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Hi, I'm Karen Ballum. but I'm better know around the web as Sassymonkey. I live in Ottawa, Ontario -- Canada's national capital. (No, I do not wo...
 
 
 
 

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The Library Saved Me $1128.27 This Year

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You've heard people say that using the library will save you money. I've heard your excuses not to use it. It's out of the way. I end up paying late fees. The book I want to read is checked out. My library charges me for requests. It's inconvenient. Piffle! We live in an instant gratification society and we're used to getting what we want when we want it and who cares if we have to pay for it. Again, piffle! The library has saved me $1128.27 so far this year. And guess what, I've only been using the library since March and the year isn't over yet.

You're probably wondering how I came up with that amount. The $1128.27 figure seems quite exact and it is...but it also isn't. I maintain a spreadsheet where I list all the books I read each year. It's a Google Spreadsheet which I like because it means that I can access it from anywhere and it helps me keep track of not only what I've read but what types of books I'm reading. I just added two more columns to it - one for "Library/Owned/Borrowed" and one for the cover price of the book. I used the cover price to get the amount,ie the price I would expect to pay in any bookstore that I walked into, and not the price that I can get online or second-hand. The amount is, of course, debatable. In addition to not using sale or discount prices I also didn't include magazines, videos, musicCDs and cookbooks because I don't keep track of them and while I could remember some of them I wouldn't remember all of them. And well, the prices are in Canadian dollars. The price of a book in Canada versus the United States ranges from being the same price to being as much as 40% more. I personally found my biggest individual savings were in non-fiction and audio books but I read so much fiction that the quantity of what I read makes those a big saver. I'm comfortable with the amount even though it scared the pants off me to calculate it.

There are easier ways to calculate the value of your library use. The Maine State Library, Brooks Memorial Library and Montana State Library all have calculators to help you. You input how many books, movies, magazines, etc you borrow each month and it spits out a number. In my case I've read 46 library books since March. That's just about six books per month. Using those calculators it works out to between $90-150/month which is between $1080-1800 per year. I know what you are saying, and yes I do read a lot. Let's say you read just one book a month or twelve books a year. That's between $180-324 per year. Add one DVD per month in addition to that one book and your savings shoot up to $228-588 over the course of a year. Do you commute? If you borrow one audio book per month (which more often than not you can download right to your MP3 player) you'll save $120-492 over a year on audio books alone.

Now are you going to sit there and tell me that your library fines are going to be more than that each year?

As I've said, calculating all of this was scary. I actually added up all the books I've read in the past year (library, borrowed, owned and ARC copies) to date. That is 93 books so far and the total came to $2047.10. Ouch, ouch, ouch! If I were really dedicated I'd probably add up all the books in my apartment but I'm afraid if I did that I'd have to go hide under my bed. With a very large bottle of wine. Or maybe tequila. Needless to say that I will be triple thinking before buying any more books.The library is my friend and we're going to get even friendlier.

So how do I use the library effectively? Here are my tips.

- The online catalogue is your best friend. I check my account almost daily and when the catalogue is down for maintenance it drives me insane. (Obsessive? Me? Never!) Most libraries have moved their requests online as well. I love requesting books online. It's like shopping! But free!Ok , so maybe it's not free at your library so we'll say it's very, very discounted. Even if your library charges $1 per request and you request one book per month you'll

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SoMuchMoreThanAMom 5 pts

This is difficult for me to accept because I LOVE owning books but it does make a lot of sense when we're making so many cutbacks. Plus, who doesn't love going to the library?! Nice post!

http://somuchmorethanamom.wordpress.com/ ( http://m/ )

daniinnc 5 pts

I never have been much of a book buyer, so I am thankful for my local library. With six of us in the household, we would go broke if we bought all the books we read. The day our library put their request system online was practically a holiday around here :-). I request books and my husband makes the weekly pick-up on Mondays. 

Speaking of different formats, I didn't realize how many large-print books my library stocked until I got one accidentally. I hate to admit it, but large-print has improved my reading experience immensely. I didn't think that small print was a factor in me not getting into a book until I tried books with larger print.

thesassykathy 5 pts

For the past year I've really cut back on book-buying and once again become intimate with my local library.  When I was younger I haunted the library ALL of the time, but then came a period of deep and undying bookstore obsession, that made me feel the need to purchase all books.  Now that I'm an avid library-visitor again, I can read guiltfree!  I really adore owning a brand new book, but they are just WAY too expensive. 

 (And I love that you keep a list of what you've read too.  I've been doing this since SIXTH grade!  And so happy I have.  It's great to look back on now for recommendations or simply to remember what I've read for all these years!) 

turbo-mom 5 pts

Funny, I just blogged on this very same topic this week!   

The biggest savings for us (after books, of course!) have come from borrowing DVDs from our library over the years.  We're allowed 5 DVDs at a time for one week.  Borrowing (instead of buying) DVDs alone have saved us well over $1,000 this year as well.

Kristin, author of the Turbo-Mom's Guide to Saving Money without Wasting Time.  www.turbo-mom.com/blog ( http://www.turbo-mom.com/ )

laurie 5 pts

I am a hard core library user. I tend to be ruled by my requests (although I do my best to manage them) and sometimes feel a bit opressed when too many books arrive at once. I love that the library is accessible to everyone, that I don't feel like I've wasted anything if I take out a book and then don't want to read it and I LOVE the feeling that I have been shopping without spending any money.

I've completed 55 books so far this year (not counting the ones I read with my kids). 32 of those came from the library (although I ended up buying 4 of those because I HAD to own them).

Everyone in my family had their own library card. My five year old got his first one a couple of months ago and he was SO proud (and they gave him coupons for a swim at a local pool and free pizza!). My ten year old monitors his own account online, is responsible for due dates and for paying his own fines...

Great post!

laurie

www.notjustaboutcancer.blogspot.com ( http://www.notjustaboutcancer.blogspot.com )

Candelaria Silva 5 pts

How cool it is for you and your children to use the library this way.  I will also suggest to a friend that having her child read the printed copy of the book while listening to the audio copy may just be a way to get her son into reading.

Hooray for libraries!

blog.candelariasilva.com

Good and plenty!

future4mykidz 5 pts

 My oldest and I have been going to the library for a little over a month now and oh the savings.  We get VHS, DVD, and cds all the time now, my youngest loves when we come home cuz he gets to see the new tapes he can watch.  THe oldest has gotten into reading along with books on cd and tape, which helps me out considerably (not having to always read to him while he pulls on the books to see the pages).  Not only that but it takes him less time to read a book and he can make book reports on them for school faster (he pays attention more too).  I did a mini calculate and in the month we have been going just on the movies, cds, audio books and paperback kids books so he can follow along the cost was over $950 in savings.  I about fell outta this chair when I saw that

 Tammie

 http://mommysonlineworkn.blogspot.com/

http://easypeasygreenguide.blogspot.com/

justcallmewoman 5 pts

Two ways that I have found to avoid the costs of using the library is volunteer and sign up for their email service.  By volunteering on a weekly basis, we are at the library at regular intervals and this allows us to get our books back in a timely basis.  Also, our library subscribes to an email service that emails you when your books are coming due.  This service has been invaluable.  I highly recommend that you find out if your library offers such a service.

 Furthermore, I would argue that you probably have saved much more.  If any of these books gave you money saving ideas this figure could double or triple.

As we have been looking at towns to move in, we always check out the library first. 

KatieBeez 5 pts

right now too!  Looks like you are going through them faster than me though - I just started book 4. My mom keeps feeding them to me and these are really fun.  

There's a HBO series based on the show that started this Fall, True Blood I think.  I'd be curious to check it just to see how close they stay to the book.

makeupmoxie 5 pts

Thanks for the great idea, Lisa! I'll see if my local Starbucks would be up for that. This is defnitely the kind of reading that goes well with a leisurely latte.

If they're not up for it, you also reminded me of another good option. Last summer, freestanding Kiehl's stores held a free book exchange where you could come in and swap your books for some new summer reading.

Yet another good idea for books that are just collecting dust would be to donate them to a local library and bulk up its holdings for all our fellow library-lovers :)

Jazmin

Makeup Moxie ( http://www.makeupmoxie.com/ ) | Best Kept Beauty Secrets ( http://www.capessa.com/members/groupabout.aspx?g=1... )

Candelaria Silva 5 pts

They save you money, time, create community, and you can renew books via phone or email!

I blogged about my local library and sent my post to them.  This made them feel very appreciated.

In Boston, there's even a reference line you can call and get all sorts of useful information.

Great post.

blog.candelariasilva.com

Good and plenty!

gringainteguz 5 pts

 I used to live in suburban New Orleans, and I could walk to the library in every neighborhood  that I lived in.  I loved the library, too.  Now I live in Honduras, and I am amazed at the lack of libraries and affordable books. I was in a popular bookstore the other day. Small paperbacks were over 7 dollars, and softbacks were over $15.  The average Honduran makes between 2 and 3 dollars a day. Even libraries in private schools that I have seen are pitiful. One of my goals is to get better stocked libraries and more internet services for students in poor communities in Honduras. Maybe some of us could use the money we save by using the library to buy a book for a kid. Or a community. Even in the US, there are kids who need better resources.

Laurie,

 laurieishere.blogspot.com

geekgirl 5 pts

I love the library for books.

But I also love it for its children's section. I take my daughter in there weekly and whenever the weather is bad. We are fortunate to have a library system with many children's books, dvds and computers.

Christine

Geek Thoughts ( http://geekthoughts.net/wp/ ) Technology doesn't have to be boring.
Frog In North Georgia ( http://froginnorthgeorgia.com/frogwp/ ) No, I'm not from around here.

Lisa Stone 6 pts

Locals started bringing in their paperbacks and contributing them to a reading shelf in the corner. Anyone can read anything as long as they don't take it out of the store, per the honor system. I love it! So Jazmin, this is where I'm going to donate my own recent acquisitions (that I should have checked out from the library, natch) and feel less guilty about the 30 bucks I dropped that I could've saved...

Terrific post Sassy, thank you!

Lisa Stone
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makeupmoxie 5 pts

Sassymonkey, this is such a great post...and particularly timely for me. I very recently have become addicted to The Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris (they're pulpy, but incredibly entertaining). I bought seven of the eight books in the series this week and they're such quick reads that I now have a stack of them sitting on one of my already over-populated bookshelves.

I was just thinking how I could have saved myself some money by borrowing them : )

Jazmin

Makeup Moxie ( http://www.makeupmoxie.com/ ) | Best Kept Beauty Secrets ( http://www.capessa.com/members/groupabout.aspx?g=1... )

Denise 9 pts moderator

I'm just guessing at how much my library has saved me, and it's not even close but here's how I came up with this number.

Since I don't have the time to figure out exactly how much each library book I've read so far this year cost, I'm calling them all $10 --- so that's a flat $930.

TW reads twice as many books a year as I do so multiply that by 2 - $1860.

Then, look at the books that I've read in my from the stacks challenge and note that almost all of them have come from purchases at the Friends of the Library book sale. Multiply that savings by 2 and I'm guessing $300 saved.

$2160. That's huge. And, I must note that this was an unusual year... we didn't go to the library at all for more than two months... and I've read significantly fewer books this year than normal.

Libraries are huge money savers. HUGE.

~Denise
BlogHer Community Manager

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heatherstl90 5 pts

We love our love our local library!!!!

Liz Henry 5 pts

Not to mention the square footage you'd need to store that $2000 worth of books! If I calculated the percentage of my house that a single bookshelf is worth,  and added that in to the price of the books, it might significantly increase that cost.

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Anali 5 pts

Great post! I've been using my library a lot and even wrote a post about it.  See the link below. 

http://analisfirstamendment.blogspot.com/2008/09/b...

I could never afford to buy all the books that I read and I don't have the storage either.  Thanks for highlighting one of our most precious community resources.

Anali's First Amendment ( http://analisfirstamendment.blogspot.com/ )

sassymonkey 6 pts

I know of a few people who keep spreadsheets. In theory I could just look at my book blog and figure out what I've read but sometimes you just need to see it at a glance, you know?

And late fees? I rack those up about once a month because I haven't quite finished a book I really want to read. Case in point, I have a book due back tomorrow that I haven't started yet and I likely wouldn't finish in one day. Can't renew it. Do I start it and return it late or return it and then request it again? Decisions, decisions. :)

Sassymonkey ( http://sassymonkey.ca/ ) and Sassymonkey Reads ( http://sassymonkeyreads.ca/ ).

sassymonkey 6 pts

The very first library I ever used was a bookmobile. I had completely forgotten about it and as soon as you said that it all came rushing back. Thank you for reminding me of that wonderful memory. :)

Sassymonkey ( http://sassymonkey.ca/ ) and Sassymonkey Reads ( http://sassymonkeyreads.ca/ ).

sassymonkey 6 pts

And ours are "bucking and swaying" as you said. We're going to buy one more and then that's it. There will have to be a lot more culling and a lot less buying after that. Which really just means a lot more library books!

Sassymonkey ( http://sassymonkey.ca/ ) and Sassymonkey Reads ( http://sassymonkeyreads.ca/ ).

sassymonkey 6 pts

On the positive side books are easy to pack and when you've packed up a bookcase or two you feel like you've been really productive! lol

You are right, if you don't reread them why own them? I don't reread every book that I own (heck, there's too many of them that I haven't even read yet) but I do like to reread books. Or even just have them around - they frequently remind me of times and places I've been. Yeah, I'm sentimental about books. lol

Sassymonkey ( http://sassymonkey.ca/ ) and Sassymonkey Reads ( http://sassymonkeyreads.ca/ ).

sassymonkey 6 pts

I always buy a few around the holidays but I've stopped buying magazines regularly. I'll borrow some at the library now and then but overall I don't really miss them. And it's definitely helped cut down my grocery bill since most of the them I threw them into the cart when I was bored and waiting in line.

Sassymonkey ( http://sassymonkey.ca/ ) and Sassymonkey Reads ( http://sassymonkeyreads.ca/ ).

sassymonkey 6 pts

We didn't have them often but oh how I loved them. Ours were frequently held in the library which didn't hurt. ;-) I'm still a sucker for a good book sale.

Since I already use the library so much swapping isn't a great solution for me but I'm happy that it works for you.

Sassymonkey ( http://sassymonkey.ca/ ) and Sassymonkey Reads ( http://sassymonkeyreads.ca/ ).

sassymonkey 6 pts

We're planning to buy one more bookcase but then that's going to be it. We're going to have to start doing more weeding and less buying.

Sassymonkey ( http://sassymonkey.ca/ ) and Sassymonkey Reads ( http://sassymonkeyreads.ca/ ).

sassymonkey 6 pts

I've heard good things about that library system. I've checked the website and it looks like they have some great programs and speakers.

Sassymonkey ( http://sassymonkey.ca/ ) and Sassymonkey Reads ( http://sassymonkeyreads.ca/ ).

sassymonkey 6 pts

The library and book blogs in combination keep me hopping on the reading front. It's got the double advantage for avid readers because it helps you keep down cost and clutter. I don't know about you but we're running out of room for more bookcases around here... ;-)

Sassymonkey ( http://sassymonkey.ca/ ) and Sassymonkey Reads ( http://sassymonkeyreads.ca/ ).

sassymonkey 6 pts

I can only imagine how useful the library is for homeschooling. I love that your kids are in charge of their own due dates.

Sassymonkey ( http://sassymonkey.ca/ ) and Sassymonkey Reads ( http://sassymonkeyreads.ca/ ).

9to5to9 5 pts

My guys have been clamoring to go to the library since Big Guy started kindergarten this summer, where they get to go every week. And Little Guy is insanely jealous of everything kindergarten, so of course he's dying to go to.

The library system where I live is great. In addition to the usual, they also offer a lot of children's program, from puppet shows to magicians. They'll survive the current budget problems because the voters in this county were smart enough to approve a dedicated library tax. Yes!

So as soon as I pay my (a-HEM) late fees, I'll take the guys on a field trip. It's a win-win situation: Make 'em happy while sneaking something educational past them.

Oh, and I love that you kept a spreadsheet, sassymonkey. I thought I was the only addict. :)

Debra Legg
9to5to9 ( http://debralegg.com/ )

Savor This Moment 5 pts

 Great post.  You really gave some great tips and ideas for utilizing your local library.  I've always loved libraries - at school, or the local library, and now that I'm in rural Missouri, I take advantage of many of the programs our library offers.  That would include the "Bookmobile" (a travelling mini-library) and the story time for Pre-school aged children.

 We also borrow movies at least once a month, and can keep them for a week.  This is a great savings over most movie rental places.

 One downfall with our Rural Library system is that they don't always have the latest and greatest, but they consider all requests for book purchases.

 They also allow book holds online or by phone, so I don't make a trek into town only to find the book I need for my next book club meeting already checked out.

Annie http://savorthismoment.blogspot.com ( http://savorthismoment.blogspot.com/ )

kperfetto 5 pts

A total savings of:

$2430.00

Wow. 

Available Light ( http://kathy-p.blogspot.com ) & Five Dollar Radio ( http://fivedollarradio.blogspot.com/ )

MrsPollifax 5 pts

Couldn't have said it better! Thanks for adding it KatieBeez.  Recycling rocks.

Most of my favorite memories of childhood include books.  Being read to by my Mom or visiting the library (which luckily enough was just around the corner from our house).  My favorite time at elementary school was when the whole class went to the library or  - good heavens - when there was a book fair!

Today it is a luxury to get the time to go to the library.  I have found that the online book swapping sites work well for me.   By shopping with swapping I am able to get rid of all of those pesky book piles and still get new material to pour over. 

Happy Reading!

Virginia DeBolt 5 pts

my reading problems as well as helping me achieve my goal of living smaller and recycling more. I've spent most of my life with bookshelves on every wall, all of them bulging and sway backed. I finally decided to stop buying every book I wanted to read, and to give away most of the ones I already had. I'm down to four bookshelves now, which may seem like a lot, but it isn't when compared with my former library. And since I read three or four new books a week, the library really saves me a lot of money.

Virginia DeBolt
BlogHer Technology Contributing Editor ( http://www.blogher.com/blog/virginia-debolt )
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Zandria 5 pts

I've been taking advantage of local libraries for years, and in a number of locations where I've lived. One big reason for me, on top of the cost savings, is the ability to read the book and then not have to store it. I know some people love-love-love their bookshelves and don't mind carrying them from one place to another when they move...but that person isn't me. I used to collect books, but now I'm down to just a few that hold some special meaning for me.

(It's very rare for me to re-read a book, so if I'm not going to read it again, why keep it?)

Personal blog: Zandria.us ( http://www.zandria.us )
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Jupitersinclair 5 pts

 I should figure it out. We use the library for borrowing movies (we don't have sable or sattelilite) and CDs too. Even if I just rented all those movies we borrow instead of buying them, we're still looking at a huge savings. Like Christine, there was no way I could have homeschooled without our local library system!

Oh,oh...and also, I no longer subscribe to magazines. Instead, I borrow or read them at the library and copy articles or ideas I want to keep on the copy machine. There's also a magazine exchange shelf I often take from. That's definitely a huge savings there, as well as a big cut in the amount of clutter in our house (and the environmental factor,too)

Jupiter's Blog ( http://jupitersinclair.wordpress.com/ )

KatieBeez 5 pts

Good for you.  And borrowing books is better for the environment, and saves space too.

Giyen 5 pts

The Seattle Public Library is super user friendly.  You can order any book that is in their vast catalog online and have it delivered to the nearest library branch within a day or so.  It is awesome.

Great reminder!

Giyen

Bacon Is My Enemy ( http://www.baconismyenemy.com )

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debra_the_gamer 5 pts

Wow, I was blown away by this post!  I have always been aware of the library and use it once in a while, but haven't actually looked at it the way you have explained. It is true that it can save money, especially when you read as much as I do.

I think I am going to start using the library more which should start reducing my book expenses!!

Thanks

Debra ( http://www.minigametime.com )

Colormepink 5 pts

I coudn't afford to homeschool if I had to buy all of our resources.  The library makes it really simple to put my kids' educations in their own hands as well.  They both have their own card and their own online PINS - they do their requesting and they're in charge of their due dates.  It's teaches them responsibility as well, and if they screw up, well, it's only a couple of pennies a day.  I can deal with that.

I love the library. 

Chrsitine
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