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Monday, January 26, 2009

Saving the Utility Bill with Candles

By Joseph Parish

We all are experiencing the effect of the increased utility bills that are being tossed at us each month. We get our mail and the electric bill shows this added surcharge and this one and another one. The problem is that it simply does not stop.

Knowing that these bills will not go down in the foreseeable future, I have initiated some alternative actions that are meant to combat the high cost of electricity. In these few paragraphs I hope to give you an insight into saving money by using candles.

Candles are usually great for some people but right off I would like to post a short precaution. First, if you have small children you may wish to be a bit leery of their use. With any young children in your home the use of candles would likely be a last type of resort. Don’t misunderstand me as you should still keep a supply on hand for actual emergencies, however, you may not wish to use them for cost cutting purposes.

Candles can and are dangerous as there is no doubt about it. It seems that most users of these wax lifesavers simply do not take the necessary precautions that they should and this in itself makes the candles inherently dangerous with its open flame. I have read about more then one fire being attributed as a result of careless handling of candles or leaving them unattended. It doesn’t take them long to catch something on fire and completely destroy a residence or worse cause unnecessary death. If you are going to use candles then you should certainly look for some of those tin lamps with the glass sides which will help protect from the associated fires. These objects are usually referred to as Franklin lamps or faux nautical lamps.

Now that we have carefully provided the safety information and have the needed precautions out of the way lets get on to the meat of this article. In my home I have a built in coffee shop room. It has a commercial coffee pot, an espresso machine, table and chairs as well as the other coffee associated memorabilia. Most of the items are what are left over from my several local coffee shops that I at one time had in the area. I use candles in my coffee shop area on a daily basis to not only save money but to add a sense of romance to the setting.

Many months ago I came to the sad understanding that not only was the economy getting bad but that all the normal costs of living were about to jump sky high. As it was time proved me correct in that assumption! It only stood to reason that when fuel prices rose then everything else will do likewise. It was then that I realized that the time had come to make some good use of my stored candles. It actually is really much more cost effective to now use candles then to turn on the light switch.

I have quit a collection of various styles and types of candles ranging from large floor models to the smaller tea candles which fit inside several holders that I own. Tea candles are fairly inexpensive and can be readily picked up by the bag full at just about any dollar store. In addition, if you watch yard sales and flea markets you can obtain tea candles for just about nothing. You can use candles for lighting in any situation that does not require a concentrated light source. You could not actually use the candles for book reading or anything of that nature. However it is a lot of fun and adds a new dimension to your room.

So don’t let the high cost of electric hurt you and eat up money that could be used for other more important purchases. Also you will find that using the candles produces a much more romantic setting and your love life may actually improve somewhat.

Copyright @ 2009 Joseph Parish


Original: http://survival-training.info/articles7/SavingtheUtilityBillwithCandles.htm

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