Battery Diaries: Why Being Frugal Does Not Mean Being Cheap (Plus Battery Pack Giveaway)

We are always learning lessons. In fact, that’s what we like to share and pass on to you in our many, many posts here on our site. We share tips, tricks, and lessons learned along the way.

What’s funny is that most of the lessons, tips and tricks we share are a result of things we did wrong. So basically passing on our mistakes and then what we did to rectify the situation.

Well…batteries are now our next lesson. I know…peculiar.

But we went through a time period where we learned that being frugal does not mean being cheap. In fact, in many cases, being cheap ends up costing more over time, creates inconveniences, both minor and major, and causes you to deeply consider what true frugality means.

Let me explain: So one year, we found batteries at the dollar store. I mean $1 for 4 batteries is a great deal, right? Batteries are batteries.

I stocked up as I knew it would save us a ton of money. The holidays were approaching and batteries are always in high need at holiday time.

Before I even begin to tell you our experience, I am sure you can already imagine without me having to elaborate – but we all like a good story at the expense of someone else, right? So read on….

Yes, we had quite a bundle of value batteries. Anytime someone needed batteries I could just pull out my bundle o’ batteries and load up the contraption. They went into everything.

First up was a fantastic road trip down south. I am street savvy enough to have a DIY emergency kit in the car, but apparently not savvy enough to have the necessary kit supplies to be effective. We had an issue – after the sun went down. Yep, you guessed it! A flat tire. We pulled out the supplies to fix the flat fast and I was the flashlight and tool holder. I flipped on the flashlight…which wasn’t all that bright in the first place. After a few minutes, it became much dimmer and then a short while later – out! Out of light! I used the cell phone flashlight, but this sucks battery from your phone like nothing else. We made it through, barely. But it was a royal pain. I just thought something was wrong with the flashlight.

So Christmas morning arrives and filled with the normal joy and excitement – and no, I hadn’t forgot the batteries. I had my trusty value battery bundle.

We filled toys with batteries and let the kids play. We barely started into the day and just finished unwrapping presents when our son said his toy wasn’t working anymore. I was miffed thinking I had purchased a lemon. However, the first thing you always do is replace the batteries when something isn’t working.

We replaced them. A short time later, the toy died again.

I had told Alex that I was going to exchange the toy as soon as I could. Alex suggested it was the cheap batteries I bought. I really didn’t think much of that. Needless to say, that wasn’t the only toy that died that day…several had. His just died the quickest because it was the most demanding.

Our kids were frustrated, we were frustrated and the Christmas surprises were Christmas disappointments. After a handful of non-functioning toys, I concluded that perhaps it really was the cheap battery purchases I did make.

This began to remind us of a series of cheap, thrifty options we have purchased over the years. A few years ago, on Black Friday, one store had a off-brand video MP3 Players for $15. It was a killer deal. We purchased three of them. They were the worst MP3 players on the planet. There was nothing that could be done with them. They had no storage, they couldn’t hold battery power, they couldn’t sync with anything. In the end, we wasted $45.

Another time, we bought cordless phones (landline) with a charging base. They were the value brand, the cheapest for the cordless phone options. We set them up and even though the box said that you can travel 50 feet from the base and be fine. These phones were the worst. If we walked more than 3 or 4 feet from the base, the phone lost reception. It was annoying and irritating when trying to cook dinner, care for kids and answer the phone at the same time. Later, we read reviews of the phone on Amazon (which we always do now) and the reviews were terrible and most people were having the issues we had.

It’s experiences like this that have taught us that being frugal does not mean being cheap. We’ve also learned that the most expensive or “top of the line” isn’t the best value either as it comes with many more bells and whistles that are often very unnecessary and you are paying for way more than you need.

Over the years, we have found that the best value has been often in the middle of the road. We bought new phones that were more than the value, but less than the top  – the perfect range and we bought these phones over seven years ago and they still work perfectly today. That’s why we love our frugal, luxury mattress options, that’s why we love our cordless phones we bought almost eight years ago…  Should I go on?

And so when were out next and looking for batteries, we decided to give RAYOVAC^® Alkaline batteries a try  as they are a good brand with a consistent reputation for high quality, long-lasting batteries but very reasonably priced. Basically hardworking solutions at a fair price. And they haven’t failed our expectations! NO – they are fantastic! I have loved the ability to pull out a flashlight, a toy, an electronic device and have it last and last for very long iterations between changes. In fact, I don’t even know how long they have lasted because I am not sure if I remember the last time we changed any batteries. And the biggest and most important battery spot in the house – the smoke detectors.

We bought the RAYOVAC^® FUSION™ Alkaline Batteries which have a 12-year power guarantee (in storage) which means that you can store then in your cupboard for quite a while and still get adequate power! 12-years! RAYOVAC^® also has their Premium Alkaline for a very reasonable price with a 10-year guarantee. It’s been the one thing that is a sure thing in our crazy, busy life that runs on batteries! You can get them pretty much anywhere like Walmart, Home Depot, Lowe’s and even the grocery store! The link above also gives you coupons for extra money off your purchases.

In the end, we have learned that these batteries provide the best value for the price. We will be watching for great deals through the holidays to stock up and load up on RAYOVAC^® Alkaline batteries are guaranteed to be long lasting, without our pocket books knowing.

So there are ways to get them for even less – with coupons! Use this coupon to save even more on durable, long-lasting batteries from RAYOVAC^{® .}

But…we have a treat for you! You can win a Prize Pack from RAYOVAC^® to help you have a pleasant Christmas morning with happy kids! Would you like some FREE durable, long-lasting batteries?

Here’s what we’re giving away:

• Electric Wine Opener
• Rayovac stemless wineglass
• Fusion AA 30 pack of alkaline batteries
• 1X Portable Phone Charger
• Spot to Flood Flashlight 

It’s very easy to enter….just leave a comment.

Maybe you can comment on one of these topics (to get the party started!)

• Have you had a time when batteries have failed you and you wished you had durable and long-lasting batteries instead?
• Have you tried RAYOVAC^®  Alkaline batteries?
• You can see videos on YouTube about some of their cool products beyond Alkaline Batteries, like this personal safety alarm!
• What lessons have you learned regarding the difference between being frugal and being cheap?

This giveaway will run through Wednesday, November 23rd at 11:59 pm MST. The winner will be selected randomly and will be notified via email. Must be 18+ to enter and reside in the United States. The information collected is utilized for entry into this giveaway only.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of RAYOVAC® The opinions and text are all mine.