I do not like to pay full price for books. Ever. And yet, I am a voracious reader and love to consume new materials whenever I get my hands on them.
Hence lies the struggle: I want to read but at what price? I'll tell you. Usually pennies on the dollar. Here's my secret: I score many of my books secondhand from thrift stores. If they are paperback, they typically cost anywhere from .50 cents to $1. If they are hardcover, maybe a little more, like $1-$2. I can't tell you how many "like new" books I've found at the thrift store that I've been hoping to read. Some of them are still stocked on the shelves at Barnes and Noble for full price. I walk out of the thrift store with my finds silently laughing to myself for my good fortune. Let someone else pay full price. Not this gal!
I always try to keep a mental list of the books I'm on the lookout for in the back of my head. That way when I run into it, I can just pick it up. If I have waited for a long time and can't find a title I'm searching for, I sometimes buy it used for .01 cent on Amazon and just pay shipping. But most of the time, the title turns up locally and I save having to pay shipping at all.
There was a time in my life (before kids) that I got to attend a lot of classy functions that required nice dresses. I went through a phase where I actually bought a few secondhand formal dresses on eBay, and generally had good luck with them too. But, alas, I don't get to many formal functions these days. So, I guess I will continue allocating my secondhand dollars to my list of reads.
Do you buy secondhand? If so, what? Be sure to comment below and let me know!
To learn how to turn your secondhand purchases into real, cash savings, check out my book 8 (Really Creative) Ways to Save. It includes an entire chapter on buying used items!
Happy Saving!
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