November 11, 2015 - Common Bra Blunders

Common Bra Blunders

Ensuring that you are wearing the proper bra is critical as bra’s are the foundation to any wardrobe and having the best fit will ensure you are comfortable in your clothes.  For our November meeting we learned from Brooke and Carly from Nordstrom’s the common blunders women make when it comes to wearing and caring bras.

We covered three critical areas – Fit, Cup and strap/coverage style

Fit

Breast tissue actually goes back to under your armpit and ensuring you have the proper fit with your bra will ensure you do not have ‘angel wings’ when wearing a bra.  Making sure the fit covers all of the breast tissue will eliminate those ‘angel wings’.  If you wear a bra with an underwire the wire should actually be about halfway through the armpit.

The band around your chest needs to be snug, you don’t want to be able to pull the band out in the back and get your hand in it.  You also don’t want the band to be painful.  For new bra’s you should expect the band to be somewhat uncomfortable as bras are similar to shoes and take time to you break in, they will mold to your body over time. 

Key points to look at when you are trying on bras is to ensure the wire doesn’t bow up on the bottom, the strap in the back isn’t too high or low – you want it in the middle of your back.  You will always have a little back overhang with a bra as a bra is pulling in and holding the tissue up.

If you have rubbing at the bottom of the bra it is the wrong fit or the lining on the bra is not working for your body type.

Cup/Coverage Style

Cups sizes are like pant sizes – it doesn’t matter what the size is you want it to be the correct fit, pull you up and in.  A proper sized bra will relieve tension from your back.  If you have  gapping in the cup area then your might have a size that is too big or too small, or the style of cup is wrong for your body.  There are soft cups that are lined that will guard against the ‘peep show’ so if you prefer a soft cup don’t be afraid to try one on. 

The demi cup style doesn’t work for everyone- if you’ve had work done then this is the style for you as you are more likely to be equal sized on both sides. 

A bra with a thicker back will give you more support.  Fuller coverage bra is fuller on the bottom coverage. 

Straps should be pulled tight but should not indent your shoulders or leave marks.  If they are too tight you might see the band popping up or if you have gapping in the cup area you might need to tighten the straps. 

So if you go to Nordstorms for a bra fitting this is what you should expect -

The fitter will measure you either with or without a bra on, they will have you inhale and exhale and at the inhale they will determine your band size.  Once they have a band size then they will utilize the fit bra, which is a soft cupped bra as that is the easiest type of bra to determine if the type of bra fits properly. 

Once they have options the fitter will help you determine style and will ensure that the buckle in the back is where it needs to be and then they will check the straps.  Understanding what color or type of bra you want (t-shirt, nude, non-lace etc.) can help the fitter but if you don’t know they will take the time to help you figure it out. 

So when should you be fitted for a bra?  Anytime you have major weight loss or weight gain and especially when you have stopped nursing and then every couple of years. 

For pre-teen girls you want to start in a bralette and then you can move to a more classic bra once they begin to round out.  For girls that are developing you want to have them fitted more often depending on how fast they are growing. 

How should you care for you bras?  The life of a bra is about 6 months, yes 6 months.  They recommend that you wash your bra in the gentle cycle with gentle detergent and then lay flat to dry or hang by the middle, if you hang by one strap that side will begin to stretch out.  The team recommends you have 3 bras at a minimum – one to wear, one that is being washed and one to have on hand if needed. 

You only need to wash your bras about every three wears UNLESS you get really sweaty in the bra then wash it more often so you do not have bacteria growing. 

For those that have been touched by breast cancer Nordstroms has certified fitters that can help you with prosthetics.  They can help you with the right form and then you can wear any kind of bra.  It is recommended that you make an appointment for this type of fitting to ensure the certified fitter is there.  Nordstorms will sew in pockets for the prosthetic at no charge and will also help file your insurance.  

Brooke Self
Department Manager
Lingerie/Women's Active-Swim
Nordstrom Southpark 750
704.442.6000 ext. 1249
brooke.self@nordstrom.com
 

April 14th Meeting Notes

Better than Couponing – Getting Started with Credit Card Rewards
 

Tony Mecia and Nick Felten

Tony and Nick have made credit card rewards work for them and their families.  They both have researched and learned to maximize how to get the most out of all the different credit card reward programs that are available and they shared their tips and tricks with us.

When looking at reward programs you can create master spreadsheets to track all the different programs or if you don’t want to be that involved then focus on a cash back card.   

The one card you need is Cashback card that gives you at a minimum 2%.  They recommended the Citi Double Cash – where you get 1% when you charge and 1% when you pay or the Fidelity Amex.

If you want miles then they recommend the Capital One Adventure – where you apply a cash rebate to travel purchases.

From an airline card perspective most major airlines have a card program.   

There are pros and cons to all of them:

Cons – Airline miles can be hard to use with blackout dates and limited availability.  Also, many of them have annual fees.  If you have airline miles to use they recommend planning that trip as early as you can to take advantage of the best options, most airlines open the redemption window around 300 or so days prior. 

Pros – miles are valuable and can be used to your advantage.  

One of the best miles programs is the British Airways card (partner to American/USairways)– but only redeem it for domestic travel, the redemption program is based on distance based so you can get short hops from CLT easily.

Hotel Cards offer easier redemption.  Many will give you status for the hotel chain so you receive perks when you check in.  Citi Hilton Reserve is a good option in this category. 

Many banks also have reward programs recommended programs are:

1. Amex Membership Rewards
2. Citi Thank You
3. Chase Ultimate Rewards
4. Chase Sapphire Rewards

Strategies to Maximize bonuses

1 – Sign up bonus, spend the amount necessary to get the bonus, move spending from cash or checks to cards, including bills

2 – Add your spouse as an authorized user – authorized users do not have to submit a credit check

3 – Book as soon as you can for airline miles

4 – Max out the category bonuses if the card has them – use post it notes to note what card to use where

5 – Pretend to book a trip with points to determine how many you would need and to see availability

6 – Use Wikipedia to find out where airlines fly, look under the airports name 

Pitfalls

If you carry a balance or do not pay on time do not use these strategies, focus on paying off your debits

Your credit score will temporarily be impacted

Annual fees – sometimes you can cancel before the annual fee is imposed but check to ensure you do not lose the points

Keeping track of multiple cards and multiple payments can be hard

Use a site to help you keep track of your award programs – awardwallet.com – it is a point’s aggregator to help you track what you have.

Keep your cards active, only need to make 1 purchase every couple of months.

 

There are many portals available where you can double points – check the rewards program sites for information on these

Be cautious of what bloggers recommend, sometimes they receive referral bonuses for sending customers to reward programs. 

February 10th Anne from Simplicity Organizer

Simplicity Organizers

Anne received her degree in Mass Communication from the University of North Carolina at Asheville where she was also a member of the university’s Division I Volleyball team.  Anne is a fourth generation Charlottean and proud to call the Queen City home.  Before joining the Simplicity team in 2011 Anne was the Recreation Ministries Director at her home church, Covenant Presbyterian Church for 12 years.  Anne feels a deep sense of calling to the field of organizing, seeing it as life-changing work she can participate in with others.  She enjoys guiding people into the realization that our lives are not to be defined by the amount of stuff we own, rather the experiences in which we engage.  Anne and her husband, Jon, enjoy a full and blessed life with their son, Cody.

Favorite organizing tip: Getting organized is about shifting one’s perspective on how you view your relationship with your possessions. Until people realize that who they are has no relation to what they own, their “stuff” will continue overrun them.  We are a society suffocating under the weight of owning too much, doing too much and clinging to our past.  We need to learn to let go of the internal and external clutter and breathe again.

Anne came to speak to the group regarding organizing and uncluttering your house.  She started out with what a day in the life is for a Professional Organizer – for her it is about listening to what her clients need and figuring out a system that will work and is maintainable.  Organizing can be taught and learned but you have to make time for it.  Women don’t make time and that is the key to maintain the organization you have spent so much time on creating.

We as a country spend $22 billion in storage – we have to change our thinking about stuff.  The top areas that Anne helps her clients with are:

• Closet
• Home Office
• Rec/Playrooms
• Kitchens
• Garages/Attics
• Drawers

Everyone can think of a reason or an excuse as to why they have so much stuff but you have to take accountability for what you are allowing into your home.  When trying to figure out where you need to start think about what area you have the most fights about and where there is the most tension.  Think about finding good homes for your items to live another life.  There are people that need the stuff you aren’t using – in Charlotte/Mecklenburg there are over 5,000 homeless mainly women and children.

When you organize you need to address the parts of your life you haven’t wanted to deal with.  

Closets - women go through different sizes in life and change careers, determine what you use by turning all your hangers one way, and then when you wear the item turn the hanger the other way, in 6 months you will see what you use and what you need to rethink about holding on to.

Anne recommends using slim line hangers and organizing by item and color, this makes it easier for your brain to make a decision.  Use clear bins and label items.  The Container Store has a lot of supplies to help you organize, and helpful associates.  As you bring items into your house ensure you use the enter/exit rule – for every one item in one to three items go out.  It is also important to inventory what you have and create a system for kids’ toys and clothes when they have out grown them.  

At the door keep all your accessories, hat, scarves etc, in one place.  Have a bin with two sections, one for winter accessories one for summer, being organized doesn’t mean it looks like Martha Stewarts house, it means you know where things are and can easily use them.

Office -  paper can be a bully, as much as you can go paperless.  Shuffling paper around just postpones the decision, get educated about what items you need to keep and for how long for tax purposes.  Ensure you organize your files both paper and digital items.

Rec/Playrooms – give up the dream of making it pretty, limit furniture and remember kids really don’t need a lot.  Create zones like in a classroom, utilize the clear bins with labels and pictures to help organize.  Stay away from big bins that are too deep, items get lost at the bottom.  Set limitations and encourage your kids to be a part of the purging process.  Make it a rule that only one item out at a time and it needs to be put back up before something else is pulled out.  

Kitchens – pull everything out of the drawers and decide what you use and separate items out.  Create a kid friendly lower shelf with their plastic plates and cups so they can take responsibility for themselves.  Create a snack shelf in the pantry.  Kids need to learn that you run a house like a community where everyone pitches in.  You can use a similar trick in the kitchen that you do in closets by putting your utensils all facing one way then when you use them you flip them another way and you can see what you use and what you don’t use.  

Kitchens need to be efficient, go with your instincts, don’t fall into the ‘should’ world where things ‘should’ go or how things ‘should’ work.  Look at how you use it.

Pantry – Clear handled bins/baskets to see what you have and don’t have.  Get rid of packaging and create zones and think vertically.

Children’s Artwork – be brutal, your child is not Michelangelo keep the things that mark a point in their life, handprints and footprints.  Scan and store digitally and create books.  

Old pictures – scan and create photo books

Wedding Dress – if it is in the attic you are not honoring it.  Pass it on or create something out of it, tree skirt or baptismal gowns.

Overall to become a more organized person and have a less cluttered house take it in tiny bites, maybe 40 spaces in 40 days.