The best way to raise an avid reader is to provide plenty of opportunity for your child to read. Kids love to mimic their parents, so another way to encourage reading is for your kids to catch you reading books that you enjoy. Reading is a perfect activity for a rainy day. It doesn’t have to cost a fortune to make this happen. Here are some ideas on where to find free and frugal books.

Visit the Library
Your local library is an excellent place to find books that you, and your children, can read for free. If you don’t have a library card, get one on your next visit. Children who are old enough can get their very own library card (something that most kids find to be a very special moment). Take a family visit to the Children’s section of the library. Help your children find something interesting to read. Make sure you return your books on time, and you can avoid paying an overdue book fee.

Try the Thrift Store
Thrift stores can, potentially, have anything from clothing, to furniture, to kitchen ware. They also tend to have a selection of books. To find the children’s books, I suggest you start by locating where the toys are kept. Kids books shouldn’t be too far away. If you don’t see any, try the bigger section of books that typically contains a lot of books for adults. (They could be mixed together). Anything you buy from a thrift store is going to be much less expensive than if you bought the same item at a retail store.

Shop the Garage Sales
Spring is when the weather gets warmer and the garage sales start to pop up like flowers. Find the garage sales by looking in your local newspaper. Start with the ones that say they are selling children’s clothing. There is potential that you will find children’s books that the seller’s kids have outgrown (along with the clothing). Just like at a thrift store, the used books you buy at garage sales are going to be much less expensive than the ones you buy brand new from a retail store.

Find Digital Freebies
Do you have a Kindle? Are your kids old enough to use it? If the answer to those questions is “yes”, then you are in luck. Amazon offers some Kindle ebooks for free from time to time, including children’s books. Scan through the list for something that is age appropriate for your child, or that matches his or her reading level. Most of the list can be downloaded for free, and the rest are very inexpensive.

Posted in: How to Save | Comments (0) | Join Discussion