A pocketbook is an old-fashioned word for what we usually call a purse or handbag today. Women carried pocketbooks to hold money, keys, handkerchiefs, and other small items they needed during the day.

The word also means someone's financial resources or budget. When politicians talk about “voters' pocketbooks,” they mean people's money and economic concerns. If a family says “that vacation doesn't fit our pocketbook right now,” they mean they can't afford it. A pocketbook issue is something that affects how much money people have or spend, like taxes, gas prices, or grocery costs.

You might also see the phrase “hit someone in the pocketbook,” meaning to cost them money or hurt them financially. When the price of school lunches goes up, it hits parents' pocketbooks. The word reminds us that money matters aren't abstract: they affect real people's lives and the choices families can make about everything from food to fun.