October is usually my favorite month of the year, but this one just felt like a total blur. It was an unsettled month at home. We kicked things off with a bed bug scare (a $350 visit from a cute beagle confirmed it was a false alarm, thank goodness) and ended with our hot water heater breaking in very dramatic fashion. It felt like there were way too many random days off of school (three in the last four weeks). The Red Sox lost their playoff bid. And let’s not even get started on the state of the world.
The Purse is my job, but in many ways, it’s also a refuge. It’s a pleasure to leave my apartment and head to my desk at a coworking space to just focus on work for a while. I love getting to write on all kinds of topics. I love interviewing interesting women about their finances. I love chatting with Alicia on Slack about our ideas and plans we’re busy spinning up. It’s hard, don’t get me wrong, and there’s always something more to be done, but it’s also fun. And thank goodness something in my life is fun, since it seems like every major appliance in my apartment is determined to break this year. (I have to keep reminding myself that this is why we have emergency funds.)
It was a “blink and it’s over” kind of month, but we still published so many great stories on The Purse! Here’s a recap of what you might have missed.
October 2025 on The Purse
We kicked the month off with our new series This is What it Cost Me. Writer Joy Archer shared her experience quitting her lucrative job to sail the world for two years with her husband. Come for the insights on how the break impacted her career and stay for the gorgeous photos of Fiji.
Joy Archer
In Home Economics, we featured a newly single 34-year-old who lives in Columbia, Missouri, on $83,000 a year. We all loved this story because the writer is so thoughtful with her money, and she has a lot to show for it: a well-funded retirement account and her own condo, not to mention she’s very generous in donating to her church and community.
Lindsey Stanberry
Division of Labor featured friends of The Purse Heather and Doug Boneparth, parents to two school-aged kids. Heather and Doug do pretty much everything together since Heather stepped away from her corporate law gig a few years ago to work with Doug at his wealth management firm—and that includes writing a book, Money Together, which also launched this month!
Alicia Adamczyk
We wrapped up the month with a paid Home Economics featuring another single woman whose finances look quite different than Single in Missouri. In this edition, the writer shared how she’s paying off $18,000 in credit card debt (down from nearly $60k in 2019) and using the You Need a Budget app to help her better manage her finances.
Lindsey Stanberry
In our weekly news roundups, we talked about health care and the government shutdown, the rising price of credit card annual fees (with an interview with points expert Rachel Lipson | The Point), the worrisome spike in gold prices, the problem with the phrase “boys will be boys,” and our outrage over the SNAP benefit crisis.
As I mentioned in yesterday’s newsletter, we’re offering a discount on The Purse for my birthday month. Until November 30, you can get an annual subscription for $45.60, and we’ll be donating $5 from every new annual subscription to a food bank.
Beyond the newsletter
- I got my flu and Covid shot! This is your reminder to get vaccinated!!
- Alicia and I attended a lovely dinner hosted by Acorns, and it was interesting to hear what the fintech company has on the horizon. We also got to hang out with writers Charlotte Cowles and Erika Veurink and eat potato chips with caviar, which is always a treat!
- Laura Fenton and I spent a very rainy Monday brainstorming and daydreaming. She booked a free conference room at the Santander work cafe in Williamsburg, which was kind of weird and sort of awesome. I don’t really know what to make of banks letting people book free conference rooms—Capital One also offers it (though it’s harder to book)—but I think I kind of love it?
- Friend of The Purse (and PR maven) Stephanie Cook put together the most chic event for Greenlight, a debit card for kids, with a panel featuring some very cool moms, including Sarah Hoover (author of The Motherload), Elise Peterson (founder of Cool Moms), and Lauren Levinger (cofounder of Spread the Jelly).
- And I wrapped up the month celebrating Heather and Doug’s new book, Money Together, with a very fun party at a little Mexican spot in Tribeca. More book parties should have chips and guac, margaritas, and passed quesadillas!
Coming up in November
- Next week, Alicia has a new edition of 30-Something all about the scourge of our generation: student loans.
- I’m working on a piece about parents financially helping out their adult kids. I’m looking for a few parents to talk to. If this is you (or your mom or dad), reach out! You can just reply to this email!
- We’re always looking for new people to share their Home Economics. You can fill out the form here.
Behind the scenes
Alicia and I are working on something very big that I’m not quite ready to talk about yet, but it’s so exciting.
I was talking with my business coach about our plans, and in chatting with her I had a bit of a revelation.
