Beanie Books

The ANT AND THE  GRASSHOPPER This one is a little different ... Two Different Versions ... Two Different Morals OLD VERSION The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away. Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed. The grasshopper has no food or shelter, so he dies out in the cold. MORAL OF THE OLD STORY: Be responsible for yourself! MODERN VERSION The ant works hard in the withering heat and the rain all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper   thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away. Come winter, the shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the ant should be allowed to be warm and well fed while he is co...

Reframe It Instead of focusing on how hard things are, think about what’s good in your life.  For example, staying home might mean: You have more time to focus on your goals. Your family is spending more quality time together. You’re saving money from less driving and fewer take-out meals and drinks. You have extra time at home to tackle house projects or spend time on personal hobbies. You have extra time to learn a knew skill. You can click here to read about good deeds you can do during Covid-19 .

Savings accounts : Here are some of the different accounts that you can open to save money. Standard : The tried-and-true. This is the type of savings account most Americans have. Some have zero or low minimums. Do this if…you’re starting out and don’t have a lot of money to put into the account. Interest rates are low on standard accounts. Don't leave too much here, though...just enough to cover an emergency. You are just costing yourself a lot of money in lost interest.  CD : This is a certificate of deposit. Banks often let you open a special kind of account with better rates than you would get in a regular savings account. But you have to keep your hands off that money for a certain amount of time (usually a few months up to a few years). Do this if…you won’t need to access that money for the period, and you want a “can’t touch this” way for your cash to earn interest. High-yield savings account : An account where you put more in and get more back. The interest rates are ...

Good Deeds Need a feel-good boost? Do something nice for another person or local organization. Many small business owners are losing money right now. Try to make a purchase online (e.g., buy gift cards to your favorite local restaurants). If you have an older neighbor and feel comfortable, offer to leave groceries at their doorstep. Donate to a local nonprofit you support (family services, food pantries, arts organizations, shelters). Many of their resources are tight right now. You should click here to see a post about being of service to others .

Manage Money Stress It’s normal to be worried about money right now. But there are some positives. Think of the money you’re saving by staying home more often (less driving, fewer meals out). Find creative ways to save more. A lot of businesses are offering free or discounted deals. Take some time at home to go over your budget. Plan out your next few weeks to feel more secure. If you do not have a rainy day fund, the time to start is now. Try to have enough money to cover three to six months’ worth of essentials (these are the thing you need like rent and food) saved up. This fund will give you some cushion in case you lose your job or need to take on extra expenses.  Set a goal of having the equivalent of your annual salary saved up. This may seem pretty unrealistic but start small and see how that goes. Now, you should click here to read about budgeting .

“I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.” — Thomas A. Edison, American inventor and businessman Success is all about perspective. If you think about each “failure” as a learning experience, you’ll come out on top every time. In science, mistakes are just opportunities for learning something new, which is, after all, what scientific experiments are all about. Even if the experiment “doesn’t work,” we usually learn something valuable from it. Speaking of mistakes, don't judge people on making mistakes. We're all making mistakes. Judge people on how they handle it. Failure always brings something valuable with it. Don't let failure slip away until you have taken away something. It is better to think of failure as a tool rather than an outcome. If you just failed a test or had a social encounter that didn't go your way, try to find some nugget buried in there that can be useful. Maybe your study methods are trash. Maybe you stin...