Frugal Reading

Ranking high up on my creative entertainment list are trips to a used bookstore. My favorites are Half-Priced Books in Berkeley and Concord. That's my mom amidst the books at Concord.

The first time I entered HPB in Berkeley, I was so dazed and excited, I felt like a 10-year old kid in Disneyland. I didn't know where to start! Though the books were in pristine condition and they were systematically organized, I had to keep closing my jaw lest I drool all over myself. There were books that were controversial, some wala lang, some I have been wanting to see in National Bookstore for a long time. Finally, I gravitated towards my favorite sections: Religion, Philosophy, and Psychology. I grabbed maybe 6 books and sat on a small stool by the corner and began scanning.

The downside of having not enough time to scan the books led me to buy some, which I did not intend. But then, 'it's half-price!' I told my frugal self, and consoled myself that I was not in Barnes and Noble. So I paid for my used purchases: Searching for God (knows what!) and (hard bound) A Life With Purpose (The Story of Reverend Rick Warren) for $4.98 each. Okay na, even if you convert to pesos. Oh, but the best buy were the on-sale kiddie books I got for my 2 girls who love to read, 50 cents each!

Hurrying back to pick up the kids from school, do homework, fix dinner, tuck the kids in for bedtime, I finally found time to scan the books more that night.

The rewarding part of being frugal is enjoying the fact that I got a good deal, that I am reading books that cost double in Barnes or Borders. (Although buying there will be another story and just as rewarding, too--depends on the book.) Knowing that I stretched my money an extra mile--I got books for me and for my kids,too-- is important to me at this stage of my life. And there are many ways to acquire what you want without breaking your financial plan.

Surely, the best things in life are free, or half-priced!

Being frugal is an enjoyable exercise in creativity.