TOC #203: how a $6 pint of raspberries ended my marriage
(November 12, 2024) How To Make 6 Figures So You Can Afford $6 Raspberries
To absolutely no one's surprise, my ex husband has pissed me off.
Again.
So, what's a girl to do?
Cry about how he's a crybaby who doesn't help me raise our child?
Or let my audience benefit from my strife?
I think you know which one I'm gonna choose.
If I'd started this series right when we broke up, I'd probably be on TOC #18993 by now, but luckily for my sanity, I've chosen to simply ✨pretend he doesn't exist✨ and I MUST SAY: that has made my life exponentially more peaceful.
When it comes to parenting, I am the definition of “don't need no man.”
In fact, having to take his opinions into consideration would likely cause me more stress than doing things on my own does.
*sigh* alas, I am a meager human, and I am not always 😫strong enough😫 to ignore his existence.
And, unfortunately, he pissed me the fuck off the other day.
…but thank the good Lord he did, or I wouldn't have remembered to use one of our most annoying brawls as a way to teach YOU how to make more money online.
How To Make 6 Figures So You Can Afford $6 Raspberries
See, I'm the type of person who feels like THIS 👇
And while it may seem like a cute little joke for Threads, I was being dead serious.
I genuinely believe that, as an online business owner, it IS possible to just… try to make more money!
→ You're talking to the girl who launched an entire website copywriting course in a matter of weeks because she had a $30,000 dental bill.
→ The girl who made code “GETSARAOIL” for 50% off her entire resource library because she had to pay $3,800 for a new oil tank basically overnight.
→ The girl who woke up and decided she wanted a brand new car (for a $6,000 down payment in addition for the trade-in of her old whip), so she created a VIP week offer to accommodate a lead who wanted something custom.
→ The girl who wants a second Christmas tree so she posts an IG story about her TONIC affiliate code in hopes of earning a few hundred extra bucks.
(I could have used the money I had saved, but… why do that when I could go make more?)
We'll circle back to the *HOW TO* of this whole “just try to make more money instead!” thing in a few — but where the story begins is with my money mindset.
I don't have a scarcity mindset about money.
I have an “I'll go make more” mindset about money.
& whether or not that always WORKS the way I want it to is irrelevant, because at least I'm taking ACTION (instead of being scared).
We can have the 💸dreaded money convo💸 another time — it's a straight up terrifying subject for a lot of people reading this who have complicated relationships with money, which I completely understand…
But today's convo is about Ex Husband and how much he hated my money mindset, despite ME being the one making ALL of the money.
HERE'S WHAT HAPPENED:
I wanted raspberries.
Ex Husband was going to the grocery store.
It was a chore I usually did — I love going grocery shopping, likely because *I* want to be the one choosing the things, taking my time, getting whatever I want, living my truth, you get the vibes — but he had the time that day, I was on back to back meetings, and we had no food.
So, I made a list of the things I wanted, and he added it to our main grocery list, bundled up the Woo, and took off to Provigo.
It was winter in Quebec, and I was feeling the seasonal depression blues, so I was looking forward to having some healthy groceries to support the 🌟glow up🌟 I'd been planning to start later that day.
When I finished my meetings, I came back in from the garoffice to find Ex Husband and Woo putting away the groceries, so I jumped in to help, starting to put the cold things away.
I put away the cheese, the chicken breasts, the milk (in a bag, bc Canada), the spinach, and the eggs.
I turned around to put the rest of the produce away, but all I saw was the pasta and the Crispers.
“Where are the raspberries?” I asked.
“Oh, I didn't get them,” he said casually, putting away our reusable bags.
“…why not?” I asked, wondering how he could forget them if they were on the list.
“They were too expensive,” he said.
🤔 🧐 🤨
I took a deep breath, then asked how much they were.
He told me they were six dollars.
Now, this was 2021, so $6 was slightly expensive for raspberries… but it was WINTER. in QUEBEC. Obviously these raspberries were not locally grown, so of course they were $6. I would have expected them to be $8, even.
“So?” I asked. “I wanted them. I was gonna use them for a recipe.”
“I got bananas,” he said. “You can use those instead.”
Who in their right mind gets bananas as a substitute for raspberries? They couldn't possibly be more different? Hello?
[IMPORTANT NOTE: he is a literal personal chef. Like a real ass trained culinary professional who used to run an entire catering business (that I built) himself.]
As you can imagine, a brawl ensued.
Me: telling him that I wanted the raspberries, so he should have bought the raspberries, because we can afford them, because I literally make 6 figures, and our only real expense is our $1200 rent (with utilities included!) so who gives a fuck if the raspberries were $6 we could have bought every single pint and still been fine????
Him: raspberries should not cost $6, how could I not understand that, that's ridiculous, just because we have the money doesn't mean we should spend it frivolously, it's the principle, it's the principle, it's the principle, we should not overpay for that, we do not need it, we can eat bananas
Me: I work 10+ hours a day every single day growing this business from scratch, and I finally earn a good amount of money from my efforts, and I am able to afford the things I want and that's the entire point, where are my RASPBERRIES
Him: but they were $6
Me: but I make 6 figures
Him: I resent the fuck out of you because I stay home with the baby all day while you get to live your dream so fuck you and your raspberries
Me: oh
Me: *drives to the store to get my own raspberries*
Not my problem if you're too fragile to be with a confident, smart, hardworking woman who wants a better life for herself & her family! 💅🏼
AND, LIKE, WHAT DID HE EXPECT ME TO DO??? GO OUT INTO THE BACKYARD AND PICK MY OWN?
Actually — despite having a wealthy mother who definitely has never looked at the price of raspberries or anything for that matter — yes, HE DID.
He genuinely did prefer that I go and FORAGE for my raspberries instead.
[Real photo of me picking raspberries with my bug hat on during our first week living in Quebec, when I thought “aw how cute and precious and wholesome!” before I knew I'd never be allowed to buy the things I wanted again without being judged.]
In all seriousness, though? Those raspberries never sat right with me.
I did 100% understand his point.
I'm unclear on whether or not he understood mine (I'd bet not).
What happened? WE FUNDAMENTALLY DISAGREED.
He thought raspberries shouldn't cost $6.
I thought I can afford $6 raspberries because that's literally the entire POINT of me building this god damn business.
His money mindset was completely different than mine, keeping him in the “we can't buy this!” camp — while I sat firmly in my “the world is our oyster, anything is possible, let's call in abundance, we deserve it!” camp.
& while the lesson here SHOULD be money mindset, that's a lot of deep, personal coaching for a random Tuesday morning when you didn't even ask for it.
So, here we are instead. 👇
…and you haaaad to know my “how to” was gonna be all about website copy, didn't you?
BECAUSE THE THING ABOUT BOMB WEBSITE COPY?
It's your 24/7 salesperson, quietly turning browsers into buyers while you're busy living your life (or shopping for definitely-not-too-expensive fruit).
To me, success IS those $6 raspberries.
It's afternoons off without your phone glued to your hand.
It's choosing the Even More Space seat on the plane.
It's the extra candle in the Target cart.
Success is the little luxuries that we allow ourselves. And your website copy is largely responsible for your ability to have them.
LEMME WALK YOU THROUGH A FEW SCENARIOS.
EXHIBIT A: The Midnight Miracle
It's 2 AM. While you're sound asleep, a stressed-out bride-to-be is scrolling, looking for a wedding photographer.
She finds your portfolio piece (thanks to the keyword you targeted w/ that case study!), reads your absolutely magnetic About page, and instantly connects with your story (because all the other photogs sites rely on generic B.S. like “capture your love on camera”).
By the time you wake up, there's an inquiry worth $5,500 in your inbox.
EXHIBIT B: The Weekend Money-Maker
You're at brunch (treating yourself to $6 raspberries, I hope), taking a well-deserved morning OFF of work.
Meanwhile, your Services page is hard AT work.
A potential client reads your crystal-clear service descriptions, sees their exact pain points addressed ("omg, that's sooo me" literally comes out of their mouth), and books a discovery call with you.
That's a $4,000 project you landed while sipping mimosas.
EXHIBIT C: The Blog That Keeps On Giving
Remember that blog post you wrote last month? The one about common industry mistakes? It's ranking on Google's first page now.
Every single day, it brings in 2-3 qualified leads who are ready to invest in your expertise, thanks to the trust established from that post. One post = consistent $5K+ months.
& I know these are just random fake examples that I made up, but…
Both Katie AND Krista getting aligned inquiries within 24 hours of their website launch? That was real.
Kate doubling her yearly income after updating her website copy? That was real.
Fran having her highest income month ever after dialing in her website to reflect her expertise? That was real.
Just ONE well-written page on your website can…
• Turn a casual browser into a real paying client
• Book discovery calls, make sales, while you’re offline
• Justify your premium prices so no one questions you
• Pre-qualify your ideal clients
• Build trust before you even say hello
& Unlike a HUMAN salesperson, your website…
• Never calls in sick
• Doesn't need health insurance
• Works holidays and weekends
• Scales infinitely
• Only needs updating every few months
Translation? One strategic website update could pay for…
• A year's worth of fancy raspberries ($312)
• That designer bag you've been eyeing ($2,500)
• The luxury vacation you deserve ($5,000)
• Or whatever else brings you joy – because you've earned it
Your website should be making you money.
And if that's not the case for you? Well, that's EXACTLY what I was put on God's green Earth to help you with.
If we haven’t had the chance to *virtually* meet yet, hi! I’m Sara Noel—website copywriter and marketing mentor for creatives, copywriters, and all-around cool people. If you like my content and you want even more BTL in your life, here are a few ways you can connect with me:
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