If I had a dollar for every time I’ve gone insane looking for a remote control here at ranchero indebto, I’d have bought that big flat plasma screen long long ago. From the office, to the living room, to the bedrooms, our remote controls are AWOL more often than not. Just where they go, nobody knows. Now I can’t vouch for anyone else, but I know that we spend way too much time searching for the remote. But there’s light at end of the tunnel. Yes indeed, it’s infrared and even better, it only cost fifteen bucks …

Changing channels on a DirecTV box without a remote control is a nightmare. These little beasts are made to be controlled via remote. The rudimentary buttons on the boxes themselves are highly inadequate. Want to change channels from CNN to The Fox Soccer Channel? Get ready to click, click, click for minutes on end, as you travel from channel 202 all the way up to channel 613, one channel at a time.

Our bargain basement remote control salvation came about after the Tivo remote control was dropped on its noggin one too many times. After putting the Tivo remote back together for the fourth or fifth time, the unit failed to operate when it was more than eight feet or so away from the Tivo.

While I could lean forward in the recliner to change channels with the hobbled remote, the effort negated the intended effect of the chair (that is, to recline). And the ability to change channels from the couch? Sadly, a thing of the past.

We lived with the busted remote for a few weeks before I finally wised up. I thought about going out to the big box stores to look for a replacement, but I always seemed to forget when we were out.

Then the lightbulb lit up above my head … eBay.

Within minutes, I had found a replacement remote control for the Tivo for just fifteen bucks on eBay, including shipping … half the price of retail. The bargain remote arrived in a couple of days, thanks to USPS Priority Mail.

Soon after I started using the new remote it dawned on me that the original range-limited remote control was not without value. The original remote has become the backup unit … for those times when the replacement remote disappears (as it inevitably will).

Fifteen bucks to prevent temporary insanity, money well spent … :)