Same thing I do. Surge protectectors are alot easier to part with than ballasts. Some can get a bit pricey though, you don't need the $600 one ment for full theater systems and stuff like that. Those are for suckers. I've paid anywhere from $12 for a 4 outlit surge protector (mind you it would be a good idea to only run one, just to be on the safe side. Be a shame to cheap out on the one piece of equipment that will protect one of you're mose important things) to $99 for a 11 outlet "monster" surge protector.
On the other side though, if you really have the money it wouldn't be a bad idea to shell out for some that are a bit priceyer. They are ment for home theater systems, with gold platted tips for a better connection, picture, or sound, and some come with a speaker surge protector where the audio line goes through it as well. But they do have some neat fetures, like colour coding and an audible alarm. But alot of them come with a warrenty not only on itself, but also on the equipment you were running through it, in case it got fried. I had one for my home theater system that fried about 25,000 total equipment and I didn't pay a cent for my new set up. I think on that one the warrenty for itself and the equipment was up to $100,000.
In all, I guess it's really what your willing to put up front for you're equipment, but to be honest the only surge protector I've had that has not protected like it was suppost to, was the pricey one. So you do the math and make you're own judgment.
You can find them at home hardware, future shop, best buy, wall-mart ect ect.
