Another Man's Junk...

I got my alkaline battery charger, and it works! It takes 4+ hours to charge. The time will vary from battery to battery, so in my case, one AA battery charged in a couple of hours, and then the rest took as long as a day.  When I say it took a day, it's because I unplugged the charger when I wasn't home. The work hours I keep mean I'm only home and awake about 3 hours a day. Regardless. The thing works and I am pleased!

I'm taking the sustainable project a step further. I have acquired a handful of very useful, battery operated LED lights that have some imperfections in their design. They retail for $35 or more. At that price, imperfections are not O.K. to the buyer. Therefore my company chose not to promote them. I asked where these imperfect samples were going, and was told pretty much nowhere. I translate that to mean they'll end up in a dumpster or maybe Goodwill.

I had no idea if these lights even worked, but I took them anyway. One is a motion sensor light that can be attached under a cabinet or on a wall where you need sudden light. I'm thinking cabin porch or shower area.

Guess what?!  It runs on AA batteries, and I had recharged alkaline batteries! They worked, and this little light definitely works. It was rejected for promotion because the back of the light won't close securely, thus exposing the batteries. In my opinion, this is a matter of positioning. If hung correctly, the weight of the light will keep the back secure.

Without question, I have turned into my Gramps. He would be so proud of me. I have recharged "disposable" batteries and used them to power a defective motion light.

I also have this great LED light that can be hung - like in an outdoor shower - or inserted into a wobbly (therefore defective) stand.  It's super bright because it uses four AAA batteries. A great case for recharging and reusing. Otherwise, it can be used to light a night shower, or be hung in a tree to light the outdoor space, or be carried as a flashlight, or even gently inserted into its stand to be used as a table lamp. This might be the best free thing I've ever picked up.

Here's another good idea! It could be used as a light saber in a homemade Star Wars costume. Anyway, I think it's very cool. 

Does Christy wander the streets putting questionable junk in a stolen shopping cart?

No. I do not. 

I'm not sure what's up with me. I guess I'm getting old enough to dream about the fixed income retirement I'll enjoy, and I want to be resourceful. The other possibility is that I am just sick of the disposable society I live in. People throw away the remnants of convenience. People have this lightening fast market called the Internet. It is mostly ruled by Amazon and countless "deal" websites that sell the very things I picked up for free. If these products are returned to the seller, I want to believe they end up somewhere besides the warehouse dumpster. Most of you know blind faith is not indicative of my personality, so...

I don't have to hustle slightly defective products to survive, but it sure is fun to conquer the disposable spoiled beast that is fed by the equally spoiled American shopper.