Daylight Savings

Hi all!
Did you know that Daylight Savings Time was created in order to save money and energy?! They must have been subscribers to the Sister Thrifty
newsletter! ark Energy use and the demand for electricity for lighting
our homes is directly connected to when we go to bed and when we get up.
Bedtime for most of us is late evening through the year. When we go to bed, we turn off the lights and TV.
Here's some interesting info on how Daylight Savings came to be, but if you're short on time you can skip the next couple of paragrahs...just remember to set your clocks back tonight before going to bed!!.....In the average home, 25 percent of all the electricity we use is for lighting and small appliances, such as TVs, VCRs and stereos. A good percentage of energy consumed by lighting and appliances occurs in the evening when families are home. By moving the clock ahead one hour, we can cut the amount of electricity we consume each day. Studies done in the 1970s by the U.S.
Department of Transportation show that we trim the entire country's electricity usage by about one percent EACH DAY with Daylight Saving Time.
Daylight Saving Time "makes" the sun "set" one hour later and therefore reduces the period between sunset and bedtime by one hour. This means that less electricity would be used for lighting and appliances late in the day.
We also use less electricity because we are home fewer hours during the "longer" days of spring and summer. Most people plan outdoor activities in the extra daylight hours. When we are not at home, we don't turn on the appliances and lights. A poll done by the U.S. Department of Transportation indicated that Americans liked Daylight Saving Time because "there is more
light in the evenings / can do more in the evenings." While the amounts of
energy saved per household are small...added up they can be very large.
Time zones were first used by the railroads in 1883 to standardize their schedules. Benjamin Franklin (great thrifty guy) suggested the idea way back in 1784! The American law by which we turn our clock forward in the spring and back in the fall is known as the Uniform Time Act of 1966.
Well, you might have already known all that silliness, but did you know that beginning in 2007 Daylight Saving Time will be extended one month and begins for most of the United States at 2:00 am on the 2nd Sunday in March to 2:00 am on the frst Sunday of November?!!! Well, now ya do!
The Christmas shopping season is fast approaching! If you are a AAA member check out www.shopamericavip.com/aaa to see a list of all the malls in the country who are offering discounts to their stores for their customers during the holidays. AAA has decent roadside assistance, but they also have an impressive discount program for their members. I save enough money each year on the discounts I get from amusement parks to restaurants to oil changes to event tickets to hotels that more than pays for my annual membership. You should seriously check it out. :)
If you're tired of the high-priced, low-end service you get from America Online but you can't seem to shake them, follow these steps:
1) Sign on to your AOL account.
2) Click on the "Keyword" box in the upper right corner and type the word "cancel" when the entry box appears. A screen will appear with a toll-free number and mailing address. If you are unable to log on, call 888-265-8008 for cancellation help.
3) Call the number and follow the instructions to cancel your membership. A representative should be able to cancel your account within a few minutes.
(DSL accounts may take longer)
4) Ask that a confirmation of your cancellation be e-mailed to you if you have another account, faxed or mailed to your home address.
Note: AOL does not allow members to cancel their accounts online.
Here is a list of cheap ISP's:
www.chilitech.com - $9.95 per month with a year contract. Make sure you can get a local access number before signing up.
• www.695online.com - Internet service for $6.95 a month. Your credit card will be billed $26.80 right away, which covers three months of service plus a one-time setup fee of $5.95. If you don't like this, don't sign up.
•www.lafn.org - For residents of California. It costs just $50 a year because it is run almost entirely by volunteers.
* NetZero and Juno - As of Sept. 2001, Netzero and Juno have merged and are offering similar ISP packages. Both continue to offer a free Internet service, but they are limited in their terms of service and usage. NetZero users are limited to surfing 10 hours a month. Juno does not specify a limit on time with the free service, but some users who report spending from 5 to 20 hours a month online have reported being warned that they are "heavy users" and could be charged because of overuse. Both companies also offer a
$9.95 "unlimited" package.
• Wal-Mart - Wal-Mart has started its own Internet service for $9.94 a month. The company is offering unlimited access and a free 700-hour trial month.
• Worldshare - Formerly "Freelane," Worldshare is offered in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean. Rates are as follows: 75 hours/mo for $9.95; 150 hours/mo for $12.95; Unlimited Access for $15.95.
Well, that's it for now. Have a safe, happy Halloween, and remember to hit those after Halloween sales at Wal-Mart and Target for next year's decorations & party supplies! :)
CENTSerely,
Sister Thrifty