Monday, July 24, 2006

My very, very best money saving tip

I'm adding my very, very best money saving tip to No Credit Needed's plea for a collection of savings ideas. My very, very best money saving tip is to utilize your local public library. The interlibrary loan system in San Francisco County is accessable online to request the most recent books, movies, music, sheet music, etc. We don't buy books anymore or rent movies from Blockbuster or NetFlix. We also frequent the library for story time with our daughter; we even taught her sign language from their books and videos.

Not only can you request books, movies, etc. online, you can renew and hold materials. We also get updates when our items arrive at our local library, so we can return items and pick up new ones at the same time. It takes us 20 minutes to walk there. On many days, that's how we get our exercise!

We are getting a brand-new, super-sleek, high-tech library with a garden three blocks from our house and I cannot wait!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love this tip! I work at my university's library in Berkeley and there's never a shortage of things to read. I'd say the only down side is that you can't read the books that have just come out (if you're reading a series, for instance). But overall, a great way to save money instead of just buying everything new and never reading it again.

Anonymous said...

Amen! Libraries are better than ever! Not only do online catalogs make so much accessible, today's city libraries are stuffed with a broad range of media. Without paying $4 to rent for 7 days (whoopee!) I can explore DVDs I'd never have seen and discover new worlds.

The online scheduling lets me pickup on my weekly shopping rounds. Its FANTASTIC!