What's Next for The Purse in 2025?

What comes next is so exciting that I used the word “excited” five times in this newsletter.

Happy New Year! I know it’s cliche and trite, but can you believe it’s 2025? I cannot!

Working away in one of my favorite places on Earth.

I am going into 2025 with a lot of excitement and some nerves. I love the fresh-start feeling of a new calendar year. I wholeheartedly embrace the idea that it’s a chance for a reset. Now is the time to shelve old projects and launch some fresh ones, to make some resolutions and establish new habits. I never want to get so cynical as to stop believing that with a new year, I get another chance to be my best self.

Last January, I spent a few days alone in Cape Cod on something of an unstructured retreat (no meditation or yoga; lots of writing and some TV watching). I used the time to daydream and also begin to plan my year. It was such a special experience that I’m back this year, and I’m so thrilled to have a couple days to myself to think about all I want to accomplish in 2025.

I wanted to send this newsletter once I completely figured out my plans, but as I write this, much of it still lives in my head and not on an editorial calendar. But if I learned anything in the past 18 months as an entrepreneur¹, it’s that it’s good to put down on paper what you want to accomplish—with the understanding that the world won’t end if you can’t get it all done. Priorities and opportunities are always changing, and I maintain it’s good to be flexible. (Even if at my core, I am not a flexible person. I cannot touch my toes without bending my knees!)

So what’s next for The Purse? So many fun things!

To start: a survey and a big giveaway!

I love you Purse readers because you never shy away from giving me feedback, either via email, DMs, or in the comments. And I really do take what you say to heart! In that spirit, I’m sending out a survey to get your thoughts on some ideas I have for the new year. How can I make Home Economics and Division of Labor even better? What topics should I be writing about more? And who should I be collaborating with? I want to know it all! So please take this survey!

Of course, I’m going to make taking the survey worth your time! It was so fun doing monthly giveaways last year, and as Erika and I started talking about our January plans, we knew we wanted to start off 2025 by giving away the ultimate care package. After all, once the shininess of the new year wears off, winter can feel like a long slog. So we’ve put together a bundle of some of our favorite things to give to one lucky Purse reader².

Here’s everything included in the care package: Otherland candle, Oui the People hydrating body gloss, Chillhouse bath soak, Ceremonia scalp care set (scalp oil and massager), Brightland honey, Tower 28 SOS LipSoftie lip treatment, Golde pure matcha, Spring & Mulberry lavender rose chocolate, Some Lines a Day journal, Happy All The Time by Laurie Colwin and Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay (two of our favorite books). (We tried to pick products from women-run small businesses, and we purchased everything. Nothing was gifted by a brand.)

There are a few ways to enter the giveaway! And the more devoted you are to The Purse, the more chances you’ll have to win!

1. Leave a comment on this post sharing what you’re most excited for in the new year = 1 entry
   

2. Share this post with a friend (and encourage them to subscribe!) = 2 entries per share
   

3. Monthly paid subscribers = 3 entries

4. Yearly paid subscribers = 5 entries

5. Take our survey = 10 entries

The survey and sweepstakes are open through the end of January!

What else? More events!

Erika and I spent a rainy Monday in December sketching out plans for Purse events in 2025, and we’re so excited to bring people together both IRL and online this year.

First up, we’re going to start hosting bimonthly coffee hangouts, so mark your calendars for January 21. Location and time will be announced next week!

In early February, we’re planning our second Money Talks evening, this time with a focus on style/fashion/shopping and our finances. Even if you don’t consider yourself a fashion person (and I do not), I think this will be a really fascinating evening.

We want to take Money Talks on the road in 2025. We plan to host events in Washington, D.C., and Boston this year, and we’re hoping to get out to the West Coast as well! Want to sponsor Money Talks? You can reach out to Erika at erika [at] wearetactile [dot] com.

read_thepurse

A post shared by @read_thepurse

We also want to connect with readers online who aren’t able to meet us in person, so we’re gathering with Purse Ambassadors once a quarter for lunch-and-learn sessions that will include special guests. We hosted our first one in December, and it was a small but very cool crew. I’m so excited to do more of these virtual meetups in 2025!

Want to be a Purse Ambassador? It’s free! Just fill out this form to join!

We’re adding some new series!

Over the past year, I’ve really enjoyed getting a chance to feature different stories on The Purse via Home Economics and Division of Labor—you can learn a lot from seeing how other people manage their finances and their households. And this year, I’m excited to get back to my service-journalism roots and provide more advice in this newsletter. With that in mind, I’m launching two new series.

1. Group Chat³: I’m very lucky to have an amazing network of friends who are incredibly smart and knowledgeable on all kinds of topics. So I’ve decided to leverage this brilliant community to answer all of your pressing questions, from how to manage your money during the new presidential administration to how to start a hobby to how to choose the perfect recipe for a potluck. Have a question you want to ask? Drop it here!

2. The Purse Extra Credit: For a long time I’ve felt frustrated that so many (often mainstream) publications only seem to publish way oversimplified (or, on the other end of the spectrum, jargon-filled) explainers and guides but shy away from tougher, more complicated topics aimed at (ahem) more sophisticated readers⁴. Part of the problem is these publications are trying to reach the widest audience possible, and so they don’t see a value in focusing on niche topics. That’s the lovely thing about writing this newsletter—I’m not trying to reach everyone, but I am trying to provide the very best articles that will help Purse readers learn and grow.

With that goal front and center, I’m launching The Purse Extra Credit, a new paid series featuring contributors writing in-depth guides on a whole range of topics. Some will be money related, but not all. Some will be serious (divorce, prenups, cancer screenings!), and others will be fun (hosting dinner parties, tailoring clothes, decluttering toys!).

Have a topic you want us to cover in Extra Credit? Tell us here!

What else is changing?

Honestly, not a whole lot! As we kick off our second full year of publication, I feel so honored that I get to spend my days working on this newsletter and focusing on growing the amazing Purse community. We’re living through uncertain times, but I hope this can be a special corner of the Internet where we can feel safe and excited to share our stories and support each other’s dreams. I know it can feel kind of cringey to be so earnest, but I’m embracing the cringe in 2025 and being my full earnest self!

Paid subscribers help make this work possible. Erika and I are still reinvesting every dollar we earn back into the business. (Though my big 2025 goal is to reach a point where we can start paying ourselves.) We want to make sure that you feel a Purse subscription is worth your hard-earned cash, and we’re continuing to offer more exclusive benefits.

This year, paid subscribers will get access to:

• Every edition of The Purse Extra Credit

• 1 extra edition of Home Economics each month

• Early access to our events

• Monthly giveaways

Plus you can feel good about supporting a women-run media business in a world where tech bro billionaires increasingly think it’s a good idea to use AI to replace real writers.

But you don’t have to upgrade to paid to be a vibrant member of The Purse community. We’re just happy when you share, like, or comment on a newsletter. You can also follow us on Instagram (help us hit 2,000 followers this month!) and LinkedIn and sign up for the Purse Ambassadors program!

I’m thrilled to see where 2025 takes us, the adventures we’re going to have, and the new friends we’re going to make! Cheers to the new year! Cheers to us!

1. I still don’t really like to call myself an entrepreneur in much the same way that I always felt uncomfortable calling myself a journalist.

2. The sweepstakes is limited to readers within the U.S. It closes at 11:59 p.m. ET on January 31, 2025. If there’s any questions, simply respond to this email and I will do my best to answer them.

3. Big thanks to Alicia for helping me come up with a name for this series! ❤️

4. Honestly, the definition of “sophisticated reader” is up for interpretation. I feel like we all know it when we see it, right?