I’m sure all of you, or most of you, know about those curly looking little light bulbs, which were publicized as a way to save energy. Well, I am the original skeptic and wouldn’t buy any until one day, they were on a fabulous sale at $2 each – still an awful lot for a light bulb, I thought, but I bought a few. Three, to be exact.
After I fooled around trying to find a shade that would fit over them, and got them into place, I promptly forgot about it. Time went on; the weird bulbs were on sale again and I got a few more.
I heard about the problem disposing of them and the worries about breakage, but I thought to myself that for decades, fluorescent bulbs have been in kitchens and few headlines were made about danger. The curly bulbs have not given me any problems, other than looking weird.
At least a year has gone by now, and other than replacing old light bulbs with the curly ones, I have changed nothing about electrical use in my house. I’m glad to report that the kilowatt use has gone down.
According to my latest electric bill, for the same month last year, average daily use was 15 kilowatt hours – this year it is 10. Now, that is a saving I can prove. No matter how strange they look, the next time those little bulbs are on sale, I shall pick some up to fill in for the few remaining “old fashioned” bulbs I have. Not one of the energy-efficient bulbs has burned out in a year, either.
I’ll take that energy savings and look around for another electric space heater, something to warm my toes in January 2009, rather than burning 50 gallons of liquid gold (oil).
Many people are already planning for next winter. This is the way things used to be. All summer, in the old days, farmers split and stacked wood to dry for the winter.
Senior citizens, who cannot count on an automatic pay raise, but who will nevertheless have to pay more property taxes for increased budget demands for schools and services, are talking. Some municipal leaders understand that not everyone over 65 gets a pension. Some sound as though retirement years are truly golden. Medical expenses are becoming more expensive and Medicare needs overhauling.
As they have all their lives, many seniors are planning ahead.
I’ve heard people talking about having small gardens this summer, if they have property enough. There is a lot of talk around about wood stoves. (I anticipate that if people start burning wood, we’ll hear complaints about wood smoke.)
Other people who live in apartments and condos are considering buying freezers to stock up on food. Personally, I really have started baking my own bread and even have a bread machine (thanks to one of my brothers) and know I have saved on bread purchase.
This morning, when I finish my column, I shall make my once- a-month trip to the local food pantry. The couple of bags of groceries will supplement my regular needs and help me stay on budget.
I don’t know about other towns, but in Windham, very few senior citizens make use of the food pantry. Two or three have told me they just feel as though someone else could use it more, or that they actually feel ashamed to find themselves in need and would never ask for help.
I always tell people that this isn’t the life I envisioned either, but things happen that we didn’t plan on and if we want to stay healthy and useful, we should accept the same kind of help that we have given to others for many years. There is no shame attached. Take a helping hand just as you would offer one to someone else.
It would be wonderful to hear from readers about ways they are saving energy and money, and suggestions for others. Feel free to contact me in care of this paper, or by e-mailing me at kso48@aol.com. Most of us (senior citizens) are all in the same boat – and we can help each other keep it afloat during these “economically challenging” times. I’d love to hear from you.
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