ProudGrandma Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 and they don't have many books that you would want your children to read (and you weren't close to a bigger library) do you justify buying books for your kids? we live in a small town about 45 minutes away from a large library and I am trying to be super wise with our money as far as books are concerned. I believe that books and reading are VERY important and I have a girl who LOVES to read. Here is a list of books I have in my amazon cart for my 11 year old...does anybody have any strong opinions about these books....or about these books for an 11 year old girl?? Or, is there some books that are MUST haves that aren't on my list that I should consider??? Thanks. Ginger Pye Then There were five Little White Horse Saving Shiloh (she has read the other 2) The School Mouse A Bear called Paddington (chapter book) Funny Frank Love, Ruby Lavender Miss Hickory Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pink&bluemommy Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 I assume you've looked into inter library loan? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProudGrandma Posted August 15, 2011 Author Share Posted August 15, 2011 yes, and it is about $4 per book...for $2 more I can own most of the books on my list. That just doesn't seem to make much sense to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firefly Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 I assume you've looked into inter library loan? :iagree: We have a small library, but thanks to Inter-Library Loan, I have access to almost every book in the state, delivered to my local library for pick up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 I don't know the books on your list - but we usually buy, used if possible, because for a few books that is cheaper than driving to the big library which is an hour away. After trying Interlibrary loan last school year and waiting seven months for a book I had ordered, I do not consider this feasible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 yes, and it is about $4 per book...for $2 more I can own most of the books on my list. That just doesn't seem to make much sense to me. Us too. I was floored when the librarian told me I had to pay $2.00 for each book. I was trying to get kid's books that cost $4 or $5 regular price at B&N (this was 10 years ago). What if we liked them so much that we wanted to check them out again? Yes, I've always justified buying books, even for me and DH. Is there a used book store or thrift store, like Good Will, near you? Even if it is 45 minutes away, one trip can yield a whole bag of books for much less than even Amazon's discounted prices. But then again, I'm a huge Amazon customer so I won't discourage you on that end. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProudGrandma Posted August 15, 2011 Author Share Posted August 15, 2011 :iagree: We have a small library, but thanks to Inter-Library Loan, I have access to almost every book in the state, delivered to my local library for pick up. wow that must be awesome!!!! Count your blessings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProudGrandma Posted August 15, 2011 Author Share Posted August 15, 2011 Us too. I was floored when the librarian told me I had to pay $2.00 for each book. I was trying to get kid's books that cost $4 or $5 regular price at B&N (this was 10 years ago). What if we liked them so much that we wanted to check them out again? Yes, I've always justified buying books, even for me and DH. Is there a used book store or thrift store, like Good Will, near you? Even if it is 45 minutes away, one trip can yield a whole bag of books for much less than even Amazon's discounted prices. But then again, I'm a huge Amazon customer so I won't discourage you on that end. :tongue_smilie: the used books store is FULL of romance novels and not much more...and the Goodwill is terrible too. We live in the middle of Nebraska....not near any really large cities...so options are super limited. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firefly Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 wow that must be awesome!!!! Count your blessings. Oops, sorry, we must have posted at the same time. I had no idea some libraries charged a fee for this service! :( I wanted to second the Amazon recommendation-- they have a great seller market place as well, where you can find some really great bargains. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
celticmom Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 You may wish to look into the free digital downloads on Project Gutenburg. They have alot of classics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blessed3x Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 Do you have a used book store close to you? Or better yet, have you tried paperback swap? :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProudGrandma Posted August 15, 2011 Author Share Posted August 15, 2011 Do you have a used book store close to you? Or better yet, have you tried paperback swap? :) I just went on paperback swap, haven't been on there for a long time...but you can now just buy the books out and out? I just checked one, but it was cheaper than amazon...interesting. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hypatia. Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 Our library has a decent selection, but with how bad I am about getting them back on time :blushing: I usually end up buying them used on Amazon. It ends up cheaper in the long run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy22alyns Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 We're in the same situation - small library, costly ILL. I do buy books a LOT. I try to get used ones as much as possible and we go to a used bookstore as often as we can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twoxcell Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 I buy my almost all of my children's literature used from thrift stores, used book stores, or online. Our library is fairly large but I rarely go to it. I would rather just own a book if it is something I'm going to end up using for all of my kids. Also I do not like taking four kids to the library by myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 I buy most of our readers. I've picked up decent books at thrift stores for years. At .39 for paperbacks it was hard to pass up. Unfortunately we've moved and are not near a good thrift store. Our ILL costs 2.00 per book and I think they are only good for two weeks, that's never enough time for us. Our nearest good library is 30 minutes away. It cost me almost 10.00 in gas to make the round trip. So add the cost of returning books and that's 20.00 to check out a book. Since I don't make regular trips there, it's better economics to buy books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lisamarie Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 I pay $50 a year and use the library in the next county over. My local library is TINY and does not participate in any ILLs. By paying $50, I have access to free ILL throughout the state, free dvds for a week, etc. They lose oodles of money on my account. If I didn't have access to the other library, I would invest in a kindle or buy books--which would be very hard for me. I grew up across the street from a library so I have always had access to free books. Buying books just goes against my nature. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diana B Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 I just went on paperback swap, haven't been on there for a long time...but you can now just buy the books out and out? I just checked one, but it was cheaper than amazon...interesting. Thanks. I know they have links to new books on Amazon, especially if the book you want is not available right at the moment. Also, you can buy credits for just a few $ a piece, which is probably cheaper than most of what you are finding on Amazon. They'd be used, but cheaper. I've also recently heard about BookMooch as well. (Similar to PBS). Do you use SwagBucks? I'm thankful we have access to a large library and many used bookstores, but if I had to buy a lot of books from Amazon - I'd be using my SwagBucks for that. I make a little over $5 a month from Amazon just searching (and a few codes). And I don't search that much. It isn't a lot, but I know people who make a lot more. And $5 is enough for one book. So a free book a month just by searching the internet is good. (I know others who use SB for xmas presents.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProudGrandma Posted August 16, 2011 Author Share Posted August 16, 2011 I think I am just going to buy from Amazon and be done with it for now anyway. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 I just buy what we need/want. Interlibrary loan is hit or miss about getting here on time. Amazon is 2 days. If I order early enough sometimes even overnight. Then when dd outgrows her books or I need to make room for mine, I donate to the library. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MindyD Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 I'd buy the books. In fact, this year I bought the books :). My new library is very hit or miss and I didn't want to scramble to find a book if I couldn't get it at the library. Incidentally, last year we were in an area with a fantastic library, but I had a lot of trouble finding the books I wanted WHEN I wanted them because there was such a large homeschooling community. We were all going after the SOTW book list! This year I decided to bite the bullet and buy the books for literature at least. It wasn't as expensive as I expected, and now all the books I need are on my bookshelf, waiting for their turn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Satori Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 We are far from a library and they don't have the books we want anyway, so we just buy them. I try to buy Amazon's 4-for-3 or else support my local B&N. This month all our local Borders stores are closing so I have been bringing home tons of new books for almost half the cover price. I also just hit up a thrift store and found a dozen in like-new condition. (I normally prefer new books, so it's important to me to find them in new or like-new condition.) I'm adding to my signature a children's literature book list for grades 1-8, sortable by several criteria. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pageta Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 We drive a half hour each way every week to go to a big library. I run errands along with our trip to the library, but still, we do drive that far. If I had to drive an hour, I probably wouldn't go EVERY week but rather once a month or something. Our library lets us keep books for three weeks and renew once, so I would time my trips to correspond to that (so every three weeks, maybe). We have an average of 75-90 books checked out at any given point, so to me it would definitely be worth it. When my kids are older and could read a lot of classic books on a kindle, I might not be so inclined. We check out a lot of picture books, but a lot of books for the SOTW as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 (edited) Yes I would buy books and have done so in similar situations. Some potentially lower cost options: if you regularly shop in a larger area with a better library consider joining that library (including paying the fees if necessary). And plan your visits and library requests around those trips. I might even "do school" at the library once a week, every other week or every month if necessary. Be sure to get every family member a card so you can check out the number of books needed. Search on the internet for used book sales-there are apps for phones, a website (booksalefinder.com, booksalescout.com, and more), etc. Take a book list and hit those when possible to build up your stock at a much lower cost. Don't forget thrift stores. Look for folks on sites like ebay or craigslist selling off large lots of children's books. The cost per book is sometimes rather low. You may have to take a few books you don't want in the lot but they can be sold or donated if the price is right for the ones you do want. Participate in paperback book swap-paperbackswap.com. ETA: You could also get an e-reader of some variety. The books range from free to less expensive than a new print copy and many also work with lending programs available from the public library. Edited August 16, 2011 by JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wy_kid_wrangler04 Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 Our library is VERY small and we are an hour and a half away from a decent one. I do alot of inner library loans, but they charge us $2 a loan and $1 for a renewal. I have decided to just start buying the books because $2-3 x4 kids would be much more than to just buy them. That being said I really make sure I am picking out the best books that cover the most so I don't have to by 30 different books, kwim? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.