Save on Books

Your Money — June 20, 2010 at 21:42 — no comments  

I love to read.  And if a book is particularly engrossing I find I simply can’t put it down til I’ve finished – even though it tends to impair my cognitive abilities the next day. Like I said, I love to read.

When it comes to personal development books, I like to buy them on cd and listen on my iPhone while I’m out for a walk or doing gardening.

With all the reading I do, I don’t know the last time I paid full price for a book. Here are ways I save on books – and you can too.

1. Amazon.com

Nearly every book I purchase, I get from Amazon. They have just about every book imaginable (not to mention all the additional products they offer), and you can buy many of them used. Some for as low as .01 (plus shipping). Even the new ones are typically offered at a significant discount from retail. And if you purchase a lot of books and other products from Amazon, I highly recommend taking advantage of their Prime Advantage program for free 2-day shipping on hundreds of thousands of products.

2. Your Local Library

Many libraries have a website that allow to us to browse the library database and request items to be sent to the nearest branch. Once they arrive, you receive an email notification that the item has arrived. Even though I prefer to own the books, this is a great option to have free access to a lot of books.

3. Check out thrift stores and garage sales for used books

If you have the time to wade through all the romance novels, you may find some hidden gems at a thrift store or garage sale. In the past, I’ve picked up reference books, hardback copies of best sellers, and a wonderful atlas… all for about $1 each.

4. Trade your books with others

Swaptree.com is a service that allows you to trade your books, CDs, and DVDs with others online. The service is free, the only expense is the shipping cost of your item.

BookCrossing.com aims to make the whole world a library by encouraging the practice of leaving a book in a public place to be picked up and read by others, who then do likewise. At the website, you can register your book library, indicate where/when you’ve ‘released’ a book and, potentially, track it as it makes its way around the world.

If you have friends and family who have similar taste in books, let them know what books you have – and ask what they have. In addition to sharing costs, you’ll also have someone to discuss the books with.

Tags: book, discount, save