The Cost of Running Christmas Lights

I used my power meter today to determine how much it's costing me to run some Christmas lights outside. Here's what I was running:

• 3 "nets" of lights for my front bushes (well, 2 1/2 really; half a set wasn't working)
• 1 typical strand of lights for a decoration on a porch table
• 1 typical strand of lights for garland around the door
• 1 typical strand of lights for a mini Christmas tree on the porch

It's a modest number of lights, and I didn't include my indoor Christmas lights. Those strands consumed .275 kwh per hour. For me, that's just under 3 cents per hour, or less than $5 per month if these lights are allowed to run 5 hours per day for an entire month. My wife gets more than $5 worth of enjoyment out of them, so they stay. And I'll stop fretting about my energy bill now that I know how little these lights are costing me.

7 Things I Learned on Black Friday

My Black Friday experience this past week yielded some wisdom that I'll employ next year. Yes, I actually stood in line for four hours in sub-30 degree weather for a deal (a $150 GPS). People who know me well will not be surprised to hear that.

1. For technology deals, visit a store that's not known primarily for technology. I went to Staples, and was about 15th (or better) in line at midnight. The Best Buy two blocks away had 100-200 people in line by that time. By 4 am, there couldn't have been more than 40-50 people in the Staples line. Staples still had some great technology deals (in fact, the GPS receiver that I purchased couldn't be found for less anywhere else), but the technology crowd went elsewhere for the most part.
2. Hope for tickets. At 4 am, 2 hours before Staples opened, employees handed out reservation tickets to those standing in line. They asked what I was standing in line for, and they gave me a ticket for each item I mentioned. I then got to leave, and simply had to come back sometime before 10 am to redeem the ticket. Best Buy stores do this too, and I suspect some others do it. If you stood in line that long, the last thing you want to see is a mad rush for the item you were waiting for. Simply opening the floodgates at 5 or 6 am would be a mistake and leave many people frustrated.
3. Come back close to the deadline. If you get a ticket, don't go back to the store shortly after it opens. I did that, and I ended up waiting in line for another hour even though I had a ticket. Poor system. I was worried that the store might run out of the item they had supposedly reserved for me. It can and does happen, but here's the catch: the store may upgrade you for free. A relative of mine stood in line with me for 4 hours, got his ticket for a laptop, and returned shortly before the 10 am deadline to learn that they had run out of that particular laptop. (They knew how to take the reservation; they just didn't know how to hold the reservation--which is actually the most important part.) He wasn't out of luck though; they recognized that the mistake was theirs, and they gave him a better laptop for the same price.
4. Bring a chair, gloves, hat, and blanket. Those in southern states can skip the winter attire, but even 28 degrees is cold when you're standing still.
5. If you want the hottest deals at Best Buy, get in line by about 6 pm the previous night. I wasn't in a Best Buy line; I'm inferring this recommendation from what I heard about the Best Buy line a quarter mile from where I was. Actually, that line reportedly started at 2:30 pm the previous day.
6. Always second-guess the prices. Worded differently, never trust any store's deal blindly, no matter how good it looks. Competition is fierce, and there may be a better or similar deal available elsewhere. Consider what happened to me with this GPS (times are approximate):
• Sunday: Found that Circuit City will offer the GPS (Mio C310x) for $200 plus a $50 mail-in rebate. Not only are rebates a pain, but the closest Circuit City was 45 minutes from where I was staying.
• Tuesday: Found that Staples will offer a similar GPS (Mio C310) for $150 with no rebates.
• Tuesday: Researched this Staples deal; found that the Staples ad might have a misprint. Although the Mio C310 is a legitimate model number, Staples might indeed be selling the Mio C310x--the one I want.
• Wednesday: Visited the Staples store I was planning to buy from, and asked an employee to verify that they were stocking the Mio C310x. They were.
• Friday: Bought the GPS after standing in line for 4 hours. Triumph. Avoided the trip to Circuit City, as well as the rebate.
• Sunday: Found out that Circuit City had made their $200-$50 deal available online on Friday and Saturday. Too bad I had no Internet access on those days to find out about it. I froze my toes for no reason.
7. Don't drink many liquids before standing in line, unless you're just a few steps away from a 24-hour WalMart. (No explanation needed.)

Power Inverter: An Inexpensive Investment

Have you ever come up with an idea that is so stunningly simple, you're embarrassed that you didn't think about it before? This was one such idea for me. And the most embarrassing part is, it's not a breakthrough idea.

As a penny pincher careful spender, I carefully avoid getting ripped off. I spend so much time researching an electronic device, more time finding the best price for it, extra time looking for coupons and other discounts, and then I finally buy it. I did it. I won. Unlike the suckers out there, I refused to pad the wallet of the manufacturer and retailer. Good for me.

Two months later, when it's time to go on my vacation, the manufacturer and retailer scoff back at me: If you want to use this device when you're on a road trip, it will cost you $90 for a power adapter for your car. There's nothing you can do. Hahahahahaaaaa!!!

I'll conceded that some power adapters are actually reasonably priced. Some car chargers for cell phones can cost as little as $10--even less if you buy aftermarket products. But some of them easily approach $25, and this can add up when you upgrade your phone every 2 years. Laptop car adapters are much worse, costing easily $60-90.

What's a stingy frugal person to do? Buy a power inverter for your car. Spend the $30-60 to get a nice one that's got enough wattage to handle your laptop (avoid the inexpensive but underpowered tiny units unless you know you'll never need more than 150 watts or so). You can buy these at discount retailers (WalMart, Target), home centers (Menards), online (Amazon), and plenty of other places. They're easier to find than model-specific auto adapters for your electronics, and then all you need is the AC adapter that you use in your home. Don't be dissuaded even if you want to keep an AC adapter in your home and one in your car; the standard AC adapters are usually less expensive than their DC counterparts, so the inverter is still a bargain for most people with mobile electronics.

Improving wireless networking range

If you're having problems with the range or reliability of a wireless network (at home or at work), consider eliminating 2.4 GHz cordless phones in the area. Most wireless access points operate at 2.4 GHz as well, so a simple cordless phone could be interfering with the network signal.

An old 900 MHz phone is an option, but 5.8 GHz phones are readily available as well.

If you continue to have problems with the signal, the source of the problem may still be in your own residence (items such as microwave ovens, bluetooth-enabled devices, baby monitors, flourescent lights, wireless game controllers, etc. can also cause interference). Alternatively, a neighbor could have a 2.4 GHz cordless phone, or even a "competing" wireless access point. In that case, you may need to move your own access point, or at least change the channel that your access point is operating on (it's not too difficult to do; see the instruction manual).

Of course, interference works both ways. Crackling noises on your cordless phone may be caused by interference from any of the devices mentioned above. Also, don't forget that you may be the cause of somebody else's interference problems. If you live in, say, a dorm where wireless networking is relied upon by dozens of people, consider doing them a favor and upgrading your cordless phone to a 5.8 GHz model. That phone may someday cause interference with future wifi networks, but for now, it will be pretty safe.

Want more information? It's easy to find information on this topic with a Google search for "wifi interference."