Skeletons are fine

reminder series: bleak yet comforting thoughts.

i specifically chose animals that are (or believed to be) extinct due to human influence: thylacine, great auk, baiji, west african black rhino, golden toad, dodo, passenger pigeon, and quagga. there are many other species i could have included. the plants are also based on extinct species, but i found much less information about extinct plants, unfortunately.

the text doesn’t necessarily relate to each animal or their extinction. it’s all basically the same idea: let’s all be nice to each other, because today, the universe is vast and incomprehensible, we are all suffering, we are all going to die, and we’re all in this together. for today.

How To Make Naturally Flavored Water

Supplies needed:

Fruit – Whatever kind you like (except bananas); make sure it’s good and ripe for maximum sweetness and flavor. Use all kinds of citrus and berries. Pineapple and watermelon work well for flavoring water. 

Herbs – These are optional, but many herbs are a surprising complement to fruit flavors; almost any herb will work depending on your personal preference

Jars or pitchers – Use 2 quart mason jars primarily, but any 2 quart pitcher will do. Fruit infusion pitcher is another option if you think you’ll be making infused waters regulary; a very easy, tidy way to strain fruit from water.

Muddler or wooden spoon for mashing fruit and herbs

Ice

Water – Use filtered water, but regular tap water is fine if it is hygienic.

‘Jewelry for scientists, nerds and geeks of all kinds’ - including the Evolution Tree, Oxytocin and Solar System necklaces - by Delftia on Etsy

If you're happier renting an apartment than buying a house, then rent.

If marriage just isn't your cup of tea, then don't get married.

If you're happier in a job that doesn't involve sitting in a cubicle, then take the job you're happier in.

If kids just aren't for you, then don't have kids.

In this man's 46 year long career, through everything, he has NEVER spoken about politics. He has NEVER spoken harshly to anyone. He has NEVER performed songs with heavy swearing or forceful lyrics. This man guest starred on My Little Pony as "Cheese Sandwich," the only other party pony as fun as Pinkie Pie!

When THIS man stops laughing, we are in trouble.

Sweet pea, we are so proud of you for approaching investing with caution and making sure you fully understand it before diving right in. You are a wise and prudent baby bitchling and we love you for it!

First things first, here's everything we've ever written about investing:

MASTERPOST: Everything You Need to Know about Investing for Beginners 

Now, to answer your specific concerns:

Think of investing like borrowing and lending money. When you borrow money (let's say, to buy a car), you pay it back with interest. That interest is an extra bit of money you pay for the privilege and convenience of borrowing the money in the first place. The lender gets their money back from you PLUS interest for their trouble. Thus also with investing... except YOU are the "lender" and the companies you invest in are the "borrowers." That's where the extra money comes from: It's interest you earn back from the companies you invested in.

What makes investing so potentially lucrative is the concept of COMPOUND INTEREST: the interest you make gets reinvested, and you make more interest on it, thus growing your investment much faster than if you only made interest on the amount of money you initially invested. That's why we recommend investing as a way to build wealth to secure your future.

And yes--all of this is risky! Depending on how the stocks in your portfolio perform, you could indeed lose money. But there are ways to mitigate those risks and invest with caution. The tl;dr of it all is to invest regularly in index funds with automatic deposits, sit back, and ignore your investments for the most part. We explain all of this in the link above.

Hope that helps, my dear! We're happy to answer any other investing questions you have.

So I did what I do best and found some books on it.

(There is a conversation to be had about how marketing dresses up financial literacy but thats another day)

Invest like a Girl by Jessica Spangler. This book helped to but the technical side into perspective. The numbers, investment ratios, and detailed descriptions of each type of investment.

Rich AF by Vivian Tu. This helped with the mindset aspect. It broke down the divide between us safe little squirrels and that annoying guy in my high school gov class who flaunted his investing and libertarian bs. Confidence BAY-BE

And this is the book that I gave to my poor bestie who never had any financial education in her life, Get Good with Money by Tiffany Aliche. It is like many of the beginner money self help books, but it has a compassion to it that doesnt feel overly girlboss. It forces the reader to connect with your emotions around money, much like the financial version of Marie Kondo

Final shout out to the book that got me into money.