I Bought 87 Books for $160. Here's How

The only thing more impressive than my library is my savings.

When I was a kid, I dreamed about having my own library someday, and as an adult, I'm finally making it happen. It's not the book-lined room complete with a fireplace and sliding ladders that I'd always envisioned, but it's pretty impressive nonetheless. I have over 1,000 books now, most of which I've read at least once, and I'm always hunting for new ones worthy of adding to my collection.

You might think that I spend thousands of dollars a year on books, but you'd be wrong. I've perfected the art of bargain book hunting, and I recently added another 87 to my collection for just $160. Here's my secret.

I never pay full price anymore

When I was younger, I spent a lot of time in Barnes & Noble, and my family members would often buy me gift cards to the store for my birthday and holidays. If I was lucky, I'd come away with 12 or 13 books for $100, sometimes much less. Eventually, I got frustrated at how much I was spending, so I decided I needed another approach.

Rather than buying new, I started getting all my books used. There are a few used bookstores in my town, and I always make sure to look for them in places I'm visiting, too. It's a bit of a different experience than shopping at a traditional bookstore. They're not always organized as well, and you can't be sure what you're going to find. But I've come to enjoy the surprise. Plus, I can get a lot of books with an original sale price of $15 or more for $4 or less.

If I do want a specific book, I look online. Marketplaces like Amazon sell used books as well as new ones. And eBay has a bunch of used bookstore accounts, many of which offer deals to customers who buy more than one book at a time. I do my best to buy as many books as I can from the same sellers to take advantage of these deals.

When it comes time to actually pay for the books, I try not to use my own money if I don't have to. I trade in my rewards credit card points for gift cards and put those toward my book purchases.

Combining all those tips, I was recently able to buy 87 books for just $160 of my own money. That brings my average cost down to $1.84 per book. You won't find prices like that in any traditional bookstore.

Other money-saving ideas

My approach works for me, but there are some other strategies you can try to save even more if you don't feel like hunting through dozens of used bookstores. E-books are cheaper than traditional hardcover or paperback books, and they take up far less space. Or if you don't have time to actually sit down with a book, you might like audiobooks instead.

And then there's your local library. If you can avoid late fees, you can read to your heart's content without paying a dime. You may run into issues where the book you want is checked out by someone else, but if you're willing to be patient and you don't care about owning the book, this is probably the best option for your bank account.

Unless you're looking for a new release, it's pretty easy to buy the books you love these days without paying full price. This is especially true for popular books that sold many copies. So before you pick up that brand-new book, do a little research to see if you can find a better deal somewhere else first.