In a year, I finished reading about 52 books. Of these, about 12 were from my personal purchases (physical books and audiobooks), while about 40 came from the library. So let that sink in, a normal book costs $10 to $15, but I'll assume each book costs $20 because I also borrow textbooks, which are more expensive than ordinary books. So, 40 books at $20 each equals $800. This means I save about $800 a year because of the library. But if I calculate the total number of books I borrowed from the library, both finished and unfinished, I checked my loan history and found that I borrowed about 120 books. That would cost $2,400. So, the library helps me save a lot of money. Now, Youtube, podcasts, audiobooks, ps5, ps4 ,Nintendo Switch consume much of my time. However, if I want to learn in-depth topics or great stories, books are still number one in my heart, and the library is one of the greatest inventions.
by Delicious_Maize9656
44 Comments
My local library actually gives you an estimate on money saved on your checkout receipt, it adds up quickly.
In college, I checked some textbooks out of the library and would renew them, return them, repeat. I guess kids can’t do that now.
You’re also forgetting all the money you saved by simply reading and not doing any other number of things!
My library uses Libby and its a amazing. I already hit my reading goal of 25 this year thanks to them. Libby combined with kindle unlimited has saved me so much money. I only buy books now if I want to physically keep on the shelf
they also often have DVDs, video games, CDs, tools, cooking supplies, toys, board games, and more to check out!! I love libraries.
I not only saved money by not purchasing books, but I cut back on streaming services. I also spend less on certain hobbies when I’m in the midst of visual v audio books.
Ive been learning computer programming for years on and off on YouTube. then decided recently to just read a book instead, and in just the first chapter ive already encountered countless essential stuff that are never taught or mentioned by most YouTubers or online courses you find on udemy. They are great but they’ll never teach you stuff as thoroughly as books.
I went hiking this weekend and found out from another hiker that their library (in So Cal) has backpacks and hiking sticks available for check-out. I had no idea. So, you can save money other ways, too.
Edit to add: I just logged onto my county library system and found the following: The Library of Things. Things other than books that you can check out. They include: Backpack Kits, Book Club Kits, Tabletop Games, Chromebooks, Hotspots, Kitchen Tools, Technology Gadgets, Toys, Musical Instruments, and Outdoor Games.
Wow! I really had no idea our libraries did this. What an incredible way to help our communities.
Public book libraries are a godsend. They are literally a completely free repository of knowledge and entertainment. They should be accessible to a wider societal cast.
A lot of libraries near me have closed, so the nearest one is over ten miles round trip – and it’s not that great, to be honest. I buy books second-hand and it’s genuinely as cheap as paying for petrol, parking and wear and tear on the car. It was different when I lived in the city with a decent library nearby and I’m glad so many of you in the comments have that
I love the library!! I almost never browse, but I’ll put books on hold either at the physical library or the online library (I have access to Libby, Hoopla, and Cloud Library through my local library system).
I always have new books to read this way and rarely buy books. I used to just buy any book I wanted to read. Now, I’ll only buy a book if it’s used or I REALLY want to read it and can’t stand waiting months for a hold to come through. I’ve saved so much money!!
I had this actual discussion with a patron yesterday. They asked why at the bottom of their receipt there was a total of about $736. I told them that that’s how much they’ve saved this year (on only DVDs, they don’t check out books) vs. buying the DVDs at the same price that the library did. Pulling up their account, I told them their savings for the lifetime of their card was about $4900. They were very pleased with that and said they’d be back to get more movies in a few days!
On the receipt my library prints out- they tell you how much you have saved in the year- I have saved $2700.00 by using the library(I read a lot!)
I was just thinking the same thing yesterday! I was walking out of the library yesterday with some holds I had for me and my daughter and thought the exact thing. Somewhere useful some of my taxes go!
I write books for children and the snippets of insights I get from librarians are priceless for me. The “your next five books” feature on their website with custom recommendations is the best way I know to find good comp titles for pitches and queries.
We have a few branches in our county with like 3D printers and stuff. I don’t have anything to 3D print, but one day maybe.
Please donate some of that to your local library!
Fun fact, there are more public libraries than McDonalds (13,544) and Starbucks (17,068).
My library doesn’t tell you how much you’ve saved, to my knowledge. But out of about 70 books I’ve read this year, 11 are ones I own (mostly Star Trek novels I can’t find at the library). And of those books I own, I only paid full-Kindle price for one of them. All the others I bought at discount prices used, and some with gift cards. So I’ve probably only paid about $25 for books this year, which is less than the price of a single new hardback book.
Most libraries will let you request books for them to buy in too. Usually there’s a nominal fee. But it’s pennies.
It blows my mind that there are people who read regularly who DON’T use the library. I think there are some who think if you can afford to buy books you shouldn’t use the library – but if you can afford it, do monthly donations to the library (likely less than what the monthly book spend would be) and support the library both monetarily and by keeping numbers up so they continue to qualify for more resources.
I’d estimate about 90% of the books I read are from the library which is 70+ books so even donating just $35/month to my library I’m still saving a TON.
If someone tried to invent libraries today, they would be immediately sued out of existence. It’s a funny old world.
Libraries are better than ever now. It’s never been easier to find ANY book you want with their app and have it to you in days. Not to mention the absolutely huge catalog of things you can get from libraries besides books. Magazines, Manga, Comics, Movies, Video games. Hell, my local library will rent you yard equipment and Rug Doctors.
I truly believe it’s one of the most underutilized public services in America.
I think this all depends on the books you want to read and how many libraries are around you. Most books that I want to read have a massive amount of holds
Absolutely. I wish my library showed the $$$ saved, but in my case it must be outrageous. I started doing the 365 book/year challenge in 2021 and I doubt I make enough money to buy that many books and still eat and sleep indoors. And I don’t even utilize it the way some people manage to – I’m solely interested in books. If you start getting into higher-value items like audiobooks or video games or violins or whatever, the money saved skyrockets.
I’ll say! I read two to three books a week, and I visit the library every week to pick up my holds. I’m constantly puzzled by people who buy books they want to read (unless it’sfor reference). If I bought every book I read, I’d need to buy multiple houses to keep them in.
I haven’t calculated the savings but I’m a bit over 200 novels this year from my libraries via the Libby app.
(I’m a disabled senior that is pretty much home bound)
My adhd kids cannot sit still for 3 seconds unless they have a book in their hand, which they can read for hours. Because of comics, we average 30-50 books per week, split between Libby, physical library books and Amazon subscriptions. Libraries are a godsend
Libraries are so underrated. ive been loving using the library as an adult since I enjoyed it alot as a kid.
Not to mention all the other resources libraries offer. I’ve attended tons of free classes, author readings, and events at my local library. Mine [in New England] even rents out those full spectrum “happy” lights during the winter! 😅
Librarians are also equipped to help people with paperwork. This is a huge resource especially for elderly folks in the community.
I read 90 books a year. ALL from the library. I couldn’t afford to read at my rate if I had to buy every book. I LOVE the library!!!!
According to my annual spreadsheet, I’m at $3,487.75 for 2024. And not only that, my kiddo has booked a room for his monthly D&D club, free of charge. I shout my love for libraries from the rooftop.
I keep a spreadsheet of what I would have spent at barnes and noble 😂 great motivation to be patient and wait on my library holds rather than go out and buy the book.
I have a separate list of library books I enjoyed so much I want to buy them. It keeps me from making too many impulse purchases at the bookstore and also gives me a handy little non-food-based reward system!
I have a really hard time justifying buying books for this very reason. I’ll only buy a book if I’ve already read it and know that I’m going to want to read it again. What if I hate it and don’t even want to finish it? That’s money down the drain.
once a week for 35 years straight. bad neck to prove it.
You only finish one out of three books you start?
Just got my property tax bill, we are paying $82.08 per year for our library system. I consider that quite the bargain. I spend more than that on any single streaming service and considering I can get CD’s and DVD’s at the library for free, it paying for itself
Libraries are the one element of socialism that no one objects to.
When you are voting locally, vote for the people who believe in and fund the library – not the book burners and library closers.
Don’t get me wrong, I love my library but it’s not a gift. It is a public service that we need to support every time it’s challenged. There are so many attacks on libraries, library programs, and even staff that they need people to not just borrow books but inform leadership of their value within the community.
We can passively receive services as a gift, but we are likely better off if we take time to inform influential others that libraries should be abundantly funded and rights to freedom of expression should be well guarded.
You’re also doing your library a huge favor by checking materials out, finished or unfinished, instead of reading them on-site without checking out. Libraries depend on circulation stats for state funding. ALWAYS check out your materials!
If you’re in the US, please remember that the library is a public service paid for by tax dollars. One American party seeks to gut public services (public schools, libraries, the postal service, etc.) so that they can privatize and profit off of them. Please remember this when you vote.
I love the library, but the selection at my local library is pretty abysmal.
So is the internet and books are also free