Have you ever peeked at your beautiful bookshelves filled with hundreds of unread books and worried about spending a little more than you should? Or maybe you bought a very expensive limited edition copy of a book, but didn’t enjoy reading the content as much and felt dissatisfied? Reading books has been my favorite hobby for years and I wanted to buy all the books. But one day I reached a point where I felt like I was just buying books and not so much reading them. There were several times I bought very expensive hardcovers, but the stories were just average. I felt like I needed a change here, so I recently adapted ways to read more books while spending a lot less money.
Here are seven tips to help you save money on books:
1. Take more trips to the library rather than the bookstore
I’ve always been very fascinated by libraries because I think the whole concept is so cool. I find it very calming to sit and read in a library because it’s so quiet. It’s also quite a pleasant feeling to be surrounded by thousands of books. While browsing the library, I discovered some of my favorite books. The library has more interesting books than you think and can even accept suggestions if it doesn’t have the book you’re looking for. If so, just ask them if they can order it for you. Libraries are the best source to read books if you feel you don’t need to own the books or collecting books is not something that makes you happy anymore. I promise you, a library card is an absolute must for a book reader. So, whether it’s your local public library or your school’s, get a library card issued to you as soon as possible.
2. Invest in a Kindle
A Kindle is a device that lets you browse, borrow, or buy e-books without hurting your eyes like other tablets. It’s like looking at a page of a book and you can also set the light for nighttime reading. While I agree that physical books will always be the best form of reading, I think there are several benefits to switching to e-books. For one, e-book editions are much cheaper than physical copies of books. And second, if you’re traveling, you don’t need to add weight to your luggage since you can carry multiple books in your Kindle. You can also install the Kindle app on your phone, which will also give you several benefits. Say you’re stuck at the dentist’s office or in a queue: you might not have a physical book or your Kindle device with you, but since you’re carrying your phone, you can easily catch up on your reading while you’re waiting.
3. Get an audiobook subscription
You might feel a little hesitant to switch to audiobooks, but they are truly amazing for so many reasons. Most audiobooks are professionally narrated, and they can really bring the book to life. Some audiobooks are even narrated by the author himself, which also provides a great experience. Neil Gaiman is one of those authors who narrates most of his books and I must say that he is made for narrating books. Audio books are also very inexpensive. Audible is the world’s largest and most advanced audiobook service, featuring exclusive titles, audio shows and book series. If you subscribe to Audible, you get a free audiobook every month. Libby is another app used to listen to audiobooks or read e-books by borrowing them from your local library. Audiobooks help you read more because you can listen to them even while doing your daily chores or before going to bed.
4. Enter gifts
People host giveaways on multiple platforms such as YouTube and Instagram. They may do this because they need to clear their shelves or because they have reached a certain milestone. Either way, most giveaways are free, and you can win some great books to read. You can start following booktubers or bookstagram accounts to be aware of recent giveaways and grab them.
5. Join a book club
Book clubs can be really fun if you find one that’s right for you. Thanks to book clubs, you meet many people who like to read books like you. You can participate in book discussions and also get new book recommendations. Book clubs often exchange their members books and several online book clubs also offer monthly readings with friends, which can be quite enjoyable. Based on our current situation, several book clubs have moved to an online platform at this time. As we’re all stuck at home due to the pandemic, online book clubs can be great.
6. Buy used books
Thrift stores, second-hand bookstores, and book fairs are the places where you can buy second-hand books at extremely cheap prices. I love book fairs, they are my favourites. I managed to buy absolutely wonderful books at a very low price. Book fairs often sell very attractive hardcovers and even signed copies at low prices. If you’ve never bought used books before, I assure you that in my experience, 90% of the time, used books have been as good as new books. They sometimes feel even better in my opinion, knowing that the book I’m reading belonged to someone else before. It’s something about that smell of old books that I find so pleasant.
7. Invest in subscription boxes
Subscription boxes have their own advantages and disadvantages which I will explain to you in detail. There are several types of subscription boxes such as beauty, food, entertainment and many more. But since this article is about books, I will focus on book boxes. Subscription boxes don’t just include new books every month. In fact, most of them also give you bookish gifts such as pins, candles, stationery, centerpieces, etc. Items are handpicked based on your tastes and preferences and it can feel really exciting to wait for your monthly boxes to arrive. You can also get great discount offers and early access to upcoming titles. The book of the month is currently a very popular subscription box among readers. Even so, subscription boxes can be expensive and you may feel like you don’t really need the items. Also, it can be very difficult to cancel your subscription and many of them don’t have a flexible return policy either.
Here are some tips to help you choose a subscription box:
- Make sure it fits your budget and that you really want the items that come with it.
- Browse through several subscription boxes to choose the one that suits you best.
- Compare prices to see if you’re getting a good deal.
- Read the return/refund policy carefully.
- Check out the reviews of people who have used that particular subscription box.
These are my tips that can help you reduce the money you spend on books. Personally, I think borrowing books from a library is the best way to read books if you don’t write in your books or want to have a large collection. I want you to remember that reading books is one of the best hobbies and you shouldn’t let your budget keep you from reading more books.
