Seeking Cheaper Goodness

It has warmed up to 41 degrees, after starting (when I got up late at 8:00 am) at 36. Inside, it's toasty and, thanks to my lack of self-discipline, the house smells like bacon. After a quick jolt of hot tea for my wife, we'll wander out into the world of washing machines to replace the corpse that sits idle in the laundry room. The new high-efficiency models, which cost damn near as much as my first car, use a fraction of the electricity and water of the older-style machines. The question is this: will I be selfish and get the old-style machine which will be cheaper and which will never save me enough money to make up the difference, or will I be responsible and get the newer machine which will be gentler on the earth? I think we've already decided. And I am proud to be good, but wish goodness were cheaper.