Unplugging -- Is It Worth a Little Inconvenience to Save Money and the Environment?

So these days I'm into saving money and saving the environment and anything I can do to save both at the same time makes me giddy. Honestly -- who isn't looking to save a few bucks these days? And it has never been more in vogue to do something for the environment. Even if you haven't been laid off or seen your pay cut, we're all thinking more about how to cut back and live a bit more frugally these days. And I'm all about that. Without a "real job" or a "real paycheck" I feel like my contribution to the household is to save us money. I'm all about getting a good deal these days. And my favorite way to save money -- unplug stuff.

A quick inventory of my house shows that on average, I have more than 30 items plugged in at any given moment. TVs, DVRs, DVD players, tuners, IPods, phones, computers, toasters, microwaves, washer, dryer, two refrigerators, alarm clocks, paper shredders, coffee maker -- the list goes on and on. Does all this stuff need to be plugged in all of the time -- 24 hours a day?

I decided to conduct an experiment to see how much energy I could conserve (and in turn cut from the power bill) by unplugging "non-essential" items when they weren't in use. Anything with a clock was quickly left alone -- coffee maker, microwave, clocks. Seriously -- who wants to reset clocks every day? But everything else was fair game. We went one month with everything as is. The next month I began unplugging small items like the toaster and other countertop appliances like the panini maker and can opener in the kitchen, the beard trimmer in the bathroom, and the paper shredder in the office. We began unplugging the laptops overnight and the clothes washer on non-laundry days, which turns out to be six out of seven days. I left the dryer alone because getting to the plug was such a hassle.

The difference was incredible. Almost $75 in one month! And we weren't even good about doing it every day! Even my skeptical husband became a convert and quit complaining about having to plug the toaster in to make Saturday morning toast! This last month we started unplugging the big downstairs TV overnight and the upstairs TV during the day. I can't wait to see what that does to the power bill!

So here's something to ponder? Is it worth a little inconvenience to save money and conserve energy? What would you be willing to unplug to do your part for the environment? Can't wait to hear your thoughts on this one!