Reading: Books, newspapers and magazines
One of my favorite pastimes is reading. Over the years I have accumulated far too many books. They are very heavy to move and take up a lot of room, not to mention the fact that they need to be dusted periodically. I have realized that I usually only read a book one time and then it ends up taking up space on the bookshelf collecting dust. Rather than purchasing every book I want to read, I now check the local library first. The library is a great resource. You can borrow books for free. How great is that? I have found that the library generally has the books I am looking for in their collection.
If they do not have it, often they have agreements with other libraries that allow them to borrow books from other collections. When I cannot find what I am looking for at the library, I’ll check used bookstores and on-line resources. I have found that even when you add in the shipping, pre-owned books can be bargain. I do purchase new books when I cannot locate a copy from another source. One of the newer methods of book buying is buying books on-line in PDF format or e-books. These are great because I can store them electronically and not have to worry about having shelf space to store them or having to deal with heavy boxes of books next time I move. If you find you have too many books, you can convert them into cash by taking them to a used book store or selling them on-line at places like half.com, eBay or Amazon just to name a few.
While we are talking about reading, we should talk about magazines. I have subscriptions to several magazines. However, I didn’t pay cash for several of the subscriptions. Instead I was able to exchange “points” for the subscriptions. I have done this using credit card reward program points and through on-line rewards like e-rewards and mypoints.com.
Libraries have subscriptions to many newspapers and magazines. Although most will not allow you to check out the current issue, all of the back issues are generally available to check out. Another thing is that some magazines are offering their current issues on line (or at least a sampling of articles from the current issue). Some of the magazines allow you to view the content for free while others change a subscription fee. Now, if you like to read the same magazine each month, and usually grab a copy while you are at the grocery store, etc, you should really consider subscribing. One magazine I subscribe to costs about $5 + tax per issue in the store, that is over $60 per year. I was able to purchase a 1 year subscription for $10. You do the math. That is a $50+ per year savings. One word of caution here. Do not subscribe to more magazines than you will actually read each month. It will end up being a waste of money and you have to deal with recycling them. If you are not reading them, cancel your subscriptions. One idea for recycling magazines is to donate them to senior center, hospitals, etc or pass them along to friends or neighbors. Although you can still get the printed copy, newspapers, it seems are all going the electronic route. This is great! Now you can read the news from around the world without leaving the comfort of home (or the internet café). Also, by going with the electronic version, you don’t have to deal with the mountain of newspaper to recycle. As of this writing, most newspapers are not charging for the online access to their paper.