Are you tired of Gift Guides, yet?  Yesterday, I got one from my accountant.  My accountant.  And I like Rick, but I am not so hard up for suggestions that anyone will find a one-year subscription to Quicken under the tree. But because how much we love and like people is not determined by how […]

This weekend, I got two hours to myself for the first time in months. Really to myself. My child was asleep. My dogs were asleep. Kyle was off playing cards with his friends. My house was clean, and there was nothing else to do but sit in my bed and scroll Instagram. It was glorious. […]

Santa Swap.  White Elephant.  Secret Santa.  Whatever you call it, trading gifts with coworkers and acquaintances who you may not know very well can be a little stressful.  

I love stocking stuffers.  They are the best part of Christmas.  There’s just nothing quite like an affordable gift that’s funny or useful or chic (or maybe all three).  So here is Part One of my stocking stuffer gift guides, where nothing costs more than $30.

Since my daughter was born, Amazon has claimed so much of my money that I had to buy stock just to get some of it back.  Between the formula, onesies, fruit pouches, diapers, wipes, and ever evolving list of baby development gear, I could not survive without Prime.   My husband no longer notices the […]

I started this blog in 2008 to provide guidance to the thousands of Capitol Hill staffers who needed to dress for professional jobs on government salaries.  Over 15 years of blogging, some questions have proved eternal — the best tights, what to wear to a formal event, makeup tips for women who don’t want to […]

This week was a bit of a mess.  Kyle is sick.  I am sick.  We have no reliable childcare, so we’re cobbling together work time where we can.  We missed our Thanksgiving dinner pickup, and had less than two hours to shop for and cook a meal for six people.  But we’re making it work, […]

As we age, our holiday gifting list explodes with people.  You have in-laws, friends, friends’ kids, and work colleagues.  That’s why we’re all looking for affordable, thoughtful gifts.  So here is a list of under-$75 home gifts that includes no scented candles.  You could give these gifts to almost anyone and they’re nice enough to […]

The definition of a bad gift is when you get a gift that men are supposed to like, but you don’t.  Every year, Abra sends me a list of men’s gift guides from popular influencers, and I stand aghast at all of the shaving kits, bottles of mediocre Bourbon, and drones. This year, she sent […]