As I scroll through Instagram my feed is filled with book memes of people who, even though they have a library that would make Belle from Beauty and the Beast proud, are still adding to their ever-dangerous mountains of books. As we watch our book collection crying out to be read, we also click “Buy Now” online as we fill our craving for the latest novel or biography that our best friend swears we must read!
Well, ladies and gentlemen, I too am one of those poor fools who have had their nightstand stack of books fall on me in the middle of the night when I reached for my glasses! I don’t know about you, but books provide me with affordable ways to explore the world, live other lives, and dream bigger when often the responsibilities of everyday living will not allow for this. Whether it is 15 minutes before bed or five minutes in my lunch “hour,” books are a comfort and escape from the every day.
But how can we feed our addiction while also paying down debt, paying our bills, and simply supporting the basics of everyday life? Well, here are some of my favorite options. I hope they help you continue your love of reading, while also keeping your bank account in the black!
The Library
First and foremost, never, ever forget the fabulousness of your local library. Free, Quiet, and able to access almost any book under the sun, your public library should never be relegated to the background as a Victorian relic. Not only can you indulge in the traditional borrowing of books, but Libraries are great places to purchase books, CDs, Movies and other items for a deeply discounted price. Many of these items were donated by fellow book lovers and are in quite nice condition. Your purchase also helps to support the library going forward since, less face it, libraries can never have too many books! Libraries also have many, free online options to borrow books, download books on tape, or watch movies, all with your free membership. Definitely plan on exploring your local library today!
Thrift Books
I stumbled upon Thrift Books when I was looking for a lesser-known book and could only find it used from a secondhand seller on Amazon.com. When it arrived in the Thrift Books packaging, I knew this was a bookstore I had to check out. I love Thrift Books for its discounted, used book selection as well as its Reading Rewards program that allows you to earn free books. With free shipping at a minimum $15 purchase, my book collection has grown exponentially from their racks. Also, there are SO many discounted hardbacks, I often find it’s cheaper to purchase those than the paperbacks. Check it out!
Thrift Stores
Never, never underestimate your local thrift shop for discounted books! Many of the more recent, popular novels may be found on their shelves, often for $0.99 for a paperback. I’ve also lucked into numerous donated series that have allowed me to indulge in a complete (World) for an extremely discounted price (Hello Sookie Stackhouse and Harry Potter!). Also, if the series isn’t that great, it doesn’t break my heart to donate it back when I am finished with it.
Estate Sales
Estate Sales can often be counted upon for having DEAPLY discounted books. For example, my Aunt, knowing my lifelong fondness for Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot, found me the complete Agatha Christie Bantam Book Collection for $2.00 a book at an Estate Sale. Now, you don’t always luck into such gems of a find, but I’ve also found many a book for $0.25 or $0.50. For those of you who find going to Estate Sales slightly morbid, please know that they aren’t all due to a loss in the family. Many individuals will also hold estate sales when they are downsizing into retirement and they now have the complete Lord of the Rings collection on their Kindle and no longer need it in hardback.
Amazon Daily Emails
Speaking of Kindles, for those of you who have one, you likely, if unknowingly, receive a Kindle Daily Deal email each morning in your inbox. Many of the books are by new writers but some, especially on Sunday mornings or right before the December Holidays, have lots of well known titles for deeply discounted prices. I purchased the recently published “The Big Bang Theory – The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series” by Jessica Radloff for only $4.99 on Kindle (which, for anyone who loves the series as much as I do, is a very interesting read!)
BookBub
My most recent find for affordable, digital books, is BookBub. It is an online platform that sends you a daily, curated email with digital books on sale from authors and genres you love. It’s free to sign up and, once you’ve picked your favorite categories (which include many subcategories) as well as authors you want to follow, you receive a daily, email with a list of sale books available that you may be interested in. If you’re like me and love many genres, don’t forget to “View entire message” to see all the offerings in your topics. Amongst your list, some are even free or as low as $0.99! This is a great site since it not only finds books for Kindle owners but for those using Barnes & Noble and Apple books as well. I’m usually hesitant to gravitate toward sites I found via an ad, but I haven’t found any drawbacks to this one yet.
So, what are your favorite, budget friendly ways to support your book addiction?
Also, if any of you have an idea on budget friendly book storage, please send your ideas my way! I think the tower on my coffee table is about to collapse!
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