If you have Kids…or any sort of electronic gadget, you absolute understand that batteries are actually a commodity. Sure, this might seem like a minor expense, but over time these really add up to real money! There is a constant flow of good and bad batteries finding there way through your home, which causes plenty of challenges, not the least being the hit to the budget. As I sit back and think about the issues I experience with batteries, here are the main points:
- Are they really dead?
- How do I get rid of those things?
- Christmas and Birthdays? I always buy something that needs them…and they are NOT INCLUDED
- I’m always shopping for batteries AFTER I have a need…and can’t find any good ones.
- Seems like I was buying a pack every few times I went to the grocery store, there had to be a better way.
Are they really dead? This is a problem that I never even knew I had. Tell me if you have done this before: Your XBox controller goes dead, you pull out the batteries and go to find some new ones. You can’t find the pack of new batteries, but you find a pile of old ones in a drawer. So…you grab a handful of them and start putting them in the controller looking for a couple that will get you through until you can get to the store to pick up another pack. I figured there had to be a better way. I looked in my junk drawer and found an inexpensive voltage tester and decided to give it a go. Battery voltage is printed on the side of the battery, so I set my rather simple tester to V and matched the positive to the positive found that, while most of my batteries were bad, there were several in my pile that had enough charge to be used for a bit. This saved me money, but also allowed me to not toss a perfectly good battery. Please excuse the picture as it is tough to test a battery with one hand while taking a picture!
You certainly don’t need an expense tester for this. You can find one for around $10-$20 and they quickly pay for themselves with finding just a few good batteries. Here is an example of something simple that will do the job:
Etekcity Digital Multimeter, MSR-A600 Auto-Ranging AC/DC Amp Ohm Voltage Tester Meter with Resistance Continuity Capacitance and Diode Test
How do I get rid of these things? – This is a small issue with having batteries around the house. Once they go bad, you really don’t want to put them in the trash, but what do you do? This is another benefit of rechargeable batteries, just keep using them and they never go in the trash. However, if you do find yourself with a bunch of old dead batteries as you convert you battery inventory to rechargeable you can usually find a local electronics store to drop them off at. Please keep them out the landfills!
Christmas and Birthdays – Not much to say here…we have all been there. You kid unwraps the exciting gift he has been hoping for. Rips the box apart, and then there it sits…no batteries. So, Get yourself a selection of rechargeable and you will nearly always have one or two on a charger for just that moment.
I never seem to have when I need them – It seems that I seem to run out of fresh batteries, but it also seems that when I use the last one, I don’t add batteries to my shopping list. Usually when I’m doing the grocery shopping, I’ll check in with my wife to see what else I need to add. At times she will send me a note that the kids toys are dead and we need batteries. Because I’m cheap I always seem to buy the large pack as I know we will go through them, but it seems to always be an extra $10. Granted it is a pretty large pack, but for just a few dollars more, we have an unlimited supply of battery power! I am going to include a couple additional links to the units I use if you have some interest in investing in saving $$$, saving the environment, and saving time in the grocery store (and not to mention saving tears from your kids when they open their favorite gift!).
BONAI 16+2 Bay Smart Rechargeable Battery Charger with LCD Display for AA AAA NiMH NiCD Batteries & Li-ion 9V Rechargeable Batteries with AC Wall Adapter
EBL 16 Sets AA AAA Batteries Combo with 8PCS AA 2300mAh & 8-Pack AAA 800mAh Rechargeable Batteries
Practically Wealthy 