Hello! July just flew by! I have no idea what I did this month besides writing this newsletter and studying for my estate-planning class. It was hot! My kid went to camp. I watched a lot of baseball with Ken. I’ve been feeling sort of like a homebody this summer. Anybody else feeling unsocial?
I’m keeping this intro brief because I wrote a longer essay about A.I. that I’ve decided to drop behind the paywall below. If you’re a paid subscriber, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this new technology. (And if you’re not, and you still want to share, just hit reply to this email! But it would be even better if you upgraded to paid!)
Now on to the monthly recap!
July 2025 on The Purse
I had so much fun writing about hobbies, and I absolutely love the comment section on this piece. So many people recommend getting into women’s sports!
I need a hobby!I had a hard time falling asleep last night because I’m so upset about the Senate passing “the big beautiful bill,” which is going to strip access to healthcare for millions of Americans. It feels like every day there is more terrible news, and every week I need to start this newsletter with some sort of disclaimer. This is a particularly frothy newslet…
Lindsey Stanberry
The first Home Economics of the month featured a single woman in New Orleans who’s concerned about saving enough for retirement.
Lindsey Stanberry
- Decision coach Nell McShane Wulfhart shared the seven mistakes she sees people make when it comes time to tackle a hard decision. I can definitely relate to numbers two and five, and number six made me feel better about things.
Nell McShane Wulfhart
The news this month was downright terrible, and I think a lot of us are fumbling around trying to figure out how to enjoy summer with our loved ones while also acknowledging all the awful things happening around us. I asked Youngna Park, Aja Evans, Heather Boneparth, Erika Janes, and Laura Fenton to share how they are coping. So much good advice, and I really appreciated Aja’s pep talk.
Group Chat No. 7: How Are We Coping?We’re living in weird times, right?Lindsey Stanberry
I love every Home Economics, but I thought this month’s paid edition from a stay-at-home mom in Utah was particularly interesting.
Home Economics No. 33: Stay-at-Home Mom and Software Engineer Living on $190K in UtahGood morning, friends! I’m keeping this intro brief today because it’s a summer weekend, and hopefully many of you readers have something fun planned! I am taking my estate-planning midterm, which is not fun but still needs to be done.Lindsey Stanberry
- And to wrap up the month, time-management strategist Kelly Nolan and her husband, M., shared their Division of Labor. This one has a great comment section, and Kelly has been really generous in her replies. (Also, she has a wonderful newsletter that I highly recommend checking out!)
Lindsey Stanberry
Beyond the newsletter
We’re going on a family vacation to Chicago next week, and I’m super excited for my kid to use his Acorns Early debit card to make purchases while we’re away. He’s been receiving a weekly allowance since May and saving $5 a week, so he’s got a nice little cushion to spend. Now I just need to remember not to get grumpy when he spends it all on useless trinkets!
Looking for an allowance solution for your family? Check out the Acorns Early app. New users get a 30-day free trial. Plus, Purse readers get a complimentary one-year annual subscription to this newsletter when they sign up for an Acorns Early account via this link.1 #partner
(Kids aged 6-18. © GoHenry Inc. ("Acorns Early"). The Acorns Early card is issued by Community Federal Savings Bank, member FDIC, pursuant to license by Mastercard International. Free trial for new subscribers only. Charges apply: $5+/mo after trial. Cardholder Terms and limits apply.)I’m still looking for parents to interview about back-to-school budgets for the project I’m working on with Yahoo. I particularly need someone whose kid is going to college for the first time, and I’d love to find someone with a big family (4+ kids). You can fill out this form! I’ll be reaching out next week to set up interviews!
I passed 3,000 followers on Instagram, which might seem like a small milestone, but it felt exciting to me! Are you following The Purse on Insta? Will you please?
What’s coming up in August
- Next week’s Home Economics will be landing on Thursday because we’re taking a family vacation, and I want to focus on fun, not scrambling to get a newsletter out. It’s another good one, so worth the delay IMO!
- I’m very excited about the next Division of Labor, which will be a little different than what we’ve done in the past.
- I’ve got a few other collaborations in the works! Stay tuned!
Behind the scenes…
I’ve been thinking a lot about A.I.
