Hey neighbors, happy Thursday.

I don’t how many outdoor lovers subscribe, but I saw news this week that the SoHo REI store will be closing in 2026. I’m honestly a little gutted by that. I love walking around that store and they always have good finds in the used gear section. I even saw Walton Goggins shopping for hiking boots there recently. Ugh, I’m in pain.

🪔 Hot Event: First-ever Smorgasburg Diwali: Festival of Bites debuts Oct 11-12. South Asian vendors, traditional dance, rangoli, henna, DJ sets. Sat. in Williamsburg, Sun. in Prospect Park, 11am-6pm. Free entry. Celebrate.

✨ New Spot: Bolo Bolo café + bakery has soft-opened in Cobble Hill. South Asian-inspired pastries like cardamom buns, halva pistachio cookies, black sesame matcha cookies. Specialty coffee, seasonal drinks, rotating menu. Currently open Mon/Tues. Visit.

🍺 For Sale: Long Island brewery & tasting room asks $599K. 5,000 sq. ft turn-key operation. 10 barrel system, 25-ft bar, 20 taps, 96-person capacity, backyard. Current owners have full-time jobs and can’t commit to keeping it open. Buy it.

Anywho, on to this week’s newsletter 👇

📧 Did someone send you this email? Subscribe here.

Nasdaq | $22,978 | +19.18% 🟢

S&P 500 | $6,724 | +14.58% 🟢

Bitcoin | $120,888 | +29.34% 🟢

Cash Confessionals are weekly stories where NYC locals peel back the curtain and expose their money habits.

Living situation: We currently rent a two-bedroom apartment for $1,600 in Cypress Hills, borderline East New York. My household is made up of two adults and three children. Some people say renting the apartment from my dad's house is financial help, but I don't see it that way. If it were, it would be free rent. My husband pays for rent and the phone bill, I pay for the rest of the bills which are light, gas, internet, and groceries.

If I could live anywhere in NYC, I'd say Queens. I lived there before moving back to Brooklyn and it just felt so much safer and family-friendly.

Career: I'm currently a first-year teacher working for the DOE making $68,922. As someone who is just starting off, I believe it's fair for now. So far I would say yes, I'm enjoying it. Seeing the students start to be enthusiastic about getting to school or seeing how they're grasping the material you're teaching. Aside from that, I enjoy the work hours. I believe we do get a "bonus" in either April or May but I'm not sure how much.

Within the DOE, you're required to obtain a Master's degree within five years in order to continue teaching, so that's one of my goals. I do eventually want to become an AP or even Principal. I also would like to use my degree in some sort of tech field.

Expenses: I try to budget, but I don't think I'm doing it correctly. It's different amounts every paycheck, so it ranges from being able to spend $500-600. Weekly spending breakdown:

Other than rent, my biggest expense is the kids! I feel like they grow through sneakers so fast, they outgrow everything in such a short period of time. Aside from that, my impulsive spending.

Best money decision recently: Getting a high-yield savings account, as someone who would never even save a penny this has helped.

Worst money decision ever: Trying out Zip, Klarna, and Afterpay.

Debt: Thankfully no student loans yet. In credit cards with my husband, we have about $2,500 in debt, two accounts in collections, and using those pay-in-four apps definitely keeps us in $1,000 debt. My husband uses one paycheck to pay off his credit card monthly, but then he uses it right back up, so that's not going well. Mine I've been paying off slowly, and whatever money I have from the previous check automatically goes into that as an "extra" payment. As far as the pay-in-four apps, we just keep track of who made what purchase and pay it off in bulk when we get paid. I know it doesn't make sense, it's a never-ending cycle.

Sometimes I don't care because I know maybe everyone has debt or might be struggling worse, but other days it makes me angry and sad. I want my children to have financial stability and we definitely don't have that. Growing up low income wasn't great, and I feel like I'm just repeating the cycle.

Saving & investing: Since I just started in September, I have been saving about $600. The high-yield savings account is my emergency fund and it has $3,675. I don't invest because I don't know how. I don't have a 401k or IRA. My husband has a 401k through his employer with about $50k.

Money hacks: Definitely cook at home. Like my mom would say, "hay comida en la casa" (there's food at home). Also, use Facebook Marketplace! You'd be surprised at how much there is for low prices and sometimes basically new stuff.

How do you feel about your financial situation? I think sometimes it's overwhelming, especially with having children and most importantly making sure they don't realize we might be struggling. I was born and raised in NYC, and I don't think I ever see myself moving from here. To live comfortably with two adults and three children, I would say we'd need more than $150k. Comfortable to us would look like being able to pay rent and bills and not have to worry about or plan when and how to spend on necessities like clothes or shoes.

What are your long-term goals? Our long-term goal within the next year is getting a family car. Moving into a bigger apartment or maybe buying a house would also be nice. Within the next four years, I would like to save up $25k to pay for my Master's and not have a student loan.

BK Coffee Shop Coordinator ($30/hour). Assist with production coordination and social media management for this high-production sketch comedy show. Part-time (5-10 hrs/week). Apply here.

Thanks for reading this week’s edition. If you have ideas for stories, know about new business coming soon, or want to do your own anonymous Cash Confessionals submission, let me know!

Josh

P.S.

Read something you like or maybe don’t like? Hit reply and let me know!