Save $$$ - #1

1. See some interesting books at Borders or Barnes & Noble? Don't buy them. Take them to the cafe and browse through them. Spend an hour. Maybe even have a hot chocolate or if your like me have a chinese flower tea and get those all important antioxidants. After browsing the through the books, decide which ones seem really interesting. Then - don't buy them. Go to that public building in town , called the Library, and get it for FREE. True you don't get to keep it, but you are allowed to enjoy it. And if it's a new best seller by your favorite author, I guarantee it will be just as good if you have to be on a waiting list for a couple of weeks. Maybe even better because anticipation is often better than realization. If you can't wait a couple of weeks then go online to Alibris or some other book site and buy a used copy for half the price or less from some other person who absolutely could not wait to read the new book first. Yes, sometimes it makes sense to buy a book, if it is a reference work for a profession or hobby and will be used often. Even then you can find used copies , very often in almost new condition for a fraction of the retail price . Or you may want a book that is no longer in print. you can still go to the library first as I did for books by the author Jack Vance. First I read the 5 books by Jack Vance that the library offered and then started buying them used from used booksellers online. Libraries are a great underutilized institution in America started by none other than Ben Franklin. He was a pretty smart guy who did not believe in wasting money. There are plenty of best selling authors who certainly will not starve if they sell a few less books. So remember these reasons to use your library. 1. Save big $$$. 2. Save trees (especially heartwarming for us environmentally concerned). 3. Save space in your home. The books will just pile up in your home until there is no space left and you are forced to move to a larger place just to store your books. a rather large extra expense to say the least. However if I write a book you may ignore all of this advice and buy it new.