Anyone Else Stocking up on 100W Bulbs?...or Am I Just Crazy?

Yeah gotta love life sometimes -- when it rains, it pours. Story of me life as well. I haven't worked a day since the beginning of '09 ...

lumpocoal wrote:LOL, I have been laid off since thanksgiving, my truck with its fuel problems started the day after I got laid off, so I havent drove anywhere since. My parents live 3 miles away so if I need a lift to town Ill call em. SO....I traded a wondercoal stove and $100 for an 88 chevy 2wd w 291,000 mi on it, as you can see I cant drive it anywhere anyway,lol

been there, wearing the same shoes guy. just bout hit rock bottom, one day I decided to stop looking at the negatives, brainstormed my strengths, started a biz. on a shoe string, lots of sacrifice and initial disappointments, but finally have more work than I can handle. opportunities unlimited in good ol usa. you can do it . hang in there.

I have been tryin to look for the positives but its hard over here in theses parts, feels like im in the middle of nowhare with not many options, I cant drive long haul cause I have my daughter to take care of, its just an up and down thing. I get laid off bills mound, then summer comes I start getting things paid down and get my chin above the waterline then the cycle starts over again, it sucks, I live pretty frugal, just a modern day hillbilly I guess. I see pics of all yins stoves and things, and I dtart feelin like crap cause nothing I have amounts to much, I post on here w some advice for the sum of us living frugal like my old post about my well casing chimney. Its not that I feel its the way it should be, by no means it is supposed to be. Just throwing it out there in case others are in trivial times as I and need to do somthing that will kinda work. I just hate the cycle I am in.

It just gets overwhelming at times, feels like a mud pit Im burried in, not just a rut, and thats when I go do something constructive lol

Dont worry it'll get better....may take a while but don't give up....remember how young you are youve got time to make 3 or 4 fortunes yet...its a cliche but if youve got your health youve got damned near everything!

thanks for the uplifting comments in all topics and posts, I get more support on this site than I do by "friends" on facebook whove I known since school or have atleast met in person, thanks guys, ya don't know how much it means, Don

Lump, I'm fairly new to this area 5yr.s but I know what you mean about work, being retired I ain't looking for myself but still keep my eyes open. I thought that tires to energy was a shoe in for the area but ain't heard nothing lately. Hopefully something comes in, GE is growing but that's a good drive in either direction, lets hope that the new year brings some new business.

lumpocoal wrote:It just gets overwhelming at times, feels like a mud pit Im burried in, not just a rut, and that's when I go do something constructive lol

Being able to live frugally is something to be proud of; not because you must but because it is the proper way to live. Most of the crap people spend money on is just that, crap that only gives a momentary release from that inner instinctive drive that in most goes unrealized.

One of our few American philosophers (Thoreau) gained fame from living in a shack. The music that he marched to was very different from most.

As you have found, the answer is to do something constructive but that constructive thing for you has to match something within you to really be constructive. You have strength and youth which for you to be happy have to be utilized.

thank you franco

I just read this thread and forgot all about the govt. bullying us around again... Damn fluorescent bulbs look stupid in my over a 100 maybe 200 year old home. They take forever to light up and fail like everyone else has said on here. Can you still buy the bulbs? This makes me want to make a trip to the store now! The great thing about these older homes is they were built before electricity to the houses was available so a lot of light comes into the house during the day and we only ever need the lights on when it goes dark which we sleep mostly anyways. I wonder if every govt. building, especially the white house, has switched to CFL? It would explain the horrible decisions they have made, they can't see!

I got some of those that flicker and then come on a few seconds later, the newer ones come on right away and get brighter slowly. I find the cool white just too hospital or cubicle like.

The hallogens seem to be ok, not too expensive, save a little, warmer looking, work on dimmable switches, and use 20% less and come in familiar looks and shapes.

My advise is to delay making any major purchases of CFL bulbs. In a few years the LED's will be the norm. Prototype LED bubs are now available that have excellent <2700 deg K color temperature. This avoids the harsh white LED look. They are very expensive now, but the price will drop rapidly. China is subsidizing their manufactures to buy the equipment that makes the LED wafers. They are coming up the manufacturing learning curve. Current lighting LED's (the die not the bulb assembly) are sub-par. But in a year they will know how to do it and the US equipment they are purchasing produce larger diameter wafers. This will dramatically reduce costs and selling prices. In five years you will only want LED lighting. It will be that good. Cost effective and energy saving too.

Yanche wrote:My advise is to delay making any major purchases of CFL bulbs. In a few years the LED's will be the norm. Prototype LED bubs are now available that have excellent <2700 deg K color temperature. This avoids the harsh white LED look. They are very expensive now, but the price will drop rapidly. China is subsidizing their manufactures to buy the equipment that makes the LED wafers. They are coming up the manufacturing learning curve. Current lighting LED's (the die not the bulb assembly) are sub-par. But in a year they will know how to do it and the US equipment they are purchasing produce larger diameter wafers. This will dramatically reduce costs and selling prices. In five years you will only want LED lighting. It will be that good. Cost effective and energy saving too.

LED bulbs defiantly don't look right in older homes... I'm not a fan of LED lighting . It doesn't spread the light that well. It has too much of a straight pattern.

Smokeyja wrote: I'm not a fan of LED lighting . It doesn't spread the light that well.

As Yanch said, they are getting better and I'm guessing will continue to get better & better. I have been buying LED's for a couple years now.... one here....one there. A few months ago I found the first ones that really work quite well. Philips makes a 5 watt that is shaped like an incandescent & truly puts out the light of a 25 watt. I am very pleased with them. $12 ea. 50,000 life. Not dimable. Instant on, no flicker, comfy light. Next up is the 13 watt Philips that puts out the light of a 60 watt. $24 (down from over $50). They are the ones that have three bright yellow segments, but make warm white light when turned on. They are good, warm comfy light, & dimable. I like them, but, they do tend to shine the light off to the sides rather than all around. A good amount goes off the top, but not as much as an incandescent. They do have a 1/4 second delay when turned on, 1/2 second if in a dimable socket & set to dim. Although they do dim, they only dim about half way, then go out.

One thing with both of these bulbs.... they are not supposed to be used in an enclosed light. I have put the 5 watt in an encloser with no problems, but don't dare try the 13 watt closed in for fear of too much heat.

Freddy wrote:

Smokeyja wrote: I'm not a fan of LED lighting . It doesn't spread the light that well.

As Yanch said, they are getting better and I'm guessing will continue to get better & better. I have been buying LED's for a couple years now.... one here....one there. A few months ago I found the first ones that really work quite well. Philips makes a 5 watt that is shaped like an incandescent & truly puts out the light of a 25 watt. I am very pleased with them. $12 ea. 50,000 life. Not dimable. Instant on, no flicker, comfy light. Next up is the 13 watt Philips that puts out the light of a 60 watt. $24 (down from over $50). They are the ones that have three bright yellow segments, but make warm white light when turned on. They are good, warm comfy light, & dimable. I like them, but, they do tend to shine the light off to the sides rather than all around. A good amount goes off the top, but not as much as an incandescent. They do have a 1/4 second delay when turned on, 1/2 second if in a dimable socket & set to dim. Although they do dim, they only dim about half way, then go out.

One thing with both of these bulbs.... they are not supposed to be used in an enclosed light. I have put the 5 watt in an encloser with no problems, but don't dare try the 13 watt closed in for fear of too much heat.

The LEDs put out that much heat? I thought that was an advantage to LEDs. I use LED lights on my trailer and they are sealed boat lights and they put off a lot of light.

Do the LEDs that are shaped like incandescent bulbs have the same soft white look so you don't realize it's LED?