Reading on a Budget

Books are expensive, especially if you want to keep up with new releases. I definitely have a book buying problem, but I also have very little money to spend on reading. Because of this I spend a lot of time trying to find cheap books and rarely buy them at full price. I thought I'd talk about how I try to get my books for as little as possible, and maybe one of the things on this list could help you too.

When I was a kid my dream wasn't to be a princess, but to have a library
like this. Nothing has changed.

THE LIBRARY

Libraries are amazing. If you want to know why, read this post that the wonderful Erin wrote back in September. If you don't have much money, they're the best place to go to get books. I understand that sometimes you really want to own a favourite book, but for me the library is my go to place for books I want but don't need. Besides, if you use and support your local library you're stopping it from closing, meaning that more and more people can read for free.

EBOOKS

EBooks are so much cheaper than regular books, and you don't have to pay for postage. The kindle store frequently reduces the price of books to just a couple of pounds, and you can even get a lot of books for free. I've started reading a lot more eBooks lately because of this. I know that buying a kindle is really expensive, but if you have a smartphone you can download the (free) kindle app and use that instead. Even though I do prefer reading physical books, I'm not going to turn down a better deal.

AMAZON MARKETPLACE

I use Amazon a lot, but 90% of the time I buy used books from their marketplace. Most of the time you can get a book in good condition for a fraction of Amazon's already cheaper price--there are so many books that you can get for a penny. I've saved so much money using this, even if you have to pay for postage. 

CHARITY SHOPS (E.G. OXFAM)

Otherwise known as thrift stores if you're American. The selection is limited but you can pick up used books for a couple of pounds. I bought a hardcover copy of The Book Thief for £2.50 from my local charity shop. It was in perfect condition. You have to be prepared to spend a while sifting through rubbish (I swear that most of the books in my local charity shop are either Fifty Shades of Grey or The Life of Pi) but there are always gems waiting to be found.

BORROWING BOOKS

I hate lending out books to someone unless I trust them not to damage it, but borrowing books from friends/family is a great way to read without spending any money at all. Besides, you then have someone to fangirl with.