CFLs have their problems too

In the last year or so, we’ve bought a number of CFLs to replace our incandescent bulbs as they burn out. We had two bulbs – one in the bathroom and one in the bedroom – burn out on the same day. When I tried to replace them with the CFLs that we already had, I found that they were too big for the shade. I had heard they were making smaller bulbs, so I figured out the equivalent wattages I needed and went shopping.

I got the equivalent of 60 and 75 watt bulbs to replace the burned out incandescents. The bulbs I bought were called “mini”, but depending on the wattage, they didn’t always fit where an incandescent would. The shade in the bedroom will hold two 60 watt CFLs, but it will not hold two 75 watt ones. I didn’t try the larger bulbs in the bathroom, but I suspect that I would have the same outcome.

I have two other places I planned to put the new 75 watts bulbs, and I know they will fit, but in the future I’ll have to consider where the bulbs will go before I decide what wattage.

The first photo is a CFL I already had next to an incandescent. The second photo is the 60 watt CFL next to an incandescent. The third photo is the 75 watt CFL next to an incandescent.

Going Green for the Holidays

We're a frugal family by necessity. I wish I could give my daughter everything she wants, but I can't. I feel the same way about going green. There are so many upgrades we could do on the house, like more insulation, tankless water heater, low-e windows, etc., but those things cost money. We've started small and are working our way up.

We recycle as much as our county picks up.
We use rechargeable batteries, when appropriate.
We are replacing light bulbs with CFLs when they burn out.
We have a couple of rain barrels, but I'd like more.
We are enlarging our vegetable garden.
We try to plant native plants or plants that need a lot of watering.

There are some things we do to be frugal that are also eco-friendly, like line-drying our laundry and shopping at thrift stores. For the past few months I've been reading articles about being greener around the house - about switching to stainless steel or aluminum water bottles - we're definitely doing that for Xmas. Other articles have included:

Using cloth napkins instead of paper towels
Switching to 100% recycled toilet paper
Using sachets of lavender and flax instead of dryer sheets
Making cleaning products with combinations of vinegar, hydrogen peroxide and essential oils

We're working up to those. Ella and I fix our lunches for school and work, probably using four plastic sandwich bags per day. I've found reusable sandwich and snack bags online - I need to do more research, but, I want to begin using those in the near future.

We planned to have an energy audit performed on our house, but with the holidays, we haven't done that yet. Once that's done, we'll start weatherizing our house better ans working up to bigger projects from there.