Thrifty Thursday: Saving money on books!

I love to read, but during the school year I typically don’t have a lot of time to read because I’m on the go so much.  I usually catch up on my reading during the summer months and since summer is just around the corner, I haev already started to think about what titles I want to catch first!

Here are some ways that I “feed” my love of reading without busting my budget:

Amazon ~ I love Amazon, and I especially love their promotion where you Buy Three Books, Get a Fourth Free.  I love to browse their “4 for 3 Bestseller list” for ideas on books to read.  There is also a great selection of “4 for 3 Children’s books”  I usually try to mix and match to get some books for myself and some books for my kids (who have also picked up my love of reading!)  To make this promotion, make sure all of your books have similar prices because the lowest-priced book is the one that ends up being free.  When I take advantage of this promotion, I usually end up with my total being right around $25, so I get free super saver shipping, too!  The best part is that I usually use Amazon gift cards I’ve earned from various sites, so I’m not even spending “real” money!
 
Budget book stores ~ I’ve loved reading from the time that I was very young and when I was a kid, I loved making trips to our local budget book store to buy books and “sell” back books I had already read for a credit.  Budget bookstores are still a great resource for finding books at bargain prices.  Twice a year, my local store has an “overstock” sale where you can find lots of great titles for less than $1.  If you bring in other books for a credit, you can get them for free!  If you have a Half Price books in your area, they will pay you CASH for your books, printed or recorded merchandise, and some types of software!

Library ~ My local library is a great resource for books.  At my library, you can request books online and they will call or e-mail you when they become available.  This is really convenient because then I can just go in and my books will be waiting for me!  My local library also has a “Friends of the Library” sale a few times each year where you can pick up books for super cheap and help support the library in the process!

Paperback Swap ~ At Paperback Swap, you can trade books that you have that are in good condition for books that you want to read.  You receive one credit for sending out books that you have to someone else and you may order available books for one credit each.  You pay shipping when you send out the books (you can use media mail, which is pertty inexpensive), but you don’t have to pay shipping when you request a book.  When you create your first account and post 10 books, you get to “startup” credits.

Teacher discounts ~ If you’re an educator, many book stores offer teacher discounts (some specify that these are to be used on classroom materials while others allow you to use your discount on everyday purchases for yourself, too!)  In most cases, you have to sign up for an account and you have to show some sort of proof that you are an educator such as your ID badge or a pay stub.  Barnes & Noble offers 20% off the publisher’s list price and additional discounts during Educator Appreciation Days, Borders offers 25% off purchases for your classroom and you can earn Borders Bucks, too, and Half Price Books offers an additional 10% off purchases!

Do you have a Thrifty Thursday idea to share?  Don’t forget to link up below!

For more Thrifty Thursday ideas, check out Coupon Teacher, Madame Deals, and Life as a Mom. 

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