For those who love to read, it’s amazing how quickly the cost of books can soon mount up. But the good news is that you can work your way through plenty of stories and build yourself a fantastic home-library without having to fork out thousands of pounds. Here are just a few tips to saving money on books:
Rehome second-hand treasures
First and foremost, one of the best ways to save money on books is of course to buy used copies rather than brand new ones. If you don’t mind a preloved book, then charity shops, carboot sales and used book stores are the way forward. You can often get your hands on fairly new releases for a fraction of the price, while also doing your bit for the environment. Win-win.
Reacquaint yourself with your local library
Libraries are obviously a fantastic place for book lovers, and if you’re after a new release you can ask the librarian to put it on hold so that for you so that you can borrow it as soon as it comes in. If it’s not a book that you’re likely to read numerous times, I’d certainly consider this a better option than buying it new.
As a child I used to love it when my grandparents would take me to the library every few weeks and my Grandpa would let me use his library card to take out a huge pile of books which I’d work my way through as quickly as possible so that I could borrow some more. I’m pretty sure I used to think I was Matilda or something. I wish I set some time aside to do this now.
Download the classics for free
It’s possible to download hundreds of classic books for free online, using websites like Amazon and Project Gutenberg. These are particularly perfect if you own a tablet or e-reader.
Check on Amazon
Even if you aren’t a fan of second-hand books, you can still save money on new ones. Whenever you’re tempted to buy a new book in a bookstore, whip your phone out and have a quick look on Amazon to see if you can find it cheaper. If you can’t access the internet on your phone, either give a long-suffering friend a call or wait until you get home to check. It’s unlikely that you need to buy the book there and then. I’ve bought a lot of books from Amazon in the past, and I’ve always found them to be fairly good value.
Do swapsies
Once you’ve finished reading a good book, ask around to see if any friends or family want to borrow it. Ask to borrow one of theirs in return and you’ve read two books for the price of one. You could even start a little book club if you really wanted to.
Don’t buy any new books until you’ve read the ones you’ve got
This may sound obvious, but I can’t be the only person guilty of buying lots and lots of new books only to not get round to actually reading them. Place yourself on a ban and work your way through what you already have first. You may be surprised how long this takes you, but at least you’re saving money.
Do you have any tips for saving money on books? Let me know in the comments below!
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