How I Fund My Reading Obsession on $15 a Year

From Little Women to Harry Potter, reading is one of my favorite hobbies, But like all hobbies, it usually comes with a price. We all know that when a new books comes out, it immediately lines the shelves of our favorite stores, making us want to read it immediately. Especially if it's by one of our favorite authors or the next in a series we're reading. However, the price tag usually makes me take a step back and wait a while. A new Nicholas Sparks or Danielle Steel book can be over twenty dollars! So how do I avoid these prices?

-McKay's

McKay's is one of my favorite places in the world! I take all of the books, movies, CD's, etc. that I'm finished with, and trade them there for store credit. They are much more generous when you get their store credit versus when you want to sell your stuff to them for cash. During most visits, I am able to get at least four or five books. (I also get most of my movies here, so it's like getting them free too.) Many people shop and trade their stuff here, so there's always new things to look at. I bought the entire Skinjacker Trilogy by Neal Shusterman here, and just used my trade credit for them. There are also some free bins outside where McKay's puts their rejected books. Most of the time they're full of junk, but sometimes there's some really neat stuff in it. 

-Tennessee R.E.A.D.S.

My local library is set up with Tennessee R.E.A.D.S. so I can download eBooks and audiobooks to my phone whenever I want. The only thing needed for this is a library card, which because I don't live in the same city as the library I frequent, I pay $15 a year for it. It's completely worth it however because I use it SO much. I constantly have at least two books checked out, so I definitely get my money's worth. The only downside to Tennessee R.E.A.D.S. is that you can only check out what your local library has paid for, so it's like the inventory inside the library. If someone already has a book checked out, then everyone else has to wait. This makes it difficult to check out new releases, but it's worth the wait.

-Patience

Sad, but true. Patience saves money on books. As I mentioned before, newly released books are rarely under ten dollars. Despite wanting to read the next book by a favorite author or the next in a series immediately, I know that if I wait a few months, perhaps even a year for some, they will come down in price considerably or will finally be available on Tennessee R.E.A.D.S. After all, there's plenty of other books to read in the mean time.