March 2026 Receipts

The transition from winter to spring comes as a bit of a shock each year. It often feels like the winter will never end, and then one morning, there’s a warm breeze, and suddenly the crocuses are poking their heads up out of the cold ground, and the magnolia trees are blooming, and you know that any minute our world will be green again.

In high school, I had two of the world’s very best English teachers, Mrs. Fultz and Mr. Kelly, and I wish my teenaged self had been more aware of what a luxury it was to spend some time in their classrooms reading and discussing poetry and the classics. Thanks to Mr. Kelly, every April, I inevitably think of T.S. Eliot’s masterpiece “The Wasteland” and the classic lines:

April is the cruellest month, breeding
Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
Memory and desire, stirring
Dull roots with spring rain.

Perhaps lines of poetry don’t belong on The Purse, but I’ve felt starved for beauty lately, and I don’t think I’m alone. There’s something so satisfying about returning to a text you know so well and finding it still has the power to stir your heart.

My goal in 2026 was to avoid writing intros to these monthly recaps where I ramble on about my busy schedule and the depressing headlines. Neither the news nor my schedule improved in March, so you get modern lit instead!

The state of the world isn’t slowing me or Alicia down, and we published some really wonderful stories in March—22 in total! Here are a few of the standouts:

March 2026 on The Purse

Most underrated:

I had the best time talking to Patricia Roberts, cofounder of Gift of College, about when we should start having conversations with our kids about the cost of college. I get weirdly excited thinking about how to weave financial literacy into our children’s daily lives, and my takeaway from my chat with Patricia is that the seemingly thorny issue of college tuition is a perfect way in.

A close second was this month’s paid Home Economics featuring a nonprofit lawyer in Las Vegas, which I loved for so many reasons. The writer was so relatable (she can’t figure out how to turn off the autotransfer function on her bank account), and she talks frankly about how a recent death in the family has impacted her finances in big and small ways (from putting the cost of the memorial service on her credit card to an increase in spending on takeout because she and her spouse are so busy with all the family obligations).

Most inspiring:

Stories of breakups can often leave you feeling really sad, but I didn’t feel like that while reading Maggy Lu’s What It Cost Me. Don’t get me wrong—ending a long-term relationship is rough. But Maggy’s experience included so many beautiful moments, from being tenderly cared for by her mother to her solo trip to Japan to her friends showing up with toilet paper and snacks on her first night in New York City.

Most popular:

I’m not surprised that the first edition of our new series, Meal Plan, was the most popular post of the month. (In part thanks to the shoutout from Aliza Sir in one of our favorite newsletters, Platonic Love.) The question “what’s for dinner?” plagues me most nights, and I love to see how other families do it. Our next edition will roll out in mid-April (and just a reminder Meal Plan will be behind a paywall going forward.) Related: 10 Purse readers on how they meal prep

Most helpful:

Did you know that paid subscribers can ask us questions, and we’ll source answers from trusted financial professionals? This month, Alicia answered a reader’s query about whether she should raid her retirement fund to pay off the mortgages on her rental properties. Have a question you want to ask? Send us a note to questions@thepurse.co. No question is too basic!

Best comment section:

In this month’s edition of 30-Something, Alicia wrote about how she and her husband, Chris, have yet to combine their finances. (They’re working on it!) The comment section on her piece has so many great stories from others sharing their own experiences and how they make it work.

Other highlights:

A wonderful guest essay from Sesali Bowen on how Black women are being erased from the workforce, our third edition of Work History featuring a former teacher who made a big career transition to tech, Alicia on the complicated topic of women and ambition, more Americans are tapping their 401(k)s for emergencies, and (on a much lighter note) party pics from our relaunch party!

I went down to Austin for SXSW to speak on a panel with Realtor.com about the rise of the single female homebuyer. I really love this topic (which I expanded on in a recent weekly roundup essay), and it’s always fun to be on stage with a bunch of smart people. And it was so fun getting to meet my fellow panelists—Anna Marie Castiglioni (head of Realtor.com Next), Sheryl Palmer (CEO of homebuilder Taylor Morrison), and Dr. Jessica Lautz (deputy chief economist and vice president of research at the National Association of Realtors)—and I really hope I get the chance to partner with them again!
I was a little overwhelmed by SXSW (more on that below), but there were a few highlights, including getting to spend some QT with my bestie Jen (and drinking a margarita the size of my head!), grabbing coffee with the delightful Jordan Bresler of Daly PR, catching the band TTSSFU at the British House, sipping champagne at the Female Quotient happy hour (they had the good stuff!), and attending a small gathering of journalists at the Yahoo activation where Emily Sundberg interviewed Yahoo CEO Jim Lanzone. I have to say I don’t know if Lanzone is cool, but Emily made him seem cool, and I’m definitely intrigued to learn more about Yahoo’s new AI product, Scout.
I was on Bruce Sellery’s podcast talking about how controversial it can be when parents support their adult children. I love to talk about this topic, and I always have so much fun joining Bruce on his great podcast. (Related: Bruce recently interviewed friend of The Purse Hanna Horvath on another favorite topic: friction-maxxing.)
Alicia will tell you she was very busy with work in March (Alicia’s note: I was!), but I was personally impressed that she saw a lot of live performances this month, including a show at the Tarrytown Jazz Forum, Benjamin Millepied’s Romeo and Juliet Suite, Mitski in concert, and Giant starring John Lithgow. She also saw Joe Macken’s scale model of the entirety of NYC at the Museum of the City of New York and highly recommends!

Coming up in April

Alicia and I are taking a little break next week! I’m going on vacation with my family, and Alicia is prepping for her big conference. We’ll be off from April 6 to April 10! Don’t miss us too much!
We’re publishing the 50th edition of Home Economics in April! I’m so excited! If you haven’t shared your thoughts on what you’ve learned from the series, will you? You can just drop them in this form.