In the past I have also had the CFL light bulbs burn out way earlier than the claim advertised on the package. I have since read online that when you buy new CFL bulbs, when you put them into the lamp for the first time, leave them on for at least 4 hours to allow the vapors in the bulb to travel to the top of the bulb. Supposedly this will make the bulb last longer. Since I decided this was worth a try, I did indeed leave the bulb on for 6 hours. I cannot say if this is true or not because I only tried it a few months ago.