A little Recon piety seems like a good idea, but you don't know where to buy the stuff you need or how much it'll cost?

The Sponde! field research staff has the answers to get you started. And we think you'll be pleasantly surprised!

We went shopping to see how a Hellenic Recon can make a quick trip with a limited budget and pick up enough to sacrifice in the ancient tradition. Here's a picture of a few things they brought back to the Research & Development department.

The three items at the bottom of the picture came from a local "whole foods" grocery store:

• Bottom right: Hulled barley (the brown stuff) cost twenty eight cents for .32 pounds. That's enough to fill a plate, and plenty for a whole series of personal devotional sacrifices or a couple of full-blown demos sacrifices.
• Bottom center: Frankincense resin (the off-white stuff in the bowl) cost $1.64 USD for .07 pounds, which doesn't sound like much, but the stuff goes a long way.
• Bottom left: Pearled barley (the off-white stuff on the plate) cost thirty five cents for .39 pounds. Puh-lenty! :)

The wine glasses at the top left were under $2 for a set of four at a local monopolistic chain store. They're quite adequate for drinking wine or for use in devotional activity, and you won't cry when one gets broken at that price.

Top center features a 4-pack of single-serving wine bottles, available for a few bucks each or together for under $10. These can be good for the devotee who wants some wine not for drinking but for occasional libations or to have on-hand for unexpected situations. (On-the-spot pious activity can happen, after all)

Top right is a big honkin' 5-litre box of wine, sold for less than the cost of a standard corked bottle and capable of servicing the needs of a demos observance or for keeping wine fresh for daily personal devotional use.

This means that you can properly equip yourself for acts of piety for less than you might spend on a fast food dinner.