You can catch me every Sunday morning WTHR, Channel 13 (The Indianapolis NBC affiliate) sharing ways to save money and slay debt. Tune in at 7:45 AM tomorrow to hear ideas for saving money when it comes to reading your favorite books. Here’s a sneak peek of the tips I’ll share:
Everyone loves cozying up to a good book. But as affordable of a hobby as reading is, the costs can quickly add up. Luckily there are plenty of ways to save when it comes to snagging that best seller or hot new must read.
1) Library. I know this is fairly duh-huh but your local library is the absolute best place to pursue your reading addiction. Movies, books, audiobooks, and now even digital downloads are all available FREE of cost. Even if your local branch is small, many libraries now participate in the Evergreen Indiana system where books are shipped all over the state so that readers can share in an even more broader sense. I LOVE to cruise the catalog online at home and then slip in to pick up books once I receive an e-mail or call that they have arrived. It saves me both time and money.
2) FREE Kindle Downloads. Daily, Amazon has literally hundreds of books available for absolutely free. Most of the classic literary works are available free of cost and other selections regularly rotate through Amazon Top 100 Free list (Toggle to the Top 100 Free when sorting because it automatically opens to Top 100 Paid, both of which can be found right under the “Best Sellers in Kindle eBooks” Title). You can search by genre and find plenty of recipe books, faith based reads, kids books, and more. Don’t have a Kindle? Don’t worry! There are FREE apps you can download to your phone, laptop, tablet, or desktop computer and read from there. Amazon also offers Daily Deals where you can score new reads at a fraction of the price.
3) Check Out Half.com. This is probably one of my favorite sites to buy and sell books. You can often find reads for low prices (including textbooks) and you can sell your books for prices higher than you’d get at a yard sale or bookstore where you drop off things en masse. A few tips on selling books: Price them just a bit under the best deal so your inventory shows up first. Use recycled packaging from mail you’ve received to cut down on shipping costs. Be Patient. We actually have a bookshelf full of books waiting to sell. Over the years, it’s provided a small source of steady income but they don’t all sell at once.
4) Ask Around. Use your social media networks to see if you borrow books from your friends. More than likely they will be delighted to share their personal library with you. Did you know that even Kindle books can be lent out to friends, too? If there’s a book you’re dying to read, update your status and make an ask to borrow it. It never hurts.
Reading is a great frugal hobby! Hopefully these tips will help you save even more.
*This post contains an affiliate link. That means while you score a great deal on Amazon, you also help our family eventually pay off our mortgage early. And for this we classify you as Royally Swell!
