Tips – LongLegsBigCity

Holiday Tips… HELP!

December 16, 2020 4 Comments

It’s the most wonderful timeeee of the yearrrr. FALSE. It’s the most STRESSFUL time. Every year, I agonize over holiday tips. Who needs one? Who doesn’t “need” one but deserves one? How much? Do I pool the money? Or do individual gifts? How much did I give last year?

This year is even worse! Everyone is struggling and I am lucky enough to still have a job, all of my family members are healthy, and I even got promoted this year (humble brag). So I’m feeling pretty fortunate. But how does that translate into tips? This is, in my opinion, one of the worst parts of being an adult, right after laundry and understanding the difference between a W2 and a W9.

For tips, first, I need to decide who gets them. You’d think this would be a simple process, but it’s not. Growing up, I remember my mom always left tips for the postman. He even would leave an envelope for us so we didn’t forget. But now, I work a full-time job and if I ever see the mailman/mailwoman, it’s in passing, and they don’t even know which apartment I belong to. I’m one of many little boxes on a wall. Also, they usually have airpods in, and I’ve never had a conversation with them. It’s not like the friendly neighborhood suburban mailmen who actually walk up to your physical front door. But… they’re working so hard this year. And the absentee ballots!! I’m so thankful to USPS!

The guy who REALLY deserves the cold hard cash is the Amazon delivery guy. We get approximately 7 packages a week. Yes, you read that right, at least one per day. But it’s not like we have a relationship with the UPS guy. This is NYC. Again, the packages just sort of magically show up here while I’m working.

Now let’s talk about the people who I actually come face to face with. During Covid, there are VERY few of these people, and even so it’s mask to mask, but let’s say pandemic aside, who else provides services for me that I should tip.

Our cleaning person. This is a no-brainer. She definitely gets a holiday tip. But how much? She didn’t clean for us for 8 months this year. I sent her money periodically while we were out of state, but I know she’s hurting and I’m sure a lot of her clients have discontinued her service. We have her back now (our chore chart didn’t work, more on that another time), but she’s only been back for 2 weeks. And then the even harder question: how much do we give? The amount we pay for one cleaning? Like a bonus? Or a lump sum $100. Or more? This is a more difficult tip to give because it’s usually in person. Or should I do it by Venmo so I don’t need to see her face? Is that cowardly? I have tried googling these answers, by the way, but there does not seem to be a consensus.

There are other people I may tip on a normal year, a hairstylist, manicurist (before I did my own!), even a dry cleaner, but this year, I haven’t really seen any of those people.

In NYC, there is only one group of people who ALWAYS gets tips: building staff. Doormen, concierges, porters, superintendents. They always send around a happy holiday card to remind us of their names so we don’t forget them. Also, they’re the ones dealing with our Amazon dependency. And this year, they are putting their health and safety in jeopardy every day commuting to our building, interacting with 3,000 Doordash delivery men, and with idiots who take their masks down in the lobby.

BUT HOW MUCH?? When we lived on 96^th Street, we had a building staff of 8. We gave $50/person. That’s $400. Split between two people, it was reasonable. But would we have given the same amount if we lived alone? When I lived in that same building as a poor law student with 3 roommates, I think we each gave $50 (total of $200 for the apartment). Whether I gave $400 or $200, we were barely acknowledged for our card.

But in our building now? We have 6 people, and again the past two years we have given $50/person and we have been treated like KINGS. A majority of our building now is rent controlled, so I think it’s abnormal for people to give that much. It was SO appreciated. I almost felt bad. If we could afford $400 in the other building, should we have given the same here? How do you split that by 6 evenly? Should it be an amount by person?

And more importantly, do you give the same amount each year? There is a such thing as inflation. And this year, as I said, we are more fortunate than many others. Do we adjust for that? Our expenses have decreased. Well, Chris got me a ring so I should say my expenses have decreased. And the final question, do we put cash in an envelope for everyone? Or do we split it up into individual envelopes? It probably appears nicer together because the amount it higher, but is that the point? Shouldn’t it be personalized?

You can probably tell by the amount of question marks in this blog post (28) that I do NOT have any of the answers. How do you guys dole out holiday tips? Any tips, pun intended, are appreciated.

Travel

Pre-Travel Tips and Tricks

September 25, 2019 2 Comments

It’s almost time for another vacation! Even though I didn’t blog about my recent adventures to Italy and France, you probably still know that I travel A LOT. When I turned 27, I realized I had barely traveled outside of the USA/Caribbean, and I starting budgeting and credit card churning to make sure it happened more often. I’ve been making up for lost time, and for this upcoming trip to Greece, I paid for my flights completely on credit card points!

When you travel as often as I do, you get it down to a science. I want to share a few tips with you that I use to make my packing and traveling seamless. Last year, I took 10 round-trip flights, and if you include train travel, I made even MORE trips. I’m a pro.

Tip #1: Have a Good Suitcase.

For more than a year, I had a suitcase that only had two wheels and one of them was jacked up. I basically had to drag it through airports using sheer strength. Don’t be like me. I ordered a new suitcase from Amazon that was $60 and had a year-long warranty. It has 4 working wheels and it is a breath of fresh air. Especially when you live in New York and your pre-travel travel includes blocks of walking, subway turnstiles and many stairs, a good suitcase is essential. I won’t say “invest” in one because they’re NOT EVEN EXPENSIVE!

Tip #2: Use Packing Cubes.

Nowadays, you basically always need to use a carry-on bag because airlines charge you for everything from a seat to air. Suitcase space is limited and very important. The best way to cram as much stuff as your can into your suitcase, while still remaining organized, is packing cubes. First, I accidentally purchased a set of varying sizes and only the smallest two sizes worked for my purposes, so I found smaller ones that work much better. They were $21 and life-changing. You can basically view them as zip-able drawers for your suitcase. I usually separate underwear, swimsuits, socks, and sports bras in one, workout clothes in another, dresses in another, and jeans (rolled) in the 4^th.

Tip #3: Keep Your Travel Toiletries Ready and Together.

This is probably my biggest time-saver. I keep a Ziploc bag pre-packed with travel body wash, travel/disposable loofah, shampoo, conditioner, razor, lotion, zit cream (I’m so refined), toothpaste etc. It’s all in one place so I can just throw it in my bag when I go on my next trip! The key here is that you need to refill everything when you come home and replace the loofah. This way everything is set to go next time!

Tip #4: Use & Keep a Pre-Made Packing List

THIS IS CLUTCH. Personally, I use an app called Wunderlist on my phone. I put EVERYTHING on this list. Every. Thing. My current list has 84 items. I even put toothbrush and toothpaste as separate items. This insures that I do not forget anything! I only check the item off when it is physically in my bag. If I am wearing my sneakers to travel in (more on that next), I do not check it off until they are on my feet that day. Also, if I forget anything, I add it to the list ASAP. This happened fatefully on a girls’ trip to Spain with LOTS of drinking when I had forgotten Advil. Never again.

Here’s a tip: you can have multiple lists for different kinds of trips (international, business, leisure beach, leisure in the winter), OR, you can just have one big list and include anything you’d want for any type of trip. I choose to do the latter and I check off the items first that I know I don’t need. For example, there’s no need to bring my Global Entry card or electricity converters for a domestic trip, but I just check those off first when I’m going within the country. Another tip: don’t check the item off if you want to triple check for it before you leave the house (I do this with “Passport”).

Tip #5: Plan to Travel in Your Largest/Heaviest Outfit.

This goes without saying, but clothes take up space, especially if you are 5’11” like me. Shoes also take up space. I try to wear my largest items like my jacket and my sneakers (or boots, depending on season). Like I said before, having a small/light suitcase is more important than ever, so try to remember that strategically!

Tip #6: Bring an Empty Reusable Water Bottle.

Once again, airlines have started to suck more and more. Some airlines refuse to offer water now. Even on international flights. This just happened to me on my way to France. Be aware of the airline you are traveling on because dehydration on planes is a huge thing! You are allowed to bring a water bottle through security as long as it is empty. Every airport I have been in recently has water fountains by the gates, so fill up your bottle before you board. You’ll thank me. You can also use it when you get to your destination. DRINK MORE WATER, PEOPLE!

Tip #7 & 8: Print Everything and Give Someone A Copy of Your Itinerary.

I know we LOVEEE our phones. Trust me I know, I have 3 Instagram accounts. But sometimes phones mess up, or get stolen, or there’s no wifi, etc. Print out your arrangements before you leave, whether it’s hotel reservations, train or museum tickets, or Groupons for Segway tours (duh). Also, write down your itinerary, bring a copy with you, and give a copy to someone else stateside for safety! If you are a crazy person (like me and my friends), you can just put it in a Google Sheet, print a copy, and share the document by email with your emergency contact. Safety First!

I have many more tips, but I should probably stop writing and start packing – I leave in 48 hours! Hopefully I will have time when I get back to tell you about my trip and share GORGEOUS photos. If you aren’t already, follow me on Instagram for daily updates!

Big City Living

First Snow

December 21, 2017 No Comments

It’s December! That means that although we had a freaky 50-degree day yesterday, the first snow of the season is upon us! And the second… and the third…

Remember 2 weeks ago when we were wearing short-sleeved shirts and wondering when winter was going to arrive? Well I think it’s made its debut. Soon, the city will be pretty nasty and slushy, as it always gets, but nothing beats that very first snow of the season.

12 days ago, we had our first big snow. And it snowed ALL. DAY. LONG. My best friend from high school was due to fly into NYC that morning, and I was almost sure that her flight would be canceled or delayed. But… miracle of miracles, she landed on time! It took her hours to get from the airport to my house due to the #SummerOfHell continued, aka #WinterOfHell with MTA, but that’s a whole different story.

This year we have been lucky because the first few snows have completely melted, the city is dry, and we will now be gifted a SECOND FIRST SNOW. Since we have been given this rare gift, I decided to compile a list of do’s and don’t for the first snow (or SECOND FIRST SNOW) vs. the 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th etc. snows. These are very useful tips, so feel free to bookmark this page for future use.

FIRST SNOW:

DO wear cute clothes. There will be photos. Which leads me to my next point…
DO take photos. It will never look this pretty again. Until the next year.
DO make a snowman, or a snow angel. This will be the last snow you can safely touch for the year.
DO post about it on social media. How else will everyone know it’s snowing outside?? By looking out the window?? Who does that anymore? Also…
DO boomerang. Snow is made for boomerangs. Jump in it. Ball it up. Throw it. Sled in it. So many action shots.
DO have fun! White pretty stuff is falling from the sky and the world is your own personal children’s storybook!
DON’T forget how to walk. Yes, I know it’s slippery. Walk carefully, but not like a tourist. We still have places to go. Separate but related:
DON’T stop to take a photo in the middle of the sidewalk. Yes, def take photos, I already said that above. But go to Central Park. It’s prettier there. Or at least move to the side of the sidewalk and yield to pedestrians.
DON’T use an umbrella. Come on guys. It won’t help. You know. I know. Let’s stop pretending.
DON’T run down subway stairs. SPLAT. No train is worth that. Even if you have to wait 15 minutes for the next one (get your sh*t together, MTA). I’ve had two sprained ankles to prove this.
DON’T forget how beautiful it is. It won’t be like this for very long…

SECOND (third, fourth fifth etc.) SNOW:

DO cover your head. Things will be melting, city juice abounds. No one knows what it is, but suffice it to say you don’t want it on your head.
DO wear whatever layers you have, cute or not. After you’ve taken your “first snow” pics, the jig is up. The snow seems to radiate cold after a while. It’s like black concrete for heat.
DO wear snow boots. Duck boots. Any and all waterproof boots.
DO be aware of the mystery slush piles. I mentioned this in my first blog EVER about Tips for NYC Living, but remember, it may LOOK like it’s 1 inch deep, but it could be 10. Do you really want to take that risk??
DO complain about it social media. Yes, everyone else will be doing it, too, but misery loves company, right?
DON’T wear suede boots. Or suede anything for that matter. You will be splashed. It will not be pretty.
DON’T go into work if you are gifted a snow day. That means checking your work email from bed if there is even a 10% chance of snow for the day. DON’T risk getting ready if it is not necessary.
DON’T forget about scaffolding. It is your friend. There is dry, non-icy, non-slushy ground below it. Sprint to it (carefully).
DON’T forget to take a mid-winter vacation to a warm, beachy place. But also DON’T forget to check the weather first. Airport delays in the snow = more miserable than sitting at home in the snow.