Thrifty tips

[SAS]

re energy saving lightbulbs....or NOT - Morrisons still sell all the normal ones.

[sejintenej]

Energy saving light bulbs sound fine in theory, but the light is definitely not as good. I notice that when they stopped importing the old-type bulbs (100W etc) they gave the general public virtually no warning so that we could not all rush out and stock up on old bulbs - they just suddenly disappeared from the shops. I have a touch-operated lamp beside my bed which I am now not able to use, because when I put a new bulb in the light went on and there was no way of switching it off again apart from unplugging it. I know that the energy saving bulbs do not work with dimmers, and I guess my bedside lamp is a kind of dimmer so that makes sense, but it is a d**n nuisance. The only other suitable lamp I have is far too bright to read by. Conversely to read or sew comfortably in the living room we have had to instal side lamps because the light from the central light fitting is no longer adequate. So overall it is costing us extra and giving us headaches both literally and metaphorically.

The Philips energy saving bulb claimed to equate to 100 watts takes 18 watts (or so they claim), is guaranteed for 10 years and is huge. It clearly states that it is nopt suitable for dimmers or electronic switches If you have a handy friend it would be 3 minutes work to put an in-line switch in the electric cable to your bedside light. (Sorry; I'm too far away or ....)

I used to replace some bulbs twice a year at up to £1,50 each. Two of those old bulbs would pay for a new bulb with a 10 year life using 20% of the electricity. (I suggest £3 each for some but I bought a lot of bulbs priced at £1.80 each or 17pence for 6 - I kid you not. On top of that I had about 3 boxes from my electricity supplier). Check prices in your local Dyas and Dunelm stores. You might have to pay out now but the savings will be rapid.

Remember that the limitation on the bulb is the amount of electricity it takes, not the amount of light it gives out. If you used an old 100 watt bulb you could replace it with a new style 36 watt bulb giving you as much light as an old 200 watt bulb (very bright) or, if you could find one, a new 100watt bulb giving you the same as an old-style 500 watt bulb in your ceiling fitting!

When they brought this idea out they acknowledged that there are a number of fittings which will have to be replaced. I have a few wall lights which may need to be replaced - more VAT for Darling's retirement. My bathgroom mirror may have to be entirely replaced except that replacements don't exist The problem with these things is also that it takes a minute or two to get to near full brightness and IMHO is never as bright as is claimed. Is anyone here working in Trading Standards?

Had an unfortunate experience two nights ago - replaced a bulb in my study ceiling with an energy saving one - and it melted the fitting. My other problem is that the winter heating in my kitchen comes from the ceiling floods; there will be bitter cold when the bulbs are replaced.

Sewing, colour photography and painting were and will remain a problem. No ordinary electric lamp bulb registers colour the same as sunlight. Camera film was sold either for indoor or outdoor use (or you used filters) to get the colour right and you might remember that flash bulbs were blue for the same reason. (Flash guns are different). Taking photos under fluorescent tubes makes them green unless you use appropriate filters and I expect the new bulbs to be similar. The answer was to get special "outdoor" or "sunlight" bulbs which I hope will still be available.

[Fjgrogan]

David - is there no subject on which you don't have a fund of useful knowledge?!! Sadly we have neither Dyas nor Dunelm. The idea of adding an in-line switch though sounds like a stroke of genius - in fact I could probably do that myself (after all the WRNR taught me to degauss a ship, so I should be able to manage one paltry switch; famous last words maybe as the house goes up in flames!?). I would at least be able then to switch the lamp on and off, albeit without the dimmer facility - or do you have secret knowledge of how to do that too? Also sadly we have no Morrisons nearby, but my younger daughter has, so I shall dispatch her forthwith to bulk buy 100 watt bulbs. I had no idea that 36 watt 'new' bulbs existed - our vicar was recently bemoaning the fact that the vicarage living room always needed two 150watt bulbs in the past and they are now all struggling to cope and cannot find an equivalent, so I shall relay the information to him. Perhaps in return he could masquerade as the 'handy friend' and sort that in-line switch for me. So today's thrifty tip is 'it's not what you know, it's who(m) you know' - which was an old adage frequently quoted by my mother. I hadn't thought about the availability or otherwise of daylight bulbs - I have an old and very bulky SAD lamp in the loft, which I replaced with a neat little light which sits on the desk alongside the computer taking up very little space and also having controls for intensity and timer - a very good buy from the Argos catalogue, but I notice that has LED lights - is that the way things are moving? I was interested too in the cold kitchen. We replaced our boiler last year with a wall-mounted combi boiler and realised too late that it left us with no heating in the kitchen or utility room. We have two old heat/light ceiling fitments which I thought we might put back up at least in the utility room; they are in perfectly good working order in spite of being about 30 years old, but they are probably now illegal! -this was entirely the wrong winter to have no heating in the kitchen!

[fra828]

Some of the small independent electrical shops still sell old style lightbulbs.

[J.R.]

I noticed in Sainsbury's yesterday that they are selling the old-style light-bulbs in their 'Economy' range.

[kerrensimmonds]

And you can now get a new version of the new energy saving bulbs, suitable for dimmers.
Coming late to this thread, can I endorse the wonderfulness of 'Freecycle'? I'm planning on downsizing this year and since I made the decision, stuff has been flying out of my front door (and my garden) at a rate of knots. It's amazing what people will take!

[Katharine]

If possible find out when your local supermarket reduces price. I have just used a box of Chestnut mushrooms originally £1.08, with a yellow label reduced to just 11p. Patrick checks on his way home from Welsh Class.

[kerrensimmonds]

When shopping 'on foot' I always go to the 'sell by date' counter in both my local Tesco and Sainsbury (and regret that when I do my weekly 'big shop' online, I can't refer to that counter!). Yes you can get some huge bargains. And someone somewhere last week said that even if the sell by date is 'au point' or due shortly, you can still buy, cook and eat safely, except for eggs......

[Mrs C.]

what is it with eggs?
The ones in my fridge are practically always past their date -i use them and am still here!

[Katharine]

So do I!

[englishangel]

Eggs don't even need to be kept in the fridge, they don't refrigerate them at the supermarket, so if you keep them in the fridge at home of course they are safe past their date.

[sejintenej]

Eggs don't even need to be kept in the fridge, they don't refrigerate them at the supermarket, so if you keep them in the fridge at home of course they are safe past their date.

Somebody can look it up on-line but there is a test of immersing an egg in cold water; if the pointed end is up it is fine, then it goes horizontal - a bit doubtful but still usable and when it is blunt end up ....... (best to check that). However they should be stored pointed end up and away from smells.

[sejintenej]

If possible find out when your local supermarket reduces price. .

Name ...........................up to 25% off....... up to 50% off ......up to 75% off

Asda ......................... 12pm ....................5pm ................. 9pm
Morrisons ....................not given..................5pm................. 7pm
Sainsburys.................... 10am .....................6pm.................. 8pm
Tesco ...........................0am......................1pm................. 0pm
Co-op ......................... 11am .....................6pm ................. 7pm

This came from a shop-wisely web site (I don't remember which, sorry) who give "supermarket staff" as their sources.
The site also suggests that if you see damaged packaging or near sell-by date, smile and are pleasant with staff they have a certain degree of discretion as to reductions.

Not too relevant to the above, but one best-seller book in France last year was a report by a supermarket cashier about customer, management and other staff rudeness, bullying, lying and other offensive behaviour; I'm sure it happens here so, be nice to them because nobody else is. ISTR reports of such behaviour on a certain Welsh railway.

[kerrensimmonds]

Don't rise to the bait, Katharine. Undeserved!

[NEILL THE NOTORIOUS]

Re Eggs ----- If it floats at all ----- CHUCK IT !!