by Marea E. Johnson

Created on: July 14, 2009   Last Updated: September 24, 2009

Hardcore reading addicts are constantly looking for their next fix - and sometimes having to search for it at the best price possible can be a little challenging - especially when you're trying to stave off the jitters!

If you're an addict who goes through your product really fast, the cost issue becomes all the more important! But don't think your corner dealer is the only supplier, because nothing could be further from the truth! If you're looking for some good read, you might want to expand your search and consider sources that wouldn't typically come to mind. My favorite one is:

Thrift Stores

When people hear the word "thrift store", they automatically think of old dishes, toys and clothes. But one thing that has always surprised me is the amount of used books thrift stores carry. I found this out quite by accident, and it still remains for me, one of the best places to "score"!

Very often these books are kept at the back of the store or in an "out-of-the-way" spot. The most efficient thing to do is ask an employee where the books are located, and then be prepared to think you've died and gone to heaven!

As an addict myself, with no intervention in sight, I peruse these stores whenever I can. It's not unusual for me to spend hours upon hours looking through these books. There is no better high than sitting on the floor surrounded by huge bookshelves holding several hundred books that are totally diverse and mine for the taking!

The variety and the value of these books never ceases to surprise me either. You'll find hardcover, paperback, academic, and creative. You'll find college books, children's books, how-to books, fiction, non-fiction, and just about every other kind of book you can think of! And the best part? You get them practically for free! It's not uncommon for me to walk out with a cart full of books to last me a year for under $20.00! Knowing how little I paid for such treasures is the best high of all!

Some other places you can find books at unbelievably low prices are garage sales, estate sales, auctions, goodwill, salvation army, churches, college book drives, your child's open house book drive, swap meets, libraries (for borrowing AND buying), antique stores, and believe it or not, in hospital gift shops where paperbacks sell for as little as a dime!

So remember - if you look long enough and hard enough, you WILL find what you're looking for. And like any seasoned addict, you'll eventually find your very own "special" suppliers that will meet your needs for only pennies on the dollar.

So get yourself a big sturdy shopping bag and be prepared to come home with more read than you've ever had in your life!

Party on!

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