What will $3.00 buy??

When I was a little girl, my mom would give me a penny for a gumball at the store sometimes.  Now, there’s no such thing.  Any machines at the store cost at least a quarter. That’s craziness.  I know, I know, I sound like an old person: “Back when I was little, you could get. . .”  I know what it sounds like. But, this is important!!

It’s time for me to be done buying Christmas gifts. Because we only get paid once a month and because our paycheck for December gets deposited early, I have to be careful about Christmas presents. I have to start early. Not because I buy so much, but because I need to be frugal. (Note – I prefer the word “frugal” to the word “cheap” but in this case, feel free to read “cheap.”)  I decided this year, I’m giving everyone in my family a book and something else. In my attempt to be frugal and to be a good steward of my limited funds, I’ve been looking at used books stores and thrift stores for books. I know that sounds really bad – but people donate GREAT books and at most places, hardback books can be picked up for less than $5.00. Not bad when you consider most cost at least $17.99 to start with.  So, I’ve been haunting the Lighthouse Ministries store (picked up 3 books for $2.50 one day and yesterday got 6 for $1.50)  and I’ve checked at the several Goodwill stores.  But, last week I got the deal of the century. 

My nephew works at our local public library. I know, I know. . . if you’d told me my nephew would get to work in a library before I did, I would have laughed at you, but that’s the way it is. He calls me the other night as soon as he left work and tells me the library is having a sale.  Our library often has books for sale on a table by the door, usually $2 for hardbacks, $1 for paperbacks. That is a little more expensive than some other stores, but the proceeds help the library!! The library had purged a WHOLE lot of books, and was trying to get rid of some of them. There were books EVERYWHERE, double stacked on carts, on the floor under the tables, the tables had multiple rows. It was  book lovers dream!!  Here’s the best part:  if you bought a library bag for $3, you could fill it up with as many books as you could get in it.   Yes, you read that right. As many books as you could cram, push, arrange into the bag for a measly $3.  I made out like a bandit.   Here’s my library bag:

 

And here it is stuffed full of books: (I was in a hurry – I had a baby shower to go to, I KNOW I could have gotten more in there!)

 

 

And here’s the stack of books that came out of there:

 

I think I got 17 books in there.  Most are hardback, with library binding.  Such a deal!

If you have an opportunity to support your local library, JUST DO IT! If you never go into your public library, JUST DO IT!   There are vast resources available for you, if you just see what’s there and take advantage of them.