momofkhm Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 I send a semi-panicked email to 2 friends who are a year ahead of me in TOG. (I'm finishing yr 2, they are somewhere in yr 3.) I had put together a list of books I would need for next year, marked the ones I have and the ones I an get from the library. Then just for kicks, I put all the rest in my cart at Bookshelf Central to see how much it would cost. Now before I put the total, please realize that I will have 3 kids at 3 different levels - UG, D and R! $1400!!! It is somewhere in the neighborhood of 120-125 books. So anyway, in this email I asked them to keep me in mind if/when they get ready to sell any books. I got an email back from one of them that I can come over when the school years are over and borrow what she has. I love the idea to save money, but I wonder about it as well. I can borrow D level books from her, but when we come back around to yr 3 when ds is D level, it will be the same thing all over again. I will need the same books again. If I buy them now, then I have them. If I borrow them now, I will have to buy or borrow them again. I've been prepping dh for a couple years now that 'yes it's a lot of money now, but in a few years we won't have to buy x, y, z at all.' If she had UG books, I would jump at the chance to borrow them! I won't be needing UG books the next time through. So would you borrow the books from this friend or would you just buy them (used if possible)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WTMindy Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 I would borrow if I could. There might be some that you don't want to use the second time around. I also like to buy my curriculum early (like you did) so I can spend the time poking around the used books and try and pick them up used. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TXMomof4 Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 I am all about buying the books. I will say that when I've tried to use the library I end up spending as much in late fees as I would have if I'd just bought the books. If you're a more responsible person than I am, borrowing may be the better, more frugal route. I am my own worst enemy in this though - or maybe I'm just being passive aggressive and don't even realize it in myself. :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
specialmama Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 I buy 90% of mine. If they're used more than 2 weeks or if they're beautiful keepsake books, I buy them. Books are an investment, and you'll get your dollar's worth. TOG books, as you know, have a high resale value, so not only will you have them for more than one dc, you can then resell them for a nice penny. With this route, you'd also not have to worry about damaging your friend's books, then you'd have to buy a new one anyhow, but you'd have to give it to her! :ohmy: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KayT Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 I hate to borrow books!!! I loan my books out all the time, but I never borrow. I don't like feeling like I am going to mess up someone else's books. I don't feel like I have any freedom with the book, and I feel like I have to keep it locked away. I've done two years of Tapestry so I know its a lot. I had to buy all our books because our library is very small and they only had 1 of the books I needed for the year! You also might want to think about if any of the books will be out of print by the time you need them if that would be a problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy22alyns Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 It is so much easier to just buy the books. I look at them as an investment too - if they're around your house on the shelves, the kids are more likely to pick them up in an idle moment. Then your money is repaid many times over. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paisley Hedgehog Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 old information Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in MI Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 I don't use TOG. We use Sonlight. I always just suck up the cost and buy new. The advantage (besides the obvious of having all the books around) is that I can turn around and sell it at the end of the year. Obviously, I don't get enough back to buy the Core I need for the next year. But, I figure if I sell it when it's only one year old, I'll get more for it than if I waited to sell it when my youngest is done with it. This year I'm selling my core and with that money plus about $150 more I can get the new core for next year. To me it's worth it to have all the books here and not to have to spend so much time in the library or worrying about the books getting ruined when I've borrowed them. JMHO!! 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.