I really like to read. You know those people who fret about not getting enough reading time in? Yep, that’s me.
I also like technology. I’m the kind of person who can’t work out unless they have their heart rate monitor. I’ve tried explaining to people that unless you can quantify it, graph it, analyze it, and science the crap out of it, then it’s not real.
For some reason, they don’t believe me, though.
A few years ago I discovered the perfect interaction of these two things in the form of an Amazon Kindle.
How amazing—I had the entire Amazon library right at the tip of my fingers, and all I needed to do to access any book I wanted was just press the deceptively simple “Buy It Now” button.
Forget the Large Hadron Collider, this tiny e-book reader was surely the pinnacle of human innovation and achievement, right in my very own hands.
I Spent How Much??
Since I started budgeting, though, I’ve limited myself to a set amount of fun money each month. When that fun money is gone, I can’t buy anything else I want. This poses a problem when I want to buy expensive things, or if I want to have money left over at the end of the month for whatever catches my eye.
Related: If you DO buy books, at least use a free program like Ebates to get a portion of your money back.
I quickly realized that I was spending waaaay too much money on books. In fact, I went over my purchase history for my Kindle, and guess how much I spent on books since I began purchasing them through that route? Since 2010, I spent… drumroll, please…
$487.10 on 65 e-books
Holy f$^k.
When I first saw that number, I felt betrayed—how could my lovely little Kindle play me like that?
Then I felt stupid. How could I let myself be taken advantage of like that?
Heading Back To The Library
Pasha cat loves using the library too – or at least our home library.
Feelings of inadequacy and stupidity will only get you so far in life. I know, I’ve had a lot of them.
What’s important is that you can take those feelings and turn them into learning moments so you can improve and refocus on what you’re doing.
In my case, this meant that I had to stop buying e-books, and head back to the library. I spent a lot of time there as a kid, where I was known as the local weirdo who came back every week and checked out the maximum number of books allowed at one time. Usually this resulted in a stack roughly about half as tall as me, which was quite the comical sight as I headed out the door.
Related post: Five Great Financial Lessons From My Parents
It was a great place—an old, stuffy Carnegie library with unnecessarily high ceilings (or maybe that was just my short stature at the time). Andrew Carnegie gets a bad rap sometimes, but I’m still sending him posthumous fist-bumps for building that library.
I was worried at first when I started using my new local library (alas; no Carnegie libraries in my new town of Fort Collins). What if they didn’t have the book I wanted to read? With my Kindle, I’ve grown accustomed to being able to access just about any book in the world I wanted, when I wanted.
Using The Library: More Than Just One Giant Room Of Books
Fear not!
Most libraries participate in a program called Interlibrary Loan, where they can get the book you want from another library just by filling out a simple online form. Admittedly, this can take a few weeks, but my library also participates with regional libraries to get these books even faster. I can even order books through the library if I want, which I’ve done a few times.
So far, I haven’t had a single problem getting any book I want, and I read some pretty weird stuff sometimes. My library has a ton of other benefits too:
- A free subscription to Lynda.com, a sweet online learning platform
- 3D printing
- Book clubs
- Personal genealogy help
- Classes galore (self-defense, resume writing, interviewing, money management, etc…)
- And more!
Related post: Get Financially Fit With The Financial Gym
And you’re not limited to just books either. My local library lets you check out these other things too:
- Funny-shaped cake pans
- Backpack with binoculars, field guides, and a state park pass
- Radon test kit
- Noise-cancelling headphones
I’ve been using my local library for a few months now, and it’s been great. I can’t track how many books I’ve taken out, but I’d peg it somewhere around 10. The e-books cost me on average $7.49, so that means I’ve already saved almost $75!
At that rate ($7.50/month), I’ll save a cool $90 per year.
Bottom Line
Using the library is a great way to get all kinds of things for free. Each library is different, so make sure to Google yours to see what they have. Some are crazy good and have a ton of things. You don’t know what you’re missing out on until you check it out!
How much could you save by using the library? Leave a comment below!
I love the library!! I’m so thankful we live about 3/4 of a mile from one because it gives me an excuse to get out of the house, and a place to take the little guy. We only have one car, so when my husband is at work it’s easy to get kind of stir crazy.
I hardly ever buy books, but I like to buy them. I just try to limit myself to nice editions of ones I love, like the cool editions from Barnes and Noble. I have my eye on Jurassic Park 🙂
That’s awesome you live so close to a library. I think next time I move I might need to consider my proximity to a library, that’s smart!
I sometimes splurge and buy nice versions of my favorite books too. A few months ago I snagged a cheap leatherbound copy of Art of War. Score!
Additionally, I don’t know if your library does, but ours has different programs, like a knitting group and an adult coloring group. Free activities for the win!
Our library does have a lot of different groups as well, I just wish I had more time to participate in them! I do know that they offer groups for NaNoWriMo and since I heard about it a few years ago, I’ve always wanted to participate but I’ve never had enough time. We’ll see what’s kicking around in November, though!
Oh that’s awesome. NaNoWriMo is on my day zero project list. I’ll probably try for this November because who knows if we’ll have another little one by next November! If you do let me know 😉
Sometimes the library has the e-book (readable on kindle!) as well. If you haven’t yet, check out their offerings! Personally, I’ve been listening to a lot of audiobooks from the library through the “Overdrive” app.
Oh man, that’s amazing! I had no idea. I need to check this out like yesterday, thanks!
I’m a fan of both. I love the library, but there’s something about being able to keep the book and mark it up with notes or highlighting that makes me really happy. I tend to borrow books that I know will just be a quick, one-time read – but I still buy quite a few.
I agree, if it’s a keeper, it’s worth the investment. The problem I used to have also was that I thought every book was a keeper. Then I moved across the country and had to carry all those books with me, and I changed my mind. 🙂
I use the library, but stick to our library’s download site so that I can still read on my Kindle because I’m spoiled and have trouble reading physical books where I have to find my place again…or even just find the book again after I set it down. The selection isn’t the always the best, but it’s at least as good as our regular branch’s. I also don’t have to worry about returns and late fees (the books automatically disappear from my kindle after 2 weeks).
I’m addicted to Freebooksy too. I pick up a free ebook at least once a week from there.
I can’t deny it either; the Kindle does make the process of reading a lot easier.
I’d never heard about Freebooksy, that’s amazing! Thanks for letting me know about it. 🙂
I love the library! I am a member of the one in my city as well as the one in the city in which I work. I always borrow books from the library first. And then if I know it’s a keeper and that I’ll read it again, I buy it and add it to my very selective book collection.
I do the same – if I know I’ll read the book again (very rarely – there’s too many books in the world and not enough time!), I’ll buy it, but that doesn’t happen too often.
Yes! Fellow library lover here! I love queuing up a bunch of books online and picking them up from the reserved shelf. It makes me feel VIP! 🙂
I love the reserved shelf! I’d never used it before. The problem is when I reserve too many books online because I’m impatient and then I get like 20 books in all at once…and I only have a few weeks to read them. Ah!
While I love the library and they have some great deals on renting DVDs now too, I do love a good book in my hands that I can make up/highlight if I need to!
I really like the idea of marking up books that I find important/interesting, but I’ve never been able to do it. I do have tons of random notebooks laying around with notes and quotes from books, though. And before I buy a book, I always ask myself: “Will I read this more than once, or does it support another friend/blogger?”
This is how I ended up with the entire Song of Fire and Ice series. By the time I get done reading all of that, I’ll have forgotten the beginning so I need to go back to the start!
“how could my lovely little Kindle play me like that?” LOL. Too true. I feel that way in Barnes & Noble. The library is seriously an incredible and overlooked source of entertainment.
Haha! I agree – I wish more people would use it so that even more funding would go towards it and make it even more awesome than it already is.
Yay libraries! I may or may not have moved to my current apartment largely because it’s two blocks from an amazing library. I get all my books and DVDs there. 🙂
Oh man, I hadn’t even thought about DVDs! This just keeps getting better and better. 🙂
Thank you! 🙂
I mostly get books from the library, or I just straight out ask publishers or authors if I can review their book and I haven’t been turned down yet! But the library offers so many free resources people do no take advantage of. I’m part of my local library and the city of LA. The second one offers TONS of free online classes, which is awesome!
I’d never thought about asking publishers for books to review, that’s a great idea! I guess I have a blog with a reader or two, so I guess now it’d be legit. Thanks 🙂
I can’t bring myself to get rid of books, but we have limited shelf space — and since I rarely reread books there’s no much point in keeping them around anyway. So I try to avoid buying books in general. I have a bunch of Terry Pratchett books but only because I read them when I need to escape from the world, so they get used when I need a giggle or the comfort of a familiar read.
I also just hate paying for books. I think it once again comes back to the issue of rarely rereading books. And our online library has a fair number of options. So I prefer to just go that route. We actually don’t use the physical library anymore. Tim takes out graphic novels — as many as allowed at a time — and then we don’t make it back to the library in time. Which means $1.50 (plus anything I have that’s overdue) a day. It’s easier to stay digital.
It’s really hard for me to get rid of books too. Even if I know I won’t ever read it again, it’s like throwing away an old friend. Unless it was a bad book. Then, %$#^ it. 🙂
Ooooh, I would LOVE that feature! Even the tiny book lights are bright enough to keep my husband up if I read at night.
Bookbub sounds like another amazing resource that I’m going to have to check out. So many great tips from everyone!
Great points. I always want to draw up a nice bath and read my Kindle in a tub, but with how sleepy I always seem to be, I know I’d drop it in there at some point!
Check with your library and see if they participate in a virtual lending ( mine uses the app Overdrive). download the app to your device, enter your library card information and you can check out E-books