OK, I’m not one to really write a whole lot on anything, but if you are a parent of younger kids then you will be able to relate to my battery problem. I have two boys, of whom the oldest is really into Spy Gear toys which take a lot of button batteries, especially the LR44s, which run $5 at Radio Shack,along with a bunch of other toys like my little one’s R2-D2 action figure which takes 3 of them (see picture below). So to replenish any and of the toys it takes anywhere fro $5 to $15 plus tax. What a scam, the batteries are worth more than the toys.

Now for the solution, which is actually more of the same. My 3 year-old loves toy cell phones. So one day while in the check out line in Toys R Us, he picked up a cheap $1 toy phone, and in true 3 year-old style, he worked us over, relentlessly. So to avoid brain damage, I gave in. When we got home he was complaining that the phone was not working. So I took a look at it and surmised that the cheap China made phone was broken. But upon further inspection I was surprised to find 3-LR44s instead of a cheap AAA battery. OK, so my son’s $1 phone is really worth $15 if I part it out. Hmmmm, I think TRU just put Radio Shack out of business.

So my new supplier for LR44s will be Toys R Us. When I can get $15 worth of batteries for $1, hey, I’m stocking up on cheap phones. What will you be doing?