Life of Dahlia

We all know that there is a lot of financial pressure on people these days, with the cost of living crisis affecting many people around the world. So you probably questioning whether you can afford to buy things that aren’t necessary or essential items (like food, medication, etc.)

That new best seller sure looks good but can you afford to spend $20-30 dollars on it when that could go toward something you actually need. In this blog post, I thought I would share a few tips for when you are looking for something new to read but don’t want to break the budget.

4 Ways to Read New Books That Won’t Break Your Budget

1. Join your local Library

This is probably one of the most affordable options on this list. I joined my local library a few years ago and even though I don’t always use it to its full advantage, my library card is quite powerful and allows me to do a lot of things. Not only can I borrow physical books from my local library, but I can also borrow them from any library that is connected to them and then return them to a different location and they will make their way back to where it needs to be.

My library also offers E-books, Audiobooks, and digital copies of Magazines free of charge through both the Libby and BorrowBox apps. I can also access Linkedin Learning and Kanopy which offer movies and tv shows. Honestly, there is so much I can do with my library card its amazing.

So I encourage you to check out your local library, obviously, every library will have different offerings but It is definitely worth a look to see what they offer, it could mean that you can borrow a book you have been dying to read but not have to spend that hard-earned money. so win-win.

2. Shop Second-Hand

I love checking second-hand shops for books, often I find something from my wishlist and for only a few dollars, bargain. Or I find something interesting that I may not have gravitated to normally.

If you have the advantage of having a few second-hand/Thrift shops near you why not go check them out in your free time and see what they have to offer. I can spend hours in a thrift shop filing through the books for some gems, so don’t be afraid to really get in there and have a good look, who knows what you might find.

3. Sign up for an E-Book Subscription Service

If you can afford an ‘E-Book Subscription Service’ like Kindle Unlimited or Kobo Plus it can be a great affordable option to find new reading material, while there won’t be many best sellers or popular mainstream authors on there, there is an abundance of indie authors who share their books through these types of services. And while self-published authors might put you off, I assure you there are some great independent authors out there and you probably won’t find them scouring your local bookshop or library either.

I have in the past not been the biggest fan of Kindle Unlimited but at the time it was in its infancy, I recently signed up again because a few books I was interested in were offered as part of their service. I plan on staying subscribed for a while, so I can save money and so I feel less enticed to buy new books. I plan on using this and my local library to find new books when I’m not reading something from my own vast collection.

These types of services are often quite affordable and even if you don’t want to use an Amazon service which I totally understand, there are a few other options out there including Kobo Plus and Scribd, just to name a couple. Some offer just E-books, while others also offer Audio-books as well.

These services are all similar prices but vary depending on what country you live in. And if you don’t own an e-reader like a Kindle you can access them through an app on your phone or tablet devices, so you are not limited to having to own one to access these services.

4. Borrow or Swap a book with a friend or family member

If you are fortunate enough to have friends or family members who are also fond of reading, then you could always ask to borrow a book off their shelf or maybe ask if they want to do a book swap and then you can talk about the books you swapped after you have read them and share your thoughts over a cup of tea or coffee.

Not only do you get a new book to read but you also have a conversation starter once you have finished the book. Maybe you could even make a book date with your friend and talk books while both enjoying each other’s company and some coffee and cake, just to make it extra special.

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I hope you enjoyed this post, did it give you some ideas to try out? let me know in the comments.

Until next time, I hope you have an awesome day.

Erin.

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Image credits: images 2, 4 & 5 were sourced through Adobe Stock. Image 2 source, image 4 source, image 5 source.

Disclaimer – This post is not sponsored and doesn’t contain any affiliate links, links included are for reference only in case you are interested in checking out anything mentioned in this post. Read my full Disclaimer here.

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