Nowadays, it's pretty easy to power most small devices with AA or AAA batteries.
If fact, I recommend that you only buy devices that use these battery types, whenever possible.
The obvious advantage is that you only have to stock 2 types of batteries and you don't have to worry about an obscure or custom battery type not being available or not being produced anymore.
But with so many devices using these batteries, it's also important to have a good solution for storing and tracking your batteries.
So here is a very simple and inexpensive way to store batteries for everyday use and ones for emergencies.
I recommend buying 2 cases for each battery type.
Have one for rechargeables and one for disposables.
Bulk AA Battery Storage
The best box for AA storage is the MTM ammo case for 500 S&W.
It fits 50 batteries per box, plenty of batteries for most people. I have 2 box for alkaline batteries and one for rechargeable.
When you flip the case over with the cover closed, the batteries say in place.
Bulk AAA Battery Storage
As you might expect, the best container for AAA batteries also comes from MTM.
I use the 41/44 Magnum ammo case and that holds 50 AAA batteries perfectly.
Like the case above, it also keeps the batteries secure when the case is flipped over with the cover closed.
This is what it looks like.
Battery Organization
The great thing about these cases is that since there are so many slots, it's easy to organize my batteries.
With rechargeable batteries, I keep the batteries that need to be recharged on the right side of the case and the fully charged batteries on the left side.
On the non-rechargeable side, I do a similar thing where I keep the used batteries on the right side of the case. These are the batteries that are not completely drained, but are not fully charged either.
I can also organize batteries by type or brand.
Since these cases are transparent, an important feature of these cases is that I can see exactly how many batteries I have and if I need to buy more.
Where to Get Bulk Batteries
There are 2 great places to get large quantities of alkaline and rechargeable batteries.
Obviously there are many great sources, but these are the best that I have access to.
My first choice is Costco.
The Kirkland brand batteries are solid and inexpensive. Costco also sells Duracell, but the Kirkland batteries are significantly cheaper and claim the same specs.
My second choice for bulk batteries is Amazon.
Like Kirkland, the Amazon brand batteries are solid and an inexpensive way to stock up on batteries.
Portable Battery Storage
Now I'll share with you how I started and why you might want to consider this solution also.
The first storage solution I purchased where these cases that hold 4 batteries.
They can be attached to each other to create a longer case.
There are different brands, but they are all pretty much the same.
One of the best things about these cases is that they are portable, so they are great for carrying a few extra batteries.
The clear plastic also allows me to see which type of battery and how many are in every case.
However, they are not good for storing a large number of batteries because although each case is relatively cheap, you'll have to buy a lot of them to store the same amount that would fit in one ammo box.
That can add up.
On top of that, they are really clunky to use because you have to stack them and open each case individually.
So if you want a more portable storage solution, then these cases are great.
You can get these on Amazon or eBay.
Final Thoughts
So that is the most efficient way I have found to store a large number of AA and AAA batteries.
It's best to have at least 2 boxes of each so you can have 1 box of alkaline or lithium and 1 box of rechargeable batteries.
What else should you know about being prepared? Read the beginner's guide to prepping to learn how to be prepared for any emergency.
