I tried an old school trick to save money on powering my devices, and it actually worked

It might not seem like it, but small purchases add up quite a bit over time. You can easily see it in something like a Netflix subscription without ads, a service that costs close to $20 a month, which isn’t much on its own, but something that adds up fast. By the end of the year, that number balloons to over $200, and you might be left scratching your head thinking about how you spent so much money. Although there’s not much you can do to save cash on a Netflix subscription aside from canceling it, there are other areas you can save money in.

A big thing for me has been swapping out all of my regular AA and AAA batteries for rechargeable ones. Sure, you have to buy a new set of batteries and a way to recharge them, but I can assure you it’s worth it. Many things are rechargeable these days through USB cables, but not everything is on board yet. For example, my Xbox controllers, TV remotes, and wireless radio in my garage all need batteries. This means I need at least 10 batteries at any given time, and when the time comes to replace them, it gets expensive. Instead of doing that a few times a year, I switched to rechargeable batteries, and this is a shift that’ll save me tons of money over the years. This small change is already paying off in a big way.

One tiny change makes a big difference

This will save lots of money for anybody

When it comes to saving money, it’s tough to pinpoint exactly what needs to change. For some people, it’s simple. There are many things you can do, and for me, there were a lot of things I initially overlooked. I’m not entirely sure how I stumbled across rechargeable batteries, but something finally clicked for me one day. I was at Home Depot picking up gardening supplies, completely unrelated to batteries, and I saw that a pack of batteries can run you over $20. That’s a hefty price to pay several times a year, and it’s much more affordable to do it once.

What I’ve been doing is replacing all my old batteries with rechargeable ones once they die out, and it’s been working great so far. I bought a cheap Amazon Basics charging hub that fits four batteries at a time, something that’s more than enough for my needs. The charging process is simple as all I do is place them in the charger, plug the charger in, and come back in a few hours. I make sure I have an extra set of batteries on hand to replace the device that died, so there’s no downtime at all. It’s been a nice change of pace that saves some money without having to change my lifestyle.

At this point, I don’t know why everybody doesn’t just make the switch to rechargeable batteries. They aren’t hard to find, they aren’t wildly more expensive, and they last a very long time, even after numerous charges. Like all rechargeable batteries, they’ll eventually perform worse than they did initially, but you can just replace them like you would with a regular battery. I’ve tried a few different brands, ranging from Energizer to Amazon Basics, and my experience has largely been the same. If you can save a few bucks by buying a different brand, I don’t see a reason not to. I imagine the high-end batteries last longer, but if I can get a few years out of my batteries, then I’m sitting pretty. The batteries will noticeably hold a shorter charger after several charges, so you’ll likely know when you need to buy a new set.

Sure, you have to account for the power draw while recharging your batteries, but it’s minuscule compared to having to buy a new set. I wouldn’t let that stop me if I were you, and if you’re on the fence about switching to rechargeable options, I’d say go for it.

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I don’t see any major downsides

They must exist, but I don’t know what they are

Since making the switch, it’s been one of the things I’ve noticed that doesn’t seem to have many downsides. I don’t break the bank, I don’t toss out batteries as much as I used to, and they last a long time. Voltages could be an issue as I’ve noticed most rechargeable options are 1.2V while 1.5V is standard on a traditional battery. In practice, I haven’t noticed any compatibility problems, but I’m sure there are some out there.

I have a modded Game Boy Advance that I could’ve equipped with a rechargeable lithium-ion battery, commonly found in laptops, but I opted for rechargeable AAs instead. It just needs a pair of AAs, and I’ve been using the same set for several months now, and I still get a lot of juice out of them after several recharges. Of course, a GBA draws less power than something like a Switch, but the new screen draws significantly more than a non-lit one.

The recharge time could be annoying if you don’t have extras on hand, so it’s important to make sure you have enough. Aside from the voltage differences and charging times, it’s nothing but a positive experience on my end. Ultimately, it comes down to you, but if you’re looking to save some cash, this is something I can wholeheartedly recommend. If you keep at it for years, or the rest of your life really, you’ll save hundreds of dollars.

Even when the time comes to fully replace my entire set, it won’t cost an arm and a leg. It really seems like something that’s a net positive, and now I have rechargeable batteries everywhere from my bedroom and living room to my basement and garage. Rechargeable batteries are becoming far more of a norm for me, and I really hope that you consider using them too. Aside from the monetary benefit, they also create less waste, which is a great thing for the planet as well.

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