Estimated Monthly Savings: $90
Let’s take a look at different ways the library can keep you entertained without breaking your budget.
1. Free movie check-out. Libraries have large selections, especially if you take advantage of your library system. Do you have a specific movie in mind, and you can’t find it in your local library? Go online to see if it is in one of the other libraries in your library system. If you’ve never done this before, ask a librarian for help. Whether you are looking for a new release or an old classic, you have a good chance of getting it free for a week or longer.
2. Magazines without the subscription. Libraries subscribe to many magazines so you don’t have to! Settle down in one of your library’s reading chairs and peruse the latest issue of your favorite fashion or sports magazine. Or, check out a pile of older issues and bring them home for a while. Magazines for children are often found in the children’s section of the library.
3. Newspapers. Do you love to hold an actual newspaper in your hand, rather than get your news online? Libraries subscribe to different newspapers, local and from places around the world. Stop in and read a real newspaper without paying for a costly subscription.
4. Toys! Games! STEM sets! Some libraries have branched out to include toys, video games, and learning sets in their material. These items can be checked out and taken home just like a movie or a book. Let your child enjoy a new toy for a couple of weeks, or let a teen try out a new game before deciding whether it is worth buying. Another idea: grandparents can check out toys for those weekends when their grandkids are staying over.
5. Books, of course. Let’s not forget the stacks and stacks of books found in your local library. From baby board books to adult science fiction, there are hours of entertainment waiting between two book covers.
The conclusion: make a beeline for your local library. You’ve got nothing to lose (besides boredom) and a lot of money to save.
