Everyone loves to sit down with a good book every now and then. However, if your love of reading is your biggest hobby then you might be looking at spending $100s every year. There is hope for the book lover though, as there are many ways to help limit the amount of money you spend on your entertainment so you can help your mind grow without the added stress of finances. The community around us is here to help take the burden off of book costs so people can continue to grow through reading. Finding ways to save money on books can be especially important if you have children who are just learning to read. There’s no need to stress to the entertainment budget anymore just to accommodate the readers in your home. These ten tips will have you prepared to save money in some unexpected ways.
1. Buy Online
When it comes to shopping for books, both used and new, the internet is certainly the place to go. You can find everything from top sellers to classic collector’s editions without having to spend hours on the prowl. One great thing about shopping online for books is you can always find the best possible price. For instance, websites like Amazon will often give you their list price while connecting you to other users who are selling the same book. This gives you ample options to choose from and won’t force you to check out on an unsecured page. One great thing about buying books here is you can purchase them from anywhere in the world and some won’t cost you more than a single penny before shipping costs. There’s also a whole lot of other sites available that sell used books for relatively cheap. You may even be able to find some of your favorite independent authors work at a lower price than you’d pay in your local book store. The internet also provides you with a number of websites that will actually allow you to rent books, which comes in handy with college text books.
2. Utilize Your Tablet
The latest craze for book worms across the world is to use a tablet to enjoy your favorite books. There’s a lot of different brands available to choose from, so before you pick out a reader or tablet you might want to do some research. Tablets are great for saving the average reader a lot of money though. Many websites will actually give away books on certain days so readers can constantly have something new to check out. Apart from access to free books giveaways, there is also a wide selection of free access classics that can be downloaded from just about any book site. If that’s not enough then it might please you to know that a lot of e-reader books are actually sold at a much cheaper price. This allows customers to feel a little less guilty about their book purchases. Of course, if you are looking to purchase one of those newly released best sellers you might not be in for such a great deal. However, if you do purchase the tangible copy of the book a lot of stores will actually allow you to download the e-book edition for prices as low as $1.
3. Used Bookstores
If you prefer to keep your shopping locally then you might want to consider checking out some used book stores. These stores generally house a collection of books that range in genre and price. Typically, the books are priced by the condition they’re in, but you might find several copies of once popular books at a low price. Used bookstores are one of the best ways to start up a collection and will give you a great place to meet other book lovers. The best thing about shopping at a used book store is you never really know what you’re going to find. There’s always a story hidden in the massive piles of books, so keep looking. You might even be able to find some collector’s editions at a great price. If your town doesn’t have a used book store, or you’re just looking for more variety then you can easily try to check out your local thrift stores to see what they have to offer. You might be surprised by the prices and the amazing selection.
4. Library
If you’re looking to explore your interest in books or just want to save a whole lot of money then you might want to adventure to your local library. There’s nothing quite like spending an afternoon trying to find the perfect match for your mood. Usually libraries allow people to spend all day in them if they feel the need, so you can always settle down with a book there. Of course, its hard to go into a library and not want to take a book or three home with you. As long as you have a valid and current library card then most libraries will allow you to check out several books for a brief period at no cost. As long as you keep an eye on the due dates you should be fine to read the books at no cost to you. Of course, if you don’t have time to finish them off most libraries will let you recheck them at no additional cost, as long as there isn’t a waiting line.
5. Sales
There’s nothing quite as satisfying as buying a bunch of books at half of the price. Usually if you can withstand the urges to buy a new book then waiting for a big sale can really satisfy your book cravings for quite some time. Usually book stores frequently have sales on different books so you might want to call ahead to see what genre is on sale each week. This helps stores push out older stocks so they can make room for newer shipments. If you’re not choosy about the genre you read then browsing your favorite stores weekly might help you find some good deals. You might also want to wait around for a holiday though. Usually during major and minor holidays there’s pretty frequent deals on books that could get your over 50% off some of your wish listed books.
6. Wait on New Releases
If you’re a huge fan of a write or series then you might want to hold tight after a new release. Its pretty tempting to want to stand in line, get the autograph and enjoy the book before everyone can release their favorite spoiler moments to you. However, if you want to save some money on books then it might be a good idea to step away from the release party and wait for the book demand to go down. This usually takes a couple of weeks to a month, so you might have to avoid some of friends that might be into the same series. You’ll be thankful once the price tag has dropped down to the price of a normal book though. A lot of modern books are also released in a hardback edition when they are first released. This can really add on to the cost of your purchase, so you may want to wait a bit longer for the cheaper paperback edition to hit the shelves.
7. Giveaways
Book fans and writers can be some of the more generous hobbyist. This may come in handy for you as there are countless book giveaways going on every single day. One easy and fun way to sign up for giveaways is through a site called Goodreads. This page connects to your social media pages and will let everyone know what you’re reading, your favorite genres and what you plan to read. This site also gives you access to a wide assortment of giveaway books each day. You’ll be able to search through several pages of giveaways to find something you might enjoy. Of course, there are plenty of other pages that giveaway books. If you have a favorite author then you might frequent their pages to see if they have an open giveaway. You should also check out various social media pages as you never know when you’ll find something worth entering.
8. Skip the Classics
If you love reading the classics then you might avoid spending the extra money to get these books on your shelf. In fact, there’s a lot of books that range in certain time periods that are actually free access to anyone interested in catching up with some of the iconic tales. You’ll find everything from Frankenstein to some of the first pieces or written literature, like Beowulf. The great thing about free access books is you can download them from just about any book store. You should be able to find numerous websites with the items, so choose what format best suits you and get ready to read the weekend away. Having the classics at your will can help you save money on books that you might end up purchasing out of boredom.
9. Avoid Over Indulgence
We’re all guilty of purchasing a book, leaving it on the shelf, and forgetting about it. This can be one of the worst ways to waste money. Instead of buying books on the whim you should make out a list of books you’d like to read in the next few months. Once you’ve read one book then buy the next, but never go overboard and buy all of the books on your list. If you aren’t a big planner than try to steer clear of books you aren’t sure of. Instead, purchase book that you know you’re going to read over and over. When you start to feel adventurous then take to a book review site and find something that screams your name. By screening out the books you choose to purchase you’ll actually be able to avoid some of those iffy books that always get pushed to the back of the reading list. Of course, if you really want to stop the over indulgence you should create a rule that you have to read all the unread books on the shelf before you can buy new ones. It might take some time before you find yourself surfing for something new.
10. Share
One of the best ways to get the most out of your books is to share them with people you love. If you have a lot of friends that adore reading them put together a group. This will allow you to share favorites with one another so you won’t have to buy as many books as before. The best thing is once you’re finished with a friend’s book then you can easily enjoy conversations about the book. The bigger your group is the more sharing you’ll be able to do, which will not only open you up to new books but will keep your money in your pockets. Sure, you might end up buying a new book every once in awhile, but you’ll still have a lot more reading on your plate before you can end up going to the bookstore again. A lot of e-readers actually offer the borrowing option too, which can turn your purchases around entirely!
Books can lead you on so many different adventures that not only help you grow as a person, but takes away from the stress of life. With books around things just seem to be so much better, which makes it no surprise people are willing to spend so much money on them. These ten tips should help cut down on the amount of book spending you do in a year though. So, instead of feeling overwhelmed by your growing debt and ever increasing library you can relax and enjoy each book page by page.
