You should be reading! 5 great places to find cheap books

We are big Dave Ramsey fans (you won’t see us traveling this holiday season without a bunch of his show’s podcasts loaded up for the ride) and on his show, he talks often about the importance of reading.  This is the quote he’ll often refer to:

“You’ll be the same person in 10 years except for the people you meet and the books you read.”

It’s so true, isn’t it?  There’s a lot to be said for just turning off the TV and picking up a book instead.  Otherwise, it’s really easy to go through the workweek without really learning anything new.  The problem is: new books don’t always fit into our budget very well.   So here are 5 great places to find cheap books:

1. Amazon. I’m guessing this would be the first place you’d look even if I hadn’t written this post!  You can find used bestsellers from Amazon or other vendors for as little as 7 or 8 bucks.  If you have a Kindle, you know that those books are going for $9.99 in most cases.  Also, don’t forget about the price war going on between Amazon, Walmart, and Target, with all of them offering pre-orders for around $9.00.
2. AbeBooks.  Great collection of new and used books, as well as rare and out-of-print titles.  There are community forums and book clubs to get involved with as well.
3. Half.com.  This site is a spin-off of eBay, and they are offering books for crazy cheap (as well as software, music, and movies).  They even have a $0.99 or less section!
4. alibris.  Similar to AbeBooks in many ways, with a focus on rare and used books.  Alibris also highlights independent book sellers, providing brick-and-mortar stores another opportunity to sell their inventory online.
5. THE LIBRARY.  Okay, so this one is really cheap, although they definitely have the cheapest books around.  You may be waiting a while, though, if the book you want to read next is new and pretty popular.  You can place a hold, though, and read books off your list as they become available.  Our local library has also started offering free, downloadable ebooks and audiobooks as well.

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Photo Credit: ktylerconk // Creative Commons