Calling All Bookworms!

The Recessionista is a voracious reader! From monsters to mysteries, bios to beach reads, comedy, tragedy, drama... Of course the cheapest reads are at the public libraries, but the Recessionista is fickle and what appeals one week is retired to the to-be-read pile the next, and some books take forever to finish, so I prefer owning to borrowing. Scandalous, but as I said earlier, I *am* a Shopper!

So where does one find the cheapest reads outside the library? Here's my strategy:

1. Go online and price out what I want on Amazon (www.amazon.com for those living under a rock for the past decade)
2. Open a new window and hop on to Ebates (www.ebates.com for those who haven't read my earlier post)
3. Use Ebates to check out prices at eBay, Half.com, or any of the other booksellers on the portal

If the price is cheaper on Amazon, I buy it there (making sure I get FREE SHIPPING by amassing $25 in purchases and selecting the SUPER SAVER shipping option). If the price is cheaper INCLUDING THE $4 SHIPPING from the other sites then I buy it there.

OR... I try to figure out half the list price, how much I need the book RIGHT AWAY, and what are the chances of finding it, the Recessionista loooooooooves Half Price Books! And Half Price Books will shoot you out some awesome coupons if you just sign up for their mailing list.

HALF PRICE BOOKS JUST SENT OUT 4 COUPONS FOR 20%-40% OFF any item!

So let's say I reallyreallyreally want to read the new Jodi Picoult book. I could go to the big box booksellers and get a 30% discount. I could get a better price at Amazon simply because they discount PLUS there's no tax (AND I'll avoid the shipping cost by going the Super Saver route). I might get a deal on eBay or Half but then I'd have to pay shipping which for a best seller probably negates any savings. OR, I could use my coupon at Half Price Books and get a $27 book for $8-$11! (And if it's not there, off I go to Amazon.)

Voila -- reads on the cheap!

Got a tip for the Recessionista? Want to promote your deals here? Send an email to the Valley Ranch Recessionista at TheValleyRanchRecessionista@gmail.com