Eco Friendly Tip Friday...Rechargeable Batteries

I was going to put up a great tip today with wonderful new pictures...but...again, I forgot to grab the extra camera batteries out of Hubby's backpack...so I started thinking...hmmmmm...batteries! That's it.

Normally it's no biggy with batteries, but when you start thinking about the environmental and economical differences between regular and rechargeables it does make a big impact. We are pretty much a fully rechargeable household. I can't remember the last time I bought regular batteries. It does cost a little more to get the rechargeables...and the charger, but in the end it's totally worth it.  I saw here that just using rechargeables for your camera (which I burn through a bunch of batteries for) can save over $500 in cost! I bet that's for a modest camera user too. I swear, we'd be changing those batteries every week around here and at just under $3 that would be $!50!  And that's just for the camera.

Here's a few other pro and con tips I found:

• Non-rechargeable batteries have a longer ‘shelf life’ but rechargeables last longer!

  It’s true. The old stand-by, non-rechargeable battery, has a longer shelf life than its rechargeable counterpart. However, when you buy a pack, keep the extras in your freezer. Keeping primary batteries cold slows down the chemical reaction that makes them go dead, and when a primary battery goes dead — it’s dead and gone!

  When you buy rechargeable batteries, as your batteries recharge, the chemical reaction is reversed. Keeping a set of extra batteries in your battery recharger ensures that you’ll always have a fresh power supply ready when you need it.

• Non-rechargeables are cheaper but rechargeable batteries are more cost efficient!

  You’ll pay less at checkout for most brands and sizes of non-rechargeable batteries, making non-rechargeables look like the better buy. However, rechargeable batteries generally provide you with hundreds and even thousands more hours of use and in the ‘long-run’ cost less than primary batteries

So...as I wait for Hubby to get home so I can snap a few more pictures...ponder the idea of switching over just a few of your battery munchers to rechargeables. The environment...and your wallet with thank you!
Have a great weekend.