MYOB, and get a life!

We had neighbors that threw on every security spotlight on their home every night. It was like a sports stadium over there... Good times. Not sure what that was about -- the neighborhood was exceedingly safe.

You can ask your neighbor but I think they will think you are off your rockers. We had neighbors who requested that we turn off our porch light (half of our yard faces a forest and we don't feel as safe at night!) because they don't want to switch out their bedroom Hunter Douglas SHEER curtains. We try to be neighborly and decreased our wattage and installed frosted fixtures, but our friends/family think we are wayyyy too accommodating! I think most people would just have ignored the neighbor or thought she is acting too privileged to be making such request while not doing enough on her part to work out her discomforts.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks everyone, I think I will try to find some darker curtains. I guess I also wonder why she isn't bothered that we can see into her home and see her walking around too. This window is approximately 8 by 9 feet and the light is like a industrial spotlight- it is not a night light or a normal kitchen light!

You need to buy the curtains and find a hobby pronto. Who cares why she isnt bothered? She isnt you, obviously. You are spending too much energy wondering about why someone doesnt live more like you do. She doesnt care about conserving energy and she isnt bothered by a lack of privacy. Case closed. Just buy black out curtains and move on.

If you already have curtains that you like, look into black out liners. I bought some from Pottery Barn (online) for my daughter's room... she had beautiful curtains already, and the liners now block almost all exterior light. I know Land of Nod sells them too. You just clip them in, easy.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MYOB/invest in better curtains. There is so much light in DC anyway, just from being in a metro area that you need heavy curtains.

When DC was an infant I left a light on in my kitchen area so when I got up bleary-eyed to breastfeed even couple hours all night I didn't kill myself stumbling over the exersaucer/jumperoo/etc. Now that the Christmas tree is up I just leave it on as my "nightlight" to see by when I go investigate night terrors, etc. If some neighbor told me it bothered them I would have been seriously tempted to flip them the bird.

This is a fire hazard.

NP here. Not if they use LED lights. 2 years ago, we converted to all LED lights for both indoor and outdoor for Christmas. Also uses much less energy.

Anonymous wrote:MYOB/invest in better curtains. There is so much light in DC anyway, just from being in a metro area that you need heavy curtains.

When DC was an infant I left a light on in my kitchen area so when I got up bleary-eyed to breastfeed even couple hours all night I didn't kill myself stumbling over the exersaucer/jumperoo/etc. Now that the Christmas tree is up I just leave it on as my "nightlight" to see by when I go investigate night terrors, etc. If some neighbor told me it bothered them I would have been seriously tempted to flip them the bird.

This is a fire hazard.

OP here. Thanks everyone, I think I will try to find some darker curtains. I guess I also wonder why she isn't bothered that we can see into her home and see her walking around too. This window is approximately 8 by 9 feet and the light is like a industrial spotlight- it is not a night light or a normal kitchen light!

PS -- this is only one of the reasons why the "secluded areas are the WRONG CHOICE" poster is off her rocker.

MYOB/invest in better curtains. There is so much light in DC anyway, just from being in a metro area that you need heavy curtains.

When DC was an infant I left a light on in my kitchen area so when I got up bleary-eyed to breastfeed even couple hours all night I didn't kill myself stumbling over the exersaucer/jumperoo/etc. Now that the Christmas tree is up I just leave it on as my "nightlight" to see by when I go investigate night terrors, etc. If some neighbor told me it bothered them I would have been seriously tempted to flip them the bird.

Even if you ask nicely, she'll never remember to turn it off.

Investigate blackout curtains, like the ones they have in hotels.

I would say something to her about it being a bit bright in your bedroom at night if she forgets to turn on that light. The moment though that you mention the thing about it being wasteful for energy, you will lose your audience completely because then TRULY you need to MYOB. Do they have a huge SUV and only one kid too? Will you talk to them about how bad that is for the environment? Just stick to why it is making things uncomfortable for YOU and hope for a good response.

Anonymous wrote:What would you do? Ignore it, talk to her? She leaves the lights on in her kitchen all night- our bedroom window is on that side. We have blinds and curtains but the light is so bright and the window so large and it is upstairs (we are 1st floor bedroom) so when laying down we can still see some light. Plus it is a total waste of energy!

MYOB and get better curtains.

What would you do? Ignore it, talk to her? She leaves the lights on in her kitchen all night- our bedroom window is on that side. We have blinds and curtains but the light is so bright and the window so large and it is upstairs (we are 1st floor bedroom) so when laying down we can still see some light. Plus it is a total waste of energy!