Frugal Friday: Saving Money at the Library

I recently read a quote that goes like this:
"Libraries will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no libraries"
I love that. The library is one of my favorite places to go and my kid's too. It's an adventure every time we go there. If we had bought every book that we've ever read instead of checking it out the the library, we would have spent thousands of dollars. So I consider that money that I've saved.

I remember growing up that trips to the library were the best. My Mom would take us often to the library and those were always our favorite days. Those are still some of my most vivid memories - going to the library and checking out big stacks of books. I even have a memory of my youngest sister learning to walk associated with a library book that I was reading at the time. My parents did a great job of instilling in us a love of reading that I want to pass on to my kids.

My Dad recently told my kids that he's come to realize that the most important skill that he's ever learned is the ability to read. Of all the skills he has (and he has a pretty impressive list of them), reading has been the most important and the thing that has affected the rest of his life the most.

I think of the library as one of the most important tools that we have for cultivating a love of reading in our kids. I have one child who loves reading. Spends every spare minute of every day with a book in hand. He's a little extreme. But I account part of that love of books to the library. The library feeds this boy. Feeds his mind. I wonder some days what I would do without it. My other son also loves books. He's just starting to read and discover the amazing power of learning through reading.

We have a library book basket in our home where we store all the library books so they don't get lost. This has helped us save money on library fines, which can add up if you don't keep track of the books. Our library also has an e-mail service where they will send me reminders when our books are due. If you're worried about library fines, make sure to ask if your library provides that service, it really helps to get a reminder.

The library is more than just a place where you can check out books. The library has so many other wonderful resources as well. Movies, books on tape, music, software, internet access, summer reading programs, educational programs, and more. All of which are free or low cost. It's such a great resource for frugal family friendly activities and experiences.

Need some ideas for books to check out? Here's a few of our favorite's that I've done reviews on on this blog:


As I mentioned in our plan for the summer, Tuesday is trip to the library day at our house. Sometimes we stay for story time, sometimes we don't. Sometimes we go a second time during the week because once a week just isn't always often enough for my oldest. We love the library and use it often. It's one of my best and most used frugal resources.

Now it's your turn? How does your family love and use the library? Got a favorite children's book to share? I'd love to hear about. Happy Reading! Have a great weekend.

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