There are two things we love at Practically Poor Headquarters: cookies, books, and waffles.

Anyone notice that maths was not on the list? 

So, maths jokes aside, what are avid readers to do when prices on just about everything are rising each week but there are still so many lovely books to buy? 

Stop buying them!

Wait a minute, we hear our fellow book-loving people say, are you expecting us to stop buying books? We won’t be able to read until the economy settles down? Don’t you understand how homeschooling, or studying, or LIFE works???

Don’t worry, friends, there are ways to keep reading whilst saving your pennies, and we want to show you how. You can even stop buying books altogether, all whilst keeping yourself, and your entire family, reading just as much as before you started saving all that money. 

There’s actually an extra benefit, we’ve found, when using this system:

We get to read MORE books! When we go searching for books in an online catalogue, for instance, or even in-person in a library, do you know what happens? There are books there that we hadn’t known to search for, and we can look at them, and be distracted by them and, they’re free/ low cost, so we can be like, “Hmmm, let’s just borrow that one, and that one, too…”

And then we get to read even more than we’d planned. Who can complain about that??

How is this all possible? Let’s get our list started!

1. First of all, use your local library! Depending on where you live, you may have more than one system available to you. Check out all options near to you, because this is an amazing resource that you should be using, first and foremost, for free reading material.

We are currently able to use two cities’ library services, and this alone keeps our book supply pretty well replenished. Public libraries are an amazing resource (they often have free, or low-cost, in-house activities for all ages, too, so check out what they offer while you’re there!).

Just grab your list of must-buys and use their online search function.

If you are going to utilise more than one library resource, make a system in your home that you,  and anyone else using the books, will understand – and stick to. A system that keeps library books separate from each other, for returning-to-the-correct-library purposes. 

For example: A library book, borrowed out from your own city’s library service, will stay in your living room until it’s returned. You have another book on loan from a neighbouring city’s library service, and that will stay at your desk until returned. Simple!

What gets tricky, of course, is when you have 87 books from one library, and 29 borrowed from the other library, as well as the 278 books of your own scattered around your home – and then several people, and little people, are using all of those books at once. 

That’s why a system is needed, dear friends, because libraries expect their own books back. And they charge fees. 

Our first Library Sorting System was a lovely (sadly un-photographed) toddler-decorated box that sat in our living room. It was known to house all library books. It was ‘illegal’ for any library book to rest anywhere else but that box, when said book was not in use. It took a while to learn where to put library books after using them, but we all got there in the end!

If our own books ended up in that box, well… they could very well end up being donated to the library. So, it’s probably of no surprise to you that, in our book-loving home, our own books never found their way into that box.

Once we began using multiple library systems, we simply got multiple baskets (as pictured) to keep them separated.

You could use baskets, bags, or designated shelves on a bookcase. It really doesn’t matter – what matters is that they are separate (and labelled, too, if that helps you!). Then you keep saving money by not paying fees, and those books can keep on being borrowed and read.

Which is all just so much less stressful than the alternative, isn’t it?

And, please, be sure to familiarise yourself with each library system’s returns policy. Otherwise it will all become not-quite-so-free.

Please head over to our Australian Library Resources page for more information on the amazing library services available in Australia, if that applies to you. 

Otherwise, use your preferred search engine,  and start looking for your own local libraries.

Free books await you!

2. Next, check out your library’s online resources. Ebooks, and online audio books, are another free way to access books at libraries, using your library card/ account.

Yes, using these will require internet access, which is not free. But, if you are here reading this blog, you have that available to you already – so you may as well use it for reading free books, right?

Some electronic library services offer the option of downloading borrowed ebooks and electronic audio books to a device, so they can be read offline; you then delete them once your borrowing time is up. Check what’s available!

Please head over to our Australian Library Resources page for more information on the amazing library services available in Australia, if that applies to you. 

And check out Hoopla, Libby, and Overdrive, as well. 

Otherwise, use your preferred search engine to start looking for your own local libraries and find out what their online options are.

EVEN MORE free books await you!

(Image: Pexels.com)

3. Third on the list is another free online resource called Internet Archive (requires internet access). Found at archive.org, this is an amazing website for reading books online. 

Did we mention it’s FREE to access?

And this is not just historical/ classic/ public domain books, folks! We are talking about all kinds of genres, including some new releases – there’s so much over there.

Now, not everything you’ll want to read can be found there, and it can feel a bit ‘clunky’ to use compared to library ebook sites, such as BorrowBox.

However, we’ve found it to be a great resource for those books that we really want to read, and just cannot find anywhere else for free. Excellent, at the very least, for previewing books that you’re not sure about buying (and can’t find at the library). 

Parent/ Caregiver Warning: 

The only issue (and it is a big one) that we have found with this website, is in regards to children using it.

There are no filter options for search results (as far as we can tell – happy to stand corrected!).

This means that when you enter a search term for book titles, authors’ names, etc., any and all books that relate (and many that seem to not relate in any way at all) to your search term will show up, and that includes a thumbnail of the books’ covers.

Adult titles can, and will, show even if it seems completely irrelevant to your search topic!

So we recommend being wary of allowing unsupervised access.

4. Then there’s Project Gutenberg, a free ebook website with a vast collection of public domain books (all books on this website are in the public domain under United States of America Copyright Law; check public domain laws for your country of residence to ensure you are following applicable laws where you live).

We have used this resource many times over the years while homeschooling on a budget.

This website can also be a little annoying to use but, for out-of-print, public domain books that can fetch prices of up to $100 (or more) for secondhand copies, this is a GREAT way to still enjoy those books without the hefty price tag.

For younger children, Project Gutenberg probably isn’t user-friendly to navigate, but that’s always a good opportunity for reading aloud! Check out our post over here on Reading Aloud With Children.

There is also the option to download books here, which means that they can be read offline.

(Image: Pexels.com)

5. Another fantastic way to access public domain books for free is Librivox. This website has only audio books, all found in the public domain under US public domain laws.

One of the great aspects of this resource is that all of the recordings can be downloaded and listened to offline (and added to offline devices). 

There are so many gifted volunteer readers that contribute to this amazing project – we have our favourites, and we’re sure you’ll find yours. It’s an especially good resource for children, and  homeschoolers love using Librivox.

A Warning To Parents And Caregivers:

There are no safety filters available for caregivers to set.

The general search tool on their homepage permits searching for authors, book titles, and volunteer readers, but an ‘Advanced Search’ option directly below that allows for more details to be input, including ‘keywords’.

Something to keep in mind when considering children accessing this resource.

6. Next, we’re going to suggest second-hand books.

This is our favourite option of all!

Especially when it involves hours of searching through second-hand, or op-shop/ thrift store bookshelves – so much fun. To save money here, you’re going to need to have a basic knowledge of book costs, particularly the books, or types of books, you will be looking for.

A great option for when you want a physical book, as opposed to an ebook or listening to an audiobook.

There are numerous ways to obtain second-hand, or used, copies of books. As already mentioned, there are physical stores, and some markets have book sellers, too.

There are also many online stores, including Thrift Books and AbeBooks (though we have never personally bought books this way, and can’t personally say whether or not they provide a good service, you can check reviews to see if they’re a good fit for you).

Other choices include Facebook Marketplace and Facebook’s interest-specific groups where selling is allowed. We have found several non-fiction Australian books this way, and saved a lot of money compared to buying new/ elsewhere.

As with anything, being careful where you buy, and who you buy from, is very important. So, please, be wise and be wary of scammers.

(Images: Pexels.com)

7. The last one we’ll mention here is using a paid online book subscription. Now, this isn’t a free option, and some only offer audiobooks, but hear us out.

If you buy books regularly – whether it be for fun, homeschooling, read alouds with grandkids, or study – paid subscriptions can be a money-saving resource in the long-term. 

(Please Note: There are numerous online book subscription services available, worldwide, and we are not affiliated with, or sponsored by, any).

Ultimately, to save money by spending money in this way, you need to know two things:

• What you usually spend (approximately) on books (per month, or per year), and
• How many (rough estimate!) books you’ll want to ‘purchase’/ read each month (or year)

Use these numbers to calculate how much money you would typically spend on books (each month or year). Next, use that amount to compare with monthly/ yearly rates for paid subscriptions.

If you’re anything like us, you may find that you’re actually buying books you don’t always end up starting, finishing, or enjoying. Because, no matter how much research and review-reading you do beforehand, sometimes books just turn out to be different than what was expected or needed. Who’s with us on that one??

And, then, you experience buyer regret, right? And those books find a home somewhere on a bookshelf in your home, but never a place in your heart…

Er, we mean… They never get picked up again.

That is not practical, friends, and it does not save money. If we’re about anything here at Practically Poor, we’re about practically saving money!!

Using a paid online book service can equal spending less money by simply treating it as a previewing service (we have saved hundreds of dollars so far this year, using our subscription in this way!).

When we cannot find the physical books we need at our libraries, we check our subscription service next. We use Scribd (not sponsored), as this is the most economical option for our situation; the choice of both audiobooks and ebooks through this service was a further solidifying factor in choosing Scribd.

Some readers will only want audiobooks, though, so look for options that suit you, folks!

Not to mention, this type of resource will offer the latest titles released in the book world. If reading recently-released titles is important to you, this could be a great option for saving money. 

A Warning For Parents And Caregivers:

The biggest issue we have found, as a family, with this option is in regards to younger children using the websites. We have not checked every service’s website, but want to warn to parents and caregivers that there will likely be the same problems as mentioned earlier. 

Searching book titles, authors’ names, etc., could result in any and all books that relate to a searched term (and many that seem to not relate in way at all) showing up (this will generally always include a thumbnail of the books’ covers, and these might be unsuitable for young eyes).

Adult titles can, and will, show even if it seems completely irrelevant to the search topic. On the other hand, a lot of subscription services have options for family lists and sub-accounts, which give some control to caregivers to protect younger children from inappropriate content.

Something to keep in mind when considering children accessing these resources.

And that’s how we save money on books at Practically Poor – without giving up reading.

We hope these suggestions will be of practical use to you. Even if you cannot fathom giving up physical books to read, we have found there are ways to keep spending down whilst enjoying a good book (or twenty).

And if you’d like to learn more about reading with your children, check out our post on Making A Reading Habit With Your Family.

Happy reading!