Crazy battery or what?

I have a 97 blazer 4x4 and I have had a lot of problems with my battery connectors in the past and because of this my battery used to die a lot before I got the connectors fixed. I also have a door that is loose that will stay open some in the cold and the battery will die because of that. I fixed that two weeks ago. Last night when I was driving home my interior/dash lights were very dim and my radio was making funny noises when I braked. I saw that my battery gauge was on the very bottom in the red. I drove about 10 miles like this to my house and when I got home and turned off the car it would not start. Now I wonder if my battery just finally died after all that misuse or if this is something else like my alternator. Anyone have any input. I don't have a lot of money and I need to fix this as cheap as possible. Thanks for ANY advice!

take your battery in to a parts store / Sears type place and have it tested...you can also have a alternator tested...to be positive on your diagnosis...I hate to just start replacing parts...Best Wishes...

that is what I think I am going to do. I just need to figure out how to take the alternator out. Any advice would be welcomed. I found an alternator at a junk yard that I am going to get it that is what I need so I will probably be replacing this on my own. If anyone has any advice on how to do that or where to find some tips without spending the 17 bucks on the book I would really appreciate it.