We all see Instagram photos of people owning shelves upon shelves of books, and if you’re like me, you’ll want to be like them. I personally started out with a shelf of 0 books a few months ago, which has grown to 30 books. Even though it isn’t much, it’s still sufficient enough for me, and I hope it grows in the future. Going off of my own books, I had the exact same desire to own thousands of books months ago. As you can probably predict, the money I had restricted the books I could buy. However, through buying books off of a multitude of sources, I was able to purchase many more than if I had gone to Barnes and Nobles and bought everything there.
- Okay, so first of all, if you’re shopping on a budget, don’t go to retail stores. Stores like Barnes and Nobles overcharge, and it can be a big blow to your budget. I personally only buy books at full retail price if they’re signed, where I don’t have another choice.
- Use amazon.com! We’ve all encountered this website on a day to day basis, so why not use it to buy books too. On a lot of books, it will offer discounts you won’t see at retail stores. These discounts can vary by a lot, so make sure to check the retail price to compare. Sometimes you’ll get huge discounts, while other times it might be smaller. Overall, you’ll probably get a discount either way.
- Try bookdepository.com. I haven’t used this website, but I’ve seen many other people try and love it. Like Amazon, you’ll get amazing discounts off of books. The only bad thing about this is that sometimes their selection is limited, but it’s a great site to browse around and purchase anything you find interesting.
- Go to used books stores. I have purchased many books at a used book store near me, and it has saved me a lot. At the book store I go to, the books are sometimes in perfect condition for only a few dollars. Although the selection is very limited, this is a great way to browse around and fill your bookshelf. If you mind the condition, you can take that into consideration, but I’d definitely suggest for all of you to be more open minded about used books.
- Buy books you think you’ll reread/enjoy. This isn’t a website tip, but usually to save money, I only buy books I’ve read in the past, or ones I’m 90% sure I’ll enjoy. For me, it’s the worst when I spend money on a book, only to hate it, so I limit the books I purchase in this way.
Anyways, that’s it for my tips. Let me know if you’ve found this helpful, or if you’d like more guides in anything else!