My extended run of spend-free days have since been followed up by several consecutive spendy-spend days it seems, ahem....

Yesterday found me at the 'Deals' ('Everything For a Dollar') store, checking out those very deals -- and spending just over $12.00. DS is INHALING pasta these days, and we were running low. So, I picked up two three-pound boxes of macaroni, for a dollar each. Three pounds of bananas for a buck, and so on. Then it was on to Osco's, the next store over, to address a 'battery emergency' we were 'having'. DS was to be stranded at the studio on the other side of town for several hours last night waiting on rehearsal, and though he brought his gameboy (x-mas gift from grandparents) along, he had no charged batteries to use. Now, we maintain a household collection of rechargeable batteries -- and I can usually count on DS to be very responsible about keeping his supply charged. But because he had accidently left his gameboy bag at a friend's house this week, there wasn't time to charge any up after we retrieved it yesterday afternoon. So, I gritted my teeth and headed over to Osco's to see what they had. I was in luck, because the store brand of batteries were on sale for $1.00 a pack. I picked up a few packs, but still didn't stock up despite the great price. I *REALLY* prefer to use our rechargeables, not only for cost, but for environmental reasons. Discarded household batteries corrode in our nation's landfills, gajillions every year, and leaching out narsty heavy-metals and contaminants in the process. A local environmental organization once offered battery recycling in our town, and although they hope to re-initiate the program, it was closed for lack of funds. Therefore, I will be holding on to our used batteries as long as it takes for the recycling program to reopen (I even bring home the stray discarded batteries I find on the ground from time to time, to add to our collection). Hopefully that will happen sooner than later -- still, in the meantime, but for a few exceptions, we'll try to stick to our rechargeables as much as possible.....