Did you know: bibliophilia or bibliophilism is the love of books? My love for turning pages started young. As a child, my parents could not get me to stop reading the Babysitters Club or Harry Potter series… and I mean, why would they want to?! Today’s readers are tomorrow’s leaders, but dang, those books get expensive real quick! It is possible to buy quality books on a budget. Here are a few ways I’ve managed to stock my library shelves over the years without depleting my life savings:
Buy used.
Summers are a great time to look for bargain books at garage sales. Facebook Marketplace and local community groups work, too! My town’s library even does a “fill a bag” book sale for $5. Websites like HalfPrice and Thriftbooks offer tons of quality books in good condition for less than retail price.
Ask for donations.
I don’t know about yours, but my friends and family are super generous. When their children outgrow anything, I’m usually the first person they call. I had a friend gift me the first few books from the Dork Diaries series in HARDCOVER after her granddaughter lost interest. Retiring teachers are a great resource for building bookcases, too. Classics never go out of style!
I’ve also created a Classroom Wish List on Amazon that I throw around my social media from time to time. People have been very kind and grab an item or two during Amazon’s Prime Day, holidays, and just because. You can also create a DonorsChoose project for literacy materials. For help getting started, click here. I’m always surprised by the kindness of strangers! Several projects of mine have been fully funded in the past.
Join a loyalty rewards program.
Every student order from Scholastic Book Clubs earns you points towards future purchases. They also have regular dollar deals and cheap novels, but you’ll have to search the site regularly. Sign up is easy and you can earn monthly bonus points and free titles with little effort.
ACTIONABLE STEPS: Get saving and get going! Know any other helpful hints for buying books on a budget? Share below.
