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<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   Related Stories • Save a buck: Free museum day 9/9/08 • Save a buck: Free concert at Alderwood Mall 9/1/08 • Save a buck: Web sites help find best prices 8/31/08 • Save a buck: Web site helps compute total on car rentals 8/30/08 • Save a Buck: Planning to drive? Try these ideas to save fuel 8/29/08 • Save a buck: Get free coffee recipes 8/28/08 • Save a buck: Make your own candied ginger 8/27/08 • Save a buck: Get rid of old refrigerator 8/26/08 • Save a buck: Free movies 8/25/08 • Save A Buck: Snohomish Picnic in the Park 8/23/08 • Save a buck: Old Time Fiddlers 8/21/08 • Learn some secrets of secondhand shopping from an expert 8/21/08 • Save a buck: Free car washes 8/20/08 • Save a buck: Reuse old jeans 8/19/08 • Save a buck: Free health fair 8/19/08   CONTACT THE HERALD Melanie Munk, Features Editor munk@heraldnet.com   Published: Sunday, August 17, 2008 Save a buck: Switch off the computer Does not compute: It's easy to remember to turn off a light when it's not in use, but how often do you switch off your computer when you're not surfing the Web or reading e-mail? Computers, especially older computers, can run at up to 250 watts. Would you leave two 100-watt bulbs burning most of the day? Sleep it off: You can significantly cut that to 1 to 6 watts by going to your computer's system preferences and setting your computer to "sleep" when it goes unused for 5 or 10 minutes. Climatesaverscomputing.org says you can save up to $60 a year by using your power management settings. Using a screen saver doesn't count. When a screen saver is running, so is the computer. The surge is working: Better yet, buy a surge protector power strip, plug in your computer, printer and other peripherals and turn them all off with the flick of a switch (Although you'll want to shut down your computer before hitting the strip's switch.) Even when turned off, computers and printers still draw a small amount of current, which can add up over time. Old nerds' tale: Oh, and you're not saving wear and tear on your computer by leaving it on. That misconception is as outdated as MS-DOS. Herald staff

1. Threat of severe flooding as more roads are closed 2. Woman dropped from a size 22 to a size 0 3. Prosecutors state their case that girl was brutally raped 4. Kyle Beach's Silvertips career comes to sudden end 5. Record flooding possible in county 6. Record flood level developing on Stillaguamish River 7. Rising waters in Gold Bar behave in odd ways 8. Boy, 6, drives to school after missing bus 9. Silvertips players 'shocked' by Beach deal 10. Marysville man's 1948 Ford tractor a bit of Elvis history 2 - Top 10 Stories Most Talked about 3 - Top 10 Stories Most Emailed

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