Did you know that Michelle Obama once left a job as a law firm associate making $120,000 for a City Hall position that essentially cut her paycheck in half to $60,000 a year? Talk about dedication!
We learned this fact and more via a new biography by Peter Slevin chronicling Mrs. Obama’s days before the White House.
The new book titled, Michelle Obama: A Life, also reveals that she once splurged on a coach purse, but for good reason. “From the time she was young, Michelle had watched her pennies even as she made calculated indulgences. One was a Coach handbag she bought with her babysitting money. Marian gasped when Michelle informed her of the cost, telling her daughter that she would never spend such a crazy amount on a purse. Right, Michelle answered, but you’ll go through ten handbags in the time I have this one.”
A Life explains that Mrs. Obama had some of the same concerns as many when it came to Barack Obama’s history-making journey to presidency; worrying that he would be assassinated on the campaign trail.
“While there would be ‘great sympathy and outpouring if something were to happen, I don’t want to be in a position one day where I am vulnerable with my children,’ she told writer David Mendell. ‘I need to be in a position for my kids where, if they lose their father, they don’t lose everything.”
Michelle Obama: A Life is set to hit bookshelves April, 7.
Curious about other little known FLOTUS facts? Head over to People.com for the full story.