Managing Finances with Dr. Seuss

So for my math class (which, bytheway, is the BEST math class EVER!) we are learning about finances. I could learn a thing or two about money, because I have been pretty foolish in the past, so I was very glad when we came upon this section. We have a project and it is relatively easy-looking. We have to get up in front of the class for like, two seconds and talk about financial advice. My teacher said it could be a video or a quote or a scripture or a story.


Thattt sparked my attention. "A story?!" I thought excitedly. "I loveee stories." I immediately thought of my favorite children's story- The Lorax. I re-read it and it seemed more about taking care of the environment than anything else. However you could argue that taking care of the environment was the same as taking care of the Once-ler's investments, since the truffula trees were his investments. Hmm....But thennn I remembered the Spring Trip! We went to this part of Disney World that was like, Dr. Seuss town and it was freakin awesome. So anyway there was this story on the walls for people to read while they waited in line. It was called The Sneetches. Please read....



Now, the Star-Bell Sneetches had bellies with stars.
The Plain-Belly Sneetches had none upon thars.
Those stars weren’t so big. They were really so small.
You might think such a thing wouldn’t matter at all.

But, because they had stars, all the Star-Belly Sneetches
Would brag, “We’re the best kind of Sneetch on the beaches.”
With their snoots in the air, they would sniff and they’d snort
“We’ll have nothing to do with the Plain-Belly sort!”
And, whenever they met some, when they were out walking,
They’d hike right on past them without even talking.

When the Star-Belly children went out to play ball,
Could a Plain Belly get in the game? Not at all.
You only could play if your bellies had stars
And the Plain-Belly children had none upon thars.

When the Star Belly Sneetches had frankfurter roasts
Or picnics or parties or marshmallow toasts,
They never invited the Plain-Belly Sneetches
They left them out cold, in the dark of the beaches.
They kept them away. Never let them come near.
And that’s how they treated them year after year.

Then ONE day, it seems while the Plain-Belly Sneetches
Were moping and doping alone on the beaches,
Just sitting there wishing their bellies had stars,
A stranger zipped up in the strangest of cars!

“My friends”, he announced in a voice clear and clean,
“My name is Sylvester McMonkey McBean.
And I’ve heard of Your troubles. I’ve heard you’re unhappy.
But I can fix that, I’m the Fix-It-Up Chappie. 
I’ve come here to help you.
I have what you need.
And my prices are low. And I work with great speed.
And my work is one hundred per cent guaranteed!”

Then, quickly, Sylvester McMonkey McBean
Put together a very peculiar machine.
And he said, “You want stars like a Star-Belly Sneetch?
My friends, you can have them for three dollars each!”

“Just pay me your money and hop right aboard!”
So they clambered inside. Then the big machine roared.
And it klonked. And it bonked. And it jerked. And it berked.
And it bopped them about. But the thing really worked!
When the Plain-Belly Sneetches popped out, they had stars!
They actually did. They had stars upon thars!

Then they yelled at the ones who had stars at the start,
"We're exactly like you! You can't tell us apart.
We're all just the same, now, you snooty old smarties!
And now we can go to your frankfurter parties."


"Good grief!" groaned the ones who had stars on at the first. “We’re still the best Sneetches and they are the worst.
But now, how in the world will we know”, they all frowned,
“If which kind is what, or the other way round?”

Then up came McBean with a very sly wink. 
And he said, “Things are not quite as bad as you think. 
So you don’t know who’s who. That is perfectly true.
But come with me, friends. Do you know what I’ll do?
I’ll make you, again, the best Sneetches on the beaches.
And all it will cost you is ten dollars eaches.”

“Belly stars are no longer in style”, said McBean.
“What you need is a trip through my Star-Off Machine.
This wondrous contraption will take OFF your stars
so you won’t look like Sneetches that have them on thars.”
And that handy machine working very precisely
Removed all the stars from their tummies quite nicely.

Then, with snoots in the air, they paraded about.
And they opened their beaks and they let out a shout,
“We know who is who! Now there Isn’t a doubt.
The best kind of Sneetches are Sneetches without!”

Then, of course, those with stars got all frightfully mad.
To be wearing a star was frightfully bad.
Then, of course, old Sylvester McMonkey McBean
invited THEM into his Star-Off Machine.

Then, of course from THEN on, as you probably guess,
Things really got into a horrible mess.

All the rest of that day, on those wild screaming beaches,
The Fix-It-Up Chappie kept fixing up Sneetches.
Off again! On again! In again! Out again!
Through the machines they raced round and about again,

Changing their stars every minute or two. They kept paying money.
They kept running through until the Plain nor the Star-Bellies knew
Whether this one was that one or that one was this one. Or which one
Was what one or what one was who.

Then, when every last cent of their money was spent,
The Fix-It-Up Chappie packed up. And he went.
And he laughed as he drove In his car up the beach,
“They never will learn. No. You can’t Teach a Sneetch!”

But McBean was quite wrong. I’m quite happy to say.
That the Sneetches got really quite smart on that day.
The day they decided that Sneetches are Sneetches.
And no kind of Sneetch is the best on the beaches.
That day, all the Sneetches forgot about stars and whether
They had one, or not, upon thars.


So anyway I loveee this story! So I'm not gonna read the whole thing to the class, because Brother Snell mightt dump a bucket of water on my head for taking up the entire class time. So I'm gonna read the lines that are written in blue.


And then I'ma talk. This is prolly what I'll say....


Soo I really like this story because even though it's about Sneetches it can be applied to our finances. There is a quote and I couldn't find who said it but it is something like, "Don't spend your money on that which has no worth." And ultimately that is exactly what the Sneetches did. They spent everything on a fashion trend and it really didn't matter if they had stars on thars or not because the next moment they were out of style and they went back and did it all again. So it was really just silly of them. But at least in the end they learned a good lesson?? "That Sneetches are Sneetches and no kind of Sneetch is best on the beaches." But it prolly would've been better for them if they had figured it out pre-bankruptcy.