I so do not live here.
It's a complete difference of opinion-- I turn it on, he turns it off, and it's been that way since the very beginning. I'm talking about lighting-- specifically outdoor lighting. You know-- The kind that scares the Boogie Man away.
Call me a wimp, or as I prefer, cautious and a good neighbor, but I believe the outside of our house should be lit up like a Christmas tree from sunset to sunrise. It sends a clear message that ours is not a house to be burglarized and it helps keep our 'hood safe, right?
Beloved Husband pretty much thinks that's crazy and turns our single front porch light on as late as possible (if at all), then turns it off when we go to bed. Period. He claims he's being energy efficient and saving the planet. Ha!
On a good night, I can turn on all five outdoor lights in the front yard and distract Beloved from turning them off til morning. On the rare occasion I succeed, it only encourages him to double up on his "light turning off" obsession which defeats my purpose all together.
It's a losing battle-- for him, not me. I'm not giving up. All the lights in the house are on as I type this and I mean ALL-- inside and out. I figure the more that are on the better my negotiation options are. Wish me luck!
Why all this talk about lighting?
I'm hoping to "light you up" with an
$80 CSN Stores Gift Certificate Giveaway
You can spend it at any of their 200+ online stores!
It's easy to enter--
1) Leave a message on THIS post and/or ANY of my NEW posts between now and Midnight Pacific Time, June 25, 2010. ONE entry per post but, the more you read and comment on new posts, the more entries you'll receive, so keep coming back!
2) Blog about this Giveaway (linking to THIS POST) and receive TWO extra entries. Leave me TWO additional messages on THIS post with your linking URL. (If you have more than one blog, please only post about the Giveaway once.)
3) You must have a blog to enter. No exceptions.
4) Make sure your comment links to your email or leave your email address so I can contact you if you win.
Note: This is a one-time use $80 gift certificate from CSN Stores. The Gift Certificate will be emailed directly to the winner. CSN Certificate applies to merchandise ONLY. Shipping is ADDITIONAL. Drawing will be random and results are final. Disclaimer: I did not receive any compensation for this CSN Giveaway. I was given the opportunity to provide a giveaway for my readers and I jumped on it.
Do you leave the lights on?
Welcome to www.TheFiftyFactor.com - Joanna Jenkins
Photo Credit: © Maksym Gorpenyuk - Fotolia.com
Posts
The porch light? I only do when I am expecting one of the kids or guests...Not being a miser about electricity, just don't see the point of having a light on.
ReplyDeleteExcept for the ones that come on automatically, I don't usually think to turn outside lights on unless someone is coming over.
ReplyDeleteI have to say, I side with your husband on this one. It drives me CRAZY to have all the lights on.
ReplyDeleteI leave my front porch light on all night, but the rest are on motion switches.
ReplyDeleteWe just leave the back light on, my belief is if anyone wants to get in they will whether we have lights on or off. I am more insistant about having the front door locked when we are in the back yard....wonderful giveaway, take care....
ReplyDeleteyour discussions always give me a laugh! I am a light leaver on person, my hubby too. I am hoping someone will remember to turn off that porch light someday!
ReplyDeleteyeah, i play the same role as hubby in our house...except i get sent back to turn them on again...
ReplyDeleteyou make me laugh.
ReplyDeleteand my hubby and I both shut the lights out , old habits.
If I lived in a more urban area I probably would probably get a motion sensor light.
and I don't know if this giveaway applies to Canadian bloggers, but thanks for your generosity !
I have a similar argument with my daughter, only she leaves them because... well, frankly, I don't know why! All I know is that I can come home turn off anywhere between 5 and 11 lights through out the house! my electric bill went from $120 (give or take) to $60 a month while they were away at college. It was nice while it lasted.
ReplyDeleteI personally like to keep the front porch light on but my husband disagrees with me.
ReplyDeleteI have to say I am a light turner offer.....locked doors, lights out and I am happy with the lights from the TV and a table lamp...cozy evening glow...:-)Hugs
ReplyDeleteYou found a really nice picture though of outside lighting. Wow.
ReplyDeleteWe don't use a lot of lights in our house. For one thing, we go to bed when it is still light out, we read for a half hour and then hubby goes to sleep. He keeps to a strict time schedule with his meds and sleep to keep from having an imbalance with the bipolar disorder. I usually read another half hour and then go to sleep just as it is getting dark. We are up early and have lights on in the kitchen so we can make coffee. But we don't use the outside lights and neither do any of our neighbors. It is just a quiet simple cul-de-sac and nobody wants any light shining into a window.
Pick me! My face would light up with a smile if I win and I would not be wasting any energy.
ReplyDeleteWe have one light outside that we leave on from dusk to dawn. The others all go off. There are very few lights on around here.
ReplyDeleteThanks for doing another great giveaway!
I posted on my blog about the giveaway.
ReplyDeletehttp://marislittlecorner.blogspot.com/2010/06/giveaway.html
And here is my second comment about my post. Thanks!
ReplyDeletei very rarely have any lights on...one in the kitchen, to navigate before bed....i like darkness, and natural lighting!
ReplyDeletexo
I drive my husband crazy with the lights on! What a fun giveaway!
ReplyDeleteI like natural light in the day and lamplight at night! And total darkness when I sleep ... unless it's raining and also daytime, in which case I'll make an exception and go toes-up at the drop of a hat.
ReplyDeleteAs to the giveaway ... I'm in! LOLOLOL
Our outdoor lights are on a timer.
ReplyDeleteThey go off about the time we go to sleep at night.
I leave lights on in the house when we leave, though. Drives the hubby nuts.
:-D
My Mom sends me text messages nightly to remind me to turn on the outside lights so that our house is not burglarized.
ReplyDeleteI either have an outside light on or I forget and leave the tv on when I fall asleep. Sometimes I don't turn on the outside light - I hate to let burglers see where they are going. I hope they fall over something and I hear them yell oh s----!
ReplyDeleteI'm with you Joanna! I like all of the lights on, inside and out, too! Great giveaway!
ReplyDeleteI see balance here. You balance each other out. I know couples who vote the same way...contrary to each other just to balance the spouses vote.
ReplyDeleteI like the lights on... outside we have security lights that come on when they detect motion.
ReplyDeleteI only have an outside light on if I'm expecting someone to arrive in the dark! (Like tonight - I'm off to the airport shortly and a taxi is coming. :-)) But I like lots of lighting inside. I don't like gloom!
ReplyDeleteI dont think my mum leaves them on, I'm actually not sure.
ReplyDeleteWell anyway, thanks for your comment on my blog, i hope you continue to stop by.
Have a beautiful day.
K xx
Very cute. Came here through Mari.
ReplyDeleteWe turn off the porch lights when we go to bed. But we have sensor lights that stay on all night on the garage, go off at morning.
I love to come home to a well lit house too...to me it just says "WELCOME!"
Thanks for the chance at the giveaway!
A few years ago, a man was shot by a stranger at his house at the end of the street. One of my neighbors sent a flyer around our little street, asking everyone to leave their porch lights on at night, to light up our neighborhood. I leave my front light on all night every night, and so do almost all of my neighbors. I would rather save my life or someone else's than a little electricity.
ReplyDeletewe turn all the exterior lights on when company is coming over. most nights, the house is just lit up from inside. the only light that comes on automatically is our back deck light. re the lights/lights off contest not an issue here. the hall light stays on at night for miss daisy, the rest of the house is DARK! xoxoxox
ReplyDelete(love y'all's contest giveaway!)
Joanna... are you sure you're not married to Larry? Positively sure?
ReplyDeleteYesterday I was picking out a bottle of wine when I got interrupted for less than 45 seconds. In that time he had entered the room, zeroed in on the chandelier over the wine rack and flipped the switch. I couldn't believe it. I was like: Um, do you mind? I'm trying to choose a bottle of wine.
Oh.
The light goes back on, I get my wine, the light goes off.
Forget about outside lighting. Our house is just begging for a burglar.
I don't leave my outdoor lights on unless we're out, but for some reason, when dusk arrives, I immediately turn the lights on inside, I hate the 'dark' feeling of impending night.
ReplyDeleteYes I leave the lights on. Case closed. I want to make sure intruders see the gun pointed at them as they try to get in my house! Full disclosure! xoxo
ReplyDeleteLights on - yes please!
ReplyDeleteNo lights on and I would like to apologize to our next door neighbor for going over and disabling their security lights. It was either that or attack them with a knife.
ReplyDeleteOh, sorry. That just slipped out.
What we do is have one lamp on a timer in the living room which turns on at dusk and goes off around 2am. We also have a walkway lights and a uplight on a tree in our front yard that have a sun sensor on them so they're on all night. But, we're also kind of lucky that we have a streetlight located on the corner of our property that also illuminates a good portion of our yard.
ReplyDeleteAnd to return your gracious gestures of always advertising my challenges, i too will gladly grab your image and place your contest on my sidebar!! Thank you Joanna for being such a great blog friend!
1st extra entry for Jillsy - blogging about the giveaway on her blog.
ReplyDelete2nd extra extra for Jillsy - blogged about it on her blog. THANKS
ReplyDeleteDON'T FORGET IF YOU BLOG ABOUT THE GIVEAWAY ON YOUR BLOG - LEAVE TWO EXTRA COMMENTS HERE!
Thanks,
Joanna
We thought about getting motion activated lights for outside but weren't convinced that our 4 cats wouldn't continually set them off - making us the disco divas of the north coast! We do have a varity of outside lighting but it tends to be used only when entertaining. It's actually more likely to be me to switch off outside lights because of environmental impact, but then I don't live near a big city. If I did, I suspect I'd think differently. (The house in the photo? Oh... I could make do)! ;)
ReplyDeleteI turn on the porch light at dusk and then turn it off when we go to bed. Rarely does it ever get left on all night. All the lights in the house also are turned off at bed time.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the opportunity to enter your great giveaway!
~ Tracy
1st extra entry for posting about the giveaway on my sidebar.
ReplyDelete2nd extra entry for posting about the giveaway on my sidebar. (I hope that counts...)
ReplyDeleteI'm definitely lights off unless I'm expecting company. Lights off in the house too, except for the room I'm in at the time. Old habit, I guess. BUT now you have me nervous, lol.
ReplyDeleteThanks for coming by Joanna, nice to meet you. I lived in California most of my fifty-something years. California has the BEST beaches in the world!
1st entry for posting about your giveaway in my sidebar.I love making buttons!
ReplyDeleteShellbelle's Tiki Hut
2nd entry for posting about your giveaway (that's where my email is also).
ReplyDeleteShellbelle's Tiki Hut
I turn lights OFF all the time...inside and outside and even at work if someone leaves their office and doesn't return. No point in leaving them on. I drive everyone crazy...my husband at home and people at work. :) I love it!
ReplyDeleteGuess what (oh, by the way, enter me in this, please!)
ReplyDeleteYOU WON MY GIVEAWAY!! :)
That's pretty cool...We leave the lights on by our garage...not the front porch! Hope you are well! Always enjoy my visits here...~Janine XO
ReplyDeleteI am definitely a darkness girl. I hate overhead lighting, much prefer candles but have a fear of forgetting to blow them out!
ReplyDeleteMaybe it's just where I live but most houses have accent lighting and I love the glow it gives to everything. I want uplighting in my back yard. Time to string the carnival lights now that I have a party coming up. They will stay up all summer and when it's party time I add the lanterns. I just love ambient lighting.
ReplyDeleteHey there, hi there, ho there. I don't actually want to enter the giveaway, although I thank you for the opportunity. I just have one of those rather fortunate lives (may that continue) where I don't really want for much and I'd rather leave the treat for someone else.
ReplyDeleteHaving said that, I still have stuff to say, because that's how I roll.
Motion-activated lights is what you need :-) It's a good compromise for hubby's frugality/environmental responsibility and your feeling of safety. They will only light up when motion is detected outside the house.
I first saw them outside a neighbors house, when my husband and I would be out for a stroll, as soon as we hit the patch of sidewalk in front of that house? Illumination!
Plus, even if you don't have an alarm system, anything rigged to a motion-activated switch gives the illusion that you do. So thieves, would-be murderers and the occasional startled deer steer clear.
And no, I don't leave the lights on. Many moons ago I was a camp counselor and strangely enough, in the woods, you're often safer in the dark, than when carrying a light source. Your eyes adjust, so that you can see threats, rather than wondering what's outside the perimeter of light.
Plus, my husband and I have compatible attitudes towards the electric bill. We both like 'em low.
I am a "turn off the light when you leave the room" person. My parents would be happy to know that sunk in, since they told us that ALL THE TIME when we were growing up.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, my stepkids think every light in the house needs to be on, even in broad daylight!
Hope I qualify for your giveaway, since I'm just a beginning blogger and don't have much content on my site yet.
Actually, I live in a rural area where everyone is encouraged to use as little outdoor light as possible and as a result we have the most magnificent night sky. I'm just in awe of all the stars you can see when they're not obscured by outdoor lighting. I'm afraid I'm with your hubby on this one.
ReplyDeleteToo funny!! I do not leave the lights on but Bob still patrols to make sure. Silly men.
ReplyDeleteI'm with yer man on this one!
ReplyDeleteHey we live in Southern California!!! LIGHTS BLAZING BABY....!! I’M WITH YOU TOTALLY AND I’M NOT JUST SUCKING UP TA YA SO I CAN WIN!!!
ReplyDeleteOh man, save on the bills and shut that baby off! Well, I guess I might if I lived in a scary neighborhood. We live in the country and I feel pretty safe ...plus I'm super cheap :) Thanks for the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteI'm posting this on giveawaygirl.blogspot.com!
ReplyDeleteCome check out my blog at giveawaygirl.blogspot.com!
ReplyDeletegiveawaygirl@gmail.com
We have security lights that come on when anyone comes near the house.
ReplyDeleteI just wrote this long comment and lost it somehow. Not doing it again.
Our light burned out a few months ago on the sidewalk and I keep meaning to change it... and then I forget. Thanks for reminding me. I am writing myself a post it note reminder right this second! XO
ReplyDeleteNope,. I do not,.. cannot sleep with lights on!
ReplyDeleteFollowed over from Jillsy! I finally went to motion sensor lights so there is a light, sorta.
ReplyDeleteI understand the challenge, as I want to conserve but I also want the 'safety' light brings!
laura
I came by from Mari's.
ReplyDeleteWe leave the lights on outside from sunset until sunrise. We live out a ways (off a dirt road), but we do live in a subdivision.
Don't even get me started with the lights around this place! I seem to be the only person who understands the on/of concept:)
ReplyDeleteI'd love to win this.
No... the porch light is right outside our bedroom window and it keeps me up! I used to leave it on for when the kids were out, and they were supposed to turn it off when they got home. Nights they forgot... I stayed awake worrying!
ReplyDeleteGood luck in your battle, though!
We leave a small light on in our kitchen and one on in our bathroom. When we have guests, which is often, we also have lights on in their bath and study. Sometimes we keep the porch light on but need to get a more energy efficient one I think which we could do if I win!!!
ReplyDeletei leave the outside light on for when he comes home and he complains about it all the time. I still leave it on...would hate him to fall and hit his head and have some sense knocked into him. ;) jkjk.
ReplyDeleteI'm energy efficient, so only leave the back porch light on when I know one of us will be out late. Thankfully, we agree on at least one thing!
ReplyDeletePlease add me to your drawing.
ReplyDeleteLights? Turned off when heading to bed. As others point out having lights shining in the windows all night is not nice. It depends on where you live.
really the "light up my life" is more important but much tougher than flipping any switch.
Only leave the porch light on because we have some questionable activity on our block....
ReplyDeleteYes i leave the lights on.
ReplyDeletewrotek5 at gmail dot com
We stopped leaving the lights on. We've got two big dogs (although for the most part they'd sleep through anything going on in the yard itself...but if they heard that door creek open...someone better look out!) LOL
ReplyDeletes.s.burke (at!) juno (dot) com
I agree with you...I just luv having outdoor lighting on...I have just installed some new "COOL" patio lighting and I'm lovin it! Thanks for coming by and for your sweet comment.
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Linda
I'm a new follower:)
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Linda
I really only leave the outside light on when I'm expecting somebody to come home and they're parked in the driveway. Now that there are just two cars and they're both in the garage, I never have that light on.
ReplyDeleteI never really thought about it too much. We always leave the porch light on, mostly because I sometimes come home or leave the house when it's dark so I need to be able to see but in your situation I'm on your side: Better safe then sorry!
ReplyDeleteWe used to have the same thing-I put lights on and he shuts them off. The porch light is usually left alone though because once one of our neighbors commented that our home looks so warm and inviting along a dark street of lightless porches...score one! Please enter me in your giveaway, too!
ReplyDelete~Nancy
We have farm lights...dusk to dawn lights that are automatic. As to the house, we leave the office lights on all the time because they are those "energy efficient" haha lights that burn out more quickly if turned on and off. I use a LOT of nightlights as I hate stumbling around in the dark but hate to turn on the high wattage lights. We also have four dogs, one of whom sleeps downstairs so she is my early warning system.
ReplyDeletePlease enter me in the giveaway..
ReplyDeleteand NO ..my outdoor lights are not on unless anticipating company..
indoor lights spill out enough to light the porch..
solicitors shouldn't be out after dark anyway..
Warm sandy hugs..
Loui♥
LIGHTS ON! MD travels a lot and I do not like being in the house without lots of light...inside and out. Having the dogs helps, but they're such friendly guys that the two smaller guys might just lick an intruder to death... These are the times I really miss by boys!
ReplyDeleteJane (artfully graced)
Sounds like this "battle" is really keeping you on your toes! Good luck.
ReplyDeleteMy DH is also a turn off-er and I, like you, am a keep them on gal.
Thanks for this opportunity! I love CSN!
tsue1136 at yahoo dot com
Oh oh oh how did I manage to miss this one...geesh sorry hon!! So...please add my name to the hat and I am sorry to come to late to add it to my blog too..next time for sure!
ReplyDeleteI am the turner offer at our house..he leaves all the inside lights on at night...I turn them off..I like the outside lights on..he turns those off...sigh! I would love this one hon!!
Hugs and love, Sarah
THIS GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED.
ReplyDeleteUnknown Mami WON!
Thanks for entering,
jj