Buying Books on a Budget

If you are anything like me, you have long lists of books you want to read (and buy) but never enough money…

I just graduated from college and have learned a lot about how to save money by finding the best deals on books. Below I have outlined a few of the ways in which you can save money and still buy books on a budget!

Skip the Starbuck’s Line

if you are a coffee drinker, and a Starbuck’s addict, there is good and bad news for you. The good news is that you can save $5 a day by making your own coffee at home, or skipping the caffeine all together. If you forego a trip to your favorite coffee shop everyday for a year, you could save almost $2000 a year.

The bad news is you don’t get to have your iced caramel macchiato, but having the extra spending money for books is always worth it.

Find Used Bookstores

When you go book hunting, make sure to stop at used bookstores or look for used sections. Most bookstores contain a wide selection of well-maintained covers, and this could save you $10 or more per book.

If you are looking for a new title, I would suggest signing up for reward programs at your local bookstore, or waiting a few months for the hype to die down and the prices to drop.

Here’s my list of Used Bookstores to check out.

Shop with a List

If you go book-shopping quite often like I do, then you must treat it as grocery shopping: you must bring a list so you don’t buy everything you lay your eyes on.

Browsing and spontaneous finds are definitely part of the fun of bookstores, but if you want to cut back on how much you are spending, limit yourself to the titles you really want/need and only allow yourself to purchase what’s on the list. The beautiful thing about lists is you can always make more!

Forfeit One Night of Dining Out

Eating out is expensive. On average, you spend $15-30 per person. If you forfeited one meal dining out a week, that gives you the extra change to buy at least one book, if not two per week!

Clear Out the Clutter & Sell Your Books

Although it is painful having to say goodbye to old titles that have been in your room forever, selling your old books is a good strategy to acquire new ones.

There are many possibilities for selling books, and many bookstores have buy-back and exchange programs.

To learn more about how & where to sell your own books, read here.

Find your local independent bookstore here!

Hopefully these simple tips will help you save a few extra dollars to spend on more books!