Maybe Socrates really died from cleaning up his broken CFL lightbulb with his bare hands.

Mercury is an element - Hg, #80. (Sounds like football talk.) And it's poisonous. So if it's a known toxin, then why are people making lightbulbs out of it?

Mercury is a dangerous, albeit useful, substance that is used in many things: thermometer, barometers, and of course, CFL lightbulbs. (If you're interested, you can read more about Mercury, the element, on Wikipedia's website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury_(element).) Due to the potential danger of the substance, many traditional items containing mercury are being made to contain other, safer, alternatives.. like alcohol in thermometers. And personally, I'd rather stick alcohol in my mouth than mercury.

Generally, this is why I'm *not* in support of CFL lightbulbs. I bought a few of these last year when I was doing home improvements to help me save energy and money. I'd heard the buzz about CFLs saving a lot more energy than a traditional lightbulbs, so I thought that was the way to go. Being the typical consumer, I did not do research about an item that was so popular, so trendy, and especially so "green." If the tree-huggers supported the use of CFLs, then these bulbs must be a good item for saving money.

Well, they are.
(Visit this website for more info on CFLs: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7431198. This is an NPR article that will tell you the pro's and con's of choosing CFLs.)

I admit that I saved a little bit of money. But at what cost?

See, I have cats. My cats are tyrants who like to climb on everything and explore everywhere. They also like to chase each other. One night, I was pleasantly awakened by the loud crash of an object falling to the ground and a couple of feisty cats fleeing for their life. They had knocked over one of my CFL lightbulb containing lamps. Unfortunately, even though I wanted to roll over and ignore the mess until morning, I did not want my cats walking around in broken lightbulb pieces or trying to eat some of the pretty white new what-is-this it-looks-interesting-enough-to-chew-on stuff. So I made my groggy self get out the dustpan and sweep up the millions of pieces from the hardwood floor. That was easy enough. But luckily, a bunch of small pieces landed on the couch and I got to pick those from the cushions by hand. Well, I didn't know that they were poisonous because I'd never researched CFLs. The tree-huggers said they were okay, and even though I'm not fond of huggers, I knew through the conceptual idea of "green" that those people would not advocate something that was bad for the environment, nevertheless my own body.

Obviously, now I know that it was a bad idea to touch the broken bits of the mercury containing CFL lightbulb. I am probably brain damaged for life. (Can I use that as an excuse for my green painted room?) In fact, my brain has lost track of where I'm going with this.

Oh yes, CFL's are bad. Use LEDs instead.

LEDs will save you a lot more money than CFLs, AND they do not contain mercury. And guess what? They even make organic LEDs now, so you can tell all those tree-hugging neighbors to get off your back about leaving your front porch light on. You're saving more money with a LED left on than they are with a CFL that they frequently turn off. Besides, front porch lights are meant to be left on. How else would we show off our house bling?

(Click here for some info on organic LEDs: http://www.technologyreview.com/energy/22656/?a=f)

Currently, I am in the process of switching my bulbs to LED. Unfortunately, you cannot buy LED for every type of bulb. But I'm sure that will soon change. Until then, use CFL bulbs when LEDs are unavailable. (Just don't clean them up with your bare hands. Also, it's best to take them somewhere to be recycled rather than throwing them away. Apparently mercury is bad for fish and animals and pretty much every thing.) But both of these options save more money than a traditional lightbulb.

But wait, here's the best part: LEDs come in more forms than just typical lightbulbs!

Check out this TV: http://www.samsung.com/us/consumer/tv-video/televisions/led-tv/UN55B7100WFUZA/index.idx?pagetype=prd_detail&returnurl=

Isn't it beautiful? I want one, but I'd have to skip a whole lot of meals, and probably some drinks, in order to buy one, and I'm just not willing to do that.. yet. But if you can afford to do that.. well, you're probably not one of those people or else you wouldn't be reading a blog about saving money. But still, if you can buy a LED TV, you should. It's brighter, thinner, and saves loads of money. *And it contains no mercury.* Not to mention it'll last longer because it's made up of a bunch of little, long-lasting bulbs rather than one big bulb. It's definitely the best choice for saving money, and it's also the best option for your upcoming Superbowl party. Wife nagging you about helping in the kitchen? Put her in front of this LED TV and point out how well one can see through the white pants of those cute Colt players when they bend over. It's win-win.