• During my first pregnancy, I was set on only buying high-quality items and clothing for my baby.
• After I gave birth, I realized kids are messy, and it was impractical to always buy new clothing.
• I now shop secondhand and attend therapy to heal my inner child.

When I became pregnant with my first kid back in 2019, I was set on only buying new clothes for her. It had to be clothing made with the Earth in mind and of the highest quality — sustainably-sourced materials and 100% cotton.

My babylist consisted of pricey garments, mimicking that of any momfluencer's list of newborn must-haves, a point of pride for someone raised on welfare.

I wanted my daughter to have the life and childhood I couldn't have growing up, and I thought expensive clothing would give her just that. I was wrong.

Growing up, I knew that 'free' came with a price: shame

My mother was 16 and my father was 18 when they wed at the courthouse, and, a year later, they had me. Because of their lack of experience and education, we lived paycheck to paycheck and had regular appointments at Social Services or the Health Department.

On rare occasions — like my birthday, Easter, or Christmas — I received a new dress and "church" shoes. I would bathe in the outfit's new smell, floral patterns, and crisp fabrics, stealing away whiffs of the department store from whence they came and trying on the get-up in a full-length mirror.

As our family grew from three to seven, my siblings and I received less and less new clothing. I don't remember us complaining much, but I do remember thinking in adolescence how I'd start working as soon as I could, so that I could buy the clothes that I wanted without burdening my parents.

I started working at 14 at a Greek family restaurant across the street from my high school. After my first paycheck, I took myself to the mall and bought a brand new pair of jeans and a T-shirt that were on sale at Hollister.

From that point on, I became unstoppable, working up to four jobs at a time while I pursued undergraduate and graduate degrees. In 2009, I got married and moved away from home to earn a better living. Although it pained me to leave my family behind, I felt powerful knowing that I'd halted the cycle of poverty.

And when I had my kids, I wanted to assuage any mom guilt by keeping my kids out of poverty.

Becoming a mother opened old childhood wounds

When I became a mother at the height of COVID in Manhattan, I hadn't anticipated the dramatic shift in identity that I felt in postpartum. With every cry, feed, or wake of my baby, buried childhood wounds began to surface, and I realized that I could no longer ignore their existence. I had to confront them in order to be the mother that I wanted to be.

The standards I had set for my baby, my husband, and myself were too high. Over time, I quickly realized the impracticality of buying new clothes, new toys — new everything — for my daughter.

By her first birthday, my mindset had radically shifted. Kids are messy. They destroy their garments from daily play, so my own emotional need to purchase expensive clothing for my child became an absurd and unreasonable habit, particularly as a stay-at-home mother who was no longer an active contributor to our household income.

Painstakingly, I learned what I really needed to do was to work on healing my inner child. This actualization occurred after I gave birth to my second daughter, 20 months after I had my first. It was when I found myself home with two under 2 and what seemed like a never-ending factory line of rolling tasks that I did the hard work of finding the right therapist.

I allowed myself to buy used clothing for my kids

While I set out on my own healing journey, I started my search for gently used clothing and shoes at secondhand stores, just like my mom did when I was a kid.

I discovered local shops that carried the brands that I'd once gawked over via social media ads and began visiting these stores regularly. I'd often find pieces in my daughters' sizes (or a size or two above) at more than half the price of retail.

My daughters are now 3 and 5, and I still almost exclusively shop at these stores, and even encourage my children's grandparents to do the same.

Without a doubt, therapy has been pivotal in maintaining my emotional well-being and has helped me become a more clear-headed, less self-critical mother.

I've also learned that it's OK to alter the original plan. It doesn't mean that I'm a failure of a mother, and it doesn't mean that my mom was a failure either. It shows that I'm still learning and that my mom was making the best choices she could given her difficult situation.

The biggest day in motorsports gets started with the Monaco Grand Prix.

"I hope my story shows others that alternative lifestyles are possible, even with furry family members by your side," the 34-year-old told Newsweek.

Many of Israel's closest international allies have broken publicly with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government for its relentless pummeling of Gaza and freezing of desperately needed humanitarian aid.

Why it matters: Netanyahu had unprecedented international legitimacy to fight back against Hamas after the Oct. 7 attacks. But a gradual decline in support as the war dragged on has now turned into a diplomatic tsunami.

---

Driving the news: Netanyahu lost many of his remaining friends in the West, outside of the U.S., over the last two months after terminating a ceasefire in March and blocking all deliveries of food, water and medicine to Gaza.

• The pressure escalated sharply earlier this month when he launched an operation to reoccupy and flatten Gaza rather than accept a deal to free the hostages and end the war.
• President Trump and his top aides have signaled to Netanyahu that he should wind down the war and allow in aid, though Trump has mostly kept his concerns private. Several other leaders have gone public.

What they're saying: "We will not stand by while the Netanyahu Government pursues these egregious actions. If Israel does not cease the renewed military offensive and lift its restrictions on humanitarian aid, we will take further concrete actions in response," President Emmanuel Macron of France, Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada and Prime Minister Keir Starmer of the U.K. said in a joint statement on May 19.

• Netanyahu responded with fury, accusing the three in a video statement of doing Hamas' bidding. "They want Israel to stand down and accept that Hamas's army of mass murderers will survive, rebuild and repeat the October 7th massacre again and again and again because that's what Hamas has vowed to do."
• "I say to President Macron, Prime Minister Carney and Prime Minister Starmer: When mass murderers, rapists, baby killers and kidnappers thank you, you're on the wrong side of justice. You're on the wrong side of humanity and you're on the wrong side of history."

State of play: Israel's isolation is moving beyond mere rhetoric.

• The U.K. on Thursday announced it was suspending trade negotiations with Israel and imposed new sanctions Thursday against Israeli settlers involved in violent attacks against Palestinians.
• France is expected to co-host a conference with Saudi Arabia next month to push for a two-state solution, and is expected to formally recognize a Palestinian state.
• Spain already recognized a Palestinian state last year, along with Norway and Ireland, and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez last week labeled Israel a "genocidal state" and called for it to be banned from the Eurovision song contest.
• 17 of 27 EU foreign ministers backed a motion on Tuesday brought by the Netherlands, another key Israeli ally, to reconsider the bloc's trade and cooperation pact with Israel.

The other side: Netanyahu and his government have responded to the criticism by accusing European leaders of antisemitism and claiming they're caving to pressure from the Muslim minorities in their countries. But Israel also agreed to allow some aid into Gaza for the first time since March.

Behind the scenes: In a series of Security Council meetings back in March, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar warned Netanyahu that suspending humanitarian aid would not weaken Hamas, but would drive away Israel's allies.

• Eventually, Israel would have to cave and resume the aid under pressure, Sa'ar argued, according to a senior Israeli official.
• "This is exactly what happened. It was a huge mistake and was done mostly for domestic political considerations," the official said.

What to watch: While Trump seems to have cooled on his own plan to expel all 2 million Palestinians from Gaza to build a new "riviera," Netanyahu said last week for the first time that the war won't end until that plan is implemented.

• The Netanyahu government sees it as a green light for pursuing "voluntary migration" — a code name for mass displacement of the entire population first into a "humanitarian zone" in Gaza and the, ideally, abroad.
• If Israel follows through on that plan, which involves leveling virtually all of Gaza, it will almost certainly further isolate itself internationally.

• Russia's drone attacks have become more complex and difficult to defend against.
• A Ukrainian team leader overseeing a mobile air defense unit said the drones fly faster and higher.
• He said his unit needs shoulder-launched missiles in addition to the machine guns it has been using.

Russia's drone attacks are becoming increasingly complex, with enemy threats becoming harder to kill, the team leader for a Ukrainian mobile air defense unit told Business Insider. He said higher-reaching weapons are needed to beat them.

Oleksiy, the deputy commander of an air defense unit with Ukraine's Territorial Defense Forces, said Russia's drone tactics have changed over the last few months; it is now operating drones at higher altitudes and using modified ones that can fly faster. This presents a challenge for air defenders, particularly those armed only with pickup truck-mounted machine guns.

At the heart of Russia's drone attacks is the Shahed-136, an Iranian-designed weapon that Moscow now also produces at home. Historically, these one-way attack drones could fly at speeds of over 115 mph with a nearly 90-pound explosive warhead.

Though the Shaheds are slower and less lethal than cruise or ballistic missiles, they are significantly cheaper, allowing Russia to launch them in large-scale attacks. Last weekend, for instance, Moscow sent 273 of them into Ukraine, marking one of its largest drone attacks since Russia launched its full-scale invasion over three years ago.

Oleksiy, whose unit is tasked with protecting civilians and critical infrastructure on the outskirts of Kyiv, said that Russia still operates the conventional Shaheds. But Moscow is now using a modified version with an engine that enables it to travel at speeds of over 180 mph. It has also increased the explosive payloads of the old and new drones to more than double the original.

Russia is using decoy drones, too. These don't have warheads but are designed to exhaust Ukraine's air defenses because they look convincing, appearing just as deadly as the real thing. And while they are unarmed, these drones can perform long-distance reconnaissance missions.

Russia used to launch its Shaheds at low altitudes to avoid radar detection. However, it is now flying the drones higher, at over 8,000 feet — beyond the reach of the machine guns that the mobile units are using. BI previously observed Oleksiy's unit fielding a .50 caliber M2 Browning mounted in the bed of a truck.

Oleksiy said that this newer tactic makes the Shaheds inaccessible to mobile fire groups like his — all they can do is observe them and report back. These loitering munitions can then gather in a specific area and simultaneously strike targets. He said that while the Ukrainians can still shoot them down, the kill figures "have begun to decrease."

Russia's defense ministry and its embassy in the US did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the change in tactics described to BI.

In a February intelligence update, Britain's defense ministry wrote that Russia could likely launch at least 2,000 drones each month for the entire year. On Saturday night alone, it attacked Ukraine with almost 300 drones, Kyiv said.

"To overcome this altitude barrier and stably engage drones with firepower, mobile groups need to use additional weapons," like shoulder-launched surface-to-air missiles, or MANPADS, Oleksiy said.

MANPADS stands for Man-Portable Air Defense Systems. In Ukraine, common examples are the American-made FIM-92 Stinger or Soviet-era 9K38 Igla. These are typically used to shoot down threats like low-flying aircraft, such as helicopters, and even cruise missiles.

"Right now, there is a shortage of inexpensive, hand-held MANPADS systems to shoot down drones," Oleksiy explained. "The military is ready to undergo a rapid course in MANPADS operation and use this means of destruction when it is impossible to do so with machine guns."

He said that a combined-arms approach to destroying drones, like using portable missile launchers in tandem with machine guns, would strengthen Ukraine's ability to defend itself.

"If our unit were additionally equipped with a manual MANPADS," he said, "the effectiveness of destroying air targets would increase by twofold."

The Trump administration's vision for a U.S. manufacturing renaissance includes highly automated factories and a more efficient American workforce — all of which will still require tons of foreign robots.

Why it matters: The administration is trying to fix decades of disinvestment in domestic manufacturing, but can't, for now, without relying on foreign companies to supply the advanced robotics needed to catch up with the rest of the world.

---

The big picture: Re-shoring U.S. manufacturing is deemed critical to national and economic security.

• But labor shortages and pressure from lower-cost competitors mean those factories will need to be more automated than ever. Automation is no longer a luxury, it's a necessity.
• "This is how you compete today," Jeff Burnstein, president of the Association for Advancing Automation, tells Axios. "You have to take advantage of the best tools available."

Where it stands: Trump has pushed hard on carmakers in particular to build domestically. The U.S. auto industry is already highly automated, ranking fifth in the ratio of robots to factory workers (tied with Japan and Germany and ahead of China), according to International Federation of Robotics data.

• While other industries like pharmaceuticals, agriculture and logistics are rapidly adding automation, the U.S. lags behind other nations in non-auto sectors.

Yes, but: The majority of industrial robots used in America are imported.

• Japan, China, Germany and South Korea produce 70 percent of the world's robots, according to IFR.
• Swiss giant ABB says it is the only major global robot company with a U.S. manufacturing base. About 75% of the robots it sells in the U.S. are built in Michigan.
• Others like Fanuc and Kuka manufacture most of their robots overseas, then ship them to the U.S. for final assembly and testing. (Fanuc does export some paint robots from the U.S., however.)
• U.S.-based robot system integrators then install the automation systems in American factories.

Flashback: The U.S. used to dominate the robotics industry in the 1960s, starting with the world's first industrial robot installed at a General Motors plant in 1961.

• Union resistance, along with a lack of investment or government support, left an opening for Japan, which by the late 1960s saw robotics as a growth strategy. European companies soon followed.

Now, Chinese robot manufacturers are growing rapidly, in part because China's government has made robotics—including humanoid robots—a strategic priority under its Made in China 2025 initiative.

What they're saying: White House officials acknowledge that reshoring manufacturing will require significant upfront investment in fixed equipment like robots, but insist those cost pressures will ease with tax incentives in the budget that just passed the House.

• As to the reliance on foreign suppliers, a White House official said "our efforts to reshore manufacturing that's critical to national and economic security directly address this."

What's next: Many U.S. companies are developing futuristic factory-focused robots, particularly in humanoid form factors, including Agility, Apptronik, Figure and Tesla.

• "It's another chance for the U.S. to lead," says Burnstein, whose organization is calling for a national robotics policy similar to China's.
• Morgan Stanley predicts a $5 billion humanoid market by 2050, but the future is no substitute for demand now.

• Fashion missteps have been notable at major events in 2025, like the Cannes Film Festival.
• Jamie Lee Curtis, for example, wore too many feathers at this year's SAG Awards.
• Alexander Skarsgård, on the other hand, wore a strange pair of boots in Cannes.

We need to talk about the red-carpet duds of 2025.

Sure, we're only five months into this year, but there have been plenty of fashion mistakes at major events so far.

Jamie Lee Curtis, for example, pushed feathers to their limit at the SAG Awards, and Alexander Skarsgård wore a truly ridiculous pair of boots in Cannes.

Sadly, they're not alone. Here's a look at those outfits and other style moments that disappointed in 2025.

• Norwegian Cruise Line's latest ship, Norwegian Aqua, is great for both families and lone cruisers.
• The ship has 93 single-person cabins and plenty of solo-friendly amenities.
• The cruise line has been championing the solo cruise boom.

Sailing alone on a giant cruise ship doesn't have to feel like a socially isolating act of family vacation defiance.

In fact, Norwegian's latest vessel wants you to go solo.

The 4,482-guest Norwegian Aqua prides itself on being a floating resort for families to lounge together, be it the daybeds littered over the infinity pools or the plush group seating near the Metropolitan bar's live pianist.

However, if you look closely, you'll notice there are as many options — if not more — for people going alone.

After all, the adrenaline-pumping 10-floor dry slide can only accommodate one rider at a time.

Map Shows Most, Least Expensive Cities for Fast Food

Blakelyn was handed the notebook by an aunt. She shared the contents hoping it would remind viewers to be "thankful" for what they have in life.

Top plastic surgeons reveal the cosmetic procedures they would never get—and the risks patients often overlook.

• This post originally appeared in the BI Today newsletter.
• You can sign up for Business Insider's daily newsletter here.

Welcome back to our Sunday edition, where we round up some of our top stories and take you inside our newsroom. This week, BI's Polly Thompson took an inside look at how artificial intelligence is set to upend a pillar of the white-collar world: the Big Four.

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On the agenda today:

• Many millennials face a cursed inheritance with their parents' homes.
• Internal memos reveal how an ex-Facebook exec leads Microsoft's new AI unit.
• Losing faith in the ROI of college, Gen Z is pivoting to blue-collar jobs.
• Wall Street bigwigs are questioning the safety of government bonds. Now what?

But first: Tesla's robotaxis are taking the wheel.

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If this was forwarded to you, sign up here. Download Business Insider's app here.

---

This week's dispatch

Tesla's big bet

I remain in awe of self-driving cars.

I took my first Waymo earlier this year in San Francisco. Like any newbie, I immediately pulled out my phone, recorded the ride, and then gleefully shared videos with friends and family.

The market for robotaxis is well beyond the shock and awe phase. For Tesla, the stakes are high to get it right.

The EV maker's long-awaited autonomous ride-hailing service is expected to debut next month in Austin. It will join Waymo, owned by Google's parent company Alphabet, which is already entrenched in San Francisco and expanding into other cities.

My BI colleagues Lloyd Lee and Alistair Barr tried to see which company offers the better self-driving experience: Tesla or Waymo. They test drove both, expecting the results of their not-so-scientific test to come down to minute details. (They couldn't compare the robotaxi services because Tesla hasn't launched its yet).

The results surprised them.

While the rides were mostly similar, the differentiator was Tesla running a red light at a complex intersection. It was an error too big to overlook. Waymo won the test.

Lloyd and Alistair's story ricocheted around the internet and social media. On Tuesday, CNBC's David Faber pressed Tesla CEO Elon Musk about it, particularly the Tesla running a red light.

Musk didn't address specific details in BI's reporting. Instead, he said Tesla's robotaxis will be "geo-fenced" — meaning they will avoid some intersections and certain parts of Austin.

Waymo already uses geo-fencing. Its car avoided the intersection where the Tesla ran the red light, instead taking a route that was farther away and less time-efficient but perhaps safer to navigate, according to the BI story.

Tesla's robotaxi plans come at a critical time for a brand that's taken a hit from Musk's work with the Trump administration. Overseas competition is also ramping up, and prices for used Teslas, including Cybertrucks, are falling.

The excitement around the robotaxis is helping, though. Tesla's stock has risen about 40% since Musk talked up the robotaxi last month and signaled he was re-committing to Tesla and stepping back from DOGE.

We'll stay all over this coverage for you, including the big debut.

---

The new millennial home dilemma

Millennials are set to benefit from a massive wealth transfer from their boomer parents, most of which is held up in real estate.

But because boomers tend to stay in their homes for decades, many children will inherit properties in need of some serious TLC.

There's an entire industry designed to help.

---

Microsoft's "age of AI agents"

CEO Satya Nadella recently tapped Jay Parikh, formerly Facebook's global head of engineering, to spearhead Microsoft's new AI unit, CoreAI. BI viewed internal memos to get a glimpse of Parikh's vision and progress.

Parikh is focusing on cultural shifts, operational improvements, and customer experience as he leads Microsoft into a new era.

He has plans for an AI "agent factory."

---

From PowerPoint to plumbing

AI is decimating jobs, and the cost of college is ever-rising. Gen Zers are losing faith in the ROI of a degree, but they've got another option: the trades.

White-collar jobs are stagnating, but fields like plumbing, construction, and electrical work are projected to grow. Blue-collar jobs offer a work-life balance and a path to becoming your own boss.

Plus, some of them pay six figures.

---

The shaky bond market

Bonds have always been viewed as a safe haven, especially ones backed by the US government. But concerns over the growing deficit are changing investors' perspective on the asset.

KKR has cast doubt over bonds, and JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon has been vocal about US credit being a "bad risk." Here's what investors have to think about amid the turmoil.

Not so safe and sound.

Also read:

• Return of the "bond vigilantes": Spiking yields show investors are getting worried about government debt
• Forget "Sell America": Morgan Stanley makes the case for US stocks and bonds to dominate global markets

---

This week's quote:

"But if you want one of these jobs, you've got to play the game."

— A recent graduate who moved to New York City early to be in a good position for the private-equity recruiting process.

---

More of this week's top reads:

• Duolingo drama underscores the new corporate balancing act on AI hype.
• Elon Musk went on a media blitz. Here are five takeaways from his interviews.
• See inside the luxurious Boeing 747 Qatar is giving to Trump to serve as Air Force One.
• Instagram head Adam Mosseri on the "paradigm shift" from posting in public to sharing in private.
• Four reasons Walmart is raising prices and Home Depot isn't.
• Please, Jony Ive, I beg you not to make a voice device.
• Meet the Yale student and hacker moonlighting as a cybersecurity watchdog.
• Inside the little-known perks that come from a stock exchange "bake-off."

• Why these Americans agree with the DOGE firings: "Welcome to the real world."

  ---

  The BI Today team: Dan DeFrancesco, deputy editor and anchor, in New York. Grace Lett, editor, in Chicago. Amanda Yen, associate editor, in New York. Lisa Ryan, executive editor, in New York. Elizabeth Casolo, fellow, in Chicago.

• North Korea has detained three officials following a failed warship launch, state media reported.
• The ship was partially "crushed" after attempting to launch earlier this week.
• Satellite images showed the capsized destroyer covered by blue tarps at North Korea's Chongjin port.

North Korea has detained three shipyard officials following a failed warship launch that saw a new 5,000-ton destroyer partially "crushed" at the northern port of Chongjin on Wednesday, state media reported.

Pyongyang's KCNA news agency said an investigation into the incident was intensifying and that Chongjin shipyard's chief engineer, the head of the hull construction, and the deputy manager for administrative affairs had been detained by law enforcement.

The agency had reported on Thursday that a "serious accident" took place during a launch ceremony for the ship, which is believed to be from the Choe Hyon class of destroyers.

The problem was said to have occurred after a loss of balance while the ship was being launched, with KCNA also blaming "inexperienced command and operational carelessness."

Satellite images of the Chongjin port taken after the incident showed the destroyer on its side and covered in blue tarps, still partially resting on the pier.

KCNA said Thursday that some parts of the warship's bottom had been "crushed" in the incident.

In an update Friday, it said that no holes had been identified on the ship's bottom but that "the hull starboard was scratched and a certain amount of seawater flowed into the stern section." On Sunday, the agency reported that no additional damage to the warship had been found.

North Korea's supreme leader Kim Jong Un called the failed launch a "criminal act caused by absolute carelessness, irresponsibility and unscientific empiricism," per KCNA.

He added that those responsible for the error would need to be "dealt with" at a party meeting next month.

• Mike Nay bought his first claw machine during the pandemic to pass the time.
• Once he had the strategy down and arcades reopened, he was winning hundreds of plushies.
• He learned that he could make a profit from reselling them and has earned over $40,000 in sales, so far.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Mike Nay, a claw machine expert and plush reseller. It has been edited for length and clarity.

What started as a pandemic hobby — messing around with a couple of claw machines I bought online — turned into a side hustle that's earned me over $40,000 in sales, so far.

I source exclusive plush toys from arcade claw machines and resell them online through platforms like Mercari, eBay, and Poshmark.

I sell between three and five plush dolls per day, averaging $20 per sale. However, I've sold more exclusive, collectible plushies for as much as $200.

How I got started, and where the money is

When I first got into claw machines, I wasn't thinking about revenue. I just wanted a fun distraction during lockdown.

I bought my first claw machine from Alibaba for around $800, filled it with plush toys I won at arcades, and started learning all the tricks.

People assume claw machines are all rigged or based on chance, but there's real strategy involved. I study the geometry of the plush, where it's positioned, the weight distribution, and the claw type. Each machine has different settings — operators can control the claw's grip strength and how often it actually pays out.

Once lockdown restrictions lifted, I was back in the arcade, winning dozens of plushies that were taking up a lot of my shelf space. That's around the time I realized there was a lot of good resale value for these toys.

At first, I listed a few on Mercari, which sold within hours. Once I noticed consistent demand, especially for Japan-exclusive plushies, I started to ramp up my sales.

I've sold over 3,000 plush toys. Most costs me between $3 and $7 to win at arcades in chains like Round1 and Dave & Buster's. If I sell that item for $15 to $25, the ROI is significant, especially when I can win several in a single session.

My average arcade session costs between $150 and $200

I usually walk into an arcade with $150 to $200 in arcade credits and come out with two large laundry bags full of toys. If the machines are paying out well, that haul can net me between $300 and $500 in resale value.

On great days, I'll invest $400 to $500 in credits and earn between $1,000 and $1,500 in sales.

I've trained myself to identify machines that are likely to pay out quickly. That way, I don't waste money on poor setups or high-difficulty wins.

I don't typically pursue machines with a one-in-30 win ratio. I target the ones where I can usually scoop a prize in under five tries.

I run market research like any online seller

Before I head to the arcade, I check sold listings on eBay and Mercari to see what's trending. I follow other plush resellers online and stay active in Reddit communities where fans post about new arcade drops.

Some plushies — like Round1 exclusives or limited-edition anime collabs — are highly collectible. I also closely track plush with cultural relevance, like any anime that has a new popular movie coming out. When I see those in machines, I'll spend more aggressively to grab them, because I know they'll move fast online.

I treat my inventory like a retail business

At home, I have a dedicated room, which I call the ar-cave (short for arcade-cave), where I have about 500 plushies that I've sorted in plastic bags by category: Pokémon, anime, holiday, video game, Squishmallows, etc.

I also donate excess inventory to charities, especially around the holidays. If I win 10 plush in one session and can only sell six, I'll donate the rest. I've donated over 1,000 toys. It's good for the community and helps manage space.

My long-term goal is to open a claw machine arcade

The business has grown beyond what I expected. Between selling plush, running a TikTok channel called "ArcadeFriends," and getting recognized at arcades, this is now a meaningful part of my life and income.

Eventually, I want to open my own arcade and stock it with curated plushies I know people love. I'll also set the machines so people can actually win.

Until then, I'll keep running my plush side hustle, one claw at a time.

Do you have a story to share about profitable side hustles? Contact the editor at [email protected].

This story was adapted from Mike Nay's interview for Business Insider's series, "Big Business." Learn more about Nay and others' toy businesses in the video below:

"We want to know who those foreign students are, a reasonable request since we give Harvard BILLIONS OF DOLLARS," Trump said on Truth Social.

Hints referencing the Wizard of Oz and Frank been dropping on social media, leading fans to think the artist might finally be releasing a third album,

• Taylor Swift wrapped her $2 billion Eras Tour last year and is taking a break between album releases.
• Critics and Swifties alike have questioned her hiatus, fueling work-life balance debates.
• President Donald Trump even recently said Taylor Swift is "no longer 'hot,'" meaning popular.

Last month, I was browsing a newsstand's magazine selection when the headline on an Us Weekly cover featuring Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce embracing made me laugh out loud: "Why Did They Disappear?"

I sent a photo of the cover to my friend, a fellow Swiftie, with a snarky caption: "No one can take time off anymore without getting pinged."

The explanations for the couple's low profile seemed so obvious: Kelce is a football player in the NFL's offseason, while last year, Swift released her 11th blockbuster album, "The Tortured Poets Department," and wrapped the cross-continental Eras Tour that grossed over $2 billion. One would think that would set her up nicely for a worry-free vacation, even in this economy.

Instead, Swifties are documenting each day that passes without a new Instagram post (163 as of writing) like Tom Hanks carving tally marks in "Cast Away." This week, Swift simply liking a post on TikTok was framed as a major development and "social media comeback." Meanwhile, WNBA star Caitlin Clark — who has publicly hung out with Swift exactly once — was asked to account for the singer's low profile. (Clark replied that Swift and Kelce are in "vacation mode.") Even President Donald Trump got in on the action, proudly suggesting on Truth Social on May 16 that his previous post about hating Swift was the reason she is "no longer HOT."

The point I'd first made as a joke was starting to feel more literal. Could the public's attitude toward Swift and Kelce's brief, deserved retreat from the spotlight be a canary in the coal mine? Is the era of protecting work-life balance already over?

Taylor Swift is famously hard-working — but fans are still demanding more

In the past few years, corporate workers have proudly extolled the benefits of "quiet quitting," "gentle Fridays," and leaving six-figure tech jobs due to burnout. Meanwhile, Gen Z has led the charge in asserting their right to use allocated vacation and sick days without fear of being perceived as lazy or undedicated.

Swift — a self-described proud millennial, for the record — aligns more closely with the baby-boomer ethos. In a song from her latest album, she sings, "I cry a lot but I am so productive / It's an art." Those are not the words of a woman taking spontaneous mental health days. In fact, Swift is renowned for rarely canceling her concerts as long as she can avoid it, often performing in extreme heat or pouring rain.

One might assume that in 2025, Swifties would celebrate their idol finally taking a break after spending hundreds of hours onstage over the past two years. Instead, speculation about when Swift's next album might arrive intensifies by the day. As many pop-culture update accounts have noted, this is Swift's longest online hiatus since 2017, when she withdrew from the public eye ahead of releasing "Reputation." On April 26, a fan wrote on X, "4 months without the eras tour and taylor is nowhere to be found," paired with a gif of a hospital patient collapsing.

Us Weekly isn't the only publication demanding answers about Swift and Kelce's not-so-mysterious "hiatus." Page Six published the headline, "Why Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce have suddenly disappeared from the limelight." The tabloid is also running live updates about the singer's supposed movements, mostly fueled by anonymous sources and X posts from Taylor Nation, the social media arm of her PR team.

Sure, Swift is a billionaire who has little in common with most Americans. But the thrust of these demands — for output, for accountability, for toothless cooperation with the hand that feeds — feels familiar.

Elon Musk, who led the newly created Department of Government Efficiency for the first three months of Trump's second term, has dominated news cycles with surprise firings, 120-hour workweeks, and mandatory 9 p.m. all-hands meetings. (Musk has said he's still involved with DOGE on a reduced basis.) Tesla employees — and any federal workers who have been caught in Musk's crosshairs — are implicitly required to be logged on and locked in.

Musk isn't alone in this mindset. In recent months, many companies have implemented strict return-to-office mandates and other structural changes that, until recently, would have been criticized as too micro-manage-y.

Under these conditions, with men like Musk and Trump setting the national tone and anxieties about staying employed reaching new highs, it's no wonder why any time spent off the clock feels like a bubble under constant threat of popping — whether by a magazine cover questioning your disappearance or a Saturday email from HR asking for an itemized list of what you accomplished last week.

It's ironic, though, that just last year, Swift was chastised by critics for her hyper-productivity: Releasing a 31-track album in the midst of the Eras Tour led some to decry her business tactics as excessive, greedy, and overdone. Now, after a comparatively brief stretch of laying low and playing it cool, the script has flipped. But after two decades of extreme scrutiny, Swift is well acquainted with this tightrope walk. As she sings to open her 10th studio album, "I'm damned if I do, give a damn what people say."

Illegal crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border have plummeted, but the president is yet to do a victory tour.

Bobby's parents, Cheri and Bob, told Newsweek that the changes since he moved to the tiny house have been "monumental."

• For my 40th birthday, my family and I traveled New Zealand's South Island in an RV.
• We went for eight nights and had an absolute blast.
• Though the RV itself was expensive, we found other ways to save money along the way.

With its stunning mountains, picturesque lakes, and star-filled skies, New Zealand's South Island is truly spectacular. My family of five recently traveled there and hit the road in an RV for eight nights to celebrate my 40th birthday and make some epic memories together.

Renting an RV proved to be a popular way to see the island, but it was also a pretty expensive way to travel. However, we did enjoy the convenience of having our accommodation, transport, and cooking facilities all in one.

We spent money on the RV itself

The RV cost us 3572 New Zealand Dollars (with the insurance factored in) for eight nights, about $2115, which is just over NZ$446 a night.

In addition, we paid for powered sites at caravan parks at least every second night so that we could access electricity for the portable heater and refill our water supply. Powered sites ranged in price from NZD$50 to NZD$110.

So, all in all, we spent up to NZ$556 a day on the RV alone, plus what we spent on fuel, which was more expensive than back home in Australia, where we live. The RV company also charged a mileage fee at the end of the trip, which worked out to be about NZD$170.

We didn't mind spending money on certain experiences

You can't go to the South Island and not see those iconic sites it's famous for. We splurged on experiences like boating around the fjords of Milford Sound, venturing into the Te Anau Glowworm Caves, and stargazing in Lake Takapō.

These experiences weren't cheap, especially for a family of five. But I felt like spending the money was totally worth it, because they were experiences we couldn't have elsewhere.

We also shelled out for treats along the way

We have three kids under 10 who love treats, so we definitely indulged on the trip. Often, we'd cook our main meals in the RV to save money, then have a treat out and about.

On our way north, we discovered an award-winning artisan ice cream shop in Arrowtown called Patagonia Chocolates, and on the return leg to Queenstown, we went back for seconds. There was also a quaint store full of treats in Arrowtown, the Remarkable Sweet Shop, and we spent far too much money on sugary delights.

However, we made sure to save by keeping groceries in the RV

We couldn't get over the cost of groceries in the center of Queenstown. It was outlandish compared to Australian prices. When we picked up our RV, I asked our taxi driver where to shop, and he recommended a low-price store called Pak'nSave. The prices were much more in line with our budget, and we stocked up for the week.

The office of the campground where we were staying in Queenstown also had a free community shelf where other travelers had left staples like salt, pepper, coffee, and so forth. We took what we needed and donated our leftover supplies at the end. It was a great system.

Living in an RV with a small fridge meant we had to be smart about our food storage and cooking. I planned out our meals in advance and made sure ingredients could be used in multiple dishes, which also saved money.

We also entertained ourselves for free in the great outdoors

New Zealand is the perfect place to immerse yourself in nature. A lot of our itinerary was about hikes and wholesome outdoor fun.

Highlights included the walk up Queenstown Hill for panoramic views of the area, watching sunsets on Lake Wakatipu, rock collecting with the kids, and hiking around Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park.

My absolute favorite experience was climbing Roy's Peak, near Wānaka, with my 9-year-old son. It was a challenging hike of roughly 10 miles, but the sweeping views at the top were spectacular.

We spent some time 'freedom camping'

Because the powered campsites cost up to NZD$110, we also saved money by "freedom camping" whenever we could, which is a kind of camping where you're allowed to stay on public land without paying a fee. However, there are specific rules for camping this way — for example, you must be in a self-contained vehicle with a toilet, wastewater tank, and trash facilities.

My favorite spot we did this was Lake Pukaki. We arrived at night and had the most spectacular view of the Milky Way. Then, we woke up surrounded by snow-covered mountains and a lake glistening in the sunlight. It was absolutely magical.

Overall, I loved the experience of traveling in an RV and would highly recommend it if your budget allows for it. The kids had a ball, and we made lasting memories that we will cherish forever.