I happened to stumble across this article in today's NY Times about compact fluorescent lightbulbs. I guess we're one of those early adopter families. These CFL's, as their known among those in the know, have been in use around our house for years.

According to the NY Times, WalMart has jumped on board and is bound and determined to sell 100 million compact fluorescent lightbulbs. They're sold on them and they think we should be too.

Why are compact fluorescent lightbulbs a good investment? Since you didn't come here to read through a detailed ROI analysis (did you?) let me just cut to the chase. They cost more up front, but because they cost less to use and last about 8 times longer than regular bulbs, you end up saving a ton of money using them.

But that's not why I use them. I use them because I hate changing light bulbs all the time. Vibrations kill regular bulbs. We used to go through tons of them in ceiling and wall-mounted fixtures. Too many vibrations in this old house. Since making the changeover to compact fluorescent bulbs I hardly ever have to change bulbs.

The convenience alone is worth it to me. Compact fluorescent light bulbs save me time and frustration. They save me money on top of that. Unbeatable.