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  "description": "And some thoughts on toxic confidence and SXSW.",
  "path": "/march-2026-receipts/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-04-01T15:00:04.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.thepurse.co",
  "tags": [
    "“The Wasteland”",
    "Gift of College",
    "conversations with our kids about the cost of college",
    "When should you talk to your kids about the cost of college?Gift of College cofounder Patricia A. Roberts shares her best advice.The PurseLindsey Stanberry",
    "Home Economics",
    "nonprofit lawyer in Las Vegas",
    "Married, 38, and supporting family through a hard time in Las VegasShe recently paid for her father-in-law’s cremation and memorial.The PurseLindsey Stanberry",
    "What It Cost Me",
    "How One Woman’s Finances Were Impacted by a BreakupWhat do your finances look like after ending a seven-year relationship?The PurseLindsey Stanberry",
    "first edition",
    "shoutout",
    "10 Purse readers on how they meal prep",
    "Meal Plan No. 1: Feeding a family of 5 in Milwaukee, WI, on $200 per weekHow real families plan, budget for, and prep their weekly meals.The PurseAlicia Adamczyk",
    "raid her retirement fund",
    "Ask an Expert: Should I raid my retirement account to pay off my rental property?When emotions come into play, that is usually the worst time to make a big financial decision.The PurseAlicia Adamczyk",
    "30-Something",
    "combine their finances",
    "9 months into our marriage, I’m still Venmo-ing my husband for my half of the rentMaybe it’s time we combine our finances? But where do we begin?The PurseAlicia Adamczyk",
    "Sesali Bowen",
    "Black women are being erased from the workforce",
    "third edition of Work History",
    "women and ambition",
    "401(k)s for emergencies",
    "party pics",
    "Realtor.com",
    "a recent weekly roundup essay",
    "Daly PR",
    "Emily Sundberg interviewed Yahoo CEO Jim Lanzone",
    "Bruce Sellery’s podcast",
    "Hanna Horvath",
    "friction-maxxing",
    "Joe Macken’s scale model",
    "this form",
    "Subscribe now"
  ],
  "textContent": "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.\n\nIn 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:\n\n> April is the cruellest month, breeding\n> Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing\n> Memory and desire, stirring\n> Dull roots with spring rain.\n\nPerhaps 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.\n\nMy 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!\n\nThe 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:\n\n## **March 2026 on The Purse**\n\n### **Most underrated:**\n\nI 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.\n\nWhen should you talk to your kids about the cost of college?Gift of College cofounder Patricia A. Roberts shares her best advice.The PurseLindsey Stanberry\n\nA 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).\n\nMarried, 38, and supporting family through a hard time in Las VegasShe recently paid for her father-in-law’s cremation and memorial.The PurseLindsey Stanberry\n\n### **Most inspiring:**\n\nStories 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.\n\nHow One Woman’s Finances Were Impacted by a BreakupWhat do your finances look like after ending a seven-year relationship?The PurseLindsey Stanberry\n\n## **Most popular:**\n\nI’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\n\nMeal Plan No. 1: Feeding a family of 5 in Milwaukee, WI, on $200 per weekHow real families plan, budget for, and prep their weekly meals.The PurseAlicia Adamczyk\n\n### **Most helpful:**\n\nDid 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!\n\nAsk an Expert: Should I raid my retirement account to pay off my rental property?When emotions come into play, that is usually the worst time to make a big financial decision.The PurseAlicia Adamczyk\n\n### **Best comment section:**\n\nIn 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.\n\n9 months into our marriage, I’m still Venmo-ing my husband for my half of the rentMaybe it’s time we combine our finances? But where do we begin?The PurseAlicia Adamczyk\n\n### **Other highlights:**\n\nA 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!\n\n## **Beyond the newsletter**\n\n  * 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!\n  * 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.\n  * 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.)\n  * 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!\n\n\n\n## **Coming up in April**\n\n  * 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!\n  * 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.\n\n\n\n## **Behind the scenes**\n\nThis was my first trip to SXSW, and I have some strong feelings about it. I shared the highlights above, but I want to talk about the lowlights.\n\n### This post is for subscribers only\n\nBecome a member to get access to all content\n\nSubscribe now",
  "title": "March 2026 Receipts",
  "updatedAt": "2026-04-06T19:17:45.906Z"
}