Thursday, April 5, 2012
Library Book Sales: Bag Day!
Today was the last day of my local library's quarterly book sale. That means: bag sale! You fill a bag with anything you want for $3. I always wait until the last day to go and I am never disappointed.
I first go through the entire sale looking for books that I definitely want to read and each time I find an item that is on my wish list. Once I have found these items, I carefully start packing my bags. I make sure to use every available square inch of space. I put big books in first, then slide thin books or mass markets into the sides. Once I have fit them all in, I look again for more books, this time picking up books that sound interesting, but might not necessarily want to keep. I fill the bag to the brim.
By careful packing, I can fit 40 books into a bag, for a price of $.075 per book. At that rate, I can risk not liking a book. Worst case scenario, I can always list it on PaperBackSwap or resell it.
I also find great deals on Audio Visual items. The first day of the sale there are lots of DVDs, but those are usually gone by the time the end of the sale comes around. Fortunately, I still have a working VCR (don't judge me), so I can scoop up those VHS that are still piled high. I can fit 25 VHS in a bag, for a price of $.12 each. If I don't like it, I can donate it and still be ahead compared to renting the movie. I'll also buy CDs that look interesting ever if I've never heard of the artist. Since I work alone, I listen to a lot of audio books and always pick up several titles. Once I'm done, I list them on PaperBackSwap (audio books earn 2 credits).
By shopping at the library book sales, I am helping to support one of my favorite public services. I am also supplying myself with lots of entertainment for a few dollars.
Last night I went to my library's book sale. I spent $25 and bought 20 books that were on topics I study (gardening, artisanal baking, food preservation). Several were on my wish list. I went on Amazon today to look up how much they were selling for. $89 total, and if I'd ordered online I would have had to pay $80 in shipping.
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