I would like to submit the following tip to your newsletters. Maybe it will help some folks!
There was a recent tip in the Dollar Stretcher newsletter about using a solar yard lamp during a thunderstorm. I can take that one step further.
When I lived with two roommates, we had little extra spending money. We were always looking for ways to save a buck or two. Electricity was one area where we thought we had done enough, but we were wrong!
During a trip to a local hardware store to pick up some nails, we noticed that there were two types of solar yard lamps available - fixed (on a spike or stake), or hanging (from a hook, sometimes connected to a stake). We saw that it was only $20 for a three-pack of solar lamps (I've since seen four packs for the same price, on sale). We bought two packs of them and six of those pretty plant hangers that people sometimes use for their hanging plants (the ones that look like pretty shelf brackets, but with hooks).
When we got home, we mounted the plant hangers over or next to four windows in our house and put the solar lamps on them. Then, we hung the other two on the house, next to the front and back doors. In the late afternoon or early evening, we would open up the blinds to allow the sunlight to "charge" the indoor lights.
The day after we started doing this, we had a neighbor call us to let us know that we'd left both our porch lights on overnight. We asked if it had disturbed her.
"No," she said, "I was just worried about your electric bill. Actually, I felt safer when I came home from work and they were on, because I could see to put my key into the lock!" "Well," said my roommate, "You'll feel safer every night then, because we're leaving them on from now on. In fact, we can't turn them off! They're solar lamps and the power is free!"
I hope that this tip is useful to all of you and to your readers.
Thanks,
Miss Elisha
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What a wonderful idea! I can't wait to use it. Thanks so much for sharing!
This sounds like a grand idea. Unfortunately for me, I live in the Northwest, in a heavily forested area and very little sun reaches areas of my house. When the sun does decide to shine. The solar lamps never seem to collect enough light to be of use.
I bet my daughter who lives in sunny California could use this tip tho & I plan to pass it on to her. :-)
Great Idea! Will use this during hurricane season.
Thanks, I've been wondering how effective these were & storm season is coming .
I will now be shopping for a deal on 3 or 4 of them. Big!Lots! sometimes has great sales on them.
Great idea. I've been wondering why they didn't make solar lights for indoor use. This should do the trick.
What a great idea! Good for you. I am going to try this, thanks!
Thanks soooooooo MUCH, dear. Now to get the money and find a sale! LOL However, now that I think about it, I have NO sunny windows anymore, so I'll put my thinking cap on and try to expand on your idea to perhaps save some electricity on a daily basis for my dark home?
Fabulous idea for camping and I'm going to use this in my sunroom that has no electricity!!
I read this tip before here & thought I'd try it out first. Well, I got to say I have not put on the electric lights since. Thanks for the great idea.
Thanks for the tip! It may not do us much good, we have a streetlight out front, but I may give it a try in the back, and I'll be passing this tip onto my sister!
Great idea. But we tried this and the lanterns didn't give off much light. I am going to use them as night lights. I am wondering if maybe it was the type of lanterns you have. We picked up two solar lanterns that have one led bulb and say super white light.
Oh for the love of Pete! Brilliant! My brain is already grinding away at the idea. Nightlights for the kids! Thanks!
Yes this is an excellent idea and we have been using them at our camp that does not have electric in it plus a path to the outhouse and a nite light; in the loft, by the camper and shed ...you get the idea. Anywhere you need a light and the great thing is you can carry them with you too! Instant flashlight that does not need batteries! So it saves on batteries, too!
PS for those of you who do not get enough sunlight try using mirrors to deflect the sunlight you do have onto the solar light ...this charges them too. I use this method on cloudy days!
Can you tell me the brand or any other information about which type solar lights you use? I'm in a very sunny southern state and find that the solar lights do not light up as well as I wish they did.
I am currently trying out 3 different brands of solar lights to see how bright they get and I have yet to find any that would emit that kind of light! What brand did you get?
Very clever and creative.
That's brilliant! I wasn't aware that they could be used indoors. Thanks!
That's really worth a try! We occasionally experience brown-outs here in San Diego so that is really a useful tip. Thanks!
Renee
I've been doing this for years. It all started for Earth Hour when we would have a game of Scrabble. Now we use them all the time in the rec room while watching TV or just whiling away the hours ... sure beats the price of hydro.
For the people with older dogs and a fence. You can make something with wood and a whole in it. Put the stick part through the whole where your dog can not bump it or play with it. I have a creative friend and her husband made a holder for those glass looking floating solar lights at the tops of her wooden fence. Talk about pretty. She said she bought hers at Sams and Wal-Mart. I buy the spotlight ones and put them in pvc pipes in the ground shining up my trees. I just had to cut down all my trees. So I plan on putting them to shine on my backyard swing and covered area. We eat out there sometimes. I plan on putting some on my fence and strings on my fenced corner of latticework.
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