Pages

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Owning Books is Just for Rich People

Growing up, part of the dream of "making it big" involved having enough money to walk into any (because, gosh, there was a bookstore in every shopping center!) bookstore and buy a couple of new books without blinking an eye, without cringing at the money spent. If I ever got birthday money, it would go towards books. Once, I bought the entire Bronte Sisters collection all compiled into one very cumbersome to read book. The book was read some, but was so large and unwieldy I never read all of it, but had a really really hard time getting rid of it a couple of years ago because I remember how much that book cost.

You see, growing up, I truly believed that books were only for Rich People. And by Rich People I mean (what seemed like) everyone but us. Rich People had real houses, not trailers, rich people had cars with a/c. Rich people could go to bookstores and not leave fighting back tears because they couldn't get anything. Rich People had encyclopedia sets and their parents sat down and read books too! Ah the life! Now don't get me wrong. I never went hungry and my parents made huge, huge sacrifices to send me to a private school and buy me all the supplies I needed for school and to participate in school activities.
But books were so important to me! We frequented the library, where I was allowed to check out absolutely anything, even books above my reading level (gasp!), and my heart soared over this great privilege.
Listening to Sarah Mackenzie's latest podcast, I heard one of her guests speak about the message sent to a child when we value books enough to spend money on them. And then I had an Aha! moment where I realized that yes, there is something amazing about having a book that is one's very own.

My book collection probably consisted of 10-15 books when I was growing up. Once high school came around, that number increased because 1) I had a job and 2) there were certain books required to purchase for school. While we did go to thrift stores, we did not buy books there frequently and I am not sure why.
Fast forward to today. I can sniff out a good used or free or discounted book. If a book is under 50 cents, I swoon.
Here are my top resources for books. And keep in mind, when thrifting or buying used books, you absolutely positively will find books that are in pristine condition. Books that would have cost $10+

1. Garage sales: Usually these are $1 or less, never pay $5 for a used book, that is way overpriced, ok?
2. Thrift stores: Prices I have seen here in San Antonio range from 75 cents to $1
3. Huge used book sales: There is a large used book sale put on by a local school district every year. The last day they are open, you can fill a bag for an amazing price!
4. Book Parties: By hosting a book party, you can earn free books (This is part of what I do as a Barefoot Books Ambassador)
5. Trade!! Find a book loving friend and trade for books, you might find a treasure worth keeping.
6. Check out craigslist, freecycle, FB swap sites, etc. Please use common sense/caution when doing these transactions.

Also, here in San Antonio, there are organizations such as First Book, Born to Read, San Antonio Youth Literacy, certain programs with the San Antonio Public Library, (I have gotten free books from the library via  story times, the Summer Reading program, Play and Learn, and others) that all provide free books, especially for very young children.

Everyone deserves a book! They will be treasured friends as the years go by. Happy hunting, and I really hope these resources glimmer for you like they do for me.

10 comments:

  1. I, too, love books...I had a drawer in my room (when I was very young) that was filled with books. I would take some out so I could sit in the drawer and be surrounded by the things I loved. Today. my house is overflowing with books. And I keep ordering and buying more. Three cheers for bibliophiles! Hip-hip, hooray!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love this memory of yours! That is so sweet.

      Delete
  2. We are huge book readers at my house. The Book Cellar at the library is a favorite place. So is ABE books online. I'm also a huge fan of the library, but my daughter insists on spending her money to purchase books. She loves having them on her bookshelf as a reminder of what she accomplished reading them. It's an interesting perspective you present. I won't feel so conflicted about not using the library as much anymore!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ah yes, the Book Cellar! A great place to buy books. I will definitely check out ABE. Yes, its interesting how visual kids are about what they read and how they track it. We definitely do our share of both borrowing and buying, and its fun to see which ones we own become dear friends.

      Delete
  3. My dream house has a GIANT library.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mine too!! The smell of books would make the room so cozy!

      Delete
  4. I love purchasing books for my girls (as you know), but I've found the opposite to be true for me--I use the library like it's going out of style and most of MY own books (minus C.S. Lewis and Jane Austen) have found their way to Half Price Books. It's a fine balance--keeping items that I both treasure AND use regularly.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Melissa, that is so funny you said that because I do the same thing! I wonder what changed for me? I frequently use the Little Free Library to purge my books that aren't totally amazing. I am having a hard time purging the homeschooling books though.

      Delete
  5. I love buying books, but I also like loaning and giving them to friends. When I started a reading log (in 1996, in a Badtz Maru notebook) it became easier for me to give away books, knowing that I could go back and remember which ones I had read.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Great resources. Thanks. For me, growing up and even now as an adult, when I think of "the good life" and what rich people have, I don't think cars or vacations. I think of a massive home library with a comfortable chair in the middle and a cup of coffee.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you in advance for sharing your lovely thoughts.