Lowering the Cost of Books and School Supplies

I’ve always loved books.  As a kid, I remember the excitement of going to the library and browsing through the shelves and shelves of books.  Later, when I was working and had my own money, one of my favorite Saturday afternoon activities was to go to the neighborhood bookstore and pick up a few selections.  These days, I tend to be fairly specific of the books I need and often locate what I need via the internet.  With all of the changes that have happened in the market for books, there are many different ways to lower costs and keep them reasonable.  This is good, as books are one area that are my secret splurge.  Here are some tips:

–Learn to fully utilize the public library — while many people may use the public library to check out a murder mystery occasionally, there are so many more services the library provides.  For example, my public library has an extensive CD and DVD collection as well as foreign language books.  Also, they have an excellent hold service where you can identify the book that has been checked out and your placed on a waiting list to read it.  The library also hosts lectures and educational films and additional programs for kids.  Just be sure to keep costs down by keeping tabs on on due dates and avoiding fines.

–Take full advantage of E-books and online resources – a number of books are available now in downloadable PDF form or online, often times for free or for a minimal charge.  Additionally, many services will allow you to preview a book to see if it is what you were looking for.  This can help cut down on purchasing books that turn out to be something different than you expected.

–Reuse, recycle, resell — many money saving tips for clothing and household items apply to books as well.  Textbooks are one area where used books can save a lot of money.  There’s also a lively market for reselling books and for bartering for new reads.

–Take advantage of seasonal sales — many stores, including department stores and drugstores, have seasonal sales on school supplies, notebooks, pens, and similar items two or three times a year. During these sales, prices can be discounted more than half.  In addition, most bookstores have volume discounts or frequent buyer programs giving loyal customers an opportunity to save money.

shared at Works for Me Wednesday and Frugal Friday