Nose vs. Face

Nose vs. Face:
I know most of you, especially baby-boomers, have heard the expression, "cutting off your nose to spite your face." It's an odd sort of saying, but we sort of do it every day, metaphorically. It's when we do something that's not really in our best interest out of spite, or to prove a point. The nose: lighting choices. The face: personal economics.

My gut reaction to the phasing out of incandescent light bulbs on January 1, 2014 was like that of many others. I was angry that federal government was, once again, interfering in private industry in a way that was going to cost jobs, cost consumers more, and tell us what we can and cannot buy. I still have an issue with that. But going out and buying up and hoarding all the incandescent bulbs I can find to spite the system is, well...foolish on a personal level. In other words, I would be "cutting off my nose to spite my face." Incandescent bulbs are costly, over time. They use more electricity than other, more modern choices, they don't last nearly as long, and they are often bad right out of the box. CFLs, and the more recent LED lights use less energy, last many times longer, and are generally dependable. In the long run, they save you money. Yeah, the light is a little different, but in reality, for those who are into art, photography or decorating, they can be found to show true colors actually better than incandescent bulbs.
So...will I go out and buy some old-fashioned bulbs? Probably...for old times' sake. But for the most part, I'm going for the money saving LED lights. I already have mostly CFL lighting in my house, which I rarely have to change. You see, I'm one of those older guys who doesn't get stuck in a time period. I like new technology. I embrace it, and enjoy the changes...if it's really for the better. On the other hand...there's something a bit romantic and nostalgic about occasionally reading a book by candle light. :)