Do you typically buy the read-alouds that go along with your spines?

[melissel]

I'd really rather not spend the money, but having the books on hand would make my life sooooo much easier. The ability to get to the library is erratic around here, so I'm wondering if I'm better off buying and reselling. I'm think specifically of the books that would go with SOTW Vol. 1 right now. Someone was selling a big lot of them on the FS board and I debated buying them but opted not to, and now I'm totally kicking myself :(

[Jenny in Florida]

I buy carefully, getting everying I can from discount bookstores and on sale and comparing prices to get the best deal on everything else. But I do buy most of them.

[Parrothead]

I buy ours. I may not necessarily buy the books recommended in TWTM, but I do buy our books. Our library system isn't what it could be.

[hsmom]

I buy everything, but I have a pretty sorry library also. We are also really far from any book stores, so I shop around on the internet and buy.

[ArwenA]

We have a good library but still buy more than we should. :001_smile: I like having books ready to go and not be crossing my fingers that they'll make it to the local branch on time. It makes life so much easier.

[PariSarah]

. . . and I can get anything I want ILLed through the university. Takes just a little thinking ahead. So there's no reason for me to buy anything but the keepers.

[terrylee]

I am looking into this myself at the moment. I really like the idea of having what I need on hand.

 

Terrylee

[KIN]

I buy everything and love it. :) We have a very, very poor library system and my oldest is a big reader. I love having non-twaddle on the shelf for him to pull off and read anytime he wishes. And, I have 3 more coming along behind that will read it all too.

[Jennay]

I was doing FIAR sporatically because I couldn't aways get the books I wanted when I needed them. So now I'm mainly doing Sonlight and buying everything so it's right on the shelf. We get so much more done and I feel more organized.

[Quiver0f10]

I haven't before, but for this coming year I bought all the books we will need for our history and lit programs. The savings in time was worth it and if I need to I can always resell them when we are done.

[PeterPan]

I wouldn't stress over buying read-alouds for that level, because they may or may not be books your dc will ever want to read again. You could do SOTW with none of the suggested read alouds and life would go on, just fine. Check into longer check-out periods, the kind they give teachers at your library. With the age of your kids, I would focus on buying regular read-alouds, quality literature books (those listed in the SL catalog for instance). You're not going to want everything you read aloud at that age to be history and there's not that much good ancients lit for that age anyway. As your dc take off with reading, you'll see what their bent is, what they tend to like to read and hence are likely to REREAD, and that will clue you in to where to put your book budget.

 

As for whether you should buy books, of course you should. Buy books, not food or clothes. Add shelves as the ultimate home decor. Books look good dusty or clean. Books look good en masse and scattered everywhere. You can never have too many books and there's nothing more inspiring than being surrounded by them. Try it and see. Let them pile up. Search out used bookstores and online vendors to buy them affordably. Search out yearly sales with local homeschool groups. Bring home piles and piles till you have no more room, then the dh will build shelves so you can have more. My dh started off building me just a 9' wall of shelves, but after a few years he finally got on board. Now we have bookshelves creeping up hither and yon, spawning, replicating, and somehow filling themselves. Must happen at night between 1 and 3 am. ;)

 

PS. I buy all our books for everything, can't afford library fines. I don't know what I spend each year on books, but that's only because I wouldn't want to be able to ANSWER when dh asks, lol. I think books create a richness of soul and experience, opening the doors of the world to the dc. I grew up very poor but my dear grandma would take me around to sales to buy books, lots and lots of books. Some people grow up rich and never have many books, go figure. The key, because there are so many on the planet, is to put your dollars first and foremost into books your dc are likely to reread. Until you know their bent, you won't know what those books will be. When you buy particularly engaging books, say SL books, you're upping the probability they'll get used again. Nothing worse than paying $10 for some "recommended" book that turns out to be thin, one use, and not very engaging, when you could have had 3 or 4 really great used paperbacks for the same price. Put your money is what will get enjoyed again.

[Jenny in Atl]

I tend to buy due to poor libraries and the bk I need always seems to be checked out when I need it. I justify this by the fact I will use most all at least twice. Then I sell the ones we don't love.

[Sandi_NC]

We buy whenever possible - and even then we usually buy! Like OhElizabeth said, focus on buying regular read-alouds and good, quality literature to build your personal library with. Our library is small and ILL is expensive and not very reliable, so I search for used books, the library bookstore, thrift store, anywhere I can and stock up even if they are books I won't use for a year or more. My dd likes to read the Boxcar Children and enjoys getting them from the library. But she won't read them a 2nd or 3rd time - so we borrow those - but there are other books she enjoys reading time and time again, like Misty of Chincoteague, so that is a book for our permanent shelves.

[Tweed]

but buy alot. When the kids were doing SOTW 1 a couple of years ago, I borrowed most of the books we needed from the library because I can't really see spending a ton of money on picture books, which is basically what our read-alouds were back then. Picture books tend to be costly and you get little bang for your buck, so to speak, because they are pretty light on information and the kids outgrow them quickly. Now that they are on SOTW 3, I almost always buy the books because they are more "mature", it takes awhile to read them, they normally don't cost much, and they will be used again with the younger kids in a couple of years.

[materursa]

As for whether you should buy books, of course you should. Buy books, not food or clothes. Add shelves as the ultimate home decor. Books look good dusty or clean. Books look good en masse and scattered everywhere. You can never have too many books and there's nothing more inspiring than being surrounded by them. Try it and see. Let them pile up.

 

:iagree:

That was wonderfully said!

[WTMindy]

I buy as little as possible (and I am a book-LOVER!) If I can find it at the library I do, and we have a great library system here!! But, let's just say I get my money's worth out of our library!!

[Melanie in WI]

We have a good library system, but I like to buy many of the books. Lately, I've been getting extra copies from the library so we don't have to share the books. I have 2 in the same level, so if I can get three copies it goes much smoother.

[Chris in VA]

I don't buy books for history, unless I find some very good ones used. I did purchase quite a few of the Winter Promise AS 1 books, both outright and thru Paperback Swap--but now we aren't going to do it, and no one seems to want to buy them.

 

I do buy quality hardcovers and a few paperbacks, of the kind of stories I know dd will read over and over. SOTW 1 has a couple, but most are just really nice picture books, or very short chapter books. These are simply outgrown too fast around here.

 

DD is still on her Nancy Drew kick--we bought a starter set for her, but everything else comes from the library. We use our library extensively--and, being in a suburban area, we have two regular and 2 regional libraries within 20 minutes. I often give them a list, and they pull the books for me, so I only have to pick them up. Sometimes I've seen people get discouraged about their libraries, because they can't find the specific books they are looking for. But, any librarian worth his salt will be able to find a substitute for you. I mostly just search the shelf in the non-fiction section if I can't find a specific book I want--but you can't do that with fiction, of course.

[Nestof3]

It really depends.

 

Beginning readers are usually not bought because they are read so quickly. I do have a few I found at thrift stores and yard sales, but for the most part, I get these at the library.

 

Literature read alouds are bought if they are our favorites, and I like to have some of the classics on the shelves -- Milne, White, Dahl, Potter, etc.

 

For science and history, I ask myself if it's a keeper. Is it a perfect blend of info and pictures? I love books that are a pleasure to look at AND read. Is it a classic compilation of stories? Some are just books I say "yes" to: D'Aulaire's Book of Greek Myths, for example. I do want to have a good spine of a library with quality books from each time period. Castle Diary is another that comes to mind. I would love to own all the Let's Read and Find Out Science and Gail Gibbons books, but for now I only own copies I find used. I would also love to own all of Yesterday's Classics, but only have a few. Money is an object. :glare:

 

I tend to buy older books and books that seem like books that would go out of print. Sometimes it seems like the fluff stays around longer than the deep.

 

Also, if it's a fabulous resource my library doesn't stock, sometimes I'll request them to order it, and sometimes I'll order it for myself.

[Punkinelly]

Yes, used online and from a local used book store. Also eBay and half.com.

 

Mary

[Mommy22alyns]

We're big book people anyway, and live in a small town so the library isn't all that great. I'm starting to scour used bookstores and half.com, etc. for a lot of them, trying to save some money. We have bookshelves on 3/4 of the walls in our house!

[4babybirds]

I bought more this past year and it was definitely easier. Sometimes the library books weren't available when we needed them, sometimes I forgot to renew on time, etc. so having them on hand made us use them more.

[mamato4]

most of our books for school but I've learned that my money is better used when I buy books geared towards the older kids. My criteria is usually:

1. Will I use it again?

2. Is it an interesting enough book that the children will reread it themselves outside of school?

3. Does the story have any values that I would want them to emulate?

 

God Bless,

Anna

[melissel]

Thank you everyone, you've all made many good points here. I decided I'm going to try to get as many as I could through Paperbackswap, and the rest I'll have to get at the library.

 

I appreciate all the input!

[nmoira]

I purchase most of the read-alouds, especially those for history. It doesn't take much rationalizing; I amortize book purchases over two kids and, depending on the mood, hypothetical grandkids. :) Reading lists are drawn up months ahead of time so I have the luxury of time to look for deals. Living less than 10 minutes from Powells helps -- or hurts, depending on your perspective. More often than not I overbuy, but since my oldest is a voracious reader, extras get read. Now the question is, do I really need six different version of the Arthur story plus the Crossley-Holland trilogy, with plans to purchase T.A. Barron? And how did I miss putting White and Mallory in Library Thing? Ummm, yeah, sure. They are at different reading, maturity, and (time) commitment levels. Yeah, that's it.

[Narrow Gate Academy]

We rarely buy read-alouds here. I tend to use what the library has available. Sometimes my oldest will love a book so much that she will ask for it for Christmas or birthday. Sometimes I will buy a book or two that I simply can't find at the library (usually relating to church history). Otherwise, I stick with the library. Even with a few fines here and there, it saves a lot of money.

[Wendy in ME]

I can't resist buying books. My dh thinks that I need a 12 step program. Seriously though, I just love being able to go to the shelf and pull out the books that I need. Our library is poor, I work a full time job so my time is limited and I have 2 younger boys that will get to benefit from the books. I have also had great luck sell the ones that I don't think are worth the shelf space.

[Leslie in TN]

Another vote for using book swap sites like PaperbackSwap or BookMooch.. the more homeschoolers use these sites, the easier life is on all of us! I got about 90% of last year's read aloud/free reading titles this way.

[Michelle T]

I will buy spine books, but use the library for read alouds, readers, books only used for a couple weeks. If the library doesn't have a specific title, I usually will substitute with something similar.

 

I just don't have room or money to buy all the books I'd like. Also, I only have one child, so nobody to use them with for a second go around.

Michelle T

[Virginia Heather]

If I can get a book through the library, that's what I do. If my boys fall in love with one in particular, I'll add it to a birthday or Christmas list (they always get several books for those occasions) so that we can slowly but surely build up their personal libraries. For the most part though, I make very good use of our library system (and fortunately we have a good one!).

[Karen in CO]

I like to get a big list of books and reserve them at the library. Once I receive them, I try to pre-read them. The ones that I like and think are worth having, I buy. The rest, I determine if they are worth checking out and reading to the kids or I cross them off the list.

 

This works for me because I have a good library and I am a fast reader. I love to find used books or to swap books. I am also getting pretty good at admitting that some books just need to find better homes so I sell them to fund purchase of books on my need-to-own list.

 

It is important to find the balance between buying and borrowing that works for you, your kids, and your library.

[Peela]

I tend to buy. I look ahead, sometimes way ahead, and write a list, and keep a lookout 2nd hand- swap meet, ebay, out and about at op shops.

Worse than the library for me is reading off the computer. I just find reading it, or worse again, printing it, such a pain, but I am pretty good with 2nd hand stuff so things usually turn up cheap sooner or later.

if its a book a child is going to read in one hit, I don't mind the library. But if its something we will stretch out over a term, I will buy.

[Linda in NM]

We occasionally buy two...so we read aloud together...too many books! too little time!

[Tami]

1) too expensive

 

2) have to store the things, and I only keep the best of the best

 

3) I choose books *I* like, which may be different from what my dd gravitates toward

 

4) Less choices. Since money is limited, I would not be able to buy the pluthera of books available at my library

 

5) Too structured.

 

 

We have a wonderful library and visit it weekly. We keep a book basket (or 2) full of library books! Dd loves going to the library and finding books. We usually have a basket of history/literature/fine arts-related choices. We also get free reading, art, and craft books there.

 

Even with a few fines it is not even CLOSE to what other folks spend on buying their books. Plus, we have so many choices.

 

The library is a delight.

[kalanamak]

I'd really rather not spend the money, but having the books on hand would make my life sooooo much easier. The ability to get to the library is erratic around here, so I'm wondering if I'm better off buying and reselling. I'm think specifically of the books that would go with SOTW Vol. 1 right now. Someone was selling a big lot of them on the FS board and I debated buying them but opted not to, and now I'm totally kicking myself :(

 

My time is pinched, our library has good reference books for kids but not the readalouds I want, and I don't want to wait on interlibrary loan, etc.

I buy, but used or 4 for 3 on Amazon. I also use my Amazon charge card and pay my taxes, etc on it, and I've gotten 4 "25 dollar off" chits from the card already.

Besides, kiddo loves to revisit books weeks and months later.

[PeterPan]

BTW, the books where I put my money are oop history books for dd, things you can't get at the library anymore. She's a huge history buff, so when I plunk out for a shelf or two of books on a topic, I know she'll be back reading them again and again. Right now we're wrapping up the Middle Ages, but she's had out books we read two years ago when covering Egypt, Hatshepsut, and all that. So having books around the house works, as it lets them become old friends. But if I had a good library, were of a character that actually got them BACK on-time, and was trying to check out things that would actually BE in the library, that would be different. I'm looking for oop stuff that isn't. I just found a series by Clara Ingram Judson that looks delightful, bought the whole set save one when I found it at the convention. You just can't find stuff like that at the library anymore! When your dc is 5, you don't really see where they're going, what they're going to like to read. Now that I know my dd, I plunk out for her, knowing it will get used and that it makes my life easier.

 

I would buy any books that you need in a timely fashion for which there are not substitutes (say to make a SL core work) or books that get used all year long (an usborne or kingfisher book cited frequently). But picture books and low level stuff, I'd be very cautious about buying. As the others said, you use them very briefly, the cost is high, and there are ready substitutes at the library.

[melissel]

But if I had a good library, were of a character that actually got them BACK on-time, and was trying to check out things that would actually BE in the library, that would be different.

 

LOL! Actually, my character was part of the consideration. I have a terrible time with library books. It's not unheard for me to have to pay...well, quite a bit in library fines when I go in. We do have a good library system, and our ILL is generally OK, but I've been relying on them for my FIAR and geography readalouds, which all coordinate with whatever country we're studying each week, and I've gotten nailed a few times when the books have taken much longer than expected to come in. Also, I'm starting to get a bit of attitude when I go to get my huge stack of hold books and return my huge stack of already-read books. Admittedly, I'm a lot more work than most at the library counter (as are most homeschoolers, I'm sure).

 

I also have a younger kid coming up behind the first one, so assuming that SOTW works out for us, I'll most likely be using anything I acquire again, if I take good care of it.

 

My main concern, though, is that like Wendy in ME, I work almost full-time, so I hate when my inability to get to the library derails our studies for the week, and I ESPECIALLY hate when I can't get there in time and they send our "on hold" books back to the original library. I think owning at least some of them will make life a bit easier.