Hack 19 · Stop Wasting Money
Library Before You Buy
This habit is a single check before buying any book, film, audiobook, or course: see whether your library has it first. Modern library apps lend digital copies instantly and return them automatically, so the practical difference from buying is often just the wait. Regular readers and watchers save several hundred dollars a year this way.
How to do it
- Install your library's app and link your card once.
- Check the library before every media purchase.
- Place a hold instead of buying when it is already lent out.
What it typically saves
Typically $500 to $1,000 a year for regular readers and viewers.
Questions people ask
Do libraries really have new releases?
Often yes, though popular titles have waiting lists. Placing a hold costs nothing, and the wait usually passes before you would have started it anyway.
What if I want to keep it?
Borrow first and buy only what you actually finished and would return to. That filter alone removes most of the books people buy and never open.
Do I need to live near a library?
No. Digital lending happens entirely through the app, and many library systems offer cards to anyone in the wider region.
Go deeper
This is the short version. The full walkthrough lives in Stop Losing Money, book 1 of The Everyday Money Upgrade — where this hack comes with how to get access to multiple library systems, the hold strategies that shorten waits, and what is worth owning rather than borrowing.
Free: the 5 Quick Wins guide
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