A letter most weeks, sent by e-mail to subscribers. Long ones once a month. 2,140 readers.
18 Oct 2026 · Issue 24Two rates for one dollarThe bank says 8.40. The bazaar says about 11. Both are true, and that is what makes this autumn so confusing.28 Sep 2026 · Issue 23A coin nobody asked forTulparcoin landed in everyone's phone last week. What we actually know, in five points.12 Jul 2026 · Issue 22Welcome back, readers abroadSince the end of June the letter can be opened from abroad again. A short hello to the ones who had to read it by e-mail or not at all.31 May 2026 · Issue 21Living with the $300 limitTalasbank now pays out at most $300 of your dollars a month. Eleven things families are doing, honestly assessed.31 Aug 2025 · Issue 20Ten kilos of dried apricotsWhy a kilo of dried apricots in January costs what a bucket of fresh ones costs in July, and why that is fair.15 Jun 2025 · Issue 19A teacher's salary and a nurse'sAbout 2,200 and 1,800. The numbers say nothing until you put a month next to them.09 Feb 2025 · Issue 18Dollars in the cupboardMany families in Irad keep a few hundred dollars in a cupboard, in a book, or in a sock. Is it sensible?21 Apr 2024 · Issue 17A pension, a grandson and a phonePensioners in Irad are the most reliable savers in the country and the least rewarded for it.11 Feb 2024 · Issue 16The remittance queueMoney from relatives abroad still holds up a lot of Irad's families. A Saturday at a transfer office.17 Sep 2023 · Issue 15Cheap petrol, expensive carAI-92 costs about 5 som a litre. Why do drivers still complain? Because the petrol is the cheap part.21 May 2023 · Issue 14The corner shop and the phoneA QR code from the bank is now taped to every shop counter in Talas. What it changes for the woman behind the counter.12 Feb 2023 · Issue 13What to put in the envelope at a toiNobody tells you the amount. Everybody knows it. A short guide to the unspoken price of an invitation.04 Dec 2022 · Issue 12A house or a flat in winter?Heating is the second biggest bill of the cold months, and the two ways of paying for it could not be more different.14 Aug 2022 · Issue 11Reading a microloan slowlyAn office on every high street will lend you 3,000 som by tomorrow. Here is how to read the paper they give you.05 Jun 2022 · Issue 10Bazaar or supermarket?I bought the same basket of food at the Bazar-i Kalan and at a Bereke for eight weeks. The answer is "it depends on the onion".24 Apr 2022 · Issue 9A month in four envelopesThe oldest budget system I know. You need four envelopes, a pen and no spreadsheet.20 Feb 2022 · Issue 8What a one-room flat costs in TalasRent, deposit, and the bills nobody mentions in the advertisement.12 Dec 2021 · Issue 7The sheep you feed for six monthsIs it cheaper to buy mutton at the bazaar, or to keep one sheep for the winter? I asked a family in the village of Kyzyl-Adyr to show me their notebook.14 Nov 2021 · Issue 6What a toi really costsI added up eleven weddings in Talas and the villages. The hall is not the expensive part.03 Oct 2021 · Issue 5Walnuts: sell in October or in January?A kilo of walnuts is cheapest the week they fall and dearest after the New Year. The cleverest sellers sell in neither.22 Aug 2021 · Issue 4The school-uniform billThird week of August, the same panic in every family with children. What a school year really costs, line by line.18 Jul 2021 · Issue 3The jam-season sugar mysteryWhy sugar costs more in July, every year, and what a family with a basin of apricots can do about it.25 Apr 2021 · Issue 2Write your debts downThe shop notebook is the oldest bank in Irad. Why it works, and why it should be on paper.07 Mar 2021 · Issue 1Why a letterIssue one. What this letter is and what it is not.