HerMoney with Jean Chatzky
Episode: A Week In Her Wallet: A 48-Year-Old School Counselor’s $1,000 Week
Date: September 5, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode of HerMoney features another installment in the "A Week In Her Wallet" series, where host Jean Chatzky invites a real woman from the HerMoney community to track her spending for a week and reflect on her financial decisions. The focus for this episode is Kathy, a 48-year-old school counselor, wife, and mother of two teenagers, living outside Philadelphia. Through Kathy’s week, listeners get a candid snapshot of typical summer spending mixed with family gatherings, personal care splurges, unexpected expenses, and the realities of budgeting as a middle-aged woman with a family.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Introducing Kathy & Her Context ([02:55])

• Who is Kathy?
  • School counselor in Montgomery County, PA.
  • Married to another teacher, mother of two teens, and two dogs.
  • Has summers "off" but chooses to work part-time in July for extra income.

“I’m a mom of two teenagers and a wife and a mom of two dogs.” — Kathy [03:01]

• Motivation for Tracking
  • Doesn’t usually track daily spending, but summer patterns and family gatherings prompted her to get a clearer handle on money flow when schedules—and expenses—change.

Monday: The Cost of Convenience ([04:28])

• Spending

  • $25 to hem a pair of clearance pants at the dry cleaner.

• Reflections on Spending

  • Annoyed at paying more for alterations than the pants cost, but necessary due to lack of sewing skills.
  • Sees it as a tradeoff of cost for convenience.

“I spent more on the hemming of them. But…it was necessary. I’m wearing them all summer, so as long as I don’t change my size, they should last me for years to come.” — Kathy [05:04]

• Jean’s Reflection
  • Relates to the frustration of spending more on alterations than on discounted clothes, highlighting how budgeting for deals sometimes comes with hidden costs.

Tuesday: Family Time & Surprises ([06:08])

• Spending

  • $63.33: Tickets to Legoland for her nephew’s birthday.
  • $6.89: Lego minifigure as a gift.
  • $9.18: Pizza lunch.
  • $40.00: Medical copay for X-ray.
  • Total: ~$119

• Reflections on Spending

  • Cherished time with nephew outweighs expense.
  • Acknowledges higher spending during family visits, but justifies it due to the rare opportunity to connect.

“Sometimes the experience of having hours together with your little nephew…that’s priceless to me.” — Kathy [07:26]

• Additional Family Spending
  • Multiple celebratory lunches for her mother’s 84th birthday.
  • Accepts that annual family gatherings naturally spike her spending.

Wednesday: The Price of Personal Care ([08:35])

• Spending

  • $135.90 at Ulta for makeup essentials (eyeshadow, moisturizer, lip gloss, concealer, lotion).
  • Used a 10% off coupon, but surprised by the total.

• Reflections on Spending

  • Self-justifies: buys higher quality products as she ages and views skincare and makeup as essentials.
  • Highlights the unavoidable “pink tax”—costs women incur for items that are essentially non-negotiable.
  • Sees restocking as a periodic, necessary expense even if the total gives pause.

“It wasn’t even a lot of items for $135…But they are things that I use every day, and that will last me months.” — Kathy [09:58]

“It’s kind of like the pink tax that all of us women participate in…because I can’t cut these things out, right?” — Kathy [11:16]

Family Budgeting Dynamics ([12:01])

• Systems in Place

  • Maintains separate accounts; also a joint account for household expenses.
  • Kathy handles bill paying and tracks finances.

• Challenges

  • Uses credit cards for most purchases to earn points, pays off monthly.
  • Summer spending (vacations, child activities) often leads to shortfalls in checking that require extra transfers.
  • Acknowledges risk of “blown” budgets certain months but justifies credit card use by the rewards enjoyed (e.g. free family excursions).

“With teenagers…we are putting a lot on the credit card every month to get the points, and our monthly budget kind of gets blown by having to pay the credit card off every month.” — Kathy [12:28]

• Savings Goals
  • Joint focus on college funding in the near term, then retirement savings.
  • Hopes to both retire in the next ten years, after youngest finishes college.

Children’s Activities & Summer Work ([18:10])

• Spending

  • $40: Pedicure.
  • $39.22: Swim top for vacation.
  • $24.49: Shorts for vacation.
  • $200.65: Soccer uniform and early birthday gift for her son.

• Reflections on Spending

  • Sporting uniform fees can be unexpectedly high and often mandatory.
  • Working over summer provides peace of mind and a financial cushion for these one-off expenses.
  • Describes her earning strategy as a way to avoid tapping savings.

“Part of why I choose to work in the summer is for these kinds of things. It’s just a little extra cushion...so when things come up, I don’t feel like I have to dip into any savings.” — Kathy [19:05]

• Gift Giving Philosophy
  • No set rules: “Let’s assess, what do you want? What do you need? And then look at the list.”
  • Kids aren’t extravagant, which keeps spending reasonable.

Weekly Spending Summary & Emotional Response ([20:38])

• Total for the Week: Just under $1,200 (personal items, gifts, food, travel prep, kids’ care).
• Immediate Reaction
  • Shocked at the number: “That’s really high. That is not the norm.”
  • Realizes many expenses were clustered into a single, untypical week.

“If you had said to me, ‘Kath, you’re probably gonna spend about over $1,000 this week,’ I would have said, ‘No way’…” — Kathy [21:29]

• Insight from Tracking
  • Surprised by how easily expenses add up when unexpected needs and last-minute family obligations arise.
  • Found the act of tracking valuable in surfacing spending habits and gaps in planning.

Memorable Quotes & Notable Moments

• On Priceless Experiences:
  “Sometimes the experience of having hours together with your little nephew…that’s priceless to me.” — Kathy [07:26]

• On the 'Pink Tax':
  “It’s kind of like the pink tax that all of us women participate in…because I can’t cut these things out, right? I can’t cut out my SPF moisturizer and my good mascara.” — Kathy [11:16]

• On Household Cash Flow:
  “With teenagers…we are putting a lot on the credit card every month to get the points, and our monthly budget kind of gets blown by having to pay the credit card off every month.” — Kathy [12:28]

• Spending Surprises:
  “If you had said to me, ‘Kath, you’re probably gonna spend about over $1,000 this week,’ I would have said, ‘No way’…” — Kathy [21:29]

• On Life’s Financial Rhythms:
  “Life is not always neat and predictable. It’s really about showing up for the people that we love and meeting our needs as they come.” — Jean Chatzky [22:19]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 02:55 — Meet Kathy: her background, family structure, and motivation for tracking her spending.
• 04:28 — Monday spending: dry cleaning and the cost of convenience.
• 06:08 — Tuesday spending: family day at Legoland, birthday celebrations, and the emotional value of experiences.
• 08:35 — Wednesday spending: makeup restock, the realities of “pink tax.”
• 12:01 — Budgeting with a spouse, credit card strategy, and summer spending pitfalls.
• 14:21 — Discussing retirement and savings strategy.
• 18:10 — Weekend spending: pedicure, clothing shopping, and costly kids’ activities.
• 19:05 — Why summer work is financial “padding.”
• 20:38 — Summing up the week, emotional reactions to total spending, and lessons from tracking.

Closing Thoughts

Jean and Kathy’s conversation offers an honest glimpse into the natural ebb and flow of a family’s finances—with strategic restraint most weeks, and occasional splurges or spikes when family, health, and life happen all at once. The episode highlights that women’s financial realities are shaped by caretaking, family priorities, and the unpredictability of life, making tailored advice and open conversations essential.

Listener Takeaway:
Track your own week, notice where your money goes, and don’t be surprised when necessities (and a few curveballs) break your budget. What matters is being prepared, flexible, and non-judgmental with yourself—because real life, and real money, is never just numbers on a page.