Saving Money, and Buyer Beware!

Last week I posted a few frugal tips. In keeping with that theme, I thought I'd provide you with a few great links.

Every Monday for the past month or so, I've visited Amy's site, The Mother Load to learn the day's REDBOX code. You know, the red boxes that are popping up at every McDonald's and Wal*Mart? Well, normally, an overnight rental is $1. That's cheap enough, right? By using the code that Amy gives, you can rent for FREE each Monday! We are in town every Monday afternoon, and so we've taken to getting a movie. Verne returns it the next day. The great thing about the REDBOX is that you can return to a different location than where you rented from. Monday evenings have become a free family movie night at our house.

WOW! As I was searching the internet for a picture of the redbox to include in the post, I came across this site. Apparently you can get codes for MOST days of the week! You should still visit Amy as she has loads of great frugal tips. ;0)

Becky posted about how to save loads of money on your electric bill. Check out her post for some great tips such as cooking in a crockpot that sits in your garage or on your deck to keep from heating up your house.

Now for the buyer beware. I'm all for saving money everywhere that I can, but I find that the public is not too informed when it comes to the new energy efficient light bulbs. I AM NOT saying that you shouldn't use them, I'm just saying that we should be well educated before making a choice. My husband and I spent well over $100 replacing all of the light bulbs in our home. That was before I was informed. Now, I wish I hadn't spent that money.

For one thing, we did not see a change in our electric bill. You'd think with replacing all of the bulbs at once, we would have realized at least a small savings. Second, the bulbs have not lasted like the packaging claims they will. We've had them burn out just as quickly as traditional bulbs. And third, and definitely the most important point, is the safety of these bulbs. These bulbs contain mercury. We're told that they are perfectly safe as long as they are disposed of properly, but sometimes, accidents happen and bulbs break.

Special handling upon breakage is currently not printed on the packaging of household CFL bulbs in many countries. It is important to note that the amount of mercury released by one bulb can exceed U.S. federal guidelines for chronic exposure.

I have a friend that was rearranging her bedroom furniture when she accidentally broke the light in the ceiling fan that hung above her bed. She left the room and called the EPA, asking them how to clean the bulb up. Thankfully, she did. She was told to open the window immediately to let fresh air into the room. She was also told to turn off the central heat/air. Any bedding that was under the light was to be discarded, not washed! (Washing mercury contaminated clothing will contaminate the entire washer!) This meant two down comforters had to be trashed. If the broken bulb had landed on the carpet, she was told to pull that up as well. (While the EPA leaves this decision up to the consumer, it is recommended if you have small children/pets that play on the carpet.) Imagine if she had her bedding off and had to replace the entire mattress. She was told not to use a sweeper or a broom, but sticky tape and wet wipes to clean up any broken glass and mercury residue. Last, but not least, she was told that she should have the air quality in their home tested for several months. Money saving? You decide.

Please be aware that I'm not trying to start a debate, but to inform. Our government is promoting these bulbs, but is not doing a good job of informing people of how to handle them if they break. Check out the recommendations of the EPA found here.