4 Ways To Save Money On Books

A Vintage Nerd, Vintage Blog, Book Blog, Ways to Save Money on Books

I love going to bookstores, don't you? Just the experience of being around a slew of new books and the smell of the fresh pages paired with a Starbucks coffee is a bit of heaven for me. But I don't want to spend $30 dollars on a book. Well, I won't spend $30 dollars on just any book. I save that for a book that is rare and usually vintage. I have a few that I am eyeing but waiting for the right time to go for them.

Here are four ways that you can save money on books:

Buying your books Used on Ebay or Amazon.

I constantly search for the books I want on both Ebay and Amazon. I compare prices and try to find free shipping whenever I can. I have no problem buying used books. I used to, but not anymore. I realized that 98% of the time you are going to receive a book that looks just as new as the one in the bookstore. My husband recently purchased 10 books on Amazon, all used, and it cost him $24 dollars and that was because of shipping. If he bought them new it would have cost him at least over $100 dollars. He got his books, he loves them, saved a heap of cash, and recycled!

Finding books at a Flea Market/Thrift Shop/Yard Sale.

You can find all sorts of things in a flea market or second hand store. Best yet, you may even find some vintage books that are treasures. I purchased a copy of The Outsiders while in a thrift shop and it was a rare 1960's copy. I took it to a Chiller Theater event where I met two members of the cast of the film and they never saw a copy like mine. I was super pleased and now its a double treasure because they autographed it. You can see it HERE.

A Vintage Nerd, Vintage Blog, Book Blog, Ways to Save Money on Books

Head to your local library.

Dust off your library card and dash over to your nearest local library. You can score heaps of books all for free! Of course depending on the branch you use you will be limited to quantity and time use but either way it is free and you get to read the books you want. If they don't have the one you are looking for they will order it for you. Doesn't get any better than that.

Swap with like minded book lovers.

The last way you can save money on books is one that I have heard great things about but have yet to try. Why not join a book swap group? You can socialize with other avid readers as well as save by swapping books with one another. You may also get the chance to discuss the book with others who have read it. That is always a nice thing to be able to do. 

Have you tried any of these ways to save money on books? Are you a stickler to owning new books or to owning books in general (ie no library or swapping)?

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5 comments :

  1. I love the nyc libraries I can be a member since I work in nyc even though I live in jersey with interlibrary loan you can get nearly anything

    retro rover

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  2. My local library also has e-books which are great! I love loading up my nook before a road trip. Also, college libraries are a great resource if you can get a membership. As a student (and now a professor), I can check out books from any library in the state as well as many libraries across the country.

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  3. I love reading but there are a lot of other things that I also love so I don't want to spend all my money to books. Libraries are great! But after a while you've read all the books in the category you like so I started buying a lot of books on fleamarkets, there you can find them for only €1 or €2 and in thriftshops you can also find a lot of great and almost new books.

    Emma ~
    http://littlemissbamboo.blogspot.be/

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  4. I am in a book group and we do a book swap. Every month we meet up and bring along what we have been reading. Everyone says a bit about their books and we have a bit of a discussion. Then we make a huge pile in the middle of the table and everyone takes what they are interested in. The book remains within the group until everyone who is interested has read it. After that, it either goes back to the original owner or to a charity shop. It is a great way to get access to more books and I have read loads that were brilliant but I may never have picked up if it hadn't been for other people's recommendations.

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  5. Thank you for a great post. I forget that eBay and amazon are great places for used books and I can shop from the comfort of my couch. I almost always scan the book shelves of the thrift shops I frequent. I never find the books on my list, but have found some surprise gems along the way.

    She Knits in Pearls

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