The following is a guest post from Stacy.
I am a lover of books…a complete and total bookworm. My mom says I’ve always been that way.
These days my list of books is aimed more toward Dr. Sears and Christian parenting books than my former life of Christian fiction…but that’s a moot point. I also used to listen to more “adult” music and now I find myself humming Veggie Tales all day long. 
But a book habit can be an expensive habit. And my life is about bucking the expensive things in life. It’s pretty easy to feed your bookworm self…and do it cheaply. And today I’m going to give you five easy ways to save on books.
1. Use the library. For the most part, the library is free. I’ve heard from several readers that their library actually charges. If mine started charging, I’d probably fall down in the floor and go into convulsions. For my entire life, all the libraries around here have been free. Free is good. But even if your library charges a fee, it’s likely cheaper than buying the book yourself.
I usually like to “test” a book at the library before I consider buying it. If I check a book out and enjoy it, then I might decide to add it to my collection. If I check it out and it’s stinky, then I’m sure glad I didn’t buy it.
2. Use half.com. Half.com is an eBay owned website. When I was in college, I always used half.com for my textbooks…when I could. Sometimes the textbooks just aren’t on there.
I’ve found that half.com is also cheaper than eBay on most books. You are just buying a used book from another seller. You get to choose the condition and the shipping is usually pretty low since it’s mailed via Media Mail.
3. Buy used from Amazon. Almost all books at Amazon offer a “used” option. A couple lines down, under “Want it delivered…” you’ll see options for used books. Just like half.com, you’re also buying these used books from another seller – not directly from Amazon.
4. Join a book swap. There are several different book swap sites on the internet. The gist of the program is that you sign up, sometimes for a fee, sometimes not, and then you list your books. Someone can request those books for free and then you mail them out. In return, you get to choose new books for free. Your cost is in shipping only – and perhaps a fee.
One such book swap I’ve heard about is Paperback Swap. It’s something to consider if you do a lot of reading.
5. Buy books at yard sales. This is my favorite way to get books, but it’s not the best way if you’re looking for something specific. To buy books at yard sales, you have to just be looking for a category and not something specific.
How do YOU save money on books?
Stacy is a stay-at-home mom to her first child, Annie (2) and she is pregnant with her second. After an “awakening” in March, her family switched to a more natural, whole foods diet. She likes to blog about how to live on less than you make and how to eat good food while doing it. Living totally debt free, she and her husband share their passion by teaching others how to save money. At Stacy Makes Cents, you’ll find information on how to save money in the kitchen, how to have fun with your kids, and how to be thrifty in all areas of life. Make sure to follow her on Facebook and Twitter to keep up with her daily antics.
I personally love thriftbooks.com. they have free shipping in the USA no matter how many books ordered and if you order a second book from the same location it is an instant 50c discount on the book.
Thanks so much for giving me the pleasure of guest posting for you!
Our library has a book sale each month. I also try to go to some local homeschool curriculum sales or swaps each year.
–Gena at ichoosejoy.org
One of my absolute FAVORITE ways to get books is online. Go to your library and ask if you are able to rent the book out online. It controls how many days you have the title… It also asks you if you want to rent it out longer as the date approaches via e-mail. Totally awesome and avoids ALL late fees! I usually rent a few books at a time and put on my cordless headphones and walk around the house doing housework! LOVE IT!!! It also lets you know if there is a wait on the book and will e-mail you as it comes available.
Great tips! One way I get free books is through Amazon Prime. With the annual Prime membership I can borrow one book each month on my Kindle. They have a lot of current releases available in this program!
My local thrift store is my favorite place to buy books, for me and my kids.
Love Paperback Swap!
I also have had good luck at our library’s book sale. They sell purged books for .25 to $1. Some are not in great shape but some are brand new! Also check in Thrift Stores. Our local Goodwill is a bit spendy for books but our local mission runs a store and books are CHEAP! And they occasionally have half off everything in the store
One way I love getting free books is by using Goodreads.com and entering their giveaway contests. There’s no guarantee you’ll get any one particular book, but there are new contests everyday and if you do win, you get it for nothing (well, it is recommended that you post a review, so it will cost you a little bit of time). And best of all (in my opinion) a lot of the books you can win are advanced reading copies, and therefore, not available in stores yet…so you could get your hands on a newer than brand new book for free!
These are all great ideas.
You missed my new favorite way to read for free and cheap- Kindle! I saved Amazon gift cards I earned from Swagbucks and bought the basic Kindle. I get most of my books for free by following several blogs that highlight the best. Specific books that I do want to buy I purchase with more Amazon cards. I also just joined Lendle, where you can borrow lendable books from a huge database of Kindle owners.
Win-win! Loving it.
I love books! When I can, I haunt thrift stores and dollar stores. It’s hit or miss but you can find some treasures for very little cash. I also have a few used bookstores in the area so i can trade in books for something I want. If you do things like Swagbucks or Mypoints, you can earn gift cards to Amazon.com. All great ways to save money on the literary habit.
One more for your list: Take advantage of the local libraries’ sales. I’ve found sets, homeschool materials, first editions, and more at library (or “Friends of the Library) sales, for only a small percentage of the new price. Often these books are still IN new condition, to boot. Most libraries also have incredibly nice volunteers and great selections of books to sell. I’ve had volunteers “comp” me a stack of books (because I bought 10 stacks, then found 2 more), bring out missing copies of sets when I asked, and even give me insider information on how to work the sale to my advantage. Probably 1/2 of our current home library comes from library book sales and not only did my money go to a good cause, but I didn’t have to spend very much in the first place!
I agree with the library book sales. I’m a teacher and that’s how I’ve built my classroom as well as my son’s collection. Now I have over 300 books just for my son. It’s time to thin them out a little!
My home town library frequently has a shelf of “retired” volumes you can buy for $1 or so and every so often book sales. As a military spouse I rarely am in my “home town” but when I am there (in between moves or visiting family) I tend to pick some up. . .My sister actually shops their seasonal book sales and has found books she claims she can get $70-100 for on ebay for $1. . .So far she has kept rather than resold these, but I envy her luck either way.
I just went to Value Village (also called The Arc) and they had an AMAZING supply of top name books, and the 4th book is free. I got Wicked for $2, which is $10 less than what I almost got it for on my kindle, and when I am done, I plan to sell them to a used book store and donate the rest. Normally I am big on the library, but since moving here I have not been impressed with the selection, and waiting list.
My new favorite is to get the free Kindle books…maybe not the answer you were looking for, but I have over 1000 free Kindle books waiting to be read…cheapest way for me. I’m not even spending gas, or trying to look through library shelves with 8 kids in tow…
I till use paperbackswap.com and ebay if I need a certain book.
I buy most of my books at Goodwill and when I’m done with them I donate them back to them
I am a Kindle person so I follow along with a lot of the sites that alert you when particular books are free. I also keep a Kindle Wish List on Amazon and check through that periodically to see when books are on sale or free. Pre-Kindle I had a TERRIBLE book habit and an expensive one at that. I also check out books online through my library now that Kindle supports it. Going Kindle actually saved me a lot of money!
I love paperbackswap and just found out about something similar for kindle books (and nook too I think) – ebookfling.com. I haven’t tried it yet, but you list your books to loan and earn credits to borrow other books. You don’t even have to have a kindle – you can borrow & lend from your phone, iPad or computer.