\[caption id="attachment\_322" align="alignright" width="205" caption="CFL bulb"\]\[/caption\] I went outside earlier to tell my neighbor that I have started to convert the house to CFL bulbs in hopes of saving a little money.  He was outside talking to another neighbor who brought up a good point that I thought I should share with all of you fine people on the interweb. What my neighbor told me was interesting to say the least.  Have you been tempted to try out these ugly spiral light bulbs only to find that they die out right away?  He told me that you should turn them on and leave them on for at least 15 minutes to maximize their lives.  This might sound like a _waste of money_ in some regards but rest assure running CFL bulbs are of no risk in regards to cost as they are so efficient in how they use their energy.  So consider this little tip from my neighbor when converting your house to CFL bulbs―a task you'll be forced to do in the coming years. For more information about CFL bulbs please visit the [Energy Star website](http://www.energystar.gov/).  They have a great [How to Choose reference sheet](http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=cfls.pr_cfls_htc) for helping you decide which bulb goes in which kind of light (as many more options than just the "standard" spiral CFL have come out since the CFL inception as come to be) and while your there also check out their [Choose a Light Guide](http://www.drmediaserver.com/CFLGuide/index.html).  **Reminder:** When your purchasing CFL bulbs for your house or apartment always look for bulbs with the Energy Star logo. ♇