How well acquainted are you with your public library? I love books and I like to have my own copies of certain titles but others I just need for information or a title catches my eye if I see it among the stacks. So, instead of buying everything I am interested in reading, I borrow them from my library.

This is really helpful because I am in a book club and sometimes the books are not ones that even seem of interest let alone worth me buying the book on sale or otherwise.

I frequent the main library in Chicago which has more titles and a greater selection but most of the libraries have a few popular titles and each library has a specialty based on the population. I borrow DVDs, CDs, and sheet music. These three things really help me save money. My taxes are paying for the library anyway, so why not use the services? Then when I see a book I really want to purchase I have no qualms about spending the money because I have saved so much by using the services of my local library.

If there is a book that you are interested in and want to own, there is also a discard section. The main library sells discards cheaper than other branches, but I have gotten a new hardback book for fifty cents within only a few months of its release. There are other books that I really enjoyed in paperback for the cost of one day’s fine… a dime.

There are free concerts and lectures and programs at the library which will help you extend the amount that you plan for your entertainment spending.