I was raised to believe women could have it all. I stayed home to raise my kids and had to go back to work at 49 to get out of debt.

• I grew up being told that women could have it all: a career and kids. • Still, when I had kids, I chose to stay home with them and devoted myself to motherhood. • The pandemic crushed my husband's job, and we struggled financially.

At the height of the pandemic, I found myself rummaging through the last drawer of the dining room sideboard, desperate to find the velvet pouch that housed my mother's heirloom silverware.

I'd tucked it away years ago, knowing the formal cutlery would never be used, but safeguarding it to eventually pass on to my children. It was the only thing I had that belonged to my mother's parents, and while I felt a surge of relief when my fingertips brushed against the soft fabric, my heart sank.

Selling it to help cover the bills that month did not align with