At the point where you've factored out the "Latte Factor" and canceled your landline, you might be feeling like there's nothing else to do to save cash. But, oh you're so wrong. It won't make you an instant millionaire, but it's the perfect tip to save some cash: It's quick, easy, and you can probably do it from where you're sitting right now.

Remember when you first realized that you could unplug that floor lamp that never gets used? It's a small change that you won't notice—but it somehow leaves a little extra cash in your pocket when the electric bill comes.
Well this tip is kind of like that. If you want to reduce your power bill by $15-$30 annually (we said it was a small change!), turn down the brightness on your computer monitor just a smidge.
If you think that's insignificant, think about this: With more machines in the house, that number will obviously multiply. And it's also a great tip for extending the battery life of your laptop when you need it to go a few extra hours.
(Images: Flickr user mattjb under license from Creative Commons, Flickr user mezzoblue under license from Creative Commons.)
Comments (4)
i would probably turn mine down even more if I could. I have a Early 2007 iMac (the last of the white ones) and the screen on that machine is so bright. I had switched up from an old ibook g3 and it was like night and day between them, literally. I even sought out some software to darken the then new imac's screen even more until I could adjust to the huge difference.
Now I have a late 2007 iMac at work and I have to have that one cranked up to full brightness most of the time. This room is really bright but even if it is overcast out. It still needs the boost. I don't know why they changed the screen so much between the two.
I do this sometimes when I am getting a migraine and I have a few more hours of work before I can go home.
Dimming the screen when using battery power is part of the default power-saver profile on my laptop.
Use a black or dark background to save a penny more :P