock. I'm thinking of sending her a menu of my weekly food plans so she can get an idea of a healthy menu (and putting the budget next to it) - too blatant?
8 replies [ Reply | Watch | Options ]10.17.09, 09:23 AM [ Flag ]no, she has to be aware that you are on a budget so it's fair to warn her ahead of time about costs, but I hope she has asked you for this help with her weight issue.
[ Reply | Options ]10.17.09, 09:25 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]op: yes this was her idea, and she asked for my help...its just hard to get her to spend money even though she has more of it and I don't want to foot our entire food bill for a week..its out of my budget..
[ Reply | Options ]10.17.09, 09:28 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]op: it all started when she pointedly asked me what I ate every week so I told her the menu summary but not the costs..
[ Reply | Options ]10.17.09, 09:31 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]in that case, be totally upfront about the money situation so there isn't any resentment on your side. If she hasn't already offered to pay, I'm sure it is out of ignorance, so you are doing her another favor by being open about the financial side of her learning experience. I hope it ends up being helpful for her. Struggling with weight is so difficult.
[ Reply | Options ]10.17.09, 09:31 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]op: yes it is, my diet is mostly cooked vegetables and occasionally I splurge for a meat dish, cut it into 4 oz portions, and eat some meat at least every other day..it can get expensive for a student..but I keep telling myself its worth it..sigh
[ Reply | Options ]10.17.09, 09:33 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]op: thanks for your advice!
[ Reply | Options ]10.17.09, 09:33 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]try to keep your protein level up, but you don't have to eat too much expensive meat to get there. When I was in grad school, everybody survived on beans and peanut butter as protein sources except when there were dinner invitations (and then the ruls was to order steak)
[ Reply | Options ]10.17.09, 09:44 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]op: interesting..thanks!
[ Reply | Options ]10.17.09, 09:46 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
[+] I never buy my DS new toys, always get everything from Craigslist or thrift stores. ... 23 replies
- Splurge...
Talk : : October 16, 2009
I never buy my DS new toys, always get everything from Craigslist or thrift stores. So the other day we're at some high-end furniture store and they had this great little building thing but didn't sell it there. Looked it up online and it costs $35! How do I know if he'll really play with it? I don't want to waste that kind of money. It's these little colorful plastic pieces, 90 of them, and you can build all sorts of things. I think I'll buy them, since I'm so cheap otherwise.
23 replies [ Reply | Watch | Options ]10.16.09, 08:29 AM [ Flag ]Buy them. He will love it.
[ Reply | Options ]10.16.09, 08:29 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]I think I will. I will be annoyed if I buy them and he doesn't play with them though! I don't mind when he does that with some $5 toy I got at a thrift store but $35 is a lot of money for a toy. But I guess it's not really a toy...
[ Reply | Options ]10.16.09, 08:34 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]Then you sell it on CL for $15.00. No big loss.
[ Reply | Options ]10.16.09, 08:37 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]Well, it wouldn't be that easy. I looked it up on both Craigslist and Ebay and it's not on there at all. The only place you can buy it in my town is at the art musuem! I guess I shouldn't even call it a toy.
[ Reply | Options ]10.16.09, 08:40 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]I meant IF your son doesn't like it - they you can sell it on CL.
[ Reply | Options ]10.16.09, 08:47 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]Oh, I knew that's what you meant, but I think they are so obscure, that people won't look there for them!
[ Reply | Options ]10.16.09, 08:49 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]Which toy are you talking about?
[ Reply | Options ]10.16.09, 09:07 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]http://www.shapescapes.com/
[ Reply | Options ]10.16.09, 09:08 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]They're okay but I think they're just trying to be some Calder mini stabile/mobile kits. Check out connectagons.
[ Reply | Options ]10.16.09, 09:13 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]go to www.hearthsong.com and check out the variety. They have a set w/240 pieces for 1/3 less $ Go to couponcabin or google search coupon codes for hearthsong-they always have them; free shipping,10% off.
[ Reply | Options ]10.16.09, 09:21 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]There seems to be a lot of toys on that site - what should I search under? [
[ Reply | Options ]10.16.09, 09:32 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]Connectagons
[ Reply | Options ]10.16.09, 09:36 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
Splurge
[ Reply | Options ]10.16.09, 08:30 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]go for it.
[ Reply | Options ]10.16.09, 08:36 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]Christmas!
[ Reply | Options ]10.16.09, 08:36 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]I was thinking of that, but it's too far away. He was having such a great time building things at the store, that I want him to have them now. I actually didn't get him a gift for his b-day in August, so this could be that! Don't worry, he's only 3, he had tons of gifts from other people, didn't even notice that we didn't get him one.
[ Reply | Options ]10.16.09, 08:39 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
It's these things - tell me if you think $35 is a rip off. http://www.shapescapes.com/
[ Reply | Options ]10.16.09, 08:41 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]looks great, I would get it esp if you economize most of the time. You can always sell it!
[ Reply | Options ]10.16.09, 08:44 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]Okay, I will. Even though I think they are WAY overpriced! I'd be happy paying $15 for them, but $35?! It's against my better judgement to buy something I think is a rip-off but my DS really did like them!
[ Reply | Options ]10.16.09, 08:47 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
It is a great, quality toy. He will spend hours playing with it. Definitely buy it.
[ Reply | Options ]10.16.09, 08:46 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]Do a google search for Crystal Climbers. My ILs bought these for dd when she was around three and she loved them. Similar but cheaper.
[ Reply | Options ]10.16.09, 08:47 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]That's an idea - they are $20 cheaper...
[ Reply | Options ]10.16.09, 08:52 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
I spent a lot on a magna-tile set for my ds. Never regretted it, he still uses them. So worth it.
[ Reply | Options ]10.16.09, 09:24 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
[+] What did you buy for fall to treat yourself? 14 replies
- Enjoy! Mine is dark brown and looks better and better as it ages. Was my first big handbag "splurge" - and totally worth it!...
Talk : : October 13, 2009
What did you buy for fall to treat yourself?
14 replies [ Reply | Watch | Options ]10.13.09, 07:42 PM [ Flag ]Bottega bag that I have been wanting forever.
[ Reply | Options ]10.13.09, 07:43 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]cute flats by Calvin Klein from Lord and Taylor.
[ Reply | Options ]10.13.09, 07:46 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]Bought the classic hobo 4 years ago and STILL love it!
[ Reply | Options ]10.13.09, 08:01 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]op - that is the one I bought - in black.
[ Reply | Options ]10.13.09, 08:07 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]Enjoy! Mine is dark brown and looks better and better as it ages. Was my first big handbag "splurge" - and totally worth it!
[ Reply | Options ]10.13.09, 08:36 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
new hiking backpack
[ Reply | Options ]10.13.09, 07:47 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]I've been shopping a ton - nothing big, but all those trips to J.Crew and Anthropologie and Sephora add up!!
[ Reply | Options ]10.13.09, 08:00 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]sadly my treat was one massage at a walk-in Asian Chinese place and a few sterilite plastic boxes from Staples. I'm so happy. Think I might spring for a roomba vacuum for Xmas.
[ Reply | Options ]10.13.09, 08:02 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]Bamboo towels.
[ Reply | Options ]10.13.09, 08:02 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]A handmade cashmere skirt from an independent designer based in DC.
[ Reply | Options ]10.13.09, 08:06 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]leather leggings from Neiman Marcus
[ Reply | Options ]10.13.09, 08:17 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]Please tell us you are under 30
[ Reply | Options ]10.13.09, 09:22 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
Judith Ripka 18k bracelet
[ Reply | Options ]10.13.09, 08:23 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]Two boxwoods for my front yard.
[ Reply | Options ]10.13.09, 08:39 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
[+] Are you or will you be one of those mothers who take their 10-12 yr old daughters buy... 12 replies
- My mother was heartbroken when Best & Co. closed this summer - she used to splurge for DC at the Bergdorf boutique. I said to her: "Oh, don't worry - there's always Papo d'Anjo!!" (BTW, pieces are now being sold on the Saks website, too - don't know if it's also in store.)...
Talk : : October 13, 2009
Are you or will you be one of those mothers who take their 10-12 yr old daughters buy shoes for them at designer shoe salon at Bergdorf Goodman? I was recently shopping there and could not believe these young kids trying on shoes that cost $500+. fyi- they weren't trying on occasion shoes, they were just shopping for shoes!
12 replies [ Reply | Watch | Options ]10.13.09, 07:20 PM [ Flag ]only in ny. but i agree - absurd.
[ Reply | Options ]10.13.09, 07:20 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]No, but my dd now fits into my shoes, so she wears them alongside the girls at her school who buy them new....
[ Reply | Options ]10.13.09, 07:22 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]only if she decides to spend her own money that way.
[ Reply | Options ]10.13.09, 07:36 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]what type of shoes are middle schoolers wearing?
[ Reply | Options ]10.13.09, 07:41 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]op- they were trying on flats and flat boots. these girls were so young!!!
[ Reply | Options ]10.13.09, 07:43 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]Converse, urban outfitters flats and boots at our school.
[ Reply | Options ]10.13.09, 07:44 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
I think it depends on the family- you probably saw a very miniscule cross section of wealth that would take their pre-teen daughter to bergdorfs.
[ Reply | Options ]10.13.09, 07:46 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]No - and I'm the Papo d'Anjo poster from below! :)
[ Reply | Options ]10.13.09, 08:05 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]I love that brand. was just looking at the catalog tonight
[ Reply | Options ]10.13.09, 08:15 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]My mother was heartbroken when Best & Co. closed this summer - she used to splurge for DC at the Bergdorf boutique. I said to her: "Oh, don't worry - there's always Papo d'Anjo!!" (BTW, pieces are now being sold on the Saks website, too - don't know if it's also in store.)
[ Reply | Options ]10.13.09, 08:38 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
Heavens, and I thought buying $80 for 1.5yr DD was extravagant (DD has high arch and instep, as well as wide feet. CANNOT just go to Payless!)
[ Reply | Options ]10.14.09, 05:58 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]There's an awesome New Balance outlet online, fwiw - perfect for this kind of foot and I just bought a pair of high arch extrawides for $25 for dd
[ Reply | Options ]10.14.09, 06:05 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
[+] Do you think that I can use a steamer to unwrinkle (and freshen up) a pair of corduro... 3 replies
- OP: Thanks to you both. I'm a recent "convert" to steaming, but am still figuring out what works and doesn't work. (And I wish that I had splurged on the bigger, deluxe model!)...
Talk : : October 12, 2009
Do you think that I can use a steamer to unwrinkle (and freshen up) a pair of corduroy pants?
3 replies [ Reply | Watch | Options ]10.12.09, 02:57 PM [ Flag ]of course!
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 03:23 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]Yes, some of them come with a brush attachment. Perfect. Steamers are the best thing that ever happened to me.
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 03:59 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]OP: Thanks to you both. I'm a recent "convert" to steaming, but am still figuring out what works and doesn't work. (And I wish that I had splurged on the bigger, deluxe model!)
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 04:15 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
[+] i am the OP from the $150 bag post. I can't reply for some reason. The deal is that ... 48 replies
- How soon after purchasing the bag did you ask dh for more money? I'm thinking he gave in on the bag and though you wouldn't need another splurge for a while and is pissed that right away you want more money for something else....
Talk : : October 12, 2009
i am the OP from the $150 bag post. I can't reply for some reason. The deal is that I did have a decent part time as an attorney. I am pregnant now...I was laid off a few months when I was 12 weeks pregnant (a whole different issue) and I have not been able to find work other then per diem work. Obviously the bigger I get the harder it is. We made a decision I probably wouldn't find work while pregnant and fired our nanny and I have not spent any money on maternity clothes. My parents have been very helpful...and have bought me some maternity clothes since I literally cannot fit into my other ones...plus I wear hand me downs. Yes...I could have bought a $20 pocketbook...but I consulted with my husband and he was okay with it. He makes decent money but we're still watching...since we're down to 1 income. He said it was OK. He did not throw it in my face literally. He has also bought concert tickets which I think is absurd. I spend my unemployment checks on groceries, things for my toddler and other basics for the family. I eat eggs for most meals but I wanted a new bag. After much discussion...I thought it was OK.
48 replies [ Reply | Watch | Options ]10.12.09, 10:22 AM [ Flag ]it wasn't. btw, what did you want the money for this morning.
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 10:25 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]so settle out once and for all, did he strike you with the bag, or "throw it in your face"?
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 10:26 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]She meant it as a figure of speech, I believe. I can't believe he threw my sleeping with Mick Jagger in my face while in divorce mediation. LOL
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 10:28 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]that's what i thought, but someone on the post was insisting that he got violent.
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 11:07 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
I still don't think a bag is worth 150 dollars. But your husband did agree it was okay to purchase the bag. I can't stand when my DH brings up past stuff I did to make a point and I shut it down real quick. I'd tell my husband to give me the money or don't give me the money, but don't he dare bring up some past "bad act" because there is plenty of his asshole behavior I could use against him. My rule is, when we fight, let's keep it in the present.
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 10:40 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]You two need to sit down and calmly discuss money and budgeting. And the budget needs to include a line item for discretionary spending FOR BOTH OF YOU (it could be $5/week, it could be $1K/month or more, if your family income can support that). You are both adults and while you should be discussing big purchases with each other, you should not be asking permission to spend money - DH is not your father. A budget will establish what can be spent and for what. As long as you both agree to it and both live within it, the fights can be prevented. GL. FWIW, my parents are long retired and are multimillionaires; they still have a budget that they live within and it includes a clothing line item for my Mom and a golf line item for my Dad. It's why they never fight about money anymore (and they had some spectacular fights about money when I was a kid).
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 10:42 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]sound like you're just feeling sorry for yourself (easy to do while pregnant!) I only had TWO maternity outfits - two different pairs of slacks and two blouses. We were REALLY watching every penny. I lived in dh sweats pretty much and changed into the "nice" pants when going out. Made do with non-maternity cardigans, etc. We also cut ALL cable TV (bad move - would not recommend it as it made me even more depressed!)
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 10:52 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]...so I DO understand where you're coming from. hang in there. I too was fired when they found out I was pregnant (banking.) Maybe dh is just feeling the stress too...I'd let it go.
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 10:53 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
I am with you OP. Even if I personally would not spend $150 on a bag I have my own interests such as art work. I firmly believe that you have to live every moment of your life to the fullest. It sounds like you each allow yourself small pleasures while being responsible overall. This whole country seems obsessive compulsive with spending. No matter where the economy is, individual family should save during good times so that they have something to fall back on during the tough times. Since you are being responsible overall and are not in a bad financial situation there is nothing wrong with this purchase.
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 10:58 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]Both you and your husband are spending money irresponsibly. If money is "tight", there is no room in the budget for concert tickets or any purse that costs more than $20.
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 11:00 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]her dh makes decent money - why can't they indulge in anything? What kind of life is that. Even poor people occasionally go out to dinner. Maybe not per se but somewhere
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 11:11 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]what in the world can you find for $20 - it costs that much to buy a pizza lunch
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 11:12 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]http://www.target.com/Handbags-Accessories-Women/b?ie=UTF8&node=12940921
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 11:13 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]^^^click on the red bag that looks like a Birken. It's only $19.99.
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 11:15 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]lol and birkens are ugly and fake birken is even worse.
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 11:25 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
not for everyone. she just doesn't WANT a $20 bag.
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 11:17 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]right and a bag isn't disposable. I have my bags for over 10 years.
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 11:25 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]i'm not a bag person, but couldn
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 11:25 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]^^couldn't imagine spending more than $30 on a place to put my stuff.
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 11:26 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
So if money was tight you don't need to buy a new one right? Because you buy classic well made bags that can me used for multiple seasons. I think this is where he husband was coming from in addition to being a passive aggressive controlling jerk.
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 12:31 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
It's not about what we "want" when money is "tight".
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 12:05 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
It's not like she spent $2000 on handbag it's $150 - it's a dinner out with a sitter = so skip one insead. It isn't that much money
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 11:27 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]it's a lot of money for me, and apparently for op's husband.
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 11:29 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]if he's buying concert tickets (which will almost certainly be more than $150) without talking to her first, he needs to back off about the bag.
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 11:31 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]more than 150 per ticket probably!
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 11:32 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
I am sorry you are having a tough time. Ignore the meanies on this board. You and dh are probably stressed out because of the pregnancy and also because of the economy. I know so many dh's who are stressed right now (whether or not wives work). Women are stressed too. Pregnancy of course makes everything more difficult emotionally (for both) even if the long term picture is fantastic. Try to forget about the outburst concerning the bag. maybe you will both be able to laugh about it in 10 years. GL.
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 11:16 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]Why do ANY of you ASK for money? It is YOUR money, too. I don't get it.
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 11:17 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]I ASK my husband if I am spending on anything non-essential and he ASKS me when he wants to spend on something non-essential. We've always done that since day one of our marriage.
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 11:24 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]yea, for you.
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 11:25 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
because they have a deal to consult each other so that they don't overdraw at the bank.
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 11:25 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]This is a Suze Orman moment. Do any of you do a budget? Do any of you put aside a certain amount of that budget for each to spend without this asking business? There is no overdrawing on bank in this model. It is infantalizing.
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 11:26 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]you're not talking to me. i have separate finances from my partner. it seems infantalizing because you're talking about infants.
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 11:27 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]no. but we're kinda co-dependant anyway I guess - we consult each other for everything ok, not EVERYTHING. Not going to ask to spend $20 or something...or even $200, but there was a time when we really had to save and I probably would have run even $10 buy him and he would do the same. No overdrawing issues because we both keep tabs on things online anyway.
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 11:31 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
there is a difference between have a conversation between adults about major purchases (or even just notifying the other one of decisions that were made - "I'm taking $100 out of the ATM this morning) and asking for spending money. one implies respect between equals the other implies a parent-child relationship.
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 11:29 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]i think it's the same, so...
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 11:32 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]it's not. to you it may just be semantics, but that's probably because you haven't had to ask permission and had it denied simply because the person you are asking wants to exert control, not because your family can't afford whatever you are asking for.
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 11:41 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
I think 150 is a completely reasonable amount to pay for a bag. $20 handbags from target are not the norm, not even for people on a budget. Her DH was out of line. Money is control, plain and simple. If they couldn't afford it he would have said that at the time of purchase but he didn't - he's just using the issue to control her.
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 11:53 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]lol. sure they are the norm. just not for you.
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 11:59 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]maybe its the opposite - maybe $150 bags are the norm but just not for you.
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 12:09 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]no bag is the norm for me, and i'm not offended one way or the other. but there's no way that the $150 is the norm. maybe it is more accurate to say it is prevalent in nyc.
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 12:11 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]maybe NYC is a factor, but it's not the norm for grown up professional women to carry a $20 bag from target. This post is full of bitter women who can't afford a nice bag so they are missing the point of this post and jumping to the side of the DH. The point here is that she is/was an accomplished professional and right now she is in a compromised situation because of the economy and her pregnancy and her DH is taking the opportunity to belittle and control her using money as a pretext.
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 12:18 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]I have to disagree. This city is full of grown up professional women who carry inexpensive bags. I have nothing against those women who carry expensive purses, shoulder bags, and briefcases. Actually when I see them, I think they look very attractive. I just happen to be one of those who carry a "cheap" bag. I do try to go "interesting" or stick to basic black. As far as OP's DH they need to have a grown-up discussion about finances.
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 12:23 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]^^and she's a np
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 12:28 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
the point that you seem to be missing is that they can't afford a useless $150 bag.
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 12:28 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]she thinks they can. and she thinks its useful.
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 01:18 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]so she was wrong.
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 01:18 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]huh? how do you know?
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 01:19 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
How soon after purchasing the bag did you ask dh for more money? I'm thinking he gave in on the bag and though you wouldn't need another splurge for a while and is pissed that right away you want more money for something else.
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 12:08 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
[+] big fight with DH. We've been on a tight budget for months. I spend nothing. I'm a... 44 replies
- though. OP and her dh discussed this and okay'd the splurge together. Now he is angry and punishing her for something they...a similar problem--my mom would get mad at my dad for "splurges"--so they did this budgeting for extras things. The trick is...fun" money, so if you want to save up and splurge on an expensive bag, it's fine...he's angry because he though he was letting the one splurge go so she would be happy and feels taken advantage of...
Talk : : October 12, 2009
big fight with DH. We've been on a tight budget for months. I spend nothing. I'm also pregnant (with 2nd although seasons are off from 1st) and barely buy maternity clothes. My parents have been very generous with us. I need a new bag despareately...mine broke...and my old ones are so outdated and fifthy. I bought a $150 bag (consulted with him first) that was reduced from $400 on ebay. First thing I bought for myself in months. He threw it back in my face this am when I asked for money for something. WTF???
44 replies [ Reply | Watch | Options ]10.12.09, 05:46 AM [ Flag ]i feel sorry for you.
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 05:50 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]Uchhh. What an insensitive jerk. Is this typical or just a one-off response to something else?
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 07:19 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
You need a better system. Make a weekly budget that includes a "line item" for extras. It may not be a sufficient amount to actually buy extras every week, but an amount that if saved for a few weeks will cover things beyond the absolute necessities. The written budget is something you both should work on until you're in agreement, that should help to eliminate conflict over money if you both honor it absolutely.
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 05:53 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]My parents were having a similar problem--my mom would get mad at my dad for "splurges"--so they did this budgeting for extras things. The trick is that this is money that you don't have to answer to anyone about. Even if it's just a tiny amount, I think it helps. You are the one who budgets your "fun" money, so if you want to save up and splurge on an expensive bag, it's fine... although it would mean giving up a lot of other extras for a long time.
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 07:02 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]This is why I work. DH is scrutinizes every penny. At least I have my money for my own maintenance, dr. bills and expenses - not dependent on him.
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 09:39 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]It's not about working or not working (families where both parents work can also fight about money). It's about having to ask permission to spend money. Creating a family budget with discretionary spending for both partners is vital. It doesn't have to be a lot of money, but something to spend without having to explain it. Talking to each other about major joint purchases (i.e. - a new washing machine) is also vital. OP is not a child and should not have to ask permission to spend money.
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 10:05 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
You aren't liiiiiving innnnnn rea-lllllll-i-ty. 150$ on a handbag is a needless luxury to all but the most pampered of princesses. Sell the one you bought and buy an off-brand one for between 20 and 50$s. It will serve -exactly- the same function as a brand name one in all ways but one-- impressing your other UMC wannabe nouveau riche friends. Your husband is right to think you're an idiot for spending money so frivolously. You're probably the reason the family is so broke.
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 06:04 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]You don't "spend nothing". You say you "barely" buy maternity clothes. So you are buying some. I'm not saying you don't need them but you are framing this in a way that is different from reality. If money is that tight $150 for a bag is a lot of money. You could get a cheaper one if you were really being careful about spending.
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 06:07 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]I'd suck it up and us an outdated bag long before I'd accept help from my parents. Grow up.
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 06:14 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]^^use and outdated bag
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 06:18 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]why should she - not everyone needs to be a martyr like you. She actually should take the money from her parents and hide it from her dh. OP please do this. Do not tell your dh about your parents' help. Also fill your parents in on this. He seems nasty if he tossed it in your face
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 07:05 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]if she fills in her parents she will further undermine her marriage. (and she shouldn't take the money in secret either - np here)
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 07:08 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]I think she should and start stashing it bc her dh is getting violent with her
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 07:16 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]how is he getting violent?
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 07:46 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]tossing a bag in her facwe
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 07:55 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]i thought she meant that figuratively (threw the fact of the purchase up in her face) . maybe we should get a read from op on this one.
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 07:57 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]you may be right - could read either way.
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 08:16 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]lol. only if you're quick to jump to conclusions.
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 09:02 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
you should have your own spending money, however meager, that you can spend as you wish. If the $150 had come out of that money this would be a moot point. But if you're that broke and you spent "family" money on a bag when you could have spent $20 at Daffy's, you're a self entitled princess.
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 06:15 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]A $150 BAG!!! he has a right to be pissed. good grief, what part of tight budget do you not understand?
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 06:50 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]NP that isn't the point, though. OP and her dh discussed this and okay'd the splurge together. Now he is angry and punishing her for something they agreed on. They need a better system. And OP you should not have to ask permission for every little thing -- it sounds like a setup to drive you both crazy!
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 06:57 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]New NP: ITA! It might not have been the best decision in retrospect - but they BOTH agreed to it (and it's from eBay - it was probably final sale).
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 07:07 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]no. he's angry because he though he was letting the one splurge go so she would be happy and feels taken advantage of if she's asking to spend more unnecessary money now on something else.
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 07:09 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
Money isn't even tight and I wouldn't spend $150 on a bag. Eit
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 06:53 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]^either get a job or stop wasting money, especially if you're at the point where you are taking $ from your parents.
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 06:53 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]no I think she should take the money from her parents and stay home and take care of her kids.
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 07:07 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
$150 Bag if you are "on a budget?" WTF. are you serious. buy a $10 bag on the street or at TJMaxx for goodness sake if you need somewhere to put your stuff!! wait it out for the holidays and ask for it as a gift! I'd KILL dh if he spent on something so ridiculous while money was really tight.
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 07:08 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]thank you!!!
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 07:09 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]ITTTTA. Over-entitled bitch.
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 07:34 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]I was with OP until she said she spent $150 on the bag. That's insane for someone on a budget!
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 07:46 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
what was the "something"?
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 07:14 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]ask parents for new bag for your next birthday or holiday - suck it up until then
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 07:43 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]I have to agree that 150 on a bag when you are on a tight budget is ridiculous. Go to Filene's Basement or the like & you can pick something up for 30. If you think 150 for a bag is OK when $ is an issue, I doubt you're spending "nothing" and "barely" buying clothes either. It all adds up.
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 08:07 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]My husband would think I'm nuts if I wanted to buy a bag for 150 dollars when we are on a tight budget. But I don't like stuff being thrown in my face either. Tit for tat is not way to handle financial discussions. My DH would have told me straight up no on the bag, rather than doing the passive-aggressive thing like your DH. That being said, I think you should lay low for a while on asking for money and find another way to get some cash. Got anything you can sell on Ebay or Craigslist?
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 08:36 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]1) Why isn't your husband more successful so that money isn't an issue, and 2) What job skills do you possess that would propel your own personal salary north of $100k? You realize that there is a zero unemployment rate for electrical engineers? Are you good at math or did you just naturally gravitate to non-profit work?
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 08:43 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]This is exactly why we do his/hers/ours budgeting. All income goes into a joint account (DH makes about 10x what I do) and we each get back a set amount every month that we can spend as we see fit, no questions asked. The joint account covers things like the mortgage and clothes for DC. The individual accounts cover things like our cell phone bills and metrocards, but also gifts for each other, my shoes and his golf clubs (he buys putters at a remarkable rate). We have done this since we were married - though my earning more than he did, my being a SAHM and now my going back to work PT. It avoids fights like this. You need to talk to DH about your family budget and including "no questions asked" spending money for both of you. GL.
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 08:57 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]we don't do ANY his/hers bs. When we got married, I made double what he did.I'm now a SAHM (the past 8 years) and he makes all the income. so what? It's all ours.The difference? neither one of us would ever spend money on non-essentials if we were trying to cut back and ALWAYS consult each other on major purchases. We're both cheapos, so it works ;-)
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 09:31 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]For us it was more about not wanting to open up a credit card bill and discovering our birthday present on the bill (before our birthday). Everyone has to do what works for their own family, but his/hers/ours with a line item for discretionary spending (it can be as little as $10/week) eliminates a lot of fighting over money.
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 09:42 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
did he literally throw the bag in your face?- no excuse for that ever
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 09:30 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]Agreed. From my own $$ I bought myself a $1500 bag as a push present. DH has bought me nothing. So I am scrimping a bit to get by now.
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 09:44 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]but that's not a present. (good for dh)
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 09:45 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]Why are you guys all jumping on this woman? Is it because you are afraid you are as dependent on your DH's, no matter their bad behavior, as she is? Stop blaming her for your own shortcomings. she did nothing wrong.
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 09:45 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]???
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 09:47 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
First, you shouldn't have to ASK for money. It IS YOUR money, too. I've been there where my DH controlled me via money and slowly but surely his control overtook my entire life we ended up where he physically abused me. I'm not saying that this will happen to you. Money is a huge source of power and discontent. I think that there should be a budget and from that budget there should be money for you to spend as you see fit with ZERO judgment or questioning from him. Good luck!
[ Reply | Options ]10.12.09, 11:13 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
[+] Families who live below their means - how do you do it in Manhattan? Seriously. Want ... 19 replies
- sorry, but this seems awfull for me. i do not splurge all the time, but cannot live like you....
Talk : : October 09, 2009
Families who live below their means - how do you do it in Manhattan? Seriously. Want to try and make it work but this is an expensive town!!
19 replies [ Reply | Watch | Options ]10.09.09, 05:52 PM [ Flag ]I'm a SAHM, but the budget is really my full-time job. The coupon game keeps the grocery bill down. I spend a lot of time researching free and cheap things to do with the kids & DH on the weekends. DH is the only one who gets new clothes regularly, and those are just for work. The kids and I live mostly in hand-me-downs and thrift store clothes (except shoes - feet are important, so we find good sales for new shoes). Lots of preventive maintenance in healthcare, household, and car. Lots of DIY repairs. DH takes all of his vacation time each year, but vacations are always exploring NYC & area. Public school, and I tutor the kids when they need it. We got lucky with a really good deal on a used piano, and I taught the kids to play the basics and then bought them sheet music for whatever songs they liked and wanted to figure out, and that's their "music & art appreciation". Our "big night out" every week is actually a night in with games or a video and takeaway.
[ Reply | Options ]10.09.09, 06:00 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]sorry, but this seems awfull for me. i do not splurge all the time, but cannot live like you.
[ Reply | Options ]10.09.09, 06:03 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]NP Why on earth did you have to post that? you are a horrible person
[ Reply | Options ]10.09.09, 06:06 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]Ita
[ Reply | Options ]10.09.09, 06:12 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]NP: I don't think this sounds awful at all. Used clothes? DIY repairs? Who cares if they are happy and get to spend time together? Perhaps you cannot live this way, but if you really think it sounds awful, then I would look hard at your values.
[ Reply | Options ]10.09.09, 06:15 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]My mother and father raised my brother and I like this and it was a wonderful life. I don't live like that now but I appreciate everything about my wonderful childhood lived in the heart of Manhattan - and attending private schools. Their thrift allowed me to go to an ivy league college too. Now live in a 9000 sq ft house in Bedford but I really would prefer the life I had many years ago...
[ Reply | Options ]10.09.09, 06:21 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]my brother and me lol Apparently we could have had a better education
[ Reply | Options ]10.09.09, 06:26 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
And don't knock thrift store clothes. I couldn't do it full time, but we stopped in a thrift store in Brooklyn last weekend and I found a full length, black, beaded, strappy gown for $15. It needs a few small repairs that will probably cost around $30 at the tailor, but it will be perfect for New Year's Eve and I don't think anyone will be able to tell I didn't spend $300.
[ Reply | Options ]10.09.09, 06:38 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
it sounds like you are doing an amazing job, but it really doesn't sound like fun. Is it really worth living in the city?
[ Reply | Options ]10.09.09, 06:08 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]We think so. There is so much available in the city that just isn't right there in the suburbs, and I love spending time with the DH & DCs, even just playing in the park. Spending time with my family is what I really love, and that's free.
[ Reply | Options ]10.09.09, 06:10 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
Good for you. You are keeping your priorities straight and your children are getting good role models. American materialism and consumerism are a false god.
[ Reply | Options ]10.09.09, 07:29 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
Hook up with someone for hand me down childrens clothes, public school, don't go nuts with classes for dc, cook most meals at home, shop sales or warehouse club, skip the indulgences like starbucks every day, no need for huge entertainment costs, hang out together, watch movies (from library) or play games, never buy a book, shop for nice but not expensive birthday gifts for classmates, do not go nuts with holiday buying for dc - don't buy at holidays for other relatives, give them a nice birthday gift instead, don't take lavish vacations take fun vacations, keep an eye on spending
[ Reply | Options ]10.09.09, 06:03 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]The library is a big help. Free books and movies are great, and I was amazed at the movie selection when I first found out about it. Once the kids are teens, I know they'll want to see the big movies on the big screen, but for now, we see everything two months later for free.
[ Reply | Options ]10.09.09, 06:08 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]The first Xmas I was a SAHM, we told our friends and families that we were broke and would only be giving Xmas & birthday presents to our own kids and to family kids under 13. The first few months, especially the first Xmas, were a little awkward, because people didn't take us seriously and gave us and our kids gifts for different occasions, but we stuck it out. And now that so many other people are on tighter budgets, they're really happy not to have to worry about presents for us or our kids.
[ Reply | Options ]10.09.09, 06:20 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
The first step is learning to live within your means - most peole can't do that. So, NO CREDIT CARD BALANCE EVER.
[ Reply | Options ]10.09.09, 06:08 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]We use the credit card to get cashback bonuses and to keep our cash in an interest-bearing account an extra twenty days, but we always write it out of the checkbook the day we use the card. If there's only $200 left in the checking account, only $200 can go on the card until the next paycheck goes in.
[ Reply | Options ]10.09.09, 06:13 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]then you are doing what she said - not carrying a balance on your credit card.
[ Reply | Options ]10.09.09, 06:17 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]We don't carry the balance - we pay it evey month before it's due, in total, but we write it out of the checkbook that day, so we know every day what we have already spent and that it is not over budget.
[ Reply | Options ]10.09.09, 06:29 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
Start with keeping rent or mortgage to under 25% of your income (instead of the 33% that banks advise) and get rid of the car. Even if you pay cash for a car, insurance, parking, maintenance and gas are killers. Public transport and the occasional cab are a fraction of car expenses.
[ Reply | Options ]10.09.09, 06:16 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
[+] I need to buy some leggings but don't want to spend $100 a pair! Any advice, best le... 5 replies
- nope. always splurge on leggings....
Talk : : October 07, 2009
I need to buy some leggings but don't want to spend $100 a pair! Any advice, best leggings for reasonable price. TIA
5 replies [ Reply | Watch | Options ]10.07.09, 06:38 PM [ Flag ]Splendid (not $100 - although close), American Apparel, maybe H&M or Forever 21
[ Reply | Options ]10.07.09, 06:40 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]nope. always splurge on leggings.
[ Reply | Options ]10.07.09, 06:41 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]just looked it up, and its $50-60. much better. good quality?
[ Reply | Options ]10.07.09, 06:49 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]Splendid? Yes - but know that they're thin (in a good way, IMO). If you're short, you may be able to get the cropped version (although they're only a few dollars cheaper, I think).
[ Reply | Options ]10.07.09, 07:14 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
hue
[ Reply | Options ]10.07.09, 07:25 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
[+] What is the one big splurge item you are dying for? ME-gold rolex. 64 replies
- actually it's quite relevant. You're asking what people would like to splurge on and this post takes it a step further, asking people why....
- Question was about a "big splurge item". Should we have said world peace to make you happy?...
- I think the two questions were: what would you splurge on and why? I don't think there was a public service requirement, but it's...
Talk : : October 02, 2009
What is the one big splurge item you are dying for? ME-gold rolex.
64 replies [ Reply | Watch | Options ]10.02.09, 10:21 PM [ Flag ]My aunt had a gold rolex ripped off her arm (and was told by police that it not uncommon as they are so flashy). She still wears one but it is steel and much more understated.
[ Reply | Options ]10.03.09, 01:06 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]Classic 6 on the UWS
[ Reply | Options ]10.03.09, 01:56 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]ditto
[ Reply | Options ]10.03.09, 01:35 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]me too :-(
[ Reply | Options ]10.04.09, 09:14 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
A fabulous decorator (and the budget to go along with it!)
[ Reply | Options ]10.03.09, 04:56 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]Same.
[ Reply | Options ]10.03.09, 05:30 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]That would be nice - I want a really comfy, inviting home, and it's hard to figure out myself.
[ Reply | Options ]10.03.09, 03:21 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
You are what they a watch jock....
[ Reply | Options ]10.03.09, 05:06 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]?
[ Reply | Options ]10.03.09, 06:20 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
tummy tuck
[ Reply | Options ]10.03.09, 06:35 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]ditto, plus a boob lift/reduction.
[ Reply | Options ]10.03.09, 06:37 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]But only with a magic wand b/c I hate pin
[ Reply | Options ]10.03.09, 07:05 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
Student loans paid off
[ Reply | Options ]10.03.09, 07:06 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]ditto
[ Reply | Options ]10.03.09, 11:21 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]Me too, only $41,000 to go...
[ Reply | Options ]10.03.09, 01:32 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]hey you should feel pretty good--we've got almost double!
[ Reply | Options ]10.03.09, 01:45 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
a quilted Chanel bag
[ Reply | Options ]10.03.09, 07:07 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]can I ask how old you are? this seems like such an old lady bag, no offense intended.
[ Reply | Options ]10.03.09, 08:26 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]27
[ Reply | Options ]10.03.09, 10:16 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]Wrong! If you have money, you have a Chanel bag.
[ Reply | Options ]10.03.09, 10:18 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]even more moronic. Boring and old ladyish. If Coco Chanel was alive today, no way would she be sporting one of those bags.
[ Reply | Options ]10.03.09, 01:06 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]Sorry, but there is a difference between boring, trendy, and classic. Chanel is classic.
[ Reply | Options ]10.03.09, 01:31 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
watch
[ Reply | Options ]10.03.09, 08:27 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]panerai watch
[ Reply | Options ]10.03.09, 08:28 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
GV townhouse
[ Reply | Options ]10.03.09, 08:28 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]FUGLY. Why would you?
[ Reply | Options ]10.03.09, 08:29 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]ITA. Yuck.
[ Reply | Options ]10.03.09, 08:32 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]tritto. so trashy. and fugly is the word.
[ Reply | Options ]10.03.09, 08:56 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]what are you referring to?
[ Reply | Options ]10.03.09, 11:24 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]I believe the gold rolex in the original post.
[ Reply | Options ]10.03.09, 12:54 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
Diamond anniversary band
[ Reply | Options ]10.03.09, 09:45 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]me too! one of those massive eternity bands
[ Reply | Options ]10.03.09, 11:25 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
Larger diamond stud earrings
[ Reply | Options ]10.03.09, 10:17 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]How large? Mine are 2ct and they seem enormous to me!
[ Reply | Options ]10.03.09, 10:42 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]2 ct in each ear? I would like that...or 2 1/2...or...
[ Reply | Options ]10.03.09, 11:28 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
unrealistic: A summer home that comes with a caretaker. realistic: a family vacation somewhere far away.
[ Reply | Options ]10.03.09, 10:54 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]Food.
[ Reply | Options ]10.03.09, 11:05 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]*sigh* Me too. 405 Club??
[ Reply | Options ]10.03.09, 11:44 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]what is 405 club?
[ Reply | Options ]10.03.09, 11:52 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]Collecting unemployment. NYS max is $405/week.
[ Reply | Options ]10.03.09, 11:55 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]$425, actually. signed, unemployed mom.
[ Reply | Options ]10.03.09, 01:31 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]$405, plus $25 temporary stipend, so it's REALLY $430 ... for the time being. Check your statements, unemployed mom.
[ Reply | Options ]10.03.09, 03:16 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
Gucci Medium Galaxy Bag
[ Reply | Options ]10.03.09, 11:07 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]wow, so many materialistic people in NYC......with a few exceptions (the student loans, the food, and the vacation) most of these items are so "look at how much money I have!" Do you think living in NYC makes you more materialistic, or does NY attract more materialistic people?
[ Reply | Options ]10.03.09, 11:11 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]who cares?--irrelevant to my question
[ Reply | Options ]10.03.09, 11:25 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]actually it's quite relevant. You're asking what people would like to splurge on and this post takes it a step further, asking people why.
[ Reply | Options ]10.03.09, 11:29 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]proving my point--i asked what NOT why
[ Reply | Options ]10.03.09, 11:47 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]are you the moderator here?
[ Reply | Options ]10.03.09, 12:47 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
Question was about a "big splurge item". Should we have said world peace to make you happy?
[ Reply | Options ]10.03.09, 11:30 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]no need to get defensive. Some people chose showy items, some people chose lifestyle items, some people chose experiences.
[ Reply | Options ]10.03.09, 11:34 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]thank you!
[ Reply | Options ]10.03.09, 11:48 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]You can't buy world peace.
[ Reply | Options ]10.03.09, 12:54 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
Leave it to the Downer Debbies to f-up a wet dream. How about you start a post with your above question and leave this one alone. But to answer both questions, I'd would donate large sums of money to organizations that help young Black and Latino males learn how to deal effectively and calmly with police when illegally stopped for walking, driving, waiting, or breathing while Black and a pair of Christian Louboutins.
[ Reply | Options ]10.03.09, 02:06 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]ahh... I love my Louboutins! Too bad my calves are now too fat (6 mos. pg) to wear my cool new Louboutin boots. :-(
[ Reply | Options ]10.03.09, 02:12 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]I think the two questions were: what would you splurge on and why? I don't think there was a public service requirement, but it's nice that you're doing that.
[ Reply | Options ]10.03.09, 02:55 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
Around-the-world plane tickets + places to stay for my entire family. The trip of a lifetime, spread over a year! Wouldn't it be nice :)
[ Reply | Options ]10.03.09, 01:56 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]np Yes:) I'll add business class seats (at least) for comfort!
[ Reply | Options ]10.03.09, 03:18 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]would you go home at all, or just keep traveling throughout? I think I would get tired of it truthfully. But I'm tired already, so maybe that's my problem.
[ Reply | Options ]10.03.09, 03:19 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]traveling throughout! i love traveling. i always feel like i could do it forever. i don't like coming home, where i have to clean and cook and do all the drudge stuff. i feel tired at home!
[ Reply | Options ]10.03.09, 03:22 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]that's true- and when I'm on vacation I don't really mind making dinner. Home makes you tired.
[ Reply | Options ]10.03.09, 03:24 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
Birkin
[ Reply | Options ]10.03.09, 09:03 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]a black croc birkin!
[ Reply | Options ]10.04.09, 09:12 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
Starbucks java chip ice cream.
[ Reply | Options ]10.03.09, 09:19 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]a hit man to take care of my ex
[ Reply | Options ]10.03.09, 09:19 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
[+] bookmom/playimg librarian: need a book rec? tell me me what you've read lately that... 150 replies
- 500 pages, but well written and good story. SGs are shorter and my dd was enthralled with them . Splurge on the Hardcovers...
Talk : : October 01, 2009
bookmom/playimg librarian: need a book rec? tell me me what you've read lately that you liked and I'll give you some new ideas. For your kids, give me ages, interests, as well as current fave. I will answer anyone who posts on this thread.
150 replies [ Reply | Watch | Options ]10.01.09, 09:19 AM [ Flag ]count of monte cristo. loved it
[ Reply | Options ]10.01.09, 09:20 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]op: The Man in the Iron Mask also by Dumas or perhaps sink into soem Victor Hugo: Les Miserable.
[ Reply | Options ]10.01.09, 09:24 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]great, thanks!
[ Reply | Options ]10.01.09, 09:37 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]np: Dumas rocks! I think the Three Musketeers is one of the greatest trilogies ever written. Porthos is in the top three characters ever created!
[ Reply | Options ]10.02.09, 03:57 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
For DS's first and second grade - they love sports, science, enjoyed James & Giant Peach, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Frannie K Stein, The Pain & The Great One. unfortunately like Capt Underpants
[ Reply | Options ]10.01.09, 09:22 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]op: lol about CU. I'm assuming you know all about the Dahl books (my fave for read aloud is The BFG). They may like Superfudge and Spiderwick, too. For a fun picture book for the firs grader (but not a baby picture book, IYKWIM) try the Sir Cumference books. Also, Magic School bus has chapter books
[ Reply | Options ]10.01.09, 09:27 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]can't stand CU
[ Reply | Options ]10.01.09, 10:02 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
If your dd loved HP, Narnia Chronicles, what would she like next? TIA.
[ Reply | Options ]10.01.09, 09:24 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]The BFG and others by Dahl, Spiderwick, The Little Princess, Half Magic and others by Eddie Eager. How old? Are you reading to her or for read aloud?
[ Reply | Options ]10.01.09, 09:30 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]She reads by herself. Quietly. Not out loud. I think Dahl books and Spiderwick series are too young for her.
[ Reply | Options ]10.01.09, 09:32 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]how old is she?
[ Reply | Options ]10.01.09, 09:34 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]^^I think Dahl is fabulous if she hasn't already read them, even for an adult. His humor is very dry. And Spider wick, while easy to read because it comes in short bites is funny and adventurous.
[ Reply | Options ]10.01.09, 09:35 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]Younger than the age recommended. Didn't like Spiderwick that much which surprised me bec she's into magic and fantasy these days.
[ Reply | Options ]10.01.09, 09:38 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]>also liked Wrinkle in Time.
[ Reply | Options ]10.01.09, 09:40 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]How old is she?
[ Reply | Options ]10.01.09, 09:40 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]^^ I would have different recs for a 6 yo versus a 9 yo, for example
[ Reply | Options ]10.01.09, 09:43 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]I fear the flames coming my way... 6yo.
[ Reply | Options ]10.01.09, 09:48 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]My 6 yo read Narnia and Harry Potter as well.....how do you think I know all these books......I pre-read soooooo much! Eddie Eager is great for her. Look into Nesbitt: 5 children and It, and I reiterate A Little Princess. These are older books...Nesbitt inspried JK Rowling and Eager!
[ Reply | Options ]10.01.09, 09:54 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]Thanks! After HP and Narnia, other books she's read have not "measured up" and she's looking for books that can engage her as much. Not easy bec HP and Narnia are such great books.
[ Reply | Options ]10.01.09, 09:59 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]op: another idea are the Gregor books.
[ Reply | Options ]10.01.09, 10:06 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]np excellent idea! and dark is rising
[ Reply | Options ]10.01.09, 11:44 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]Someone said Dark is Rising may be too dark for young kids... ??
[ Reply | Options ]10.01.09, 12:27 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]My dd LOVED it, she's 8. I didn't read it myself, so I assume it's not too dark?
[ Reply | Options ]10.01.09, 12:40 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]OP: I loved dark is rising as a yougn gilr, btu on re-reading them they don't hold up to Harry Potter..not as fleshed out. My guess is that they were severely edited to appeal to the supposed chidlren's market. I think the first book in the series is too confusing for a six yo. Again, these were well loved books for me as a kid!
[ Reply | Options ]10.02.09, 11:08 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
Other ideas: Dragonrider by Cornelia Funke, and the Sisters Grimm series by Michael Buckley
[ Reply | Options ]10.01.09, 09:57 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]I heard Dragon Rider is super long. Any idea how long?
[ Reply | Options ]10.01.09, 10:01 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]500 pages, but well written and good story. SGs are shorter and my dd was enthralled with them . Splurge on the Hardcovers...they are good looking books. How far has she gone with the HP series
[ Reply | Options ]10.01.09, 10:05 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]I made her stop after 2 books. Got too obsessed.
[ Reply | Options ]10.01.09, 10:20 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]I understand. Book 3 is still ok for her, IMHO, but a little darker.
[ Reply | Options ]10.01.09, 10:23 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
spiderwick has a prickle-ishness which may not have appealled to her.
[ Reply | Options ]10.01.09, 09:47 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
The thing is Dahl will give her some literary value. She will not get that from HP and not too much from Narnia. You should be careful to not let her need for excitement drive her reading, there is a lot to be gained from reading smaller books of literary value including more complicated sentence structure.
[ Reply | Options ]10.01.09, 11:48 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]You are right. But at this age, and she is only 6, I fee like she should read what she wants to read - to foster love of reading. Rather than forcing her to read what she doesn't want to... maybe until next year?
[ Reply | Options ]10.01.09, 12:26 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]Yes she should choose and in school they'll suggest more literary books and books that build comprehension. I've heard that kids get addicted to the excitement and don't want to read books that make them think harder. But she's only 6!
[ Reply | Options ]10.01.09, 12:32 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]You have a good point. Maybe I will read to her books she doesn't want to read. Right now, she only wants to read books that really grab your attention. Nothing slow paced. She did not want to read Trumpet Swan (? forget the title).
[ Reply | Options ]10.01.09, 12:34 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]My dd was this way too which is why I'm so aware, some books are just too real life-like and slow for my dd, but she has developed taste in the last year. She's 8 though.
[ Reply | Options ]10.01.09, 12:39 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]op: I think some of the the themes in Trumpet of the Swan are nto that interesting or obvious for a 6 yo, but Dahl is fast-paced (and in my opinion no more or less literary than HP)
[ Reply | Options ]10.02.09, 11:10 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]Thanks. I read Trumpet of the Swan for few chapters and couldn't get into it myself. Great author, but..
[ Reply | Options ]10.02.09, 11:56 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
Kindergarten ds. Need chapter book recommendations.
[ Reply | Options ]10.01.09, 09:28 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]op: very wide range of reading ability for K and chap books. Assuming these are for him to read? What does he like and what can he read now?
[ Reply | Options ]10.01.09, 09:31 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]Not reading yet. I will read to her.
[ Reply | Options ]10.01.09, 10:43 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]my son loves the Jenny Linky series. I read these books to him
[ Reply | Options ]10.01.09, 10:45 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]op: Mr Popper's Penguins, Lady Lollipop and one I suggested to others, My Father's Dragon series.
[ Reply | Options ]10.02.09, 11:24 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
Magic Treehouse, Cam Jensen,
[ Reply | Options ]10.01.09, 09:33 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
8 yo DD, likes the Abby Hayes and Judy Moody books. Anything else along those lines?
[ Reply | Options ]10.01.09, 09:34 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]Sister Magic, My Weird School
[ Reply | Options ]10.01.09, 09:36 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]^^^and Ivy and Bean
[ Reply | Options ]10.01.09, 09:39 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]
Ramona series, Pippi,
[ Reply | Options ]10.01.09, 09:39 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]oh Ramona is good except she read them all over the summer, Pippi too, any more like that?
[ Reply | Options ]10.01.09, 09:43 AM [ Flag | link to this post ]op: if you want to go back in time, All