8 Easy Ways to Cut Government Spending

[See what TARP did and didn't do for the U.S. economy.]

Kill the Lights at the Department of Energy

(est. savings: $2.2 million)

Talk about irony. A June 2010 report from the Department of Energy's Inspector General showed that the department could save $2.2 million annually by adopting more efficient lighting systems, like installing occupancy sensors in rooms.

Stop Fed-Exing Empty Boxes

(est. savings: $350,000)

According to a Government Accountability Office report, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service sends its lab samples via Federal Express' next-day service. The empty sample containers are then Fed-Exed back, once again with next-day service, which costs roughly $15 round-trip. By returning containers via ground transport, the USDA could save an estimated $350,000 per year.

• See a slide show of 5 reasons TARP succeeded and 5 reasons why it was a flop.
• Check out a roundup of political cartoons on the economy.
• Read: Obama's secret weapon for 2012: the economy.

Reader Comments Read all comments (29)

Add Your Thoughts

Comment Name State Select One AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DE DC FL GA HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY International Email

Please enter the two words below into the text field underneath the image.

Incorrect please try again

Enter the words above: Enter the numbers you hear:

Your comment will be posted immediately, unless it is spam or contains profanity. For more information, please see our Comments FAQ.