Aesop’s Fable: The Ant and The Grasshopper

June 4, 2010 in Saving with 2 Comments

My daughter's class prepared PowerPoint presentations about bugs, and her teacher sent them to the parents. They are incredibly well down. Can you imagine - in 4th grade, the students are preparing presentations and actually presenting them - talk about leadership development!!! Anyway, I was looking at them and came across one about grasshoppers. The students put Aesop's fable, The Ant and The Grasshopper, at the beginning. It's connection to financial management is astounding. Here is the text. In a field one summer's day a Grasshopper was hopping about, chirping and singing to its heart's content. An Ant passed by, bearing along with great toil an ear of corn he was taking to the nest. "Why not come and chat with me," said the Grasshopper, "instead of toiling and moiling in that way?" "I am helping to lay up food for the winter," said the Ant, "and recommend you to do the same." "Why bother about winter?" said the Grasshopper; we have got plenty of food at present." But the Ant went on its way and continued its toil. When the winter came the Grasshopper had no food and found itself dying of hunger, while it saw the ants distributing every day corn and grain from the stores they had collected in the summer. Then the Grasshopper knew: It is best to prepare for the days of necessity. - Aesop's Fable Here are I Was Broke. Now I'm Not., we call "winter" the "Known Upcoming Slumps" - times where we KNOW that we are going to encounter reduced income or increased expenses. Question of the day: Financially, are you the Grasshopper or the Ant? Reminds me of the statement, "Everything I needed to know about life, I learned in Kindergarten." Read recent posts

2 Responses to “Aesop’s Fable: The Ant and The Grasshopper”

Moneymonk June 4, 2010 at 7:15 am #

The “Ant” all the way!
Travis June 4, 2010 at 7:43 am #

The ant with budgeted periods of grasshopper….. Nothing wrong with enjoying a portion of the summer if done with purpose and intention. But not if it Means you will starve in the lean periods.