How To Get Hundreds of Free Books

I love books. I am almost always reading a stack of them, mostly non-fiction, on a variety of subjects. Homemaking, parenting, marriage, cooking, you name it. If I were to buy all the books I love to read, it would add up to a small fortune. So how do I get these books for free? Let me share my frugal ways :)
If there is a book I want to read, I first check our library’s website to see if it is in the library’s collection. If not, I check to see if it is owned by any library in the state. If so, I will submit an interlibrary loan request. The book is shipped directly to my library, and I pick it up in a few days. For free. (Sometimes there is a fee, but this has not happened to me yet).

If the book is not owned by my library nor any other library in the state, I submit a purchase-order request. Many times, the library has fulfilled these requests; and after cataloging the item, I get to pick up the item and read it for the next three weeks (with the option of a renewal). (Same for DVD’s).

Sometimes, the library does not purchase the request. Do I then buy it on my own? No! I would then try the church library (or you could try this before your public library). The church my husband and I attended several years ago had a bustling library. I loved it! I got to know the librarian quite well, and she was often open to purchase order requests. Our current church library is not as well, current, so that is why I turn to our public library first.

Doing this saves our family a bunch of money on my reading addiction; and others, too, benefit from the wealth of information contained within the books. Once in a great while, I will purchase a book that I love so much that I want my own copy; but I will hardly ever purchase a book that I have not previewed first through the library (or from a friend). Books are not cheap, and I am so picky about which ones I buy that I hate to spend money on one only to find I don’t like it. That’s why I almost always preview this way first.

*update: I forgot to mention that the books pictured above were all free. I won the One Year Bible, and the rest I bought using Amazon gift cards. Since I love to read so much, I have an Amazon.com Visa. This allows me to earn points on our purchases. We pay off our balance in full each month; otherwise, I would not recommend this. Then, when we reach 2,500 points, I get a $25 Amazon gift card. When you use your card for medical expenses, it adds up fast (at least in our family!). If you are a die-hard Dave Ramsey fan and do not use credit cards at all, I know you can also earn Amazon gift cards through Swag Bucks.

How do you save money on books?

(This post is linked to Frugal Fridays, hosted by Life As Mom)