Last week, in conjunction with Babylist, we launched our first podcast. Family Money is all about, well, families and money. We kicked things off by diving into the question that plagues parents and would-be-parents everywhere: Are kids more expensive than ever?
For the first episode, I got a chance to interview Amil Niazi, who writes a brilliant parenting column, “The Hard Part,” for The Cut. I wanted to talk with her after I read an article she wrote about the cost of raising kids and the pressure on parents to upgrade their lives to accommodate each new child they bring home from the hospital.
“There is an assumption out there that to effectively raise kids you need to constantly upgrade your surroundings, a bigger house and bigger car, more stuff, more money,” she wrote. “[T]wo of the biggest factors in determining how unaffordable kids are, are driven by housing and transportation…. [T]here’s an unspoken understanding that parents must, and will, move on to larger homes—adding a bedroom for each kid, of course—and if not multiple cars, at least a bigger one with more and roomier seats. Are either of those things actually necessary? I’m not convinced.”
Of course, the third reason it’s so expensive to have kids is child care (a topic I dive into with economist Corinne Low). But while the exorbitant cost of daycare is (mostly) out of our control, we do have a say in where we live and the kinds of cars we drive. And as long as we’re providing safe homes and transportation, our kids don’t really need much else.
@babylist No generation has done more for their kids than this one. And yet here we are, still feeling like it's not enough. Consider this your permission slip 💜
♬ original sound - Babylist - Babylist
Amil and I get into this and so much more in the first episode, and Corinne also offers insights into how parents might reframe some of these expenses as “investments” in our families and careers. And while the overwhelming answer to the question we pose is yes, kids are more expensive than ever, we hope listeners have a different takeaway. Being a parent is awesome. As Amil says toward the end of her interview, she’s never been happier. I feel the same way. Children truly can be the most delightful money pits.
We’ll be releasing new episodes over the next few weeks, including interviews with Neha Ruch on choosing to become a stay-at-home mom and Heather and Doug Boneparth about how couples can have more productive conversations about their finances.
I hope you’ll listen and let us know what you think. We haven’t recorded all the episodes for this season yet, so if there are topics around families and money you’d like us to tackle, please let us know!
Somehow in between all this podcast making, we managed to write and edit some really great articles in the month of May. Here are the highlights!
May 2026 at The Purse
Most underrated:
I personally love it when Alicia geeks out about the markets, and she did a wonderful job explaining why we should all be wary of the upcoming SpaceX and OpenAI IPOs. Why am I not surprised that the tech bros are up to something sketchy again?
Alicia Adamczyk
Most inspiring:
We haven’t run a Division of Labor in way too long, and I absolutely adored this edition featuring a family of four with two small kids living outside of Boston. One thing that stood out: They don’t discuss who does what chore—they just step in as needed. While I personally like a little bit of chore ownership (I make the bed, and Ken makes the coffee), it’s fun to hear from parents who are a little more chill and who have not felt the need to embrace the Fair Play method to achieve balance in their household.
Alicia Adamczyk
Most popular:
We had two stories that were our most popular for the month. Home Economics No. 52 took the top slot. I loved this edition so much—it really has a little bit of everything. I was excited for a Home Ec that explores how expenses change as children get older. As I mentioned in the intro to that entry, it’s a topic I want to dig into more at The Purse.
Lindsey Stanberry
Our second most popular newsletter was Alicia’s great essay on 30-something career malaise. Of course, as the commenters pointed out, those of us in our 40s and beyond are also feeling anxiety about how our careers will progress as we navigate the new age of AI.
Alicia Adamczyk
Most helpful:
Okay, it was technically published on April 30, but I loved Alicia’s piece on the five ways she is getting her life and finances together this spring. I am shocked—shocked—that she doesn’t live and die by a Google calendar. (It must be because her younger brain has an easier time keeping all the different dates straight.) I also liked the monthly reset idea she shared, and at the start of this new month, I’m trying to find a few minutes today to work through those exercises.
Alicia Adamczyk
Best comment section:
So many people had so much to say about the expenses that drive them crazy! “Is Amazon a category?? It’s definitely Amazon,” one commenter wrote. Amazon is definitely a category!
Alicia Adamczyk
Did you know we ask a new question every week? And at the start of each month, we ask my favorite question: What’s the best money you spent last month? Share here!
Alicia Adamczyk
Paid subscribers enjoyed:
The newest edition of Meal Plan written by a mom of four boys, who emphasizes simple dinners over elaborate prepping. A two-week travel guide to Japan. A Home Economics from a breadwinning mom who lost her job this winter and is on a race to find a new one before her COBRA coverage runs out.
Are you a paying subscriber of The Purse? Consider upgrading today!
Beyond the newsletter
We hit 11,000 followers on Instagram! And we did it (almost) entirely organically thanks to fun, slightly voyeuristic carousels!
I feel like all I do is study and go to little league games (go, Mambas!), but when I look back at my calendar I realize I got out quite a bit in May.
My friend Nikki hosted a lovely Mother’s Day event at The Maze, a new social club for the sober and sober curious in Manhattan. Maven Clinic celebrated the launch of its new consumer offering with an interesting panel on women’s health at 9 Orchard. I attended a breakfast on audience development with some very impressive media execs at Lafayette and then dashed over to Cash App’s headquarters to hear about a new product their team is rolling out that is very fun. I got to hang out with the Lady Money Media Mafia™ and celebrate the release of Stefanie O’Connell’s new book The Ambition Penalty. (Don’t miss her recent essay in The Purse!) And I managed to see Bruce Springsteen and Camera Obscura. Oh, I also watched the Red Sox lose a lot of games, but Jarren Duran hit a lot of home runs.
We also have some sad news to share. Alicia’s wonderful cat, Sofia, died after a brief illness. She was such a beautiful and sweet cat, and the unofficial Purse mascot, and she’ll be very missed.
Coming up in June:
Today is the third anniversary of The Purse! On Wednesday, I’ll be sending my annual anniversary post!
Alicia and I are busy working on Inheritance Week ideas, and it’s quickly turning into…Inheritance Month! We’re still looking for people to share their stories, and if there are topics related to inheritance that you’d like us to discuss, let us know!
More episodes of Family Money. Subscribe wherever you get podcasts so you don’t miss an episode!
Behind the scenes:
On Saturday night, I went out with some mom friends to one of those early dance parties geared toward women in their 30s and 40s. It started at the ridiculously early hour of 6:00 p.m. We grabbed dinner beforehand, and it was a bit shocking the waitress didn’t offer us the blue plate special. The whole thing wrapped up at 10 p.m., as the DJ played Des’ree’s ’90s hit “You Gotta Be.” I kissed my friends goodbye, took the subway home, and was fast asleep by 11 p.m.
Readers, I have feelings about the event. And I’m dropping them behind the paywall, because I think they’ll be unpopular.
