Everyone needs a small win every now and then. It is what keeps us on track when we diet, get in shape, stop smoking or going green. Something that helps us gain confidence for the big fight. I had one of those small wins today.
We have been discussing vampire power at work this week. Vampire power is the power that is being used by those power blocks that are part of the power cord. Even if your electronic device is off the block keeps sucking away the power, costing you money.
Some of these blocks are unavoidable. I found a way to decrease the amount I was using. I upgraded.
Follow me here. I had a home wireless network of a cable modem, one hub, and three apple airports to keep two computers and three iphones connected to the outside world. I needed all this just to penetrate the fortress that are my homes walls. This equipment was as much as 10 years old and inefficient.
I replaced this with one wireless cable modem that covered the whole house. I added an airport express to give my desktop computer wireless access. The rest went away.
Lets do the math. The modem cost me about $130 but I was paying $5 a month to the cable company to rent their basic modem. That will pay for itself in time. I still have two bricks plugged in but I was able to get rid of three others. How much is this saving me? I’m not real sure and I’m not real concerned. It has got me thinking of what else I could do around the house and the office to save myself some money. Each small win is going to build on each other.
Take some time to look around the house and the office and see what you can do. Are there some upgrades in technology you can make? Can you put all the “bricks” on a power strip and turn the strip off each night? Find your small win and keep finding them. If we all do it, it will make a difference in all our lives and keep those vampires away.
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