October Receipts
You've got to spend money to make money, right?
Hello, friends! You get to hear from me twice in two days!
I’m writing this in bed very early in the morning, and I am so happy and so tired. Last night, we hosted our first event with Astor, and it was just incredible! I can’t even put into words how special it was to look up and see a room full of women all talking about money!
I’m going to share more about the event soon, but my brain is too jumbled this morning to make any sense! But you can check out a little Instagram story on it here.
Riding on the high of last night’s event, I’m so excited to announce our second IRL gathering! Our lovely brand sponsor Argent is throwing us a little party!
Please join me and Erika on Wednesday, November 13, at Argent in Soho for drinks and a chance to mingle with your fellow Purse readers. This will be a more casual evening—pop by anytime between 5 and 7 p.m.
RSVP at hello@thepurse.co. Space is limited! We really can’t wait to meet more of you in person!
Okay, on that note, let’s get to the October recap!
This month on The Purse
October is always my favorite month of the year, and it was a banner one for The Purse! I’m so proud of the stories we published.
1. In Her Purse featured two bad-ass mothers:
and . I loved Hitha’s idea of perfect happiness: time freedom. She wrote: “I would love to wake up and flow through my day doing what I want to do and not be at the mercy of others’ agendas.” YES! That’s the dream! And a big congrats to Kate on the birth of her twins! Boy, did she ever have an incredible October!2. I wrote about struggling to find the right words to teach my son about money. A big thank-you to Farnoosh Torabi,
, and for sharing their wisdom.3. The first Home Economics of the month featured a 45-year-old teacher outside of Boston who, with her husband, is earning a combined income of $150,000 a year. I chose this entry because I felt like it did a nice job of showing the many expenses families face (IVF, childcare, mortgage, retirement savings) and how even on a six-figure salary, it can be tough to feel like you’re ever getting ahead.
4. The paid edition of Home Economics got a lot of attention (and brought in so many new paying subscribers!) because it featured a Brooklyn family earning over $800,000 a year and living in a $3.2 million brownstone. The budget line item that stood out to me: $21,000 annually on travel. I still can’t decide if that’s high or low!
5. We mixed things up on Division of Labor and featured a single mom, my friend Anna Davies, who’s raising her daughter in Jersey City. Life looks a little different when you technically don’t have anyone to divide the labor with, but Anna’s story shows just how special it can be when you’ve got a village to help. I think all of us coupled parents can learn something about the importance of community from her story.
6. I wrapped up the month with an essay about travel envy and how Instagram has broken my brain. I love the comments on this story, and I’m so glad so many people related to my woes. I was really nervous writing it, and it was a relief that so many of you just get it.
Beyond the newsletter
On the Substack Chat, I asked you all if we should expand the Division of Labor to include non-parents. The answer was a resounding YES. Want to participate? Fill out the form here. (I’ve sort of stopped doing Chats lately—should I do them more?)
I joined Ellie on her wonderful A Day In The Life podcast. I told her all about my sort of silly but essential morning routine. You can listen here! (Also, I love her newsletter—check it out!)
I was also on my friend Cheria’s new podcast, Grow There. We talked all about my big career pivot and the highs and lows of going out on your own. Listen here!
Inspired by a particular expensive weekend, we started a new social-first series, Saturday Spend! You can check it out here and submit your own entry here. Also follow us on Instagram!
And we launched our blog! Which I’ve been very bad about updating! (LOL!) But you can read about what to consider when giving your kid an allowance (how much, chores or no chores, etc.), as well as find the forms for Division of Labor and Home Economics.
Coming up in November
The big news is that The Purse newsletter will be landing in your inbox on Mondays! Frankly, I just couldn’t imagine publishing a newsletter on the day after the election. So I’m not!
We’re kicking off the new month next Monday with an In Her Purse featuring two old friends,
and Maggie Mertens.We’ll also have
A special Home Economics in collaboration with
.The first non-parent Division of Labor.
And it’s my birthday on November 18! I’m working on an essay about the cost of aging and the pressure to invest in cosmetic procedures to slow the march of time across my face.
Other things on my mind
I loved
’s essay in about jealousy and Substack (and not just because she quoted me).One of my morning routines (as I shared with Ellie) is to watch a TV show before I start my day. I just finished all eight seasons of Mom, which was sort of amazing, despite its cheesiness. It often made me laugh and cry in the same episode. Now I need a new show, 30-minute sitcoms preferred. Any recommendations? (I’ve watched most of the classics: How I Met Your Mother, 30 Rock, Abbott Elementary, Parks and Recreation, Schitt’s Creek, and Friends.)
I recently learned about the October Theory via
, and even though the month’s over, I like the idea of using the fall to tackle some big end-of-year goals. I just wish my to-do list wasn’t so long!Speaking of end-of-year goals, if you want to get your finances in order, and you’re not sure where to start, check out Fruitful. They’re working to make financial planning more accessible by pairing users with one-on-one CFP® support. #partner
Best thing I spent money on: $15.76 on breakfast tacos and coffee with a mom friend. Guys, I’m so tired, LOL, and I was having a hard morning (despite last night’s success), and I haven’t had dinner two nights in a row. I had a million and one things to do (like finish this newsletter), but instead I went and grabbed a quick taco with my friend, and it might just be the best money I spent this month!
Worst thing I spent money on: $104 for 200 Purse postcards. The postcards are cute! But I realized Tuesday morning they have the WRONG QR code. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, but thankfully I figured it out before we started distributing them. Thankfully, the friend who I had breakfast tacos with has promised to make me stickers to cover the wrong QR code with a correct one.
Behind the scenes, we made some money and we spent some money.
(Continuing to keep this business-related stuff behind the paywall! Upgrade if you want to read about our October growth, as well how much we spent on our first event!)