States Map, Meet-a-Reader posts, and Bra-Switching
It's Memorial Day here in the U.S., which means lots of people aren't visiting their usual internet haunts.
I thought about just not posting, but then decided it seemed like a good, quiet day to do a little miscellany post.
Should you wear a bra multiple days in a row?
Ok, so, in the comments on the "Do you have to buy new underwear every six months?" post, bras came up too, and there was some discussion about whether it is advisable to wear a bra several days in a row.
I did some reading on the topic, and it appears that it is better to give your bras a break in between wearings.
The purpose is to let the elastic in the fabric rest; if you wear it nonstop, the elastic stays stretched out for too long, and it will be less likely to bounce back.
(Here's a Cleveland Clinic article about it!)
Incidentally, I have heard the same is true for shoes; that you should have a couple of pairs that you rotate between, so that the shoes have time to air out and "rest" before you wear them again. The idea is that this will help them last longer, so it might cost more up front, but hopefully in the end, you'll get more wear from your shoes.
Meet a Reader posts
California Artist Jana wrote me the other day to ask if we were going to do any more Meet a Reader posts, and the answer is...I'd be delighted to share more if any of you are interested in participating!
(Jana did one herself, if you'd like to get to know her. 🙂 )
Basically, I just email you a standard list of questions, and you can pick and choose which you'd like to answer. Then you email them back to me, along with whatever photos you want to share, and I put it all into a post.
Click here to browse through all the readers we've met, and this will give you a good idea of what you could expect if you want to participate.
You can be as anonymous as you'd like! Some people share their faces and names, and others don't, but somehow it all works out just fine. 🙂
If you want to participate, send me an email (thefrugalgirl@gmail.com) and I'll send the questions on over to you!
Marry Me Beans
Whenever I post about these, some people wonder what recipe I use, and honestly, I just kinda wing it based on the internet recipes.
Basically, you brown some garlic and red pepper flakes in oil, then add in some oregano, broth, tomato paste, cream or half and half, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, basil, and beans of your choice.
This Nora Cooks recipe would give you a basic idea of proportions, and you can customize as you wish. People use coconut milk and vegetable broth to make it vegan, for instance.
These reheat nicely for a packed lunch, by the way.
Also: my Aldi carries sun-dried tomatoes, so if you have an Aldi, do look for them there!
My United States bulletin board map
Lots of you have asked about my 50 states map. It's actually just a corkboard map, and it costs less than $10.
I love it because it is so very plain and simple; a lot of the other ones out there have graphics all over them and they're just too much for me. I like the uncluttered look of this one!
Oddly, it only comes with ten pins, which I guess is fine if you are only planning to visit 20% of the states. Ha. Maybe that's useful if you are just marking off the states you've lived in.
I needed way more than ten, soI got this little pack of gold pins, and I use them instead.
(Looking that up reminded me of these cute little animal push pins I got as a Christmas gift for one of my girls. Also, I love my pearl push pins for my main bulletin board. Life is too short for basic push pins.)
Annnd that's the last of the miscellany from me for today. If you have outdoor Memorial Day plans, I hope you are having better weather than us here in the Mid-Atlantic!
We had a chilly week last week and a very dreary Saturday, but today is looking to be sunny and 80! Yay! So we're having friends over to swim and cook dinner over the fire this evening.
I've also been wondering about Meet a Reader posts and would love for some more people to participate. I enjoy them!
The way you feel about push pins is the way I feel about binder clips. Make them fun! I still have a number of fun binder clips that I picked out with my mom when I was in college... 20 years ago.
The pearl and animal pushpins are similar to my attitude to clothes - I like wearing bright colours or patterns, because it's more cheerful and interesting! I don't like wearing neutrals very much.
It's not Memorial Day here but it is a holiday (Whit Monday). I am honestly exhausted though; I went to a carnival at the weekend, went swimming when I got back (and also got a big bruise on my leg from landing awkwardly in the water when I jumped from the five meter swimming platform) and went running and swimming again yesterday. It's very sunny so I might go for a walk later.
Continuing with my preference for spending money on experiences over things, I booked a long weekend in Switzerland next month so now I'm trying to plan stuff for that and also to not spend too much money when I'm there, relatively speaking! If anyone has advice I'm all ears!
I'm impressed that you jumped from a 5 meter platform!!!
Thank you! It was/is a little scary (I jumped off it a few times last summer) but it's also quite a thrill!
It is a national holiday in NL too today. This week no rain, but high temperatures with high humidity and lots of pollen. However we had a lot of rain in the past weeks and that means the garden will survive. I was outside this morning until morning coffee, following the advice of the pollen radar, and was happy to see and hear humming insects. There aren't as many as last year, and I am thankful for the ones that can find our flowers and shrubs. Nothing beats sitting in the shade, listening to humming insects and birdsong, smelling flowers.
Regarding bras: a few years ago I started having bouts of eczema and I discovered that wearing bra's made these worse. I now only wear the expensive supportive bra's that make me look like a curvy goddess 😉 whenever I have appointments away from home. At home, and also during excercise, I wear a kind of elastic top that does not support as well but is more comfortable. I found this type of top initially at a website for women who had had breast surgery and had sensitive skin. I have since also found them in cheaper stores. They wash well and as they are much cheaper I do a gentle cycle in the washing machine. I normally rotate and "wear and air" them two or three times before washing as I do all my clothes except knickers and socks, but in these high temperatures I only wear them for one day.
I love your colourful shoe rack! And they match your clothes very well.
Well, I've been doing bras wrong my whole life. I probably won't change my elastic-stretching ways, though- I don't have enough to rotate daily.
I have bright colored, very large push pins for my office. Cheerful and easy to find if they drop. Neon paper clips as well. I also use fun cat stickers for my students papers - a little burst of silly to brighten their day.
Bras can be rotated with as few as three, although four is easier. If you have three, you wear one on Sunday, the second one on Monday, the first on Tuesday, the second on Wednesday (and wash the first), then the third on Thursday, go back to the now-clean first on Friday and wash the second, third on Saturday, and then the first one again on Sunday. Continue to alternate - A, B, A, B (wash A), C (wash B), A, C, A (wash C), B…
It’s easier with four because the wash timing is less critical, but it can be done with three!
Today is the first Memorial Day that my ex-cemetery grounds keeper husband has had off in SIX YEARS! (Memorial Day is like Black Friday for dead people if one works at a cemetery.) He's greatly enjoying his long, lazy weekend, and we continue to enjoy him working five blocks from home vs. fifty miles one way.
N,
Your husband must be overjoyed to have this long weekend off!
Oh my gosh, yes! He stayed in his pajamas all day yesterday just because he could.
Who knew push pins could be so fun?! I learned something new today!😂
I am very thankful for the rain, even though it washed out a lot of our plans for the weekend!
I am interested in reading other peoples stories, but wonder if they would be interested in mine.
At this moment in time I do have enough bras to rotate. However in the past I haven't so I have worn the same one a couple days in a row if they meet my exacting standards: they look clean and I didn't sweat the day before. Quite frankly I wear a size that requires paying at least $45 for one. LOL I also wear a bralette to bed every night to avoid the back pain I had for years.
Sorry i do not have a standard push pin. My variety is the old style in clear (a couple colored one from the 1980s) clear pearl, black pearl and even 2 extra large ones.
This was a fun writing exercise.
Amy, I am interested in reading about you and anyone else!
Please do submit one.
Yes, please send one in, Amy. I very much enjoyed reading back through the "Meet a Reader" archives this morning; thanks to Kristen for posting the handy thumbnails for these. And I'll be forever grateful for all the support I received when I posted my update after DH died. Almost 3 years later, I still go back and read those comments from time to time.
As I understand it, the primary reason that rotating shoes causes them to last longer is that airing them out allows them to dry out. Using wood shoehorns have the same effect with the additional benefit of holding the shoes in their proper shape and reducing stress on any leather in the shoes.
Readers, I did a Meet the Reader without stating my name, age, gender, family status, job, or including any photos. It can be done! I'd like to read more of them as well so please consider it.
I currently have only four bras and they do get worn two days in a row unless I've done yardwork and gotten sweaty. It's on my list to buy more soon: my wardrobe got very small after losing 70 pounds and keeping it off three years ago.
I'm better about rotating daily between two pairs of sneakers and also swapping around Power Step insoles in shoes.
congrats on losing 70 lbs and keeping it off. keeping it off for three years is a real achievement to be proud of.
Ruby, your weight loss is amazing. Congratulations. I have lost about 5,000 pounds. And gained about 4,999 pounds back. What was your motivation?
My knees were wearing out and I got tired of disappointing both myself and my awesome doctor. I used the free My Fitness Pal app to track calories and nutrition, mainly protein and fiber. Decluttered my house and did yardwork for exercise. I still log my meals in the app every day.
I love that bulletin board map. I think I may get one to spur me on to visit the remaining states.
Definitely rainy here in Louisiana, as it was in Georgia from which I just returned yesterday. We've been in a deficit for rain this year, but I think we may be catching up.
Regarding bras, I often wash mine in the shower (not wearing it!) since I only have about three good ones. I then hang them to dry and don't have to wait to do a load of clothes. I went to buy some recently and was shocked at the price. Bras have seemingly become quite precious.
Washing a bra while taking a shower sounds like a good idea, if you ask me. Or at least rinsing it out.
That's why I buy mine in plastic packages from Wallyworld!
I like this kitchen sink variety post.
Morning yoga turned into mowing the yards around the house. Hurry before the rain begins...typical Oregon weather, I got drenched as I was washing up the mower.
Baking bread and cookies as I type this. Kids are going to start showing up in a few minutes to get to the parade staging area.
I have some vintage Victoria Secret bras that are old enough to drink and they are still performing beautifully. My first degree was in microbiology....good bad and otherwise! I wear one bra in the morning, come in from work, shower, wear another bra and then the bedtime bras, those new fangled no under wire kind.
I air my outdoor boots and shoes on a rack that is adjacent to the circulating air vent in the mudroom.
Have a great day! Never forget those who served and serving.
I agree with you about these kitchen sink type posts. Partly because your name, Blue Gate Farmgirl, is so interesting, and because your comments incite much curiosity and many questions on my part, I would love to read your Meet-A-Reader. Have you considered doing this?
It's a beautiful day here in Minnesota. I'm out on the deck as I type this, enjoying the birds and the breeze. (I almost typed the birds and the bees!) Thanks for the link to all the Meet A Reader posts; I will enjoy rereading them today - even my own! While I change my underwear everyday, I don't do the same for bras unless I've sweated. I slapped my forehead and said "Doh!" when I saw Kristen's shoe shelf since I put my shoes in toes first. While I don't own very many shoes to begin with, I can see where it would be more helpful and prettier to put them in heels first like Kristen.
Hi!
First time commenting - but could not resist reminding you that you have readers outside of USA. So please don't hold back your posts thinking all your readers are out in Memorial Day activites.
Greetings from Sweden
Love Anna
I wear only Victoria Secret bras only because they always work out well even now that I buy them from amazon rather than a store. I usually have two that are less than 3 years old that are the "good" ones, and several older ones that are for gardening or other sweat producing work. I wash them in a lingerie bag and air dry them. That's as fancy as I get.
I would love suggestions for other brands that last well and are comfortable.
i wash my bras in a lingerie bag too. i have four bras that i rotate. the max time i wear a bra is twice in a row. it works ok. i put them in the machine on cold and air dry them on a spider contraption with hooks that i got from amazon. it doesn't take up much room in the one bathroom i share with hubby and two teens.
I’m a 36C, and I like Maidenform. I buy them online and since I know which style/fabric I prefer, it’s simple. I have 6 bras, 3 are older and 3 are newer. I’m not sure how much they cost now, but I wait for a sale to reorder.
@Susan, I am same size and i love Maidenform also! If its a workday (I am in an office environment), i wear twice before washing. If I have gotten sweaty - it goes right into wash! I always air dry....just hang them in bathroom.
I'd be glad to do a reader interview some day.
Today I am working the last 3 hours at our store, so I'll have something to do for the holiday, other than spend it alone. I'm off the next 2 days so I will do the holiday stuff then, when things are not overcrowded.
Went to Ollie's Outlet to try and find Snuggles some basted bones, but all they had were $9.99 bones that were as long as my upper legs! Bought one anyway since my 10% off coupon expires this week. I used to get him a lot of big (but not this big) bones for 3 or 4 dollars each, and dole them out on occasion. Guess I will need to find another bone source. On the good side: this oughta keep him occupied for a whole afternoon or more!
While it was raining, I worked some jigsaw puzzles and crossword puzzles. I find them online for free and much prefer those internet puzzles to the ones IRL.
am so glad you posted on a holiday. meet a reader is my absolute favorite post and i hope to be able to have you look at my answers during my lifetime. i was really hoping to glance at some of the posts again. thanks so much. you are so AMAZING.
I know that bras are expensive but as someone who grew up in far north tropical Australia, I just can't wear a bra more than once before it has to be washed. I do hand wash and air dry which helps them last which is how I've managed to accumulate enough for a daily change. I also have a number of sports bras for when I'm home which are simply tossed in the washing machine.
With shoes I read somewhere earlier in my life that you shouldn't wear the same pair 2 days in a row. Not good for your feet, not good for the shoes. Do I occasionally wear the same pair twice? yes absolutely, lol, but I try not to.
Lol. I'd like to have an interpretation of those hieroglyphics you have posted on the board. I always like to see how other people abbreviate things or post reminders for themselves. I always wanted to learn shorthand but they discontinued that the year before I got to high school.
Me too, about those hieroglyphics!
I'd like to see how other people do things and sometimes I snitch parts of their system for my own. I do quite a bit of letter writing and I have a series of abbreviations/symbols I use that are applicable only to me and sometimes people text me when they get letters and say "what was that in your letter?". Lol. And nobody can ever read my writing anyway
Hahaha, those are from anatomy and physiology, and they're my little drawings to help me remember the cranial nerve names and whether they are sensory nerves, motor nerves, or both.
From the barely worn a bra since sophomore year in high school, not an issue. And while you may have an urge to visit all 50 states, there are plenty that are sans push pin that would stay sans push pin if the map were mine.
I’m probably guilty of wearing my bras too long. But I do have a few that I rotate between depending on what I’m wearing. And if they pass a sniff test, I may wear it again before I wash it.
We had a nice Memorial Day. We had planned to spend it by ourselves. But at the last minute we decided to invite my husband’s sister and brother-in-law over since they didn’t have any plans either and we had plenty of food. So the four of us had a nice meal together. I made barbecued pork on buns from a pork roast we had the other day, coleslaw, beans, hotdogs, and chips. They bought an apple pie and some ice cream. It was a perfect meal. I hope everybody has a good week!
Nope. It's the traditional Pacific NW Memorial Day weather here--rain. But it didn't start raining until afternoon Monday, so that's something.
Kristen, Could you share the brand of the bra you pictured? It looks so comfortable!
eeing a bit self-centered, I reread my Meet-A-Reader and found a mistake. In question #3, where it says “(his hired man), no” it should say, “(his hired man), yes.”
I know, no one cares, but I am a typo-psycho and I did this, not Kristen!
Nothing has changed, except that I sold Fernando (sob) and now drive a 2004 Honda Accord. Fancy, eh?
Now I will go browse through the Meet-A-Readers to learn more about all you all. If you haven’t done the Meet-A-Reader, think about it. It makes the interaction on the Commentariat all the more fun!
New Mexico here. We did not have better weather here on Memorial Day. We had a dust storm and then it rained all. (We really needed the rain.) 😃
Love the glimpse of your Converse collection! I'm curious - what kind of shoes do you wear at work?
Altras! They're zero drop running/walking shoes with a wide toe box, and they save my feet. 🙂
Your cranial nerve mnemonic is much tamer than the ones I learned 🙂
Oh I love the your clean style of pearls, black, and gold. So chic & classic. Such a fun post!