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Technology – The Future Of Cotton
Looking Ahead
Technology Gives U.S. Cotton
By Tommy Horton
No matter how the future is viewed for U.S. cotton, one consistent fact remains clear. Technology, in many ways, will keep the producer profitable and help him compete in an increasingly competitive global market.
Obviously, factors persist that a producer can't control, such as global economic downturns, low prices and a barrage of trade issues that never seem to go away.
But technology, with all of its promise, is what gives every segment of the industry a reason to hope for better days. It's easy to see how far cotton production has come since the mule-and-plow days, but it's all the more remarkable to view the advances made in the last 10 to 20 years.
For example, it was only 13 years ago that Bt cotton was introduced to the industry. To many, that seems like a lifetime ago.
Diversity Of Technologies
As many experts have stated recently, the word "technology" is loosely used in conversations. Many persons automatically think of GPS and complex precision ag equipment when they discuss technology.
In fact, technology comes in all shapes and sizes, and some of it is often taken for granted during the course of a long crop season. True, it may be that technology is what gives the U.S. cotton producer an advantage over his competitors.
However, as National Cotton Council agronomist Bill Robertson points out, the more compelling argument might be how are producers utilizing current technology tools as opposed to what might be "coming down the pike."
"We just can't expect everything that takes us into the future will be new technology," says Robertson. "What might be more important is can we fine-tune existing technology and production practices?"
Robertson likes to tell the story of a farmer in southeast Arkansas who was trying to improve his irrigation system by adjusting the water flow rate using the Phaucet program with the help of University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture engineer Phil Tacker. The farmer thought it might be a complicated procedure involving different numbers and size of holes in his poly-pipe.
What it amounted to was a simple adjustment that the farmer could implement, and it increased his water efficiency by 25 percent.
"In this farmer's mind, he turned $4 diesel into $3 diesel," Robertson says. "That's what I mean about fine-tuning simple technology. It definitely makes a difference."
Exciting Future For Cotton
Don't get the wrong idea about Robertson's feelings on precision ag technology or cottonseed germplasm with drought-tolerant and nitrogen-use efficiency traits coming down the road.
Those impending breakthroughs excite him just as they would any cotton research scientist. He's simply trying to win the technology battle on a couple of fronts.
First, he wants existing technology to remain as efficient as possible. Second, he hopes for good expertise in managing any future technology.
"It will be a daunting challenge to get our money out of this," he says. "But this kind of technology is what gives us an advantage over the rest of the world. Once we deliver it to our farmers, we'll find even better ways to use it."
While there are skeptics who worry that other countries now have access to the same technology that U.S. farmers have had for several years, Robertson still thinks there is reason for optimism. In his view, the U.S. cotton industry is better equipped to support new technology for the long haul than its competitors.
Having said that, he's plainly aware that India, for example, has increased its cotton production by 70 percent in the past five years after gaining access to Bt technology. The country, once a major importer of cotton, is now one of the United States' largest competitors.
"When I see statistics like that, I just happen to think that the bar is raised for us here in the United States," he adds. "I still think we'll be in a better position to take advantage of the more specific technology being developed."
"Some of our competitors won't be able to do what we can do in that area. Ultimately, that will put more money into our farmers' pockets."
A Realistic View
If anything, Robertson is a realist when it comes to the future of U.S. cotton. While he knows that these new technology tools will enhance the producer's chances to improve yield and fiber quality, he also sees the flip side of the equation.
For example, he knows there are farmers who don't necessarily focus on future trends.
"There are plenty of farmers who are more worried about getting a crop loan approved for '09," says Robertson. "They're not worried about what's going to happen in 2015.
"Those same farmers also might have low budgets and don't think they can take advantage of technology. But there's room for everybody when it comes to this production tool."
Consistent Need For Technology
No matter how difficult the current economic environment becomes for cotton, some industry leaders believe now is the time to take advantage of technology.
Ed Barnes, director of ag research at Cotton Incorporated, believes this is the purpose of having technology tools – to maintain profitability during economic downturns.
"Our economists tell us that when we're in a low price, high input environment, that's when you need technology more than ever," he says. "If cotton were priced at $3 a pound and fertilizer cost 20 cents a pound, anybody out there could survive in this environment. My advice is to embrace the technology."
By surviving, Barnes means that there are innovative ways for farmers to cut costs by taking advantage of existing technology – such as a lower nitrogen application.
He's also a big proponent of soil testing to look at fertility levels. In fact, Barnes has studied yield maps from across the country and believes there are opportunities to reduce inputs by 30 percent while increasing yields at the same time.
"If you figure there is a 30 percent yield variation in your field, that also means there is a 30 percent variation in your input needs," says Barnes. "When I see that data, I know there are opportunities to cut costs."
Increasing Yields Is The Goal
Combining cost-saving management practices with the possibility of dramatically increasing yields is a reachable target from Barnes' perspective.
When he first heard Monsanto researchers talking about the possibility of doubling U.S. cotton yields in 10 years, it definitely seemed possible – mainly because of how far cotton production has progressed in the last 25 years.
"When you work in research, sometimes you don't think we're getting anywhere," says Barnes. "But when you step back and think about how far we've come in 25 years, we've already doubled yields. If the technology hadn't been accelerating so fast, I might've laughed at that Monsanto comment. However, I think we can pull it off now."
New Developments In California
Precision farming and adoption of technology apparently is what will sustain a smaller California cotton industry. That's the word from Dan Munk, a cotton production systems farm advisor with California (UC) Cooperative Extension in Fresno.
Although cotton acres have dropped dramatically in the last few years, Munk believes a smaller industry can still remain viable if efficiencies are found in several production areas. Those areas would include better irrigation, adoption of precision ag and better seed varieties.
"We already see some of our growers starting to use drip and overhead irrigation and move away from furrow or flood irrigation," says Munk.
Besides new approaches to irrigation, California producers are embracing conservation tillage practices that will help reduce primary and secondary tillage in insect control and defoliation costs. The industry also is seeing increases in acres that have precision application of insecticides and defoliants to help manage costs.
"All of these things are pointing toward improving our bottom line," says Munk. "If we can make these technologies work, it will help California sustain its cotton production."
No matter what part of the Belt is examined – Southeast, Mississippi Delta, Texas High Plains or San Joaquin Valley – adoption of new technology is increasing.
It's reaping benefits now – and potentially even more in the immediate future.
Contact Tommy Horton at email@example.com or by telephone at (901) 767-4020.
Genetically Engineered Cotton
• Bt cotton planted on 68 percent of acreage in U.S. in '08.
Source: USDA's Economic Research Service


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FREE COMEDY FRIDAY! Today brings new things from The Pod F. Tompkast and Superego.
In EXTRASODE: The Trip, Part II, a couple of famous actors chat about craft, thanks to the magic of peyote. And a new, full episode of The Pod F. Tompkast is being recorded this weekend!
In Superego Episode 3:13, everything is just insane. I've listened to it five times now, I think. Guest stars include Andy Richter, Erinn Hayes, Gillian Jacobs, Craig Cackowski, and me.
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Three's a crowd as Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) finds her mom making out with John Ritter in her house. Ritter plays Ted, a man who Buffy's mom has apparently been seeing for a while. Ted's demeanor lies somewhere between Ward Cleaver and Herman Georing. Even though he bakes delicious cookies and her mom is happy, Buffy is suspicious. These worries are confirmed when, after returing from a night of slaying, Buffy catches Ted reading her diary. Justifiably angered by the invasion of privacy, she argues with him and he strikes her. In an abuse of her slayer powers, Buffy punches him down the stairs to his death. But her guilt is short-lived as Willow (Alyson Hannigan), Xander (Nicholas Brendon), and Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter) discover that Ted has had marriages dating back to 1957 and puts drugs in his cookies. The weirdest twist is that Ted comes back to fight Buffy because he's an evil robot who keeps his dead wives in his closet.
by Matt Collar synopsis


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Posted 07/18/2013 5:54 PM
does anyone really care its not like we get to vote a simple statement would work we dont need a 30min interruption in the middle of the game we were watching to know the new rules that we have no control over way to ruin the game some more stern....
Posted 07/18/2013 5:59 PM
Posted 07/18/2013 6:51 PM
The ironic thing is that the video of the conference will be up for free online later, whereas the entire second quarter of the game is lost forever.
I DO care about what's going on in the league though. I'm not sure about how many things were added to replay review. I do like hearing about the addition of a 4th official whenever that happens.
Could NOT CARE LESS about Charlotte getting their name back. I was expecting breaking news and they announce the NAME CHANGE?! Also, living in Seattle and loving the idea of going to Blazers vs. Sonics games, I was disappointed that Adam Silver completely shrugged off the idea of Seattle getting a team. I've said it before and I'll say it again. Expansion! Seattle gets a team and one of the major eastern cities gets a team (Baltimore, Cincinnati, even St. Louis would work). 16 playoff teams and 16 lottery teams. How is that "out of the question" right now?
Posted 07/18/2013 7:21 PM
Posted 07/18/2013 7:23 PM
if the clippers moved they'd change there name to the sonics
Posted 07/18/2013 7:26 PM
Posted 07/19/2013 2:45 AM
No worries, Simpson. I was yelling expletives every time Stern said "talking basketball" that I would rather be WATCHING #@$%*! BASKETBALL!!!
I called him names that even offended me...
Posted 07/19/2013 10:28 AM
Posted 07/19/2013 11:04 AM
Well, the Suns did go on a 24-0 run. That would have been bad to see. But looking at Stern's face is worse.
Posted 07/19/2013 4:02 PM
Nahhh if they showed the game I guarantee that we would have won.. I was pissed yo
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San Antonio game 2
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First Game starts tonight. Houston is a tough first round opponent and they play exceptionally well at home. If we can steal a game or two at their place, I feel like we have extremely good chances.
P.S. Would anybody happen to have a...
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There are many questions and you don''t have to register, you can continue as a guest. Didn''t know about Sporcle though, thanks.
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The Blazers were winning!  That is the key word, were.  Blazers are living proof that you can live and die by the jumper.  Lately it has been dying.
Thank God they are 19 games over 500.  Mayb...
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Hawes will be a hot commodity by the trade deadline, I would think the sixers could find a better offer.
However, I do believe Mo Williams could have somewhat of  a high trade value. Olshey needs to make a deal to get a big man while we...
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Ingredients: Brewed Starbucks® Coffee (Water, Coffee), Reduced Fat Milk, Sugar, Cocoa, Pectin, Ascorbic Acid.
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Map It
Map City Services
Metro Newsroom
LouisvilleKY.gov Links
Monday March 21, 2011
In an effort to keep citizens better informed about their tax dollars, Mayor Greg Fischer today released the first of what will be monthly reports to citizens about how much revenue the city collects.
The reports, which will be posted at www.louisvilleky.gov/yourtaxdollarsatwork, are a snapshot in time of where the city stands financially with revenues from all sources, including occupational, property and nets profits taxes.
"This is all part of our effort to bring more transparency to the city budget process," Fischer said. "That's why we held five budget hearings across the city, and that's why we asked city employees for their cost-saving ideas."
This month's report, for example, shows that total General Fund revenue has increased a little more than 1 percent compared to last year. Metro Government collected $337.3 million in revenue as of Feb. 28 compared to $332.9 million at this time last year.
"That's good news, and I hope to see that trend continue," Fischer said. "Of course, we have to balance that information with the fact that expenses are increasing -- $6 million alone in new pension costs next year."
The monthly report doesn't include expenses and it doesn't include unforeseen costs, such as the recent expenses associated with flood cleanup. Those are more difficult to track on a monthly basis -- and the city will continue to release quarterly reports on expenses.
Steve Rowland, the city's chief financial officer, said the city is currently facing a projected $22 million shortfall for the next fiscal year, which beings July 1. Fischer presents the budget to citizens and the Metro Council on May 26.


text: Are you ready for a surprise? Polarhog is here to shake things up! He is, as the title refers to him, Barry's Best Buddy, the new TOON Book by Renee French, coming out March 12. Polarhog's enthusiasm and Barry's sarcasm play off each other well, and are both humorous and endearing. This book shows kids a magnificent example of how friends can open you up to new experiences. Learn more about Barry's Best Buddy on the book's own website.


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Heya folks!
I'm selling my untrimmed kit of Clone Armor made by CC3745 a few years ago.
Those of you who know it, know that it's amazing stuff! Very thick, rigid, high quality ABS Vacu-formed.
Those who don't... ask anyone, who does... it's a great kit!
It's only the vacu-formed hard parts (ie. no Belt, Elbows or Knees)image_15.jpegimage_14.jpegimage_13.jpegimage_12.jpegimage_11.jpegimage_10.jpegimage_9.jpegimage_8.jpegimage.jpeg
I'm selling my 501st paint-scheme EpIII Helmet, which has installed fans and mic, along with it.
I'm open for trades for a clean Stormtrooper costume. It needs to be 501st approved (or approveable upon assembly). I'd prefer it completely assembled, but would consider a kit.
It needs to include the helmet, but I have boots, gloves, undersuit and blaster already.
If I sell it, I'm not looking to get more than I paid ($500 for the armor and $200 for the helmet.... $700 total)
I don't check the forums often, so if you could email me at email@example.com instead of contacting me here, I'd really appreciate it.
Thanks everyone!
For more pictures, please email me.


text: Blog Home Recent Posts in Divorce Category Divorce Therapy and Adjustment Posted on Jul 17, 2012 By Steven N. Cole, LLC The end of a marriage can be one of the most stressful events in a person's life. Even for the partner who chooses to leave, divorce can arouse feelings of grief, guilt, anger, anxiety and other ... Continue reading "Divorce Therapy and Adjustment" » Permalink Baby Boomer Divorce Rate Doubles Posted on Jul 14, 2012 By Steven N. Cole, LLC Divorce rates in Arizona and across the country for the general population have stabilized over the past several decades, but not for those ages 50 and over. The baby boomer divorce rate has nearly ... Continue reading "Baby Boomer Divorce Rate Doubles" » Permalink


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On the morning of September 11, 2001, LT Heather Penney, an F-16 fighter pilot, and one of the first women to become such, was stationed with the Air National Guard, at Andrews Air Force Base. Her nickname was "Lucky," as in Lucky-Penney. That morning, she might not have thought so. With the World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon already hit, she and her commander were given an immediate mission: launch, find , then bring down, that 4th hijacked airliner, predicted to be heading for key buildings in D.C. The thought of shooting down a civilian airliner was agonizing enough, not to mention the inerasable-memory. Thinking her mission couldn't possible get worse, it did. As LT Penney and her commander scrambled to launch their fighters for the intercept, they would be doing so unarmed. Having just returned from combat exercises in Nevada, their jets carried no rockets, still armed, only, with dummy-bullets! It would take an hour to re-load, time they simply didn't have. So, their only option would be to ram that hijacked airliner in mid-air. Ejecting safely would then be, at best, doubtful. Her commander said he'd aim for the cockpit. "Lucky" agreed to go for the tail. With that, they flew-off, in search of that hostile airliner. In the end, neither of these courageous, nation-above-self pilots would have to face death that day. Brave passengers aboard United Flight 93 challenged the radicals, their plane eventually crashing in Pennsylvania, sadly, as with the three others, killing all on-board. Reflecting back on that morning, now-Major Penney said: "I genuinely believed that was going to be the last time I took off." Thanks to countless heroes that fateful day, and since, life was allowed to go one for our people, and our nation.
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Substantial in size and weight, elegant in design and practical in function. It's a perfect gift for the wine enthusiast on your list! Clear, jewel-cut acrylic with chrome stem and rubberized stopper. Custom-etched with 1 initial. Includes gift box. 1 5⁄8" x 3⁄4" x 5 1⁄8" H.
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Hero MotoCorp, the world's largest manufacturer of two-wheelers, has become the title sponsor of the Hero World Challenge.
The Tiger Woods Foundation has been named a recipient of the 2014 Steve Patterson Award for Excellence in Sports Philanthropy.
Tiger has announced that he will no longer be working with swing coach Sean Foley.
After consulting with his doctors and trainer, Tiger won't play again competitively until the World Challenge in December.
In Tiger's Blog, Tiger recaps his past experiences and talks about his plans for the future.


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Funeral services for J. D. Hudson, Jr. will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 29, 2012 at Galilee Baptist Church, 1500 Pierre Ave. in Shreveport. Interment will follow at Lincoln Memorial Park, Shreveport. Visitation with the family will be from 6 until 7 p.m. today (Friday) at Heavenly Gates Funeral Home, Shreveport. He entered into eternal life on Sunday, Sept. 23, 2012.
J.D., affectionately known as "Jr. Boy" or "Bear-Bear," was the youngest of seven children born to J.D. Hudson, Sr. and Ludy Warren Hudson, who both preceded him in death.
He accepted Christ and was baptized at Growing Valley Baptist Church in Minden. At the time of death, he was faithful member of the Unity of Faith Baptist Church where he was in training for being ordained as a deacon of the church.
After receiving his elementary, then completing his secondary education in 1973 from Webster High School, J.D. earned a basketball scholarship to Grambling State University where he played basketball and graduated with a degree in Education 1976.
His teaching career was spent at Shreve Island Elementary School, Lakeshore and Oak Terrance Middle School while his coaching career included Midway and Bethune Middle School, all located in Shreveport. His love for sports led him to become a referee, subsequently retiring from the Louisiana High School Association (LAHSAA) as a lifetime official. During and after retirement from the Caddo Parish School System, J.D. spent much time volunteering and nurturing youth. He received awards for "Volunteer of the Year" from both Shreveport Parks and Recreation (SPAR) and Bill Cockrell Park and Recreation Center.
He was preceded in death by his parents and sister, Mallie Harris.
Left to cherish his memory are his wife, Marie Ross Hudson; his children, Jason Deon Hudson (Keianna), Minden, Tamika Harrison, Katy Texas and De Mar Harrison, Shreveport; three brothers, Edward Hudson (Velma), L.D. Hudson (Margaret) both of Shreveport and Bunny R. Hudson (Dorothy) of Minden; two sisters, Tressie Rhodes, Los Angeles, California and Annie Ruth Walker of Minden; three godchildren, Ebony Ford and Jeek Woodley, both of Mansfield and Jaylen McClinton, Shreveport; and a host of other family members and friends.


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Are the Ratings Agencies Pointless?
Lee is a member of The Motley Fool Blog Network -- entries represent the personal opinion of the blogger and are not formally edited.
The ratings agencies have had their reputations damaged in recent years and I confess I have a certain amount of sympathy for them. They get pilloried and lambasted by the finance industry who has found someone to conveniently blame for their idiotic investment decisions during the sub-prime debacle. On the other hand, they get little credit when their work turns out to be accurate. Every profitable investment decision is, of course, the sole creation of the investment professional looking at it. Let me be clear, I am not saying they didn't make mistakes, they did, but they are not responsible for pushing buttons at trading desks.
With that said I thought it would be interesting to look back at what stocks Standard & Poor's had on positive and negative outlook and see how they performed in terms of stock performance. I know they are analyzing the debt situation so they really should be judged on that basis but, like I said, this is a bit of fun.
The Results are in!
I went back to the start of the year to see what S&P had on positive and negative outlook and then tabulated performance. I've tried to be fair and pick a random sample of 16 stocks each and matched them up in terms of sector.
Unfortunately the 'negative outlook' stocks have outperformed the 'positive outlook' stocks although both underperformed the S&P 500 which is up 13.2% in the comparable period. This doesn't speak volumes for using S&P ratings to pick stocks!. I happen to think that it is a useful analysis because bond outlooks usually reflect the same factors that equities do.
Now before readers start preparing hate letters to Standard & Poor's, I want to discuss some of the stocks here and give some opinions as to what is going on.
Negative Outlooks
Frankly I can understand the call on R.R. Donnelley (NASDAQ: RRD). The stock's debt dwarfs the market cap and there is little growth in the business whilst plenty of downside risk. Printing always will be a highly cyclical activity. When the going is good the presses are rolling but when it's bad the printers are lumbered with underutilized capacity. Moreover there is a huge secular challenge for traditional printers as more and more media moves online. It's hard to see what it can do about it. The yield is huge but will it be paid?
I can understand the negative call on United Technologies (probably due to defense cutbacks) but Abbott Labs is quite puzzling, it's one of the stronger health care names out there. Elsewhere, I was surprised to see Walgreen (NYSE: WAG) on negative outlook. Okay nobody liked the Express Scripts deal but its debt is not huge in relation to its cash flow and the business is not going bust anytime soon. Despite believing that it will be tough to get back as many customers as it hopes, I think the stock is cheap and the sector has plenty of upside catalysts.
Positive Outlooks
I don't get the positive call on Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD). This is a business with declining earnings and revenues which is a distant second to Intel in many markets. In addition the semiconductor market is cyclical and while most industry commentators were predicting an upturn this year (which didn't happen) this is not an industry with a huge amount of earnings visibility and AMD is not even a strong player in it.
I like Roper Industries (NYSE: ROP) and think it deserves a positive outlook. The company is acquisitive and in consequence usually has some debt, but it is seeing gross margin expansion in its mix of niche markets. Cash flow generation is very strong and it is a leading player on all of its end markets. Margins are high and return on equity is usually good so this is not a business that typically has high maintenance capex requirements.
Coca-Cola and United Health Group were good judgments but I think the call on Oracle (NYSE: ORCL) was a good one that might not have resonated with many at the time. The company has a significant amount of cash on the balance sheet, but going into the New Year it had given a nasty trading statement and was faced with the obvious need to make acquisitions to buy itself into the cloud space and fight back against SAP. It wasn't obvious in January that Oracle would have such a good year and S&P deserves some credit.
The Bottom Line
Overall this analysis did not produce a good performance and it suggests that S&P are no better than most at predicting end markets. Don't rely on the ratings agencies to make your investment decisions!
The other point that keeps going through my head is that it is fine to value an asset, but in the end it is the underlying direction in the trend of that asset that truly matters. Investors may think it is all a matter of just buying low valuations and selling high, but actually they need to be aware of the basis on which that valuation lies. For example, Spain and Ireland used to think they had solid debt situations and strong banking sectors thanks to their booming housing markets. Enough said.
SaintGermain has a position in Roper Industries. The Motley Fool owns shares of Oracle. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.If you have questions about this post or the Fool's blog network, click here for information.


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Since 2010, more than 30 emerging businesses from the U.S. and EU such as Marketo, Sangart, Riot Games and Delcath Systems have established their presence in Ireland, working alongside IDA Ireland. These companies, characterized by their innovation, growth potential and ambition to expand, join global leaders such as Google, Facebook, Twitter and Intel, who also chose Ireland as their European hub.
Allen Peterson, CEO of Aasonn, a global systems and technology services consulting firm operating out of the cloud, will share insights into the challenges and opportunities associated with high-growth companies pursuing a global strategy as well as the company's decision to locate in Ireland.
Other speakers and panelists include:
Mary McEvoy, Vice President Emerging Business, IDA Ireland
Daryl Hanberry, Tax Director, Deloitte
For more information and to register, please visit the event page at the following link:
The event venue, 1871, is located at 222 W. Merchandise Mart Plaza, Chicago, IL 60654.
About IDA Ireland's Emerging Business Division
IDA Ireland is Ireland's inward investment promotion agency. Working with sister agencies and other stakeholders, IDA Ireland assists high-growth companies with financial support and to make connections in Ireland. IDA Ireland also facilitates the building of business between emerging companies and third-level institutes and their graduates and promotes linkages with indigenous companies of similar scale and potential. For more information, please visit www.idaireland.com/emerging-business/ or follow IDA Ireland on Twitter @IDAIRELAND.
2. Pair Guilty in $100 Million Data Theft
3. 10 Things To Know about Windows 10
4. Phone Encryption Troubles Authorities
5. Apple's iPhone 6 Is Headed to China


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Security 101
Emails which try to lure you into giving away personal information such as bank account numbers, credit card numbers, passwords and social security numbers are commonly referred to as Phishing scams. While the campus works diligently to block these scams, there will always be some emails which make it to your inbox. This issue of Titan Tech Talk, and the next, will offer information to help you avoid falling prey.
The groups behind Phishing scams go to great lengths to entice you into handing over your identity. Phishing scams may take on the appearance of an official request for information from the University, the State or the Federal government or a reputable company. Many of these Phishing scams may also go so far as creating "look-a-like" websites that are designed to closely resemble an official site by copying the official site's style, logos, images, navigation menus and other components.
Tips to help identify these scams:
They request sensitive information - Be skeptical. Has your account really been violated? Do you really need to update your account information? It is highly unlikely that a legitimate institution would request sensitive information in such a way.
The email looks legitimate - Most legitimate emails and websites look professional. Phishing scams try to fool you, but like a counterfeit dollar bill, they just do not look right. Look for bad grammar, bad spelling and bad design. If your instincts tell you something is too good to be true or there is something which feels strange, it probably is.
Generic greetings - The email does not specifically address you or uses a generic greeting. Institutions know exactly who you are and will refer to you by name in emails.
There is a disguised hyperlink - Verify the web address. You can usually verify the address by using your mouse pointer and hovering over the link sent in the email. If the first part of the web address consists of numbers, the site should not be trusted. For example http://188.8.131.52/PayPal/account/ is an untrustworthy address. Even though "PayPal" is part of the address, the first part contains numbers (called an IP address). This is a sign that something is not right.
For more up-to-date security information visit the Security Blog: http://securitynews.fullerton.edu/latest/


text:
Wow nice row bro
Sent from the bottom of a protein jug.
Got my auction winnings and a couple extras I added and a couple of bonus vials. The vials look great oil looks good filled to the top. Can't wait to run my cycle I will let you guys know if it's g2g.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Wow nice row bro
Sent from the bottom of a protein jug.
That is quite the collection. Thumbs up bro!
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That looks great! I'm jealous
Lotta gear.
Awesome collection!!!
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Divine Nutrition 33% Off Coupon Code = HeyMrWaters
^use my link when ordering
yeahh budddyyy! Ricky always does his thang!
Yeah that is a few bottles I got more that thou plus some prescription trt cream wife as me was I opening a pharmacy. Just I can't run any off it but test for a few months. Having back surgery in Feb so 6 weeks after then it's on
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Back surgery? Think I saw your post. Good luck bro.
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Yeah I been have a problem with it since aug the disk wouldn't go back in. I am hoping not going to be to bad.
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Best of luck HeavyB.
Cruise on some Test to keep the gains and libido up. Start up slowly when you are fully recovered - You won't even need high, full on blast doses for the first few weeks. Just double your cruise dose and let the muscle memory do its work.


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The Ultimate Cheapskate's Book Contest
Published on - January 4th, 2008 (by J.D. Roth)
On Sunday, I reviewed Jeff Yeager's new book, The Ultimate Cheapskate's Guide to True Riches. Yeager has graciously offered to give away three copies to Get Rich Slowly readers. Rather than just do a random drawing, I thought it would be fun to share stories of extraordinary cheapness. It's the Ultimate Cheapskate's book contest!
Here's how it works:
- By tomorrow night, leave a comment on this entry with a true story of extraordinary cheapness from your life (or the life of somebody you know).
- On Sunday, Yeager and I will select our three favorite stories. These commenters will receive a copy of his book.
Remember: this contest is meant to be fun. It's a celebration of the lengths some people will go to save money. To give you an example of the sorts of stories I'm looking for, let me share some real-life examples from my own family.
First, my cousin Nick remembers two stories of his father's cheapness:
- "My dad was so cheap that he once drilled a hole in a nickel so that he wouldn't have to pay eight cents for a washer."
- "My first memory of gas prices is driving home from my grandparents. We drove into a gas station, and pulled up to the pump. The guy came out and said, 'Can I help you?' My dad said, '33 cents a gallon? No you can't!' We drove off. Five miles down the road, we ran out of gas. We had to pay a farmer 50 cent cents a gallon."
In January 2006, my Aunt Virginia shared a couple stories of how cheap her husband is:
My husband likes quantity and sales.
For example, we just moved, and in the process I ran across an old receipt from Wal-Mart. It's a receipt for 366 pair of panty hose. Yes, that's right: 366 pair of panty hose. Also on the receipt are batteries, motor oil, and oil filters. After seven years, I still have enough new nylons left to last me until January 2007. They were purchased in July 1999.
More recently, Pop found a bargain at Wal-Mart the week after Christmas. Fruitcake regularly $2.99 was on sale for $1.00 a loaf. The more you buy, the more you save. Pop saved $106.00. He bought 53 fruitcakes, all that was left in the store. He spent $53.00.
For a longer example, check out Pop Buys Pop, in which my Uncle Stanley buys 70 two-liter bottles of Sierra Mist for $10.50.
Share your stories of extraordinary cheapness! You just might win a book.
This article is about Books, Frugality, Funny Money
I had my husband "hack" my Swiffer WetJet refill bottle by drilling a hole in the bottom so I could refill it myself. Refill bottles are upwards of $4 and I hated spending money for soapy water every few weeks.
Kind of relax & destreess better than massage
Price war :
Shop a : 10 foot reflexlogy free 1
Shop b: 10 fot refexlogy free 2
So surely we g for shop b
Annversary Cake house (Secret Receipt ..)
Buy one free one , we end up buy 10 , my frige end up load up with 20 cakes
All the best all for 2008,
Tracy ho
The cheapest thing I have ever seen was a manager for the company I worked for. He directed his outside salespeople to run the tollbooths without paying, figuring it was cheaper in the long run to pay the few tickets than to pay every toll!
When my sister and I were traveling in Rome, we saved money on food by eating gelato for dinner nearly every day.
My in-laws really overdo Christmas – dozens and dozens of presents for each person. Well, when you spend that kind of money on gifts, you have to be frugal somewhere. For several members of the family, there is no ripping into packages. They very carefully open each one and then fold up the paper to be reused the next year (and often for several years after that). My father-in-law even uses a knife to slice open the tape so that the paper doesn't rip. I really can't remember the last time my husbands grandmother used new wrapping paper for Christmas or Birthday. The same goes for boxes. There is a sort of joke every Christmas about "who got the oldest box". I think last year there was a department store box that it was determined was from the 70′s sometime based on when that store closed. I believe it was finally retired.
I have a dear old aunt. She has experienced Second World War and know how to be frugal. It is second nature to her.
At her latest birthday, she got a couple of boxes of chocolate.
A week later I visited her. She had a bowl of hazel nuts sitting on the kitchen table. I thought nothing of it at the time.
During my visit, we had a piece of chocolate. My aunt took one bite of the chocolate and took out the hazel nut inside and placed it in the bowl.
"I don't like hazel nuts, but it would be a waste just to throw them out"
Realizing what she had just said, I got sick to my stomach, mainly because I had eaten from the bowl.
My father-in-law was a Depression-era toddler, and saw WWII rationing as a school child. He grew up with a single parent in a working-class poor neighborhood. That sort of thing imprints pretty deeply; he's notorious for taking a slice of cheese to restaurants to avoid the 50 cent difference between a hamburger and cheeseburger. He also orders Diet Coke with lemon, and wraps the extra lemon in a napkin to bring home. It seems funny to us, but I remember him telling me he'd never tasted steak until they went out to celebrate their fifth anniversary – in his late twenties.
My grandma is famous for being frugal. Here are a few things she has done:
seen that neighbors threw away the coupon section and grabbed it out of trash so she could have second set of a coupon or two she was planning on using.
gone to garage sales and taken things from the "free box" and then resold said items at her own garage sale the next month for .25 cents.
driven to three different grocery stores to take advantage of different coupons and sales (you know, bananas are on sale here, but potatos and soda are on sale there, so….)
I can't buy that, I don't have a coupon for it.
When playing white elephant food bingo at the senior center (when you bring in canned goods and such in a paper bag and then winner gets to chose a bag), she brought in something she had won in a previous bingo–not realizing until the person won it at our table that the box of coffee creamers she had brought had expired last month.
Clipping neighbor's flowers and flowers along side of road–in order to have flowers to put on the family graves on Memorial Day. I have no idea if the neighbor's mind the azaleas being trimmed each year by their 89 year old neighbor, but I've seen her do it.
I love my grandma, but her version of frugal can be a bit cheap! She has plenty of money, and will never be in financial trouble, but she remembers the Great Depression and tries to save money however she can.
I sure wish I had a fun story like that. The best I can remember from my childhood was my dad pulling up to the McDonalds drive through window after a long car trip. (Three kids, 2 adults, 1 car). He ordered 20 cheeseburgers from because they were $1 each. This was quite a while ago, so surprising the teenager behind the window with an order of 20 cheeseburgers caused quite the panic. Even funnier was that he ordered ONE soda for all 5 of us to share!
Let the games begin! And, hey, better bring your best game — you're gonna need it. Remember who's judging this Miser Death Match.
You might think you're cheap because you save your Christmas wrapping paper, put it back on the roll, and use it again next year. Not the Ultimate Cheapskate. I save it, put it back on the roll, and return it to WalMart for a refund. (Nah, I don't really do that, it would be wrong. But it might not be a bad act of civil disobedience if they bulldoze down the ball field and woodlot where the neighborhood kids have always played to build another WalMart, like they've been talking about.)
It's time to strut your thrift-craft, and don't be shy.
-Jeff Yeager
The Ultimate Cheapskate, the Titan of Tightwads, the Guru of Greenbacks, the Maestro of Misers, the Commander-in-Cheap….
There was a music store in town offering free CD's in exchange for 5 used CD's.
Best Buy just happened to be selling all sorts of crap CD's for $1.00 a piece.
I bought 15 of those and took them to the other store and got 3 brand new albums.
My friends called me Costansa.
Well, we have a man here in Albuquerque who lives so simply that he's become a local celebrity and guru of sorts. During the warmer months, this man wears nothing more than a loincloth. Now, should that loincloth happen to get a rip in it, this man doesn't use a needle and thread – he uses a needle and DENTAL FLOSS! You see, dental floss is cheaper per yard than thread.
Back in my single days, I was trying to get out of credit card debt. I had resolved to live only on cash and not use any credit (which wasn't really a problem considering my credit cards were close to maxed anyways).
So I met this girl who was very cute and asked her out for two weeks later. I figured I could have enough in my bank account by then to treat her well to a night on the town. The same time, I had other bills come due, and on date night, I only had $26.00 in my bank account.
We met up at 8:00pm.
Thankfully, my car tank was nearly half full (or half empty if you are one of those people). I looked in the paper and found a Greek Festival that included food and soda for $5/person. I took her there and paid my way inside. After being there for a while, she asked me to get us some beers. So I went and bought us two beers for $5. I drank mine, she drank hers, and she wanted another one. So I go and bought her one, and filled mine up with water so she wouldn't think she was drinking alone.
As the night progressed, she decided she wanted us to go dancing, I told her I was getting tired and had to be at work in the morning pretty early. We said our good nights, and I dropped her off at her car at 10:00.
While we never went out again, it was actually through finally telling this story to her and some of her friends, that I met my wife. She has since always appreciated the fact that I'll do just about anything for her, but appreciates it more that I don't go in to debt in order to do it.
Two stories from my ultra-cheap childhood (which has led me to a relatively frugal adulthood):
1. I grew up in the 1970s and begged my mom and dad for a pair of the very fashionable Dr. Scholl sandals with the wooden soles and the single leather strap. Rather than buying these shoes for me, my dad carved the shoes out of a 2X4, stapled tire tread onto the bottoms and used a salvaged piece of leather for the strap. Needless to say, those "Dr. Pops" didn't get much wear, but he did save almost $10.
2. As you can already tell, my dad was CHEAP and when it came to heating our little house in Michigan, he was extra cheap. We had a "wood burning" stove on our back porch, but rather than buying cord wood we would burn rolled up newspapers and lumber salvaged from broken pallets. Many a summer day was spent rolling those newspapers into tight logs or pulling apart broken pallets that my dad would bring home by the van load. That back porch would get to almost 80 degrees, but the rest of the house stayed at 55 degrees from November until April.
My Dad is so cheap… (how cheap is he?)
Well I'm not going to mention about how he doesn't turn the air conditioning on until August and he lives in Phoenix.
No, I'm going to mention this instead.
One day I saw him rubbing something on his disposable razors. I asked him what he was doing and he showed me.
Apparently he had taken the striker portion of a matchbook and was using it to sharpen the blades on his Bic disposable razors. He told me he got an extra week of use out of them by resharpening them.
My wife's best friend (J) and her husband (D) were shopping at the grocery store for a party they were having. D picked out Helluva good dip for the generic chips they bought. While at the check out line J is watching the price of every item that is being scanned in and see's the price of the Helluva good dip and proclaims "D we are in no position to be buying Helluva good dip" and promptly removes the item, goes and finds a nice generic dip to save $0.25. After hearing this story I decided to take an old coffee can, print out a picture of Helluva good dip with a note "Helluva Good Dip Fund", cut a slot in the top of the plastic lid, and taped the sign to the coffee can. My wife proceeded to fill it with 25 pennies and we took the can to the party and placed it on the dining room table next to the generic dip. J should be nominated for the ultimate cheapskate because I could tell stories like this for hours.
On a nice side note.. since a comment above was about how Christmas wrapping paper didn't count.. is that even if you received wrapping paper you know was from 10 years ago? My mom wrapped one of my presents this year in such wrapping paper. It is actually a sin in our family to destroy good wrapping paper, and boy was it entertaining trying to explain that to my 2 year old this year during Christmas.
My friend Daniel and I were discussing what we were going to do on a Sat night, and he said he and his wife wanted to drink Margaritas. I asked if he had a blender, and he said "I will just go to Wal-Mart and pick one up, then we can return it tomorrow. I've done that like three times this year."
I went with a friend to a dinner his company was providing on a riverboat casino. After dinner we were on the deck and I asked for a soda while walking over to a bar. He immediately said "no, don't get it there, they're free inside". And this was after he had won quite a bit of money. His fellow employees never let him live that down.
Mind if I offer two somewhat macabre tales about my dear parents?
As an urban-dwelling, educated professional whose childhood home looks like a typical 1970s suburban split level, I can stop a conversation cold by revealing that I was raised on roadkill. Everyone in the neighborhood knew that my dad was a deer hunter — in the years that he got one, we'd pull the minivan out of the garage, hang up the deer, and the butcher who lived next door would come over and cut it up for us. Venison filled our freezer. However, not everyone realized that sometimes, that deer had come to us by way of a timely phone call from a friend or relative who had been traveling a dark country road. "Hey Ben! I just hit a buck on Route 20. Naw, I'm fine; truck's a little dented. Want the animal? Come get it." As long as it was a fresh carcass on a cold day, that deer ended up in our garage — some choice cuts reserved for the finder and butcher, but the rest of the meat (and the hide) was ours, free.
Nowadays, my retired parents are graverobbers, but of the most benign sort. They go past or through the town cemetery on their daily walk, diligently noting who maintains the family graves and who doesn't. A couple of years ago, they commented on the pretty geraniums that the cemetery caretakers had planted on each grave. The geraniums were removed in the Fall and my parents found them in a pile behind the maintenance shed. True to form, my dad snuck back at night and hauled the pile of discarded flowers home. He carefully repotted the geraniums and wintered them in the basement. Come Spring, he separated the survivors. He had more than twenty healthy, beautiful plants as a result… although the family makes jokes about their hardiness being the result of the unusual fertilizer they sucked up before they were pulled from the graveyard.
When trying to save money one of my friends would buy the cheapest loaf of bread (usually the day old, half-price, store brand bread), then raid fast food places for ketchup, mustard, mayo, and on lucky days, barbecue sauce to make condiment sandwiches. Sure, they were cheap calories, but I don't think i could ever do that.
Dryer sheets! I cut mine in half for each load, and they work just as well. What, is there some kind of law that says dryer sheets need to be a certain size?
Whenever I used to visit a friend of mine, he would go to an indian restaurant and take out buffet. He would pile his plate with just chicken or any other meat. He would bring home that and I would cook rice to eat that with. For US6 we get close to 8 drumsticks and some 5 naan bread. This will last both of us for 2 meals at least. That means we are paying close to US3 per meal for both of us. The irony is that we both can afford it but rather be cheapskates!
In the office where I work, there is always celebration one day or another and alot of pop is always available. I used to pile up the pop in my cabinet and take them home. You would be surprised how many you can collect in a month.
My friend just gave me a good story yesterday! Her mom is the most frugal person I know. When my friend was in 4th grade, her mom used to make her wear plastic baggies over her shoes on rainy days, so her shoes would last longer.
(my friend says she took them off as soon as she was out of her mom's sight)
A past job and my current one both have a very large fridge in which they provide various soda's, water, and snacks for their employees.
While telling everyone it was for the environment, I would grab people's empty cans of their desks – and occasionally out of the trash -to be returned. I'd even volunteer to clean up meeting rooms so that I could get my hands on the empties.
Once a week I'd ride the subway home with a huge bag, annoying all the other folks on the train.
In reality it was to use the refund to create a laundry fund – not because I needed it, but because it was like doing your laundry for free.
A few years ago my friend Jason found out that his girlfriend was pregnant with the couple's first child. Being unwed twenty year olds, Jason felt the appropriate thing was to propose. He immediately left the home and went shopping, and felt compelled to call me after making his big purchase.
On the phone he relayed the following story, "Dude, I just got a great deal at Costco. I bought a box of granola bars and a ring for $900." I mentioned that the "deal" didn't seem like a great discount for any ring of substance. Jason shot back that the great deal was actually on the granola bars. "The ring was just an afterthought. I decided to get married as I browsed through the cereal aisle. I figured that she could help split the cost of my Costco membership."
My girlfriend loves to embarass me with this story of meal-preparing cheapness.
I was making dinner for us; eating in, of course! The plan involved taco seasoning, and I had 1/2 packet in the cupboard. (Use only half the spices to save money!)
It had a been a month since I opened the packet. A mealmoth maggot had wormed its way inside. Now, I could have run across the street to spend a buck on another packet. Or substituted other spices. But I figured "It's OK, when it cooks, any grossness will be nullified, and who wants to waste fine spices?" So I plucked the maggot out and stirred to the spices in.
Of course, my girlfriend saw this, became immediately grossed out, and refused to eat it. I went ahead, cooked the meal, and ate dinner.
She married me.
My dad has no qualms about looking like a kook in order to save money. This leads to some interesting sights for the neighbors.
My mother enjoys gardening, and their house is surrounded by a split-rail fence covered in meticulously kept climbing roses.
My dad grumbled about the cost of bug sprays, and he refused to even consider those pricey bug bags on stakes. So, each year her roses got chewed up when the Japanese beetles started to feed. Then one year, suddenly, the roses looked immaculate.
I was wondering how they had accomplished this, until one Sunday afternoon when I dropped by unannounced. My dad was in the yard with a 500-foot extension cord and his wet/dry shop vac, vaccuuming the beetles off the roses.
My grandfather haunts auctions — he claims that's the best place to find deals. One of the best deals he ever found was on church pews. He got an entire church's worth of solid oak church pews for just a bit more than the cost of hauling them off.
He proceeded to very carefully take each pew apart and stored the wood. Since then, he's built oak desks and other furniture from scratch for family members, making sure that the family doesn't have to go out and purchase furniture.
Even better, my grandmother bought rolls and rolls of a patterned fabric sometime in the late 80s. All of their kids' and grandkids' furniture, curtains and bedspreads match, because she's made all of them by hand (including the cushions on my grandfather's oak furniture). She's down to the last roll, though, and we're all scared to think if we'll have to try to match a new pattern now.
i don't know if this is more funny or sad:
my father grew up in post-WWII Soviet Union, which turned him into an extreme miser/pack rat. one of his famous traits over the years has been never throwing out food, no matter what condition it's in.
with a big family, you have a lot of leftovers, not all of which are finished up in time. so, every-so-often, he would go through the fridge, pull out the leftovers in various stages of decay, dump them in a frying pan (frying makes anything taste better), then dump that into a huge pot, along with whatever vegetables, fresh or not, were available. after cooking the funny-smelling concoction for several hours, he would then serve that at dinner, topping each bowl off with various bread, cereal and/or potato chips crumbs.
we lovingly refer to this as "dad-soup-surprise," and gag a little, every time we think about it.
A few brief cheapo anecdotes, most related to my mother but one related to my wife, and another to my father. I'd encourage you to read the below as a body of work committed by my lunatic family.
My father used to look for combs in parking lots, and would pick them up, wash and use them when he found one. I mean he would constantly be on the lookout for a freaking comb.
My mother
- washed plastic bread bags for reuse
- "waterproofed" her kids' snow boots with said plastic bread bags (foot in bag, bag in boot)
- bought shoes for her kids two sizes too big and rolled socks up in the toe to make them fit
- instead of buying proper tea, made tea from the dried leaves of various random plants
My wife not only uses half a paper towel at a time, but also washes them for reuse.
My old boss, Brad, was so cheap, he would search through all the newspaper ads to find a furniture or car sale where they gave a way free hot dogs so he could take his family out to lunch there.
My grandfather haunts auctions — he claims that's the best place to find deals. One of the best deals he ever found was on church pews. He got an entire church's worth of solid oak church pews for just a bit more than the cost of hauling them off.
He proceeded to very carefully take each pew apart and stored the wood. Since then, he's built oak desks and other furniture from scratch for family members, making sure that the family doesn't have to go out and purchase furniture.
Even better, my grandmother bought rolls and rolls of a patterned fabric sometime in the late 80s. All of their kids' and grandkids' furniture, curtains and bedspreads match, because she's made all of them by hand (including the cushions on my grandfather's oak furniture). She's down to the last roll, though, and we're all scared to think if we'll have to try to match a new pattern now.
It's interesting that this contest came along. I just blogged about one of the "cheap" things my father did back when I was a kid. Here's a summary of the story, with a link to my blog entry (which is probably much more entertaining.)
When I was a kid, we were very poor. When I joined Cub Scouts, my parents bought my uniform at the thrift store, but there was no official, shiny metal Cub Scout slide at the thrift store, so I was told I would have to make do by tying my neckerchief or figuring something else out.
I was devastated. Once again, I was going to stand out as the poor kid of the pack, all because my parents couldn't afford to buy me a shiny metal Cub Scout slide.
My Dad saw my disappointment, and being the handyman he is, fashioned a Cub Scout slide for me out of a block of wood he had laying around. He drilled a hole through the center, sanded it down, wrapped it with a leather thong and glued the ends down. Finally, he colored the wood with a dark blue magic marker to match the color of my uniform.
When he called me out to the shed to give it to me, I was even more devastated. In my shallow mindset, it was even worse to have a "fake" slide than not to have one at all.
Now, of course, I cherish that slide and the work my father did to make it. It was unique, and it was a great example to me of how "making do" is sometimes better than the accepted norm.
Here's the link to the full post (complete with picture of me as a Cub Scout wearing the slide):
Of Laptops and Cub Scout Slides
Back around 2000 (the days of free stuff on the internet) I was an intern in an IT department. My 3 co-workers and I decided to hold a contest to see who could put together the best free-stuff date. The object was to use as little of our own money as possible to finance a complete PG date (dinner and entertainment) within 3 months. We came up with a point system based on our savings and the value. We received bonus points for accessories, and other free items. The winner received a $20. We weren't allowed to use our positions as Government employees to get discounts or free items; we could ask for discounts but couldn't refer to the contest, we couldn't use pre-existing rewards points, tips weren't counted and had to be 15% or more.
I ended up winning, I used 2 free movie tickets, I got a 50% off a coffee coupon in the newspaper which I used to buy my date coffee after the movie, I asked to sample one of their teas and since bags only come in one size I got a free cup of the tea. I got a free watch from Cisco, a free hat from Redhat and a Microsoft t-shirt (my date just loved how I dressed). I purchased gift cards for dinner cutting costs by using AAA to buy the gift cards and at a restaurant that I had a buy one get one half off. We went to dinner at 6:00 so the restaurant would be busy. When I spoke with the hostess I asked if I ordered take out (my initial plan) would they through in a free appetizer or dessert. She talked with the manager and I walked out with 2 meals and a free appetizer for about $12 (the value was around $35). We went to the local park and ate on a blanket I received for completing a survey online. I think in total I spent $15 on a value that was around $55.
My folks have to pay per trashcan the put out on trash day. At $3 a can my father decided years ago that an extra can on Christmas was to much. So a few days after Christmas he went out and purchased the cheapest Christmas fabric money can buy and made my mother sew draw string bags. To this day all the gifts my folks give me come in fabric bags. To prevent buying wrapping paper I occasionally receive birthday gifts in Christmas bags.
Coming out of college I was broke and heavily in debt. Now I'm 30 and doing fairly well for myself. However I am proud to say that I have never bought a condiment in my life!! To this day whenever I am in fastfood restuaraunts, gas stations etc… I make sure to fill my pockets with all the free condiments I can fit. My refrigerator looks like the counter at McDonald's.
My wife's grandfather was known for doing anything he could to save money. My favorite story is that he bought a book that demonstrated how to do dentistry at home on his five kids. His wife, who is a very quiet, old-fashioned woman, put a loud stop to that immediately. I guess you have to draw the line at amateur dentistry on your children.
My wife's father picked up a lot of his father's traits as well. When the Tylenol runs out, he refills the bottle with generic brand and doesn't tell my wife's mother; she claims that the generic Tylenol don't work as well (which is ridiculous of course).
Well, my father was so cheap that he continued to drive our station wagon for over a year after a hole developed in the passenger-side floor. Before he finally traded it in, the hole was about 4″x 8″ – large enough that a neighbor's kid dropped a shoe out the hole "just to see what would happen".
But my dad thought he wasn't being too cheap, because HE had a friend who had kept a car for so long that when he jumped over the seat to deal with a misbehaving child, he found himself standing in the street…
My parents not only collected soda cans for the deposit, but they also saved up all our glass (could be reused) and cans (flattened and sold as scrap). Coffee cans would be reused as pans for my mom to bake special loaves of bread. Even plastic juice bottles (a luxury!) would get reused over and over as a container for lemonade or juice made from frozen concentrate.
I grew up fairly poor – and bless my parents – they have worked incredibly hard to get our family to a better place. But the first 'toy' I remember was my first slide. We were driving home one evening, and all of a sudden, my dad swerves to the shoulder of a pretty big highway, slams the brakes, and jumps out. He runs around the truck, picks up a piece of sheet metal on the side of the road, and throws it in the truck. When we got home, he nailed the sheet to the side of the house, picked me up, and helped me slide right down. I still have pictures of him holding me on top of my first "slide".
Back in undergrad, I studied abroad in
Wales for a semester. Four of my fellow study-abroad students planned to backpack through Europe the month after the semester ended, and spent the last few weeks *practicing not eating* so they wouldn't have to spend as much money on food.
Ha! These stories are great!
In my family, you NEVER get a new car. Ever.
When I was in college I was driving an old Geo Storm. They have huge, long doors for some reason. Well, one day the latch on the drivers side started not to catch so well. It would fling open every time I went around a right hand turn! And I don't just mean pop open – fling open all the way and I had to reach out over the road to close it!
So I happened to tell my dad about this right before my mom and I were headed to the mall for the afternoon. I should have known better. When I got back I found my car problem fixed! My dad had drilled a hole in the side of my door and in my middle console with a bungee cord hooking the two together.
Try explaining that one to your friends.
While I don't remember of this story taking place my parents and Grandparents enjoy telling it once a year. When I was young my grandparents would take me to the store with my cousin of the same age to purchase toys or anything else that struck our fancy. Once in the store we were given our money and let loose like a Barbarian hoard and we would meet up with our grandparents at the checkout after they had completed their shopping. At which time we were to place our items on the check out and purchase our toys. Well due to my intense love of money or just being cheep I would sneak my item into my grandparent's pile of items and wait for the checker to scan it. At which time I would grab my toy and head to the car with it, a pocket full of money, and a large smile. I guess this a common occurrence.
I interviewed for a job last year and was determined to do it as cheaply as I possibly could. Here were a few of my cheapskate methods for traveling to the interviews across the country:
1) Used couchsurfing.com and stayed on kind strangers' couches. I would show up at night, leave in the morning, and never see the stranger again. Some people say that neighborliness is a thing of the past, but if you try couchsurfing I think you'll find a world of neighbors out there willing to take you in for free.
2) Pricelined a hotel for $23 a night, then for dinner to avoid eating out, I cooked a package of ramen noodles in the complimentary coffee maker pot. Ramen only needs to get hot to cook, it doesn't need to actually boil.
3) At the pre-interview dinner, I'd ask the other applicants and employees "are you going to eat the rest of that?" if the answer was no, I'd gather up a stack of take-home boxes and bring all the leftovers with me. Note: do not try to keep leftovers at room temp in a hotel room overnight. The smell when you wake up will be enough to make you ill.
4) Surreptitiously snuck back to where free breakfasts and lunches had been offered at the interviews so I could sneak old croissants and bagels into my bag. Not only that, I took the empty cans and took them back to my home state for the refund (even though they were bought in a state with no can refund). Mwahaha!
My mom is very cheap. We are first generation here from Mexico so she feels it's wasteful to spend on frivolous things. For one she always has her heater set at 58 degrees in the winter…and never turns it on in the summer unless its over 90 degrees. She buys her clothes with her store discount and sales no matter what conditon as long as its cheap. She sews up old jeans, blankets, etc. to prolong their life. she use to reuse the grease from hamburger meat to use cooking something else when i was living with her.
I'm pretty frugal, but not nearly as much as my father.
Growing up, my sister and I would sort through aluminum cans and plastic bottles he brought home from work. He raided all the trash cans in his office building to bring these home. When I was younger, we would bring in about $20 a week through this.
Now he works at a tech company where the soda is free and everyone provides him with their bottles at the end of the day. He even set up a deal with the building manager so that he could be the official recycling point for the entire facility! The machines only provided plastic bottles, so very little sorting was necessary, and each one was worth a nickel. Soon enough he was bringing home two big bags of bottles a night and we were making trips to the recycling center every few days.
Each of us could redeem up to $25 worth of bottles at any one point. He would regularly have us go into the recycling center in different groups and wearing different hooded sweatshirts or coats to disguise the fact that we were getting more than our daily allotment of redemption. I stopped him short of taping a fake mustache onto my face.
He's still redeeming cans and bottles to this day and bringing in at least $75/week to the family through his efforts.
To add to this, he will input the codes under the caps on all the different sodas to their respective websites. After several years of this, I own more than my share of branded clothing, towels, blankets, duffel bags, video games, sports equipment, magazine subscriptions, video game systems and, this Christmas, wireless headphones.
The money I earned through my work with those recyclables throughout my childhood paid for a significant chunk of my college education, saving me from the dreaded student loans.
I've asked him if he would stop like he does on the street to pick up a bottle if it were a nickel instead, but without all the work. He says it's worth much more because he gets more satisfaction out of the work and environmental impact involved in picking up that bottle, but that he would definitely stop for a nickel as well.
For me, all cheapskate stories begin and end with my Grandmother. Like many mentioned above, she was a Depression-era child, raised dirt poor on a farm in Illinois. She's never given up the mentality and saves money every chance she gets. This mindset manifests itself most memorably in the "gifts" she has given us grandchildren over the years. She never really understood the idea of buying things for others, so typically she gives things like free food collected from senior support groups or trinkets given away by local politicians during election campaigns. However, she topped herself the Christmas she gave my sister a tiny jewelry box containing a present she'd saved for 40+ years…all my mother's baby teeth.
We've never forgotten the look on my sister's face that year!
The home that I grew up in was near the bottom of a long hill and had a full basement which was prone to flooding. Our sump pump would run constantly during heavy rains. One day the switch that activated the sump pump stopped working which resulted in a couple of inches of water in the basement.
My grandfather took the switch apart and 'fixed' it instead of spending a couple of bucks for a new one. It worked for a few months, then failed again with a couple of inches of water in the basement.
The switch was repaired two more times before being replaced.
My friend's sister is so cheap that when her father died she insisted that the whole family work on his house to remodel it, even though most of them have full time jobs which pay more than contractors make. She insisted that painter's tape was too expensive and now the walls look crazy. It's been almost 2 years since they started and the house isn't done and it's dropped 25% in value and they've lost the 2k a month it was worth in rent. My friend's relationship with her sister has deteriorated over this.
I got rid of two bathrobes because they were so big that they took up a whole load at the laundry mat. My mom said she'd like them so I gave them to her. We were going to a wedding and I found out last minute that she was planning on giving them as wedding gifts. She was so shocked when I told her that was completely inappropriate.
My friend lives with her mom and when she threw out a stretched out tank top (in the bottom of her trash can!) she found her mom wearing it next week.
Let me tell you my story, which happened to me just a second ago. I was sitting and reading some blogs through Google Reader, and saw a contest – "Ultimate Cheapskate's book contest!". I read further and saw a great price too. So I figured – I will write about my cheapness: I would never buy that book, because I'm very frugal, and I would rather try to win it here.
I like everyone else's stories very much. But I found mine is the youngest one;)
Look! I'm about to save $10.36 on that great deal. I'm not even counting price of shipping:)
One Saturday, when I was in my high school days, Dave an acquaintance of mine, invited me and a mutual friend to go for a car ride with him to a used record store. We didn't really want any records but Dave talked us into going with him.
He picked the two of us up at my friend's house, drove to a gas station to top off, then headed over to the store. After about an hour only Dave bought any records.
We then left and headed back to the same gas station and topped off again. The gas attendant had a priceless look on his face when the nozzle clicked so soon after putting it in the tank. Dave asked the attendant to make sure the tank was topped off as much as possible. The cost was about 75 cents, which Dave insisted we split three ways. It was then clear to us that he only wanted people along to split the cost of gas.
Here's the cheapest thing I do and I even get weird looks from my super-frugal boyfriend…
When I get a run in my nylons in one leg, I just cut that leg off and then when I get a run in another pair I do the same and then wear both good sides.
Just avoid getting dressed in the dark if you have different colors/styles of nylons. You'll end up getting weird looks from everyone:-)


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"Highly recommended. Sarson makes quality products and the customization by Epic Sports is nothing short of perfection." (E25935)
"My son loves this glove, minimum break in time." (E67345)
"received order quickly, the team loves the backpacks, thank you for your prompt service!" (E27662)
Teamwork 2-Rear Pocket Football Officials' Pants [E11871]


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FALLS CHURCH, Va. (AP) — Computer Sciences Corp., which provides information technology services to a wide range of industries, returned to a profit in its fiscal third quarter benefiting from the sale of two businesses.
The company's quarterly performance topped analysts' estimates, and it raised its full-year forecast for earnings from continuing operations.
Shares climbed to their highest point in more than a year and a half on Tuesday.
Computer Sciences earned $510 million, or $3.27 per share, for the period ended Dec. 28. That compares with a loss of $1.39 billion, or $8.96 per share, a year ago.
The prior-year period included a charge of $9.93 per share related to a U.K. National Health Service contract.
In the most recent quarter, earnings from continuing operations were 77 cents per share. This included a restructuring charge of 13 cents per share. Taking out that charge, earnings from continuing operations were 64 cents per share.
Analysts surveyed by FactSet predicted earnings of 62 cents per share.
Computer Sciences said that it sold its credit services business and some businesses in Italy during the quarter. The credit services business was sold to Equifax Inc. for $1 billion.
Revenue increased 2 percent to $3.78 billion from $3.69 billion. Wall Street expected revenue of $3.73 billion.
The business solutions and services segment reported a 28.7 percent increase in revenue. The management services unit's revenue fell 3 percent, while revenue for the North American public sector declined 2.8 percent.
The Falls Church, Va., company now expects full-year earnings from continuing operations in a range of $2.50 to $2.70 per share. Its previous outlook was for earnings in a range of $2.30 to $2.50 per share.
Analysts expect earnings of $2.48 per share.
The stock rose $4.51, or 10.8 percent, to $46.42 in afternoon trading. Earlier in the session, the shares reached a new 52-week high of $46.61, the highest level since May 2011.


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from Trifles & Treasures
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Have you made this pattern?
Share with the Craftsy community.
What could YOU build with a brick? We've got a castle, an igloo, a fireplace, a wall of graffiti, a basket of flowers, a beehive, and SO much more in here!
Let your imagination go WILD! This one is even pretty with no adornments at all!
7 hdc sts=2"
5 hdc rows=2"
My mom was always doing fun craft things while I was growing up. She taught me to crochet, cross stitch, and sew.
Now, I get to teach my own daughters the same love of crafts!


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Motiongrapher • Projection Mapping
"Maid cafés (メイドカフェ Meido kafe) are a subcategory of cosplay restaurants found predominantly in Japan. In these cafés, waitresses dressed in maid costumes act as servants, and treat customers as masters (and mistresses) in a private home, rather than as café patrons. The first permanent maid café, Cure Maid Café, was established in Akihabara, Tokyo, Japan in March 2001, but maid cafés are becoming increasingly popular. As they have done so, the increased competition has made them become crazier in order to attract customers."
(via fuckyeahjapanese)
Sony PS3 Realtime Projection Mapping - Immersive Movie Experience
KyoToKyoTo • Tokyo Love-In
'Nights in Tokyo' is a new collaborative project by Tokyo Love-In (Michael K. Chin) working with Australian and Japanese artists, integrating both traditional art forms and contemporary ones.
'Nights in Tokyo' is a multimedia work combining photography, video, movement and music. It paints an outsiders or gaijins view of Tokyo today and what they find interesting about Japan's ancient traditions and modern subcultures.
(Source: nightsintokyoblog)
Tokyo Love-In (Michael K. Chin)
Influenced by extensive travels, jamming with J-Pop bands and Bhangarra bands, Tokyo Love-In produces a unique, sophisticated sound combining live Eastern improvisation, Global beats and Western 'electronic Jazz'.
With a collaborative approach to his music Tokyo Love-In works across musical genres and art forms to produce visually creative stage shows. His shows feature live musicians from around the world & electronic beats, combined with synchronized visuals & anime projected on to massive screens.
In a new work, 'Life on Top of Hyde Park' - Tokyo Love-In collaborated with Pete Longworth (photographer) & Chris Baron (film maker) and were the feature artists on
Australia Day 2010 at Sydney's Hyde Park.
The work culminated
in a multimedia piece featuring a public gallery space, massive outdoor cinematic screen, contemporary dancers, a member of the Tokyo Wind Orchestra and a Steinway grand piano.This work went on to win 2 awards at the New York Independent Film Festival (USA), screened at the Cannes Film Festival (FRA), the End of the Pier International Film Festival (UK).
Tokyo Love-In's music features on compilation albums, and film and television soundtracks, with such artists as, Mahmood Khan aka MKF (who has sold over 60 million CDs world-wide).
In 2010, working with Mahmood Khan, they had a No.1 Hit Single in Australia for 'Like the River' (ARIA Charts).
Tokyo Love-In has also performed at the Sydney Opera House with Mahmood Khan. Other performances include the FIFA Fan Fest (World Cup Soccer), Buddha's Day Festival (Melbourne), Natsu Matsuri (Japanese Summer Festival), Holi Festival, The Basement, Apple Store (Sydney), and various venues in London, New York, & Tokyo.
Tokyo Love-In and his collaborative partners are proudly supported/sponsored by Apple, Nikon, Epson, Gibson Guitars, Rode Microphones, and the Guitar Factory.
'Let's Go to the Park' - Nights in Tokyo
When my friend from Japan, Chika, came to visit Sydney she sang this kawaii little song that she had learned to learn English. I was so taken by it, that I immediately sampled her singing it live & it even has her clapping along!
Then I composed a cute acoustic guitar part & cut it with some beats and wrote some string parts. It came together so beautifully!
I then synchronised it to some beautiful photos by my long-time friend, Pete Longworth.
I love this track!
Tokyo Love-In
Photography © Pete Longworth 2010
Music © Tokyo Love-In 2010
'Irezumi Wo Kita Otoko' - Nights in Tokyo
Inspired by the stories of Japanese Yakuza, and the photography of Anton Kusters, Tokyo Love-In composed 'Irezumi Wo Kita Otoko'. The opening bars emulate the cicadas often heard in Tokyo, and yet, to see the cicadas, it is often difficult, even though their presence is known. This parallels the hidden life of the Yakuza, and the reaches of their influence.
In the composition is also heard the tortured sounds of the traditional Japanese Noh flute, an instrument often played by ancient samurai. Later, the piece grows in strength to include a thunderous choir of taiko (Japanese drums).
The visuals by photojournalist, Anton Kusters are part of a photographic journey into the rarely-seen world of the Yakuza. At great risk to himself and his loved ones, Anton made a deal with the Yakuza in order to document them.
For more information on this extraordinary photographic essay, visit:
Photography © Anton Kusters 2010
Music © Tokyo Love-In 2010
TaikOz Duo: Tom Royce-Hampton & Anton Lock.
Tom became a member of TaikOz in 2007 after having completed two years of Advanced Study training.
Since joining TaikOz, Tom has travelled to Japan to further his studies in Wadaiko, including workshops with the head of Miyake Daiko, Akio Tsumura and Onikenbai with Iwasaki Onikenbai.
Tom completed a Bachelor of Music Performance at the Victorian College of the Arts School of Music majoring in Percussion.
Anton attended the Sydney Conservatorium High School and was the first student to perform on taiko for the HSC. He received top honours for his recital and was subsequently selected to open the proceedings at the Premier's Awards at the Sydney Opera House Encore performance.
Anton received his first instruction from TaikOz members, as well as Fuun no Kai member - and past TaikOz member - Kenichi Koizumi.
Tom & Anton have traveled to Sado Island where they were taught Onikenbai,a traditional performing art of Kitakami City, Iwate Prefecture by Yoshikazu Fujimoto of Kodo.
TaikOz are confirmed as part of the 'Nights in Tokyo' collaboration.
TaikOz are Australia's premier Taiko group, and have collaborated with some of the world's finest artists, including world-renowned taiko greats Eitetsu Hayashi, Eitetsu Fuun no Kai and Kodo, percussion group Synergy.
It will be an honour to work with Ian Cleworth (Creative & Artistic Director of TaikOz), and 'TaikOz Duo' - Tom Royce Hampton & Anton Lock.


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Discover Adionomy, Your Online Radio Advertising Campaign, Fast, Easy and Custom-Made!
Jordy Lemoine was born on January 14 1988 in Caen, Normandie, France. Probably the youngest dance artist ever, Jordy began his career in showbusiness in 1992, at age 4, with the release of the single "Dur Dur D'être Bébé" ("It's Tough To Be A Baby") which spent 15 weeks at #1 (in France) and sold about 2 000 000 copies worldwide. A second single ("Alison") and full album ("Pochette Surprise") were released soon after, as Jordy began to tour Europe, Asia, Canada and the US with his parents, father Claude Lemoine (popular French producer) and mother, author Patricia Clerget.
Outro Lugar
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Pop star reveals she wants at least four children
It seems that dating a Kennedy has inspired Taylor Swift to plan her own dynasty, as she has divulged her dreams of a big brood, with a 'minimum four' children.
The country singer, who was recently named as the highest paid celebrity under 30 in the US, revealed she plans to invest her earnings in her future children's education.
"That money will be really good for sending my kids to college some day – or maybe I'll have a few more kids than I thought", Taylor told Marie Claire.
"I want a bunch of them running around. Minimum four." She confirmed.
Before you start speculating about baby names, 22-year-old Swift has also confirmed she isn't in any rush to start a family with boyfriend Conor Kennedy (great nephew of JFK), saying, "I want to wait a while, but the idea of pouring everything you are into another person when you become a parent has always been amazing to me."
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Tyler Police and EMS are heading to the scene of a two-vehicle collision on S. Loop 323 and Donnybrook.
The accident happened just before 10am, Thursday when a commercial pick-up truck rear-ended a delivery truck that was stopped at the light at S. Loop 323 and Donnybrook. According to a witness on the scene, the truck hit the delivery truck two to three times. The witness believes it may have happened because of a brake failure.
There were three women in the pick-up truck and one of them opened up the door and fell out onto the pavement just after the crash. She was transported by ambulance to a Tyler hospital. The extent of her injuries is not known.
Traffic is moving slow in the area.
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