text:
If you were expecting the Falcons to jump out of the gates and be big spenders like the Dolphins, Rams, and Browns you were sorely disappointed with the start of the Free Agency Frenzy. Even though Dimitroff made a few quick strikes back in his early years for Michael Turner in 2008 and 2010 for Dunta Robinson, that hasn't happened in a few years. It's no secret that the teams that are perennial contenders rarely make huge signings on the first day, or even the first few weeks. By and large, the contracts that are signed on the first few hours of free agency are usually highly inflated. Mike Wallace signed a $60 million deal for 5 years and Paul Kruger inked a 5 year deal worth $40 million. This is not to say that they aren't excellent players, but are they really worth that price? There was initial talk that the Falcons were pursuing running back Steven Jackson and a deal may be imminent, but that tapered off to being between the Falcons and the Packers, neither who will engage in a bidding war. There was a report that the Falcons had some interest in Richard Seymour and some even mentioned Rashard Mendenhall, even though the latter had no credible reporting. This free agency period started like most of them have in recent memory: not much. The Falcons found out that Tony Gonzalez is coming back for one more year and they re-signed left tackle Sam Baker as well. There was a thought that the Falcons also kept Brent Grimes on a one year deal, but that turned out to be a misunderstanding. The Falcons have done what good teams do: keep your own good draft picks, don't get sucked up in the hype, and be methodical about bringing in players after the rush has passed. A look at what the team at Flowery Branch has done thus far:
Re-signed; 5 years / $32 million / $14 mill guaranteed
Moore was the biggest name of the class and was coming off a Pro Bowl season. Some fans were fearful that he might strike it rich somewhere else, but just as he always does, GM Thomas Dimitroff kept the players he wants to keep at a very fair price. Yet one more example of the Falcons GM being extremely fair and balanced in his negotiations, which is one main reason the players enjoy playing in Atlanta so much. Moore was paid about what he worth. It could be argued that he was slightly overpaid due to his injury history, but sometimes that turns out to be the case when you want to keep one of your franchise players coming off a great season. It's literally a win-win-win: the Falcons keep one of their own drafted franchise players, Moore gets a very good deal, and the fans get to see Moore likely finish his career in Atlanta.
Negotiating Contract; Rumored close to $6 million This one probably didn't have very much to do with the front office and more with Gonzalez making his decision. However, it can't be minimized what difference the heavy recruitment likely made by Dimitroff, Smith, and Blank. No one knows the exact details of the one year contract, but it's rumored to be somewhere close to what he was paid last year ($5.9 million). The rewards are obvious on the surface: the offense has it's full array of offensive weapons in Gonzalez, Roddy White, and Julio Jones, not to mention a likely more effective running game. But there's also added benefits as well. #88 just gave Dimitroff a huge amount of flexibility for this off-season. He doesn't have to press and try to find a replacement at tight end. Even though that would be an effort in futility, there has to be some type of long-term answer to take over when he does finally retire.
That flexibility can enable Dimitroff to see if Chase Coffman may actually be a legit replacement for the future, while also developing Michael Palmer and any potential draft pick. It also allows him to focus mostly all on the defensive side of the ball in one draft, the way he did in 2009 (even though it wasn't the most fruitful of picks besides Moore). He can also keep an eye on running backs and tight ends, if he chooses to. If he doesn't he could always put off taking a TE for one more year. Like Moore, a win across the board.
Re-signed; 6 years / $41.5 million / $18.25 mill guaranteed The signing was announced late on the first night of free agency and it was universally a popular decision among most fans. Then they saw the numbers. Many were ready to grab the pitchforks and head up to Flowery Branch when details were first released. 6 years for almost $42 million for oft-injured Sam Baker, how could they overpay that much for a left tackle that has been good, but not the most consistent? When everyone calmed down and took a look at the guaranteed money, it started to make a whole lot of sense for everyone involved.
The deal itself looks really big, both by the sheer number and amount of years, ,but a closer examination reveals it to be something entirely different. The guaranteed money is what's important. If the Falcons get 3 more good years out of Baker, then it would average out closer to $6 million per year and they would no longer owe him anything (the dreaded dead money). If Baker stays at LT for four years, it turns out to be a magnificent deal. Baker would be 32, having completed 4 out of 6 years of his deal and received all his guaranteed money and likely more. But if the Falcons went another direction, the deal would have averaged out to $4.5 million a year for a very solid left tackle. The last two years will be up to Baker to prove his worth and earn the remainder of the contract. Finally, the Falcons are starting to shore up an area that has been a major sore spot and position of angst for a long time.
Re-signed; 2 years / $3.4 million / $500k signing bonus It may not have been the flashiest of deals or the most exciting, but this was a superb deal on all levels. Reynolds has had his own ups and downs in his career, but most recently did very well before he was injured and put on the IR. The former Tar Heel is likely the lead candidate right now to take back over his right guard starting spot with the news that Todd McClure has decided to retire. In all likelihood, Peter Konz will slide to center and the right guard will be the only position that's unsettled heading into 2013.
He will surely see competition for the spot, perhaps from Mike Johnson, Joe Hawley, practice squad candidates Phiilipkeith Manley and Jacques McClendon, a new draft pick, or even tackle Lamar Holmes. But Reynolds has faced competition two years in a row for the spot and has won it both times. Will there be a 3rd? If nothing else, this is a very low risk and potentially very high reward signing, including the fact that Reynolds adds amazing versatility in terms of depth all across the offensive line. Who thought we'd ever hear that statement as Falcons fans.
Age: 29 (30 soon); 3 years / $12 million / $4 million guaranteed__
2012 Career Stats: 1,042 rush yds; 4.1 YPC; 4 TDs; 321 rcv, 0 TDs__
Many Falcons fans were heading for a depression seeing all the teams in the NFC get better and better with each passing signing. Even though we're all level-headed and know that our GM has a plan, it was still agonizing seeing these teams in the playoffs going out and improving their team in some form or fashion. Then happiness came swarming in: news broke that Steven Jackson had agreed to terms with the Atlanta Falcons on a 3 year deal.
The Falcons just inked one of the best backs of the decade (and potentially all-time) on an extremely reasonable deal. Is he the Jackson of old? No. But in case you forgot, the Falcons already have a few offensive weapons on their own. Jackson comes to Atlanta wanting to the "bell cow" as he mentioned a few days ago, but he doesn't have to be. He has a ton of colleagues more than ready to help him out. With Gonzalez coming back, it's hard not to be happy reciting the following: Matt Ryan, Julio Jones, Roddy White, Tony Gonzalez, and now Steven Jackson. Talk about pick your poison. This lineup seems more like something you'd cheat on Madden with. Yes, it's true that this does nothing to help the defense, but in a way it slightly does. Now the Falcons can focus purely on the defensive side of the ball in the draft. Having Gonzalez coming back and inking Jackson eliminates two holes in a big way this year. It's true it's not long term, but running back and tight end don't have to be addressed until later in the draft or even at all.
Jackson helps in a number of ways, and the biggest one of all might be to have every single play available when he's on the field. Michael Turner was a great Falcon, but most defenses knew he wasn't a threat in the passing game. Jacquizz Rodgers had a great 2nd year, but found it tough to always find success between the tackles. Jackson can do it all. The cherry on top is the contract. The Falcons got a steal with Jackson accepting a 3 year / $12 million deal with only $4 million guaranteed. And disregard all the production on the field, Dimitroff and Smith got an absolute perfect guy to add to the locker room and the community. Yes, the defense is a trainwreck and yes the offensive line's not the best in the world, but Jackson simply makes everyone's job way easier. A big welcome to Atlanta Steven Jackson! You just made a ton of Falcons fans very, very happy.
More to come very soon, including:
Retired: Todd McClure
Gone: Lawrence Sidbury, Dunta Robinson
Still Unsigned Falcons: Chris Owens, Vance Walker, Mike Cox, Brent Grimes
Still Available:
March 14th, 2013
11:49 am
If sounds to me Falcons are going the cheap route is stead of over paying a big name which is fine my guess is the Falcons are going to fill there holes in the draft .
March 14th, 2013
11:50 am
Can't wait to see what's next. TD always has a plan!
March 14th, 2013
11:52 am
To Ryan: I wouldn't say cheap route, but prudent route. I can see Abe coming back and Falcons drafting a DE with the first pick. What worries me is CB right now.
March 14th, 2013
12:06 pm
"going cheap", knowing when to part with aging/underperforming vets is a major aspect of the "Patriot Way" and seems to work pretty well. It doesn't sit well with we fans but as "the G" said earlier it IS the prudent way to proceed under a tight cap….
March 14th, 2013
12:08 pm
Of course if they sign Abe and not Grimes and cannot sign a decent CB (not sure if any are out there), they may go after a CB with the first pick. Always thought Grimes would not fit in Nolan's scheme. Might be why they haven't signed Jackson; they're waiting on what happens with a CB.
March 14th, 2013
12:12 pm
So we are down starting RB (replaceable but what are we waiting on),DE(our whole pass rush),CB(Still have Grimes I know but hes still a question mark at this point, C (Konz yeah but that creates a hole unless we rely on Joe Hawley)and have no blocking TE, weak middle LBs/backup DEs. I realize we had a great team this year but with a more difficult schedule combined with some of those close games not going our way could make for a huge let down season if we do not reload some of these positions. Yes, TD always has a plan but we are sitting back waiting on better deals while the Seahawks are taking advantage. Avril for around 7.5 a year. That sounds a deal we could have made to me. We need to restsructure Ryan ASAP and grab some guys before there is no more shopping left to do!
March 14th, 2013
12:15 pm
Didn't hear about Avril. I was holding out hope to sign him.
March 14th, 2013
12:21 pm
The Grimes situation is very interesting. Dunta is already signed elsewhere and Sidbury has also. Abe has visted several teams but not signed yet. I haven't heard a word on Grimes. Is there any outside interests at all? How can he work out for a team, if one were interested, with a gimpy leg? Do we even want to keep him with a gimpy leg? Will he be able to play if we keep him? Way too many questions with no answers.
I would have thought that if we were going to switch to a 3-4 def, we would have kept Sid but, we can only sit and watch the ice melt until something comes from within.
March 14th, 2013
12:22 pm
I'm a little scared … being that the two teams that we played in the playoffs have gotten extremely better in the free agency. Now I agree with the falcons approach to wait for the smoke clears , but we dont have all day and other teams are going to pull the trigger before us. I know our money is low and we must make wise decisions, but I'm not sure that bring Tony back was our best move being that money is low. We have not addressed anything on defense and thats an area we've struggled in for the last couple years. I'd like to see Grimes back, and if they can sign Jackson I would but I'd rather sign a defense of player with the money you would give him and pick up a decent running back in the draft and then sign b.jacobs or another vet just to help Quizz
March 14th, 2013
12:28 pm
I will pull a Nookah
Sitting here in limbo
Wondering when the FA;s will fall
Sitting here limbo
Knowing our time is growing short
The agents are playing their games
But I know our Faith (in TD) will lead us on
-I have to say, this sitting and waiting is driving us all insane. I am finally thinking we wont have the huge splash signing ( S Jax) that I was hoping for…
March 14th, 2013
12:38 pm
When your 2012 football team goes 13-3 & misses a trip to the SB by just 10yds, you damned well better bring as many of your key FAs back as possible. The funny thing is, us fans can & often do go overboard fretting over issues like OL, DL, LB, TE, being too conservative, poor pass rush, poor rushing OFF & DEF etc.
Yet, with all of these problems, both real and/or imagined, we still ended up being one of the NFLs most successful football teams. Our OFF & DEF coordinators, especially our DEF coordinator, were able to successfully overcome these problems.
I don't think we have to try and resolve every problem we had last, because resolving certain issue will automatically take care of other issues. Improving our pass rush will cause the improvement of our entire secondary, as well as our OFF. Improving our rushing OFF will improve our overall OFF, & take a lot of pressure off our rushing DEF.
Everyone knows we have to improve our pass rush 1st & foremost. It's just a matter of how we'll go about doing it. We'll have to draft a pass rushing DE or LB, if not both, and maybe a DT, especially if we intend to run a lot of the 4/3 DEF.
Getting stouter DEF against the run from our front 7 will prevent Nolan from having to bring his safeties up for additional run support. We also need better overall pass coverage from our LBs. How many times did we see a LB or DB get to the QB only to have the QB avoid the sack?
There are tons of LBs, DBs & DLinemen who can get to the QB, but only a select few are able to consistently bring him down when he gets there. Biermann has gotten to the QB numerous times, but he hasn't been able to make the kill. Once Abraham got leverage on a blocker, knew how to drop that shoulder go strong for the QB. You seldom saw him miss when he got there.
We have far too many missed sack opportunities because our pass rushers don't know how to closeout once they're near the QB. Getting a stronger inside pass rush would make our DEs more successful even if we started Massaquoi & Mathews. As much as I'd like to see us get a pass rushing DE in this draft, I'd much rather see us draft DT Short from Perdue.
He's the best interior pass rusher in this yrs draft, and he'd be a perfect compliment to Babs, Peters & Robinson, or Walker or Jerry if either resign. We can find a competent pass rushing specialist at LB in the 2nd or 3rd rd. I hope we resign DT VWalker, because he was our best overall DT. He's really coming on as an interior pass rusher.
March 14th, 2013
12:39 pm
Sam Baker? His back injuries and weak play and he still gets a huge deal?
March 14th, 2013
1:05 pm
[...] News here – Atlanta Falcons: The Cage ← Emory may drop Chick-fil-A from campus options Cancel [...]
March 14th, 2013
1:06 pm
Owens and Walker are my only concerns yet to sign. Grimes, not so much so. Sign him to a modest deal or let him walk. If he can.
The rest are restricted or exclusive FA's and should come into line without a lot of fanfare.
March 14th, 2013
1:17 pm
UB, let him walk. If he can. LOL (give him a crutch)
March 14th, 2013
1:33 pm
The entire defensive coaching staff should be looking for other jobs after this past season.
March 14th, 2013
1:36 pm
atl aint about nothing same ole atalanta falcons in the end they always been cheap thats why no superbowl has been reachedby them they put the money in the wrong ppl or they dont want to spend. all the team in atl just alike
March 14th, 2013
1:36 pm
Falcons are playing this right. Teams that pull triggers out of the gate tend to overspend, and on top of it piece together teams of individuals rather than units that gel together.. There are so many CB's out there right now, and we can draft a sturdy RB on draft day, or move up through trade (a la Julio) Suring up the DLine is what we should focus on. Our worst flaw last year was stopping the run and getting to the passer. This should be the only thing on our radar right now. There is plenty of currently unsigned players that we can get as the days go by and their individual values drop.
March 14th, 2013
1:37 pm
Great Thursday Cage!
Even though my biggest worry still remains whether or not we stay in the dreaded 4-3 or move to the dynamic, and easier to draft for, 3-4; I'm fairly confident that we can take care of our DE, DT, and LB situation through the draft. Same goes for RB. However, I'm most concerned about cornerback. It's nothing against Robert McClain because I really think he could be a starter someday, but will that be this year when we're ready to make a serious run? Not even that, but right now, we have Samuel, McClain, and Franks as our top 3 CBs. Be very surprised if don't look to keep Owens. There are a ton of good CBs on the market and should come for a good price, not named Nnamdi and Revis. The Jags just got a very good and young CB in Derek Cox for only $5 mill a year. Keenan Lewis wouldn't be out of range either. I wouldn't mind paying a little extra to get a good young CB like Lewis, who is only 26.
We also can depend on the draft filling ALL our needs, unless we trade out of the 1st round and get 2 2nd rounders, and a 3rd rounder. 4th rounders rarely ever contribute from day one.
Very intriguing indeed.
March 14th, 2013
1:39 pm
You know they make these things called periods, right? Sorry, I couldn't interpret your insult because it's literally one large run-on sentence.
March 14th, 2013
1:50 pm
So far so good
March 14th, 2013
1:53 pm
Birds better get their butt in gear… San Fran, Seattle, etc getting better while we stand pat.. Not good!!! New year, tougher schedule, I hope Tommy D has a plan or we won't make the playoffs..
March 14th, 2013
2:00 pm
We don't need to worry about RB. If you watch the tape and look at avg yds per carry Jaquizz Rodgers
does what it takes to start. I think a quality change of pace backup running back is what the Falcons need.
March 14th, 2013
2:02 pm
Offense: Passing game is excellent. Running game sucks, draft OL and open up some holes.
Defense: Run defense sucks, draft DT and plug up middle. Draft LB's that can support run defense and has cover skills. Draft DE to pressure QB.
March 14th, 2013
2:10 pm
I feel the exact way. I was hoping that we would end up etting Steven Jackson, but by the looks of things he is going to be a packer.
March 14th, 2013
2:11 pm
We cant let Swagger Vance get away. I have always said we need to give Swagger Vance more snaps and now, you see the results. The other 3 DTs on the team have missed more than 1 game due to injury Not Swagger Vance . I would hope the falcons pay up we always can depend on him.Babeneaux and Vance stats. are almost the same (2012) very interesting .Lets Go falcons rise up!!!!!! and let Grimes walk dont like the way it played out the last year and dont know what to expect with the injury . Need a good RB and help in the secondary and Hello S.B.
March 14th, 2013
2:15 pm
I know people will roast me for this. but im thinking we should bring back deangleo hall
he would fit our scheme because he likes to gamble and we can confuse qbs at the line like last yr.
he also says he stays in atlanta during this time of yr and wouldnt have a prob coming back.. he had 95 tackles last yr and 4 picks which is pretty decent.
March 14th, 2013
2:22 pm
D3, as usual, great work on this post.
I was hoping that we would be able to get a sense of direction on 34 vs 43 from a free agent nose tackle signing but I guess the brain trust wants to keep the league in a guessing mode as well as the fans and make the moves in the draft. Alan Branch and Sione Pouha are still out there, so we may still get a clue if they pick one of them up. I guess time will tell. The fans will just have to be patient a little longer. In Thomas we trust . . .
March 14th, 2013
2:27 pm
So the Falcons are quiet in FA…surprise surprise. I'm glad Tony is back but I am probably one in the crowd who thinks that the Falcons should have let him go. You have him coming back but yet you haven't addressed your defense at all. The consensus seems to be we'll address it in the draft. Ok but whose gonna coach your draft picks. I honestly don't belive the coaches we have are able to coach up anybody!!! It's been five years and nothing has changed. We need some play makers on defense…I just don't see how you can draft them and they are ready to go. Hopefully there are more changes to come.
March 14th, 2013
2:36 pm
D3 – working off DOL's cap number after Gonzo of 8.6 million available, and looking at your contract info on Baker, it appears to me we are currently about 6 million under the cap. Does this sound right to you?
If this is what we have now, it seems that TG was the annual big free agent signee. We may pick up a vet or two for near the minimum at a later point, then bring in the draft class and see what we've got. TD has always been adept at adding cheap veteran pieces to the secondary in the summer or fall who have produced when called upon. Have to hope that continues this year…
March 14th, 2013
2:39 pm
Look, I'm not going to be a chicken little here, but I firmly stand behind the fact that we should have tried to bring back Dunta for what the Chiefs are paying him ($5 mill per year). So they have Brandon Flowers, Dunta, and now Sean Smith.
I'm like Big Ray you can only tell yourself so many times in so many different ways that "it's going to be OK" when your team virtually does nothing but keep their own. We'll see is all I'm going to say at the moment. Let's wait until the draft and after for a final result. This time last year, we had the same question about CB and TD traded for Asante Samuel.
March 14th, 2013
2:47 pm
We do not need another 3 technique DT like Short. We need a 1 tech that will take up 2 blocks. Our Run D has suffered because we lack the girth in the middle to clog up running lanes. We haven't had a good space eater since Grady Jackson. Our first 2 picks should be D line. 1. Pass Rushing DE 2. Space Eater DT Then we should focus on a TE, Coverage LB, RB, and CB.
March 14th, 2013
2:54 pm
OK, I'm done with being patient and understanding…………
Keenan Lewis – DB – Steelers
ESPN's Adam Schefter reports the Saints and free agent CB Keenan Lewis are "close" to a deal that could be finished on Thursday.
Lewis made the trip down to New Orleans for a visit on Wednesday. The soon-to-be 27-year-old played a lot of zone in Pittsburgh, but Saints DC Rob Ryan likes to play man. Lewis has good size at 6-foot and 208 pounds, so he can handle it. He and Jabari Greer would make a nice outside corner duo.
GDMT:arrow: I know I just said preach patience, but we have more room than the GD sAINTS and we're sitting here doing nothing. I wouldn't be that upset if we didn't have SO MANY M-EFFIN' HOLES ON DEFENSE! OK, we get an LB, DL, and RB in the draft. So what about CB?
Just irritated seeing all our rivals get better and we're doing nothing. Like I said, if we didn't have so m any holes it wouldn't be a big deal, BUT WE DO!!!!!!
March 14th, 2013
2:56 pm
Don't worry D3, it won't change anything. No doubt the FO has a plan, and there is no panic in them (which I take to be a good thing). Time will tell whether their plan is a good one…
March 14th, 2013
3:01 pm
Falcons waited to long to go after someone now FA drying up WTF TD and Mike Smith .
March 14th, 2013
3:05 pm
There are still an awful lot of fish in the free agent waters. It appears there will be for quite some time. We just have to wait for the market to settle and see what we do. You know they are working the phones. For better or worse, we'll just have to wait (one of the things we fans are called on to do quite frequently)…
March 14th, 2013
3:05 pm
Oh and by the way, ……………
DE (x 2 if we stay in 4-3)
DT (one of weakest in NFL, in my opinion)
LB (one great LB)
CB (Asante and………..)
I'll just say we'll get RG worked out one way or another. So now we see not only our NFC rival trying to get better, but our own DIVISION rivals getting better. Say we plug 3 of the holes with picks 1 – 3, that still leaves 2 major holes.
March 14th, 2013
3:06 pm
"Just irritated seeing all our rivals get better and we're doing nothing. Like I said, if we didn't have so m any holes it wouldn't be a big deal, BUT WE DO!!!!!!" – D3
Hard to not be upset currently so I won't take any shots. We kinda had to know how this would play out. If Gonzo comes in at 7-8mil then there is the FA period ruined right there. I find it funny not one but TWO Taints players can give up almost their entire salaries to get the team under the cap but mister I need to use you to get a rin Gonzo can't come in on a vet minimum good will tour year. I wouldn't care if he actually played or not, just not kill our cap. I get it that the Taints are cheating again as no-one would actually give up their salaries the way those two did, there is dirty business going on no doubt, but hey if they can why can't we?
Gonzo's probable 7-8mil single year cap hit could have been 3-4 cheap FA signings with some cap manipulation. That right there is most of our holes.
March 14th, 2013
3:07 pm
Dunta to the chiefs…
March 14th, 2013
3:20 pm
Just frutrating seeing Falcons so quiet and other teams getting better wish there some news .
March 14th, 2013
3:24 pm
Should we be worried with Tampa getting better Seahawks 49er's stronger i know we keep hearing TD will do something but by then it will be to late .
March 14th, 2013
3:26 pm
For all of the fans complaining about us not getting a big FA signing, they're sometimes not all they are cracked up to be. Read the following article by Ashley Fox, you can skip the video on M Wallace.
March 14th, 2013
3:29 pm
Are the Falcons looking at Ellis i think we get a RB in the draft .
March 14th, 2013
3:35 pm
Jim Irsay @JimIrsay
Those 100 million suit cases need fortifying…we're getting north of 120 million..not counting private plane fleet n celebratory "KRYSTAL"!
The Colts are signing everybody they can get to HUGE contracts. How does that work? Is it like the Eagles where everybody's contract will be up at the same time? This guy is just too dang happy about the salary cap!
March 14th, 2013
3:36 pm
When I saw Avril go off the board, I was ready to hang it up for awhile. But for whatever reason, I remembered Sando's great post regarding Nolan's SF draft picks before the 49ers game: http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcwest/post/_/id/88840/nolans-best-decisions-could-cost-him-now
Now couple that with when TD came into town (along w/ SW's favorite head coach he stated that the team would build the foundation thru the draft, but then bring in "specific" acquisitions as needed. Specifically as referenced a year later Peter King's 2009 article "….. "The thing about Bill and Scott that I admired about their relationship is how honest they could be in their discussions about players. If they were at loggerheads on a player, they'd move on to another player, because they trusted each other's opinion so much. And I appreciated how they'd use different ways to build their team. Just when you think you've got them figured out — you know, the 'Patriot Way' — they'd pull something you wouldn't expect."
I think we can agree Cagers that about 4 years later, there are some substantial nuggets in that article holding true today.
Now that my wish list no longer can include 'my main man' Avril, am I, or are we losing sight of the bigger long-term picture? With Nolan on-board, do we know have our version of Bill and Scott in Mike and Thomas?
March 14th, 2013
3:44 pm
You're feelin' it now, huh? I find that it's worse when you peronsally target a guy or guys you think the team should get.
For some it's Steven Jackson. For you, a guy like Keenan Lewis. For me, Sammie Lee Hill. There are others. We watch them go to other teams and it makes us crazy.
Here's the worst part – we'll quickly "settle" for another tour with Abe just because we'd rather go with the familiar and somewhat stale instead of the unknown and the lack of splashes we think should be made.
So in a way, that's on us. Yet in another way, we can't see going back into battle with the same soldiers, expecting different results. All I can say is what I said last time. FA isn't over, the draft isn't here yet, there are miles to go.
Re-signing the guys we did so far has been good. TG88 situation still bothers me, not because of him but because of money and philosophy. I worry that the approach isn't where it needs to be, that the team isn't thinking forward enough.
That said, TD has yet to actually fail, so I can't really back that up. Has he made mistakes? Yep. But the man hasn't failed. Two worst mistakes I can think of are Peria Jerry and Ray Edwards. Unfortunately both are/were DL. And then there's the matter of the OL, where he hasn't necessarily succeeded.
I await the next slew of moves and feel that the draft is going to be more critical than it has been the last 2-3 years.
March 14th, 2013
3:45 pm
When I saw Avril go off the board, I was ready to hang it up for awhile. But for whatever reason, I remembered Sando's great post regarding Nolan's SF draft picks before the 49ers game: http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcwest/post/_/id/88840/nolans-best-decisions-could-cost-him-now
Now couple that with when TD came into town (along w/ SW's favorite head coach he stated that the team would build the foundation thru the draft, but then bring in "specific" acquisitions as needed. Specifically as referenced a year later Peter King's 2009 article "….. "The thing about Bill and Scott that I admired about their relationship is how honest they could be in their discussions about players. If they were at loggerheads on a player, they'd move on to another player, because they trusted each other's opinion so much. And I appreciated how they'd use different ways to build their team. Just when you think you've got them figured out — you know, the 'Patriot Way' — they'd pull something you wouldn't expect."
I think we can agree Cagers that about 4 years later, there are some substantial nuggets in that article holding true today.
Now that my wish list no longer can include 'my main man' Avril, am I, or are we, losing sight of the bigger long-term picture? With Nolan on-board, do we now have our version of Bill and Scott in Mike and Thomas?
March 14th, 2013
3:45 pm
March 14th, 2013
3:47 pm
Lots of new (to me) posters on here this afternoon. Welcome guys–
OK, enough Mr. Nice Guy.
Those of you who are freaking out right now are torturing yourselves without cause. The best way to "win" Free Agency is to do exactly what we're doing. There are over 400 FAs and after teams add their draftees, there are over 200 vacancies remaining. That's a lot of competition–which tends to drive costs WAY down– getting you the most bang/buck.
For the posters who claim we're the 'same old Falcons' who for "5 years" haven't made any changes on defense–I can only guess that you're blowing smoke, since we've drafted defensive players every year and added FAs on "D" every year and revamped our coaching staff to boot. "Every defensive coach should be fired"????
Panicking over a specific position is what brought us Jerry and Ray Edwards(and Baker, for that matter).
"Time is NOW" is even being patient–with a handle like that you know he's hungry for a ring–just like all of us–especially the guys who pay for and operate this franchise. If there was a player the braintrust felt was a "must get" they've clearly demonstrated a willingness to go for it. That they haven't just shows you that they're playing this offseason correctly…
Kick back, put on some Marley, light up and chill…it's going to be O.K…..
March 14th, 2013
4:11 pm
waynester — Ultimately, you're right and I completely agree. It's just when you have your sights set on someone you know could be a good addition for relatively cheap, it just annoys you. I truly believe that the Seahawks have a Eagles-esque "Dream Team" collapse awaiting them in 2013. Russell Wilson tweeted #ChampionshipOffseason in one of his tweets.


text:
We just received a few of these in stock. If you miss out on this batch, please sign up to be e-mailed when we get more in. We have a few hundred more on the way!
This item is currently out of stock.
Product #: MKSB023
Now you can build your own Useless Machine with the Useless Machine kit. It features a laser cut acrylic case with a black acrylic "finger" and four metal hinges. The kit was designed with beginning makers in mind and features a custom circuit board to make soldering the electronics a breeze. Expect the assembly to take about an hour, and the fun to last indefinitely!
You might also like...

subset: commoncrawl


text:
The Power of Patience
Published on - March 8th, 2011 (by J.D. Roth)
When I was young, I had no patience. I wanted everything, and I wanted it now. No wonder, then, that I found myself with over $20,000 in credit-card debt just a few years out of college. I was spending to obtain a lifestyle that I wouldn't be able to afford until I was older. Much older.
I'm not the only one with this problem. Many young adults graduate from college or leave home, and suddenly find themselves in reduced circumstances. They're used to the standard of living they enjoyed at home with their parents. Rather than wait until they can afford similar luxuries, they buy them on credit. They forget that their parents had to work twenty or thirty years to be able to afford the things they have.
This impatience is costly. It leads to debt, and it starts a cycle of excessive consumption and lifestyle inflation.
The power of patience
I'm entering middle age now, and so are most of my friends. As we get older, an interesting thing has happened. Suddenly, we're able to afford the things we used to want so badly. Sometimes we buy them; sometimes we don't.
It's fun to watch the choices people make. I see folks who were willing to live in cheap apartments for a decade or more now buying houses. But they're paying cash for the entire thing instead of carrying a mortgage. Their patience has paid off.
I'm seeing people who have toiled for years at tough jobs finally getting big breaks. Others quietly saved and invested while everyone around them was spending (or abandoning the stock market); they're now poised to retire early — if they want to.
Not all who wait reap the rewards, of course, but many do. Patience doesn't guarantee success, but it dramatically increases the odds. Here are just a few of the ways patience can help you achieve your financial goals:
- Patience lets your money grow. The longer you hold onto your money, the more you have of it. But more than that, time is the magic ingredient in the power of compounding, which lets your pool of money expand every year.
- Patience teaches you discipline. When I first learned to use the 30-day rule, it revolutionized my shopping habits. Instead of buying what I wanted now, I waited 30 days. Most of the time, I realized I could live without whatever seemed so urgent. But even when I did end up buying what was on the list, I felt better about my decision. Why? Because I'd exercised discipline. Patience helps prevent mistakes.
- Patience allows you to seize opportunities. If you're willing to wait instead of buying today, you're able to spend time comparison shopping or looking for free and cheap alternatives. If you're in no rush, you can even practice predatory shopping — waiting for bargains and extreme markdowns that let you save big bucks.
- Patience lets you discover what's important. As you age, your values change. If you're willing to wait, you learn what truly matters to you. Patience helps you practice conscious spending.
- Patience keeps you sane. Patience means opting out of the relentless drive for the new. It means not caring about fashion. It means not giving in to fads and trends. It means buying last year's model — and keeping it until it dies. Because you don't have to worry about keeping up with the Joneses, you quietly live a contented life.
Patience leads to wealth and happiness. (It leads to each independently, not as a package.) But it can be tough to practice patience if you're plugged into television, radio, and the internet. Our society doesn't believe in patience. Our society is all about Now.
The Culture of Now
We live in a Culture of Now. We're constantly bombarded by messages trying to convince us to buy now, to spend now, to have what we want this very moment. Nobody preaches patience. Nobody explains that the cost of Now is a loss of your future. (That is, it's generally more expensive — in time and money — to buy something now than it is to wait until you can afford it. For more on this, see our recent discussion of the time-value of money and last fall's article about Present Me and Future Me.)
But if you can learn to be patient, the world opens up to you.
I'm not talking about waiting until you're 80 to enjoy life — I want to enjoy life today — I'm talking about taking things as they come in their proper time. Relish the moment you're in, and accept it for what it is. If you're 25 and burdened with student loans, accept that. Set a goal, make a plan to meet that goal, and then work hard to achieve it. Be patient along the way. You will get out of debt, you will buy a house, you will save enough for retirement. But you're not going to do all of that today. It'll take time, which is something you have plenty of.
Be patient, and that patience will be rewarded.
Update! While browsing other blogs this morning, I saw that my friend Brett over at The Art of Manliness (a great blog, by the way) posted a similar story yesterday: The Power and Pleasure of Delayed Gratification. Great minds think alike!
This article is about Planning, Psychology, Self-Improvement
When I graduated from college just a few years ago, many of my fellow classmates were rewarding themselves with brand new cars. Now they had student loans AND a car note to worry about before they even had a full-time job lined up!
Many of them are still paying for this today. Luckily, I decided that I deserved nothing until I could afford it with cash. Today, I am debt free and starting to look at houses (with a hefty down-payment).
You alluded to this in your post but I'd add that nonconformity paired with patience is a real power combination. Someone who works their way through college while their friends stack up student loans or who rides a bike instead of driving has so much more freedom.
Unfortunately, so many people have trouble saying "no" to many of our culture's messages–and not just the one that says we need to have it now.
If you're willing to be patient and weird–wow, you'll be amazing!
I have been reading GRS for years now and I have to say that this is probably my favorite post that you have ever written. It really resonates with me. You and I are the same age and I have noticed so many of the same things lately – people that have been patient and some of the choices that they are able to make. And, even more powerful to me in some ways, people that have not been patient at all and the limits they have to work under now.
This is a lesson that my father really stressed to me as I was growing up and it is one that I am glad took hold (although I chaffed a bit against it when I was younger). You are correct that patience doesn't guarantee anything but it certainly gives you more options in the end than not being patient.
This New Yorker article on delayed gratification is fascinating: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/05/18/090518fa_fact_lehrer .
Living in an apartment for years and then paying cash for a house!!!! They are my heroes!! I"d be curious to learn more how they did this if they decided to have children.
I'm a recent dental grad. It is unbelievable how many of my classmates are buying houses, brand new acuras, with 250K+ in student loans. I don't care if you make 100k your first year out. Take a breath.
Although some do come from wealthy dental and doctor families and have zero school debt. About 30 % of my class had that scenario, so I recognize I shouldn't be too judgmental of their spending habits.
The latest edition of The Economist also mentioned the marshmallow experiment: http://www.economist.com/node/18276096
Does this mean we're hard-wired to be patient or impulsive? How much can we really control?
Great post, JD! I've found peer pressure is just as difficult to keep up with as pressure from the media/society/etc. It's hard to keep saving and slogging away at your job when you see your friends buying houses, getting promotions, etc.
We're all at different stages in our journeys, financially and personally, so it's hard not to skip ahead! Thanks for the reminder.
Good article. Every time I've bought based on a fast "need", I've regretted it. Every time I've planned a little, considered my options, an opportunity has openned for me and I get what I needed for less, or I get a better deal, or I find a different way to address the need I hadn't thought about. To me Patience brings on options in addition to the items mentioned in the article.
@5 Eugene — The New Yorker article argues that patience can be taught.
Also, you cannot say from these experience that it's hardwiring because they don't do the experiments on newborns, but on small children who have been exposed to culture for years. They can't separate genetics from upbringing in these experiments. My kid will patiently wait to eat a piece of chocolate (until after dinner, say), but he also knows that nobody here is going to take that chocolate away from him. If his experiences were different (say he had a greedy sibling) then he might not be so patient.
I am 27 right now, and my wife and I have a 15 year fixed rate mortgage with $250k (we just got our house) and $160k left in student loans (10 year plan, a couple of years in). We both went to graduate school, I am a lawyer and my wife is in education. We earn decent salaries and are very frugal, but sometimes I worry I will never ever get out of it. This is a nice reminder that if we can keep our jobs and our health, when we are middle aged we might be in a good position, with no student loans and a house paid off. Of course retirement is what is suffering for us in this situation. Before we got the house we could live off one salary and now we cannot. Scary stuff. My final thought is this: for most of us, growing up we never saw our parents or our parents friends struggling. By the time they had us they were somewhat settled. We didn't see them when they were first married, before they had kids, trying to stretch each dollar and living in apartments, etc. (not that there is anything wrong with living in apartments, it may be the best play). So, we think we have to always be somewhat successful like they are, when in fact they went through tough times, we just weren't around to see it. I really liked this post and I hope the same is true for my generation 15 years from now.
Great post. As someone who is in their late 20′s its easy to forget about patience.
My wife and I started with almost $200,000 in debt including student loans and a second mortgage. We are half-way to debt free after a year and half. It's easy to get down about the remaining debt (especially when the majority is my wife's private school loans). Having perspective and giving yourself credit for current success and discipline is key.
Hopefully we will learn from past debt mistakes and use that discipline to build wealth for the future, rather than paying for the past, very soon.
I think a lot of young people these days do not know how hard their parent work for their lifestyle. I knew my parent work really hard to send me to college and I never spend much money there. Once I started making my own money though, lifestyle inflation really hit. I'm a pretty patient person by nature so instant gratification didn't stay with me long and I was able to get back to my frugal way.
brokeprofessionals –
The relatively short amortization periods for your mortgage and student loans, combined with your ages, puts you in a better position than many of your contemporaries. I know professionals who are as broke as you are, but they're just starting 30-year mortgages (on their latest dream house) that they can barely afford, and they're in their mid-forties. Not only are they that much closer to retirement, and amortized into their mid-seventies, but they're much closer to the realistic peak of their earning potential.
In your situation, provided that your house is a good fit for your family for the long-term, at 42 you could be very comfortable, with plenty of time to stock up the retirement coffers. A point of concern, of course, is that you mention needing both incomes to support the current lifestyle–are kids a factor in your future? The loss of one income–even if only temporary–or the alternative costs of childcare, can be a big wrench in your plans that, unfortunately, too few people fully anticipate.
Truth be told, and through no fault of his own, JD's not much help in this area, either.
I am incredibly patient when it comes to waiting for something to go on sale. But there are other aspects of my life that I am incredibly impatient about. (Waiting for a doctor to call back, walking behind super slow people in the mall that I can't get around, etc.)
I don't know if that part of me can ever change. I have tried though.
Thanks for this post and your observations. They are right on!
One advantage of growing old is that my perception of time has changed. Time becomes compressed. An hour is nothing. A day is little more than nothing. Six months has come and gone before I know it. It makes it a lot easier to be patient.
Time is the main advantage of youth, especially,as you point out,when it comes to growing wealth. That's why I avoided risky investments when I was young. I could replace any money lost, but I could not replace the time lost if an investment went south on me. I was very conservative and patient and was able to retire at age 56. I didn't start to save until age 29, but I saved aggressively from then on.
You are right when you talk about acceptance. That has been the key for my peace of mind and enjoyment of life and that's what gives me the ability to be patient. Acceptance is the answer to my problems because it allows me to get into the solution.
Regarding patience, some might say that I've developed patience in my forties. I wouldn't necessarily give myself that much credit–I've just learned how to plan better for my impetuousness. Instead of trying to deny it completely and then failing miserably when I give in to it, I now accept that I need a certain amount of whim/indulgence in my life. So I approached my budget keeping that in mind. I may not reach the big picture goals as quickly as others, but if I am happy & continuing to make some progress, that's good enough for me. And having the occasional "naughty" purchase/indulgence definitely brings me joy–I just had to find a "sustainable" level for my finances, since giving in to every desire wasn't working so hot for me.
As for income, I'd like to caution people that the idea that the 40′s are "peak earning years" is based on averages. My peak earning years were 27-29. It will be very hard for me to reach that level again, as salaries have dropped by 40% in my field. While it's not impossible for me to find a way to earn more, it would be irresponsible of me to base current planning on theoretical salary increases that may be impossible for me to obtain. Keep a realistic view of your field, especially if technological advances reduce positions or cause salaries to stagnate.
Thanks for the kind words, lol. Not too often that I hear our finances aren't in too bad of a position, lol. The only good thing is that lawyers salaries tend (although who the heck knows anymore) to increase at a high percentgage rate each year. We are just starting out so I am hoping our salaries will increase to keep up with rising costs, future children, etc. Then again something horrible could happen and we could be s.o.l. I guess we all need a little bit of luck. Like Jeff said above, a lot of it is just that dream of getting to the point where you are: "saving for the future rather than paying for the past." The funny thing is I still believe in education, I just think people need to be more careful than I was in furthering their education and the money they spend while in school. Truth be told I was pretty frugal in law school, but I could have gone somewhere offering a full ride. I wanted to go to the "Best school I could." It was a state school anyway, but still $25,000.00 a year. You add in a car and an apartment and even the fact that I earned $20k per working part-time in law school did not stop me from graduating with six figures in debt. Best of luck to everyone, hopefully the future is brighter!
Ah, patience. Such a struggle for me and I'm not just talking about money. I don't know if I wasn't taught properly, or if I wasn't wired for it, or what but it has been a painful learning process and at times I swear I really do feel like parts in my brain are shifting in response to practicing new patient habits. It is indeed quite a powerful thing, patience, and justly rewarded in many ways, but it is incredibly difficult and not a small wonder it is regarded as a virtue. More than anything else, this is the single thing I wish to teach my children and to do so I need to master it myself. With patience, so much is possible.
My only real concern with being patient is sometimes opportunities can be missed because of the desire to wait. Like you mention at the end of the article, you need to enjoy the now, but not to the detriment of your future.
It's just, while a person waits, it's easy to lapse into a mode where you wait for perfection. I'm not talking about splurging on gadgets, but things like buying houses/investments. Those are the sort of things (to me) that even if you have the patience or the money, there might not be a leap-out-at-you right or perfect time to do it. There comes a point in everything where there is an element of risk. The choices you make shouldn't cripple you tomorrow (e-fund established and all that), but you shouldn't put off everything until the time is right. You might miss it.
I sort of saw this point at the end of the article, but I wanted to harp on it a bit. Sometimes I take my patience and wait until the moment is gone, and that's when I see it was the moment.
Also note that I don't think a house is an investment, but I put it in the sentence as an example of a long-term goal.
I love this post! I think about this issue a lot; I teach college and our students often drive newer and more luxurious cars than does faculty. Of course, their parents are paying for the upscale wheels.
I worry about what will happen when they start making car payments themselves and are forced to "downsize" to, say, more affordable transportation like a Ford or (gasp!) Chevy. I think the next generation is in for some hard times and hard lessons. I expect personal debt levels will continue to escalate as will general disatisfaction with life and the incidence of depression.
But – on the bright side – they are smart and may find ways to adapt. And perhaps question their parents' values along with their own. Maybe the simplicity/ frugal living movement will continue to grow and revolutionize the way the next generation lives.
My husband and I were discussing this last night. Our parents rarely discuss life at our age/stage. They have lots of stories about life in college and lots of stories about after they had kids, but no stories about being a young, struggling married couple. Basically, the ages of 25-30 don't really exist. In other words, we're going to beg our parents for "when I was your age" stories.
Perfect timing! Just last night my husband and I were talking about this. We're dying to buy our own house soon and we can't seem to get the idea out of our heads… even though we won't be financially ready to buy one for at least another year or two (maybe more).
Then I remember that I'm only 24 and I need to enjoy the carefree life of a renter while I can
I would add that it's not just about enjoying life today while finding a way to also meet your debt or savings goals, but it's about taking a lot of enjoyment in paying down your debt or reaching a savings goal!
Or is that just me?
I think patience is the wrong term to be using here. Patience is waiting for a fish to bite, it's not spending every summer for 10 years up in the mountains becoming a good fly fisherman. That's effort. It's doing a lot. It's practice. The lesson here isn't "good things come to those who wait" but "good things come to those who keep moving forward".
And yes, they do take time, but time is insufficient. J.D. didn't become a successful blogger by virtue of patience. Yes, it took a long time, but more than that, it also took a lot of writing.
And these people that J.D. knows that are now becoming successful in their 40s? They've spent 20 years building careers and it's starting to pay off. I'm sure they're not paying cash for houses simply because they've waited long enough that now it's possible, but because they've been doing something successfully long enough that they now have that sort of cash.
It's not patience that's the lesson. It's perseverance. Keep moving forward and eventually you'll be looking down behind you at obstacles that looked insurmountable 10 or 20 years ago when you were coming up. But each given day isn't so hard. It's doable at least, and a few thousand days later, you'll find that you've come a long way. But it wasn't simply patience that got you there.
I forgot to mention this…
My goal is to eventually retire like my grandparents. They have a nice house, good health, and travel frequently with their kids.
About a year ago, my grandparents put together an album of all the homes they've lived in over the past 60 years. (They were in the military and moved frequently.) Their first homes were trailers, then after a few years they moved on to tiny homes… and the homes got bigger and bigger over the course of 60 years. I think that's when I finally "got it" that you don't acheive everything right away. It takes time and patience.
My parents own a nice house paid in cash, but they started out in a tiny studio over someone's garage while they worked their way through grad school.
When I left high school I considered pursuing schooling to become a doctor but decided that it would take too long (eight years of schooling and two plus years of residency). I wanted something now, so instead I went into the workforce. Ten years later I am back in school to become a doctor. It'll still take at least 10 years and now I need to balance children and school. If I had been willing to be patient, instead of in a hurry to get onto "real life" I could have been working in the field by now.
To be fair my ten year detour has provided me with knowledge and experience that I believe will be invaluable as I go through the long, and grueling, process to become a doctor. I wouldn't change a thing in how things went, but I will work hard to teach to my daughters the value of the patience I lacked and the costs it can bear.
JD I've been reading your articles for almost a year now and this is by far the most useful article I've read. I am a recent college graduate, one of the lucky few who was able to obtain a job in my field right after graduating. I make a decent salary and do not have consumer debt in the form of credit cards, however I have 70K in student loans. I've wasted so much energy over feeling guilty and trying to find a way to overcome this burden. The truth of the matter is it will take me years to overcome it. With that in mind I've truly been putting off enjoying life and have let the guilt control every decision I make. Learning to be patient and relish the moment I'm in is going to be my mantra this week. I do have a debt repayment plan, a rather strict one however, learning to accept the situation and not expecting to be instantly successful is always challenge. No one talks about the years it took them to become established and the work it takes during those years.
There is so much pressure to buy things "right now" rather than wait. I try my hardest to avoid situations where I might be tempted – until I actually need to buy something.
But nowadays, you don't have to go to the store to buy something. Deals come to my inbox numerous times every single day. Every store I have ever bought from sends me emails at least once a week. Daily deal sites like Groupon send numerous emails a day. These sites are especially dangerous because their great deals are for such a limited time, you can really get sucked in to over spending. Every month or so I go through and opt out of any email lists that I don't actually like getting. It does help, but I still get bombarded all the time – even being at home people are asking me to spend my money right now on what they think I need.
Patience is very hard to practice and even harder to teach my kids I have found.
Patience means lending your patience, at interest, to all the people who don't have it. I'm cool with that.
Reminds me of Herman Hesses fantastic work Siddhartha. When the seemingly "rich" people asked "what can you do? what are your skills?" the monk replied "I can fast and I can wait." He was laughed at, but through waiting the world was opened to him. Such a valuable skill, one worth praciticing.
"No matter how hard you save, you can't buy your youth back"
There is always a flip side to the argument. Yes patience is important, but more so is not waiting.
JD quotes " the cost of Now is a loss of your future" above. True. But the cost of the Future is a loss of the present.
Having patience, and waiting, and putting things off, and saving for later all put the present on the back burner. And eventually the present becomes the future.
Before you know it, you are 40, then 60. Lots of older people wished they had saved more. But more people wished they had LIVED more.
It is a delicate balance. But as Tyler said, patience isn't the term. Perseverence is.
I bought a convertible when I graduated College. I had to get a loan and it was not the smartest financial move by any means. But it created great memories. My now wife and I, no kids, young, free. I look back on that time and find it was a great decision to not wait. Because life doesn't wait with you.
You can't get today back. When you look back 10 years from now, will you remember waiting, or will you remember doing.
Alright, here is my contrarian view on this article.
Patience is great when you have a goal, a plan, and intermediate goals to achieve along the way. But this type of patience requires impatience to keep things moving according to plan. Otherwise, patience can turn into conformity and passivity. "I'll put up with my abusive boss because some day he will retire" "I'll put up with injustice now, I'll get for my rewards in the afterlife", etc.
Patience and passivity share the same Latin root, which is, funny enough, "suffering". Tolerance of suffering can sometimes turn into masochism. Patience can be foolish when it merely awaits for rewards in some time and place beyond– never today, always elsewhere, until people are robbed of their whole lives.
I am by nature highly impatient– I don't put up with nonsense very well. I talk back, rock the boat, and change things. And yes, I often was told this was a character defect, and I believed it because i didn't know how to use my impatience (my intolerance of suffering) in a good way. (Well, I did use it well, to change many things for the better, but never my finances.)
When you think about it, "impatient" consumers are very capable of suffering (i.e., being "patient") when it comes to having a noose around their neck and paying $500 in interest for a meal that cost $50. We accept the idea that you're always going to be in debt and might as well get used to it. We accept paying a lot more than things cost just to have them now. We can be very patient in one area (living indentured to credit) and impatient with another (getting the next new piece of junk). We are not suffering from a character defect, we are just ignorant of what we really want and how to get it. We chase the signs of affluence instead of real wealth. We have been brainwashed into this– not into being impatient, but into using our impatience to chase the wrong goals.
When people realize the truth of their economic situation, their impatience works in their favor. I got *really impatient* with credit card debts when I realized they were eating a piece of my liver every day– I was no longer willing to suffer at their mercy. It wasn't easy to deal with this without a plan, so I spun around aimless for a while. I was mad but didn't know where to direct my anger. I considered bankruptcy. I was able to channel my impatience only when I had a solid plan and a real understanding of my true goals.
So my patience/impatience axis shifted poles: I'm patient when I want to buy something, I'm impatient (and motivated) when I want to save and get rid of debt.
The reason a method like the debt snowball works is because it rewards "impatient" debt payment and "impatient" savings. It uses the power of desire to keep you going. It changes the meaning of suffering so you cannot tolerate it anymore. And yes, the goals are distant, but you have intermediate achievable goals to reward you. This is using instant gratification for wealth building instead of shopping, and this is why so often "paying the highest interest account first" doesn't work. Ramsey really hits the nail on the head with his method because he understands human behavior. But he's not really modifying behavior, as he claims– he is modifying our understanding and our goals, so that our natural behavior, which is intolerance of pain, takes us in a more prosperous direction.
Impatience, saying "I will not take this anymore", is what motivates you and keeps you going, it is what makes change possible. Patience is just the understanding that there is a time tradeoff for certain goals. We all get that tradeoff, but when we live ignorant of economic reality we apply patience to tolerate being eaten by vultures, and then we end up broke while a small financial elite gets rich at our expense.
At the age of 22, I am relieved to know that I'm not imagining all the pressure of the NOW. I am up to my ears in debt, however it is manageable; I just want it to go away. I want it all to go away. NOW!
But I preach patience a lot, and I guess I sometimes forget what it actually means to me, personally.
Great post! Thank you for the reminder.
I'm 28. My only non-mortgage debt is the $12k left on my student loans. And I'm ready to be done with them. The sooner I get them paid off, the sooner I can redirect that monthly chunk of cash towards investing.
But I just got engaged.
My goal is to pay for the wedding in cash. So now I'm taking the money earmarked for extra student loan payments and squirreling it away for the wedding.
I'm pretty content with the decision, but sometimes I get impatient about being sidetracked from my earlier goal!
A recent story that I think about everytime I *think* I need something now regardless of whether or not I can afford it at the moment.
A friend of ours just built a new house and told us that his wife had to have these couches from Crate & Barrel (my favorite store ever) even though their old ones were barely a year old (an very nice). Well they didn't have any money in the bank or room on their credit cards so they took the remaining $4k left over from their mortgage and he bought her these couches.
Of course I instantly felt a little jealous because I have been coveting that exact model of couch for over a year now and felt I deserved them because I make more money individually than they do combined. But then I thought about it, they will be paying for those couches for the next 30 years and the way she is with furniture probably much, much, much longer than she will actually have them. It serves as a real life example of why I don't need it until I can pay for it – in cash.
The best part of this story? They gave us their old couches because they didn't want to pay the haul away fee from to have the town pick them up (oh and told a mutual friend she was happy to give us her "trash" although she couldn't understand why anyone would want to have someone else's trash?) In reality, given the amount of interest they will pay over 30 years on the original $4k price tag, and that we will be done paying back all our debt (including the house) in five years, I am pretty sure that the joke is on her.
I'm 25 turning 26 this year and I'm about $16k in debt. I just took a trip to Europe with that $16k riding on my shoulders.
Do I regret taking the trip? No, but I'm more determined then ever to pay off this $16k!
I want to travel more and I would love to do that debt free. Your article was timed perfectly for me.
The older and wiser know that patience is a virtue, slowly but surely I want to get out of this debt. I need to keep telling myself that.
There definitely needs to be a balance – being financially patient doesn't necessarily mean "putting off the good life until you're old." But it does mean recognizing that the choices you make today affect your future and setting goals and priorities with that in mind.
And speaking of patience, I have had to deal with that lately but in reverse. I have 8 months left on a car loan and 10 years left on my student loans. I could pay it all off today and free up some cash flow, but the interest rates are so low that it's in my better interest to continue investing the cash and paying the standard payment on the loans.
This post has some really great advice, especially for the audience of our Financial Literacy Program.
As you say, J.D., too many young people want to live life the way they did when they were with their parents, and it just isn't feasible, especially not right out of college.
Did you know that many students think that they will be making an average of $145,000 when they graduate from college? (Charles Schwab, Teens and Money Survey, 2007)
I graduated six years ago and am still barely making $30,000, and that's a recent development. (Although I'm sure the economy didn't help. )
I used to get frustrated with how long it takes to see results in my finances. I would get really excited on payday to be able to add money to my savings and pay down some debt. But then I have to wait another two weeks before I can do it again. Now I'm just learning to enjoy it and take it easy.
People use the concept of slow changes being more lasting changes to talk about weight loss, but I think it also applies here. The patience you need and begin to develop in becoming financially fit also helps to REMAIN financially fit once you've paid off your debts.
Patience is always a good thing.
I love the link to last year's model. I have a 15-year old tv. I sometimes lust after a sweet new flat-panel that I could hang on my wall, but then I think that I'll have to cart off the big heavy old tv (or give it away on Craigslist), install the new tv, possibly upgrade my cable to HD, and probably upgrade to a blu ray DVD player. Thing is, I'm busy and just plain too lazy to do all of this. So the money goes into the bank intead and Community is still funny even though my tv is a dinosaur.
Patience, delayed gratification and the marshmallow test seem to be a popular topic recently! I've come across three references today alone.
Regarding whether it's a question of perseverance or patience, I found this great quote from psychologist Eric Dlugokinski, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in an old USA Today article:
"Learning delayed gratification is an essential part of growing up, he maintains."Kids who go through life getting everything they want aren't at all prepared for coping with and facing the world, and they typically become dependent on someone else to cope for them. The major challenge for parents is to teach their children that certain things can only be obtained by working for them. Perseverance and patience are two virtues that should span the generations."
I think you have hit the nail on the head. Patience is what causes us to delay gratification, through savings. Impatience leads us to debt, and cashing out of investments at the worst possible time.
The balance of the two and thoughtful contemplation of financial factors is what will set you free from financial worry.
One of my favorite posts.
I have been lurking for awhile, but never commented. Great post.
I also would be interested in the stories of people who rented for a long time and bought with cash. I would like to know how this can be done.
I have been careful with money my whole life and worked through undergrad, grad school and a low-paying postdoc with no debt. However, I feel overwhelmed that I am so far behind saving for retirement and hopefully, someday, a home (kids are a whole different story). One of the downsides of going for an advanced degree is that it is not until your early 30′s that you can start making decent income and definitely requires patience and delayed gratification. I am sure there are others out there with this same frustration.
All of you that are on your way to financial security and independence are inspiring and I love hearing about your journeys.
I graduated from college a couple of years ago. I took out the maximum dollars on my loan so I didn't have to get a job (but I didn't not get a job to concentrate on my studies). Now that I have my first regular, semi-high income, I found that the actual cognitive decision to buying grown-up things was only only part of it. It isn't so much of a concious effort (at least for me) as it is life not waiting to unfold practically. I CHOSE to finance a house because the interest rates were so low. I HAD to finance a 2000 used vehicle because I got what I wanted and the interest will cost me $300 over three years to use the bank's money; a choice I feel comfortable with. Am I being patient? I think so. Am I happy and on a good financial path? yeah.
SL @43, we did not pay cash, but we paid off our mortgage in 8 years. I think we could have paid it off sooner, but we didn't make the decision to pay it off until about 5 years into the mortgage.
I really think the single most important factor is renting less apartment than you can afford, and then buying less house than you can afford.
My husband & I both have 2 post-graduate degrees, so we didn't start earning salaries until our mid-to-late 20s, and we had grad school debt as well. So we rented until we were in our 30s, a small, unfashionable apartment. We paid off our student loans and our credit card debt, then saved an emergency fund, and then saved for a down payment.
We made a 20% down payment, and took a 15 year mortgage on a smaller, plainer house than is typical among my co-workers. And, as I said, we eventually decided to pay off the mortgage in full, which we did this year.
We have a great house, but it cost a third of what the bank said we could afford. If we'd bought what they said, there's no way it would be paid off now.
I have a coworker whom when he & his family moved to our town, his wife didn't like any of the McMansions on the market here. She wanted her previous house, but here instead of in their old town. So, instead of buying a bargain hosue here during the real estate bust, they had a replica of their house custom built. I personally can't tell how it's different from the other giant houses in the area, but it's what she wanted. If you can avoid that kind of "but I WANT it" thinking, it's a lot easier to own your house outright.
Lazy Guy, I am the same! I would replace my ginormous CRT if I could just figure out how to get it down the four flights of stairs to the curb, haha. Laziness/inertia does work financially in one's favor sometimes.
@ SL – I understand your frustration about being 'behind' because of pursuing an advanced degree. I finished my PhD in 2008 at age 27 after getting the pittance of a grad school stipend for over 5 years (and then was unemployed for three months…) I do want to tell you that it IS worth it financially, so hang in there! It only took me about 18 months of actual employment to get within 10% of my husband's salary. We are still 'behind' our friends in terms of a house and kids, but we have a 5 year plan that should let us put 30% down on a house with a 15-year mortgage, and be mortgage-free by 50 (whereas they all took out 30-year mortgages within the past few years to have room to start families, and will be paying more interest than us, and for nearly a decade longer). It still was tough to be making 1/3 of my friends' salaries in my mid 20s though, so I can completely sympathize with you on that.
I agree that the key to building wealth is patience before you buy, but I'd also say that it is impatience towards building your income. That combination kicks personal finance butt!
I personally rush a few buying decisions now and again, but overall, I am a money hoarder who rather keep it all for a rainy day. But I am completely impatient with attaining my dreams, which pushes me to work my 45 hour a week day job and to add on another 30 hours or more a week for blogging and networking online. This crazy, impatient drive to blog full time is also building wealth on the side. It's led to $10,000 in a little more than a year and an actual shot, not a pipe dream, but a real shot at blogging full time within the next 12-15 months.
So yes, I agree, patience when it comes to buying is a wonderful thing. But impatience when it comes to income, goals, and dreams is a big part of the equation too. I'm assuming you had the same drive based on where you are now.
"We live in a Culture of Now. We're constantly bombarded by messages trying to convince us to buy now, to spend now, to have what we want this very moment." Great insight! I just got married and what we're learning is to be patient with each other and in buying the things we want for our family — a house of our own and a car. I'm not sure when we will buy these but I'm sure it won't be very long from now.
We made hugely different choices in our early 20′s than most of our peers (ie. paid $50 for a used lawnmower rather than put a new $300 one on a Sears card–and multiply those choices by the hundreds you make in the course of starting 'real life.')
The difference in where we are now financially compared to most others our age (40) is staggering…and I don't think we compromised our present much to do it–but we always saved for what we wanted (trip to Disney w/the kids) rather than use credit and that, as they say, has made all the difference.


text:
Next, you'll be asked to connect with Twitter. Rest assured, we will never send a tweet from your account
without your permission.
We will send you an email with an invite soon.
A new version of one of my old boudoir photos: http://t.co/7bCbPDto
Afros On Our Minds, A Homage To The Au Naturale Hairstyle (PHOTOS) via @BlackVoices
RT @museumofsex: Oh, Dalí, you are missed. (Photo credit: Robert Whitaker, Bread of Life, 1967.)
Pic of me at age 26. I'm 54 Friday. PAY ATTENTION: this is the ONLY photo I've released of my face. Thx Vince!
See what's Trending Now for @SexualPsychic
Follow @SexualPsychic on Twitter


text:
Winner of Muhr AsiaAfrica / Feature /Best Scriptwriter: Deepa Mehta (Scriptwriter)
A complex, emotionally turbulent psychological drama that repeatedly breaks into flights of fantasy, 'Heaven On Earth' by acclaimed director Deepa Mehta reflects its creator's impatience with the ordinary and mundane, in portraying an abusive marriage amongst the Indian community of Ontario, Canada. Chand (Preity Zinta) is a middle-class girl, who enters into an arranged marriage with Rocky (Vansh Bhardwaj), an Indian émigré, living in Canada. Following a lavish ceremony, we follow Chand as she begins her new life abroad. But the dream soon turns sour as Rocky and his mother conspire to make Chand's life hell, through violence and abuse. But when a friend gives Chand a magical tree root, claiming it will make Rocky fall in love with her, it exerts a strange and powerful magic which leads Chand into a mysterious parallel existence of marital bliss…
Cast & Credits
- Director: Deepa Mehta
- Producer: David Hamilton
- Scriptwriter: Deepa Mehta
- Cinematographer: Giles Nuttgens
- Editor: Colin Monie
- Composer: Mychael Danna
- Cast (in alphabetical order): Balinder Johal, Gourrav Sihan, Preity Zinta, Rajinder Singh Cheema, Vansh Bhardwaj


text:
'Fast Money' Recap: Time to Take Profits
NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell for the third straight day, the first such losing streak in two months.
On CNBC's "Fast Money" TV show, Guy Adami, managing director of stockmonster.com, said bullish investors should welcome a pullback where they can jump in and buy and thinks the S&P 500 should decline to 1,760.
Brian Kelly, founder of Brian Kelly Capital, said the global economy is doing much better and that interest rates aren't rising uncontrollably as they did in June. He added that it would be good news for the Federal Reserve to taper on good economic data.
Tim Seymour, managing partner of Triogem Asset Management, said European stock markets, such as Germany's DAX, could put in a short-term top if it opens lower and proceeds to close lower on Wednesday.Karen Finerman, president of Metropolitan Capital Advisors, said the current pullback is basically meaningless compared with this year's gains and she has not been tempted to buy yet. Adami said he would take profits in Exxon Mobil (XOM) and would buy Boeing (BA) near $120. Seymour said he would buy Nike (NKE) near $75 and suggested taking profits in Tesero (TSO). Kelly said to buy Ryland Group (RYL) and Finerman suggested taking profits in Hertz Global Holdings (HTZ) above $25. Kelly advised investors to take profits in J.C. Penney (JCP), saying it is not a good stock to short. Seymour said investors can continue to own Apple (AAPL), especially when a deal gets done with China Mobile Limited (CHL). He added that institutional buyers could drive the stock higher in 2014.
Select the service that is right for you!COMPARE ALL SERVICES
Action Alerts PLUSTry it NOW
Jim Cramer and Stephanie Link actively manage a real portfolio and reveal their money management tactics while giving advanced notice before every trade.
Product Features:
- $2.5+ million portfolio
- Large-cap and dividend focus
- Intraday trade alerts from Cramer
- Weekly roundups
TheStreet Quant RatingsTry it NOW
Only $49.95/yr
Access the tool that DOMINATES the Russell 2000 and the S&P 500.
Product Features:
- Buy, hold, or sell recommendations for over 4,300 stocks
- Unlimited research reports on your favorite stocks
- A custom stock screener
- Upgrade/downgrade alerts
Stocks Under $10Try it NOW
David Peltier, uncovers low dollar stocks with extraordinary upside potential that are flying under Wall Street's radar.
Product Features:
- Model portfolio
- Stocks trading below $10
- Intraday trade alerts
- Weekly roundups
Dividend Stock AdvisorTry it NOW
Jim Cramer's protege, David Peltier, identifies the best of breed dividend stocks that will pay a reliable AND significant income stream.
Product Features:
- Diversified model portfolio of dividend stocks
- Alerts when market news affect the portfolio
- Bi-weekly updates with exact steps to take - BUY, HOLD, SELL
Real Money ProTry it NOW
All of Real Money, plus 15 more of Wall Street's sharpest minds delivering actionable trading ideas, a comprehensive look at the market, and fundamental and technical analysis.
Product Features:
- Real Money + Doug Kass Plus 15 more Wall Street Pros
- Intraday commentary & news
- Ultra-actionable trading ideas
Options ProfitsTry it NOW
Our options trading pros provide daily market commentary and over 100 monthly option trading ideas and strategies to help you become a well-seasoned trader.
Product Features:
- 100+ monthly options trading ideas
- Actionable options commentary & news
- Real-time trading community
- Options TV


text:
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WHAS11) -- A Louisville Metro Police officer is facing two counts of official misconduct after a complaint was filed with the Public Integrity Unit.
Joseph C. Burden, 41 of Louisville, was arrested Wednesday.
According to the criminal complaint, Burden was one of the officers investigating a call for service back in October when he detained a witness, telling her he had a warrant for her arrest but there was no such warrant. Throughout the investigation Burden told the victim all other officers wanted her to go to jail.
After other officers left the scene Burden stayed behind and "instructed the victim to pull down her pants and spread her genitalia," according to the report, and she complied because he acted as if he had the authority to request a search.
The report states once the victim arrived home she contacted a private attorney and told him what happened. She immediately began receiving calls from Burden. The victim told investigators Burden asked her if he could come over to her home or if she would meet him at an undisclosed location. The victim declined Burden's invitation and told him she was in a relationship.
In December, investigators worked with the victim and she called Burden to set up a meeting to discuss speeding ticket fines. According to the report, the victim met Burden at a Louisville Wal-Mart and he then asked her to follow him to Riverside Garden Park. Once at the park, the report states Burden asked the victim if he could "feel them," and then placed both hands under her shirt to touch her breasts. Public Integrity Unit officers intervened at that time.


text:
Eric Crane
Short-Term Earnings
Telephone: +44 (0)1633 455092
Categories: Labour Market, People in Work, Earnings
Frequency of release: Quarterly
Language: English
Geographical coverage: UK
Geographical breakdown: UK
Survey name(s): Monthly Wages and Salaries Survey, Labour Force Survey, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE)
The whole economy Index of Labour Costs per Hour (ILCH) increased by 2.0% in the first quarter of 2013 compared with the same quarter of 2012. This means the cost of labour rose year on year in Q1 2013, before inflation is taken into account.
Wage costs per hour worked increased by 1.6%, while non-wage costs per hour worked increased by 4.3% in Q1 2013.
The growth in labour costs per hour in the public sector was 2.1% in the first quarter of 2013, compared with 1.7% in the private sector.
The Index of Labour Costs per Hour (ILCH) measures changes in the average labour costs per hour worked. Labour costs include wages and salaries as well as employer social contributions, maternity, paternity and sick pay and benefits in kind.


text:
NEW YORK (AP) - Say "wild" and "New York City," and few might fill in these blanks: a flock of feral turkeys causing a flap in a city that defines urbanity.
But roving turkeys on Staten Island have become a topic as heated as a Thanksgiving meat thermometer.
Some residents see the birds as a mess-making, traffic-stopping scourge. Others consider the creatures an impromptu natural attraction.
Dozens of turkeys were rounded up from the grounds of a psychiatric hospital and killed this summer, and again last month.
State and federal officials said they had to do something about birds that were encrusting walkways and railings with droppings.
But the roundups sparked an outcry - and an alternative for some of the birds. Some 28 were taken to an animal sanctuary in September.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
WTXF-TV330 Market StreetPhiladelphia, PA 19106-2796Phone: (215) 925-2929Fax: (215) 982-5494


text:
More features
Choosing a New Everton Crest
Crest A
Crest B
Crest C
Terms and Conditions
The summer sale of Gary Lineker was a key component in Everton's title-winning campaign of 1986/87, according to Howard Kendall.
Lineker scored 40 goals in his one season at Goodison, but the Blues saw Liverpool do the double in 1985/86.
And when a big-money offer from Spanish giants Barcelona came in for the England international, Kendall made the decision to allow the striker to depart Goodison.
It was all part of the plan though, with Kendall reflecting: "With Gary in the team, it was a different type of side to the one which won us the championship in 1984/85.
"Gary came in and scored a tremendous number of goals but the other players suffered because they'd worked on a different system the year before. When the big bid came in from Barca, I suggested that we take the money and revert back to the system which we'd used when we won the championship."
Kendall used some of the money from the sale of Lineker to bring centre-half Dave Watson to Goodison from Norwich City, for a then-Club record fee of £900,000. It proved to be one of the best pieces of business he would ever do and Watson's partnership alongside Kevin Ratcliffe was integral to Everton's success.
The Blues conceded just 31 goals in the league that term and Kendall said: "It was £900,000 from Norwich and I remember their manager Ken Brown saying [losing Dave] was like cutting off his right arm.
"He was a great leader and I decided with the problems Derek Mountfield had at the time with injury, I couldn't go into the season without an established centre-half."
To read the full interview with Kendall, grab a copy of the new 1986/87 souvenir magazine, which is on sale now.
Written by the Club, the 84-page special looks back on the glorious campaign with key performers from a brilliant production.
The publication comes with the official DVD of the 1986/87 season and is priced £6.99. It is available to buy from Everton One, Everton Two and all good retail outlets as well as online from www.merseyshop.com.


text:
Union City police continue to investigate a break in at a daycare center that happened on Tuesday night. Thieves walked away with hundreds of dollars in electronics from the preschool on Shannon Parkway.
Workers at New Leaf Christian Learning Center arrived to open the daycare on Wednesday and found the place ransacked. Glass was shattered from several windows, and the main office was in disarray after a break in late Tuesday night. The owner says her computer, a touchscreen monitor, a telephone and her video surveillance system were all missing. "I rushed over as soon as possible, so I could get to the center. When I came up it was like a crime scene. Glass everywhere, the office had been broken into. It was unbearable to just look at and that they would do that to a daycare," said director Xaviera Torrance. Owner Lemonica Watson says in the past cars parked outside were broken into, but thieves never broke into the building until Tuesday. Preschool staff say their main priority was to keep their preschoolers calm, and never letting the little ones know the problems the adults were dealing with. "The saddest thing is we're low income daycare. Parents get scholarships to come to this facility because they can't afford childcare. So when they do things like this they affect us, the parents, the children, and the community," said Watson.
The owner says she believes landscaping bricks used outside the facility may have been the tools the thieves used to get inside the daycare.The incident remains under investigation by police.
KTTV FOX 111999 S. Bundy Dr.Los Angeles CA 90025Main: (310) 584-2000News Tips? (310) 584-2025


text:
Vote in Winhall is tonightApril 02,2013Vote in Winhall is set for tonight
WINHALL There will be a special meeting today at 7 p.m. where voters will be asked to approve the purchase by the Mountain School of its buildings and grounds from the Winhall school district and the town of Winhall.
The vote at the meeting, which is at the school, will be done from the floor. The two questions will ask whether voters will approve the sale of the building, from the school district to the Mountain School, and whether voters will approve the sale of the ground, from the town to the Mountain School. If both questions are not approved the sale will not take place.
The Mountain School is an independent school, serving students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. It uses the site and building of Winhalls former public school and has been open for 15 years.
School officials say they want to buy their site and building now so they can control their own destiny. Charles Scranton, chair of the Mountain Schools board of trustees said the school is looking at expansion plans but cant move forward while they are leasing their own facilities.
If the sale is approved, Mountain School officials have promised that they will fund any expansion through private philanthropy, and not tuition, that tuition will not increase more than 3 percent a year for the next three years and that the building will still be used as a public space for events like town meeting.
Scranton and Daren Houck, head of the Mountain School, will be at tonights meeting to answer questions.MORE IN This Just InA Rutland judge has denied Christopher Sullivan's motion to exclude an expert's testimony from... Full StoryMayor Christopher Louras endorsed Rutland County State's Attorney candidate Rose Kennedy Monday. Full StoryCaramelized leeks bring flavor to mashed to potatoes. Full Story
- Most Popular
- Most Emailed
- RICHARD'S POOR ALMANACK: On this day in 1776, as Nathan Hale is hanged by British military authorities for spying, he utters his famous last words — or does he? In 1975, Sara Jane Moore attempts to kill President Gerald R. Ford in San Francisco.
- TOMORROW'S HEADLINES TODAY: Patrick McArdle reports and the theft of an $89,000 shotgun, police release a video of the Monday Castleton robbery, O'Gorman reports a lawsuit by a local man claiming his vehicle unlawfully seized, police leave him in cold.
- RICHARD'S POOR ALMANACK: Giles Corey of Salem, Mass., is pressed to death during the Salem witch trials; on this day in 1952, film comedian Charlie Chaplin, while traveling to England, is denied re-entry into the United States by U.S. attorney general.
- RICHARD'S POOR ALMANACK: Dutch father of microbiology Antonie van Leeuwenhoek discovers the existence of one-celled organisms; in 1967, The Doors are booked to play the Ed Sullivan show; in 1858, freedom fighter Dred Scott dies on this day in St. Louis.
- TOMORROW'S HEADLINES TODAY: No money this year for western rail project, Lola Aiken memorialized in Montpelier, Supreme Court Castleton murder suspect will remain in jail, Shaftbury man fires shots from his AK-47 into neighbor's home.
- RICHARD'S POOR ALMANACK: On this day in 1959, Soviet Premier Nikita S. Khrushchev arrives in U.S. for historic 13-day visit; in 1987, Secretary of State George Shultz and Soviet Foreign Minister Eduard Shevardnadze sign nuclear reduction agreement.


text:
My favorite thing about back-to-school season is getting new school supplies. So I was thrilled when Shoplet.com (an online retailer for office supplies) contacted me and asked me to review a few items from their line of Zebra pens! I'm not going to lie: I had never heard about Zebra pens until a few weeks ago when I made arrangements to review the pens. If they are new to you as well, keep reading - I have some goodies to share!
Z-Mulsion EX Ballpoint Pen
First up was the Z-Mulsion EX ballpoint pen. This pen felt GREAT in my hand. It wasn't heavy, but it had enough substance to hold onto. I sometimes use Bic Velocity pens and this had a very similar feel. It had the same great cushioning on the area where I grip the pen. I like my writing to make a bold statement and I loved that the Z-Mulsion EX series comes in a medium 1.0mm point size.
Here's some fun news too: You can get a FREE Z-Mulsion pen by visiting the Shoplet Blog. They are also giving away $300 in Shoplet gift cards. Everyone loves free school supplies!
Zebra F-301 Retractable Ballpoint Pen
I also tested out the Zebra F-301 Retractable Ballpoint Pen. This had a fine point (0.7 mm). This is a great pen, but not the pen for me. It is very thin and lightweight. It's a nice quality pen, but I think I spend too much time with kindergarteners and their bulky school supplies because it just didn't feel substantial in my hand.
Here's the really crazy thing though. My good friend Meggan is a nurse. A few weeks ago we were shopping at the local "Super-Center" and found ourselves in the school supply aisle (since it's my favorite aisle to visit in the fall). As we were browsing through the supplies, Meggan said, "I hope they have Zebra pens." I knew my pens were in the mail so I did a double take and asked her why. Apparently she LOVES this exact pen because it is super-fine. When she writes in patient charts, she sometimes has a lot to say and, according to Meggan, this pen is great for writing recording in all caps when you only have a tiny writing space available. It might not suit my writing style, but this must be a high-quality pen if it earns Meggan's stamp of approval.
It's a Zebra Pen Giveaway!
Are you ready to hear about that Giveaway? Here's the deal. Zebra sent me 11 different pens, mechanical pencils, and highlighters to try out. I had lots of fun trying all of them out and I am giving away the pen collection to one lucky blog follower! I even have a cute little zebra stuffed animal that was included with the samples.
All you have to do is follow Kinder-Craze via Google Friend Connect or Networked blogs. Then leave a comment on this post with your name and email (so I know how to contact you if you win!) I will choose 1 lucky winner at random to win the pen collection. You have until 5:00pm (Eastern Time) on Tuesday, September 4 to enter.


text:
America's most stressful city is Las Vegas, followed by L.A. and Houston, according to Forbes. Long thought to be the capital of neurotic hair-tearing, New York City finished in eighth place. You softies make me sick. [Image via Shutterstock]
Los Angeles Is More Stressful Than New York
Pending approval Maureen O'Connor


text:
Natchitoches, La. (KALB News Channel 5) –One man is going to be spending a little longer in prison then he originally expected.
According to Natchitoches Parish District Attorney Van Kyzar, Derrick Leray Evans, 29, pled guilty on August 9 to the charge of simple escape.
Five years was added to his 20 year sentence for attempted manslaughter and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Evans escaped from prison on May 2, 2013, but was apprehended the next day by U.S. Marshalls in Jackson, Mississippi.