Erika and I are so excited to host our second Money Talks event on Thursday, February 13, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., at Sunday in Brooklyn. Erika Veurink and Shelcy Joseph will be joining us for conversations around shopping, fashion, style, and so much more! Tickets are $40 and include light bites and drinks.
I’ve got 10 half-priced tickets available. Use the code PURSEDISCOUNT at checkout. First come, first serve!
I go back to school this evening after a six-week break that has honestly felt like months. This semester I’m taking a class on investing—it’s the fourth class in the seven-part Certified Financial Planner certificate program at NYU—and I’m feeling both excited to learn more about this topic as well as a sense of dread about getting back into the studying mindset. I predict a lot of Sundays will be spent taking quizzes in my near future.
But honestly, being busy isn’t the worst thing right now. As Joni Mitchell sings in “California,” I’ve been “reading the news and it sure looks bad.” Sadly, I can’t take Joni’s approach and travel around the world to gorgeous locations trying to escape reality. (At least, I think that’s what that song is about.) I wish I could wear a sign that says, “Please don’t catastrophize with me.” Lately, I’ve found myself in more than a few distressing conversations where friends start prophesying absolutely worst-case scenarios, and I leave feeling so distressed. Being in a constant state of hopeless panic isn’t productive, but worse, it’s also not healthy.
So I’m trying my best to compartmentalize what I cannot control1, and I’m throwing myself into my work, school, and most importantly my family. I’m also trying to grab moments of joy where I can. My friend gathered 10 of us Saturday night for dinner and dancing, and it was so fun and sweaty and silly (and no one talked about the state of the world). I highly recommend finding a ’90s dance party if you’re looking to blow off some steam. As I lay down for a nap on Sunday afternoon, I felt such a sense of comfort and relief as my head hit my pillow. I’m OK. We’re OK. My house may be a mess, but it’s still a cozy corner where I do have control, and my main responsibility is to make it a safe place for me and my loved ones.
I also want The Purse to feel like a cozy, safe spot where we can gather both virtually and IRL to learn, share, grow, and support one another. This mission is helping me stay focused when things are especially chaotic. Instead of feeling overwhelmed by the world’s many problems, I’m taking things one day at a time, one newsletter at a time, doing my best to be kind to myself and others, finding pockets of joy and fun where I can2. I hope you’ll join me.
And now on to today’s Home Economics. I loved the conversation I had with the writer, who shares so openly about her family’s struggle with credit card debt. Big kudos to her for working so hard to educate herself and find a way to pay it off. I really admire her hard work!
Want to share your own Home Economics? Fill out the form here!
Age: 34
Location: Louisville, Kentucky
Relationship status: Married
Age of partner: 36
About me: I’m a tired millennial mom who works in marketing, loves reading fiction, and loathes housework. Our daughter is three and a half and is the joy and exhaustion of our days. Despite the attacks on reproductive healthcare, we are currently trying to have a second baby! I’ve been fortunate enough to have been both a working mom and stay-at-home mom over the past three years. Our daughter’s now in full-time preschool, and I work from home full time. It is definitely bittersweet, but this has been working for us for a year. My spouse is an assistant nurse manager at a large hospital here in Louisville and has a very high-stress job in the operating room. I sometimes feel guilty for having such a flexible job (basically sending emails) while his job is extremely demanding and not at all flexible. (And he actually helps save lives!)
All expenses are monthly unless otherwise noted.
Income:
- Your job title/salary: Digital marketing manager, $76,500
- Partner’s job title/salary: Assistant nurse manager, $85,000
- Your monthly take-home pay (paycheck amount after taxes and other deductions): $4,382
- Partner’s monthly take-home pay (paycheck amount after taxes and other deductions): $4,058
- Side hustle: My husband sells handmade ceramics online and makes about $100 a month. We see this as extra spending money, but we don’t factor it into our budget.
- Total monthly income: $8,440
