You are going to start your Christmas shopping soon, if you haven't done so already. Some of the gifts you buy may require batteries. And if you are buying toys for kids, batteries are not even a question; they are mandatory. We want to encourage you to choose USB rechargeable batteries this year.

Why? There isn't just one reason. Indeed, there are a number of reasons rechargeable batteries are better than their single-use counterparts. We will discuss some of them in this post. Needless to say, you can purchase USB rechargeables from us in all of the most popular form factors. We have everything you need to make sure those battery-powered gifts work on Christmas morning.

Here are the top three reasons to choose rechargeable batteries this year:

1. You Get More Use from Them

Single-use batteries are, by definition, disposable products. You use them once and throw them away. A rechargeable lithium-ion battery can be charged up to 1,000 times. Guess which type of battery offers more use? The rechargeable. This is important if you are the kind of person who regularly buys batteries throughout the year.

Let us say you purchase a set of four AA batteries per month to power one of your electronic devices. They are single-use batteries, so you throw them away. That means you are purchasing 48 batteries annually. It would take you years of charging before comparable lithium-ion batteries were no longer usable. That's right, years. Rechargeable lithium ion batteries simply last longer.

2. You Will Spend Less in the Long Run

The fact that rechargeable batteries last so long dictates that you will ultimately spend less by choosing them over an alkaline alternative. It may be true that rechargeables can cost up to four times more at retail, but you can charge them up to 1,000 times. That means you ultimately spend less on batteries over the course of several years of purchasing.

It could be that the USB rechargeable batteries you purchase for your child's toy this year will outlast the toy itself. Think on that for a while.

3. Rechargeable Batteries Are Convenient

One of the things we like to point out about our USB rechargeable batteries is their convenience. They are convenient in the sense that all of the most popular form factors are available. You should be able to find a battery for all of your electronic devices. And for the record, your laptop and cell phone also use Li-ion batteries, albeit specific form factors for those devices.

Convenience is enhanced when you purchase a USB rechargeable product. For example, our batteries do not need a special wall charging unit and they charge very quickly. They come with a USB cable that you can plug into any active USB port. Recharge them with your laptop or your USB-enabled bedside lamp. Charge them at the USB charging station in the airport or cafe.

One last thing to note about convenience is this: if you keep two sets of batteries so that you always have one to use while the other is charging, you won't find yourself in the position of not having batteries when you need them. With alkalines, it is too easy to forget to buy new batteries until you have exhausted all of those in your drawer. But then you have to stop what you're doing and run out to the store.

One of our goals is to help you get to a point of buying fewer batteries. You can start heading in that direction by choosing USB rechargeable batteries this Christmas. Go lithium-ion instead of alkaline. You will be glad you did.