There are certainly ways we can save money on books.
As a book lover myself and a mom of five, I’ve definitely dropped some cash on books over the last 14 years. I can’t help it, I love books. I’m not going to make any excuses for raising my kids to be readers, just like I am.
What I will do from now on, however, is be smarter about it.
First of all, and the most obvious choice to save money is to check books out from the library. This works well, but I admit that I’m terrible about returning books on time, thus racking up on the late book fees.
Borrow from a Friend
This is just about as obvious as a library card. If you’re lucky enough to have a friend who likes to read the same types of books you do, see about setting up your own book swap.
Shop at Thrift Stores and Yard Sales
If you don’t mind digging a little, you can often find treasures in book bins at thrift shops and yard sales. Usually, even the hardbacks are no more than a few dollars each, and paperbacks are even less.
PaperbackSwap.com
All you have to do is create an account for FREE, list your books that
you are ready to share, and send them out to other members when they are
requested. Yes, you pay the postage to send your books out (between 2
and 3 dollars for an average-sized book), BUT you get a Book Credit for
sending each book (each Book Credit is good for one book – you can order
from any member in the club), AND when you request books for yourself,
the senders pay the postage to send those books to you.
It costs nothing to participate, except for postage – there are
no membership fees. You even get 2 startup Book Credits free if you are
the first account at your household – you can use those credits to
order 2 books for yourself, right away!
Here’s the link if you’d like to sign up and be sure to let them know I (Molly) sent you.
If you’re a Blogger and are interested in reviewing Christian books for free, I know of a few publisher review programs-
Bethany House Blogger Review Program
Great ideas! I've never heard of the the book swapping idea. It makes so much sense.
My daughter gets free books (1 book per month every month until she turns 5 years old!!) through the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. It's only available in certain cities but it is amazing to get a new book in the mail each month for free!!
I'd never heard of Book Sneeze. Thanks for the info. I'll check them out.
Bella Vida by Letty