Hey y'all, I thought I'd share some tips and hacks on where to shop when you're trying to build your homeschool library because books can be so expensive. If you're anything like me, collecting books has become a hobby and you're always looking for a good deal, so this post is here to share my what I do when I am in search of a good deal on some amazing books!
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Amazon
I buy a lot of books from Amazon and by that, I mean a lot of books. I have over 100 books listed in my storefront and more than half of those, I've gotten from Amazon. If there is a certain book I have my eyes on, I will wait until the book I want undergoes a price cut. Every once in a while, they will have a BOGO 50% or a buy two get one free sale. For this reason, I check Amazon daily. It's a great place to get books and get them fast. Amazon also has bargain books section that I frequent often.
Here is a sampling of some of the genres of books you can buy on Amazon.
The only con to buying books off of Amazon is that sometimes you get them with dinged-up corners or scuff marks on the cover which can be annoying. If you don't mind a mark here and there, then Amazon is the place to get books quickly.
ThriftBooks
The next place I go to buy books is Thriftbooks! I always come here before I purchase anywhere else to compare the price because you can get some amazing books for really good prices. After you create an account with them, with every purchase, you can rack up points and earn free books!
Because it's a thrift store, I only buy books that are listed as "like new" or "very good."
I've only been disappointed by the quality of one book and that was because the inside cover was messier than all the other books I had received up to that point. I've ordered over 30 books from them and more often than not, they come in really good shape.
I have a code for 15% off your first purchase -- click here to shop & redeem!
* please note :: code is only valid for 5 of you, so it's a first-come-first-served basis.
Another one of my favorite places to shop is BookOutlet. I have bought some amazing books at some really good prices here. I've found popular books marked 57% off, so this is one of my favorite spots to check. They have new markdowns weekly, so I make it a goal to check the website every Tuesday and search keywords that pertain to what we're learning, what I'm planning, and the boy's interest.
One thing I love about BookOutlet is that they tell you the stock count in the listing. I hate having things in my cart and then for them to disappear as I search, so I feel like the count gives me peace of mind and a sense of urgency in cases where there are only a few copies left.
The only con to BookOutlet is that they ship with USPS and sometimes they lose things in transit. I had this happen to me once and I was so bummed. I reached out to their customer service and they were so nice. I had no trouble reaching them or getting a refund.
To get $10 off your first purchase of $25, click here.
Better World Books
Another great place to shop if you love the idea of thrifted books. I really appreciate the initiative behind Better World Books because not only do they recycle books, but they donate books and funds to low-income families, libraries, and literacy programs.
Because these books are thrifted, I do what I always do and that is to only buy books that are listed as "like new" or "very good" quality. Another thing I look at when buying books here is making sure that the shipping is listed as free. I love comparing prices to other thrift stores and getting the bang for my buck.
Costco
As you can tell, I love books, so of course, you can guess that I always stop by their book table! I've found some amazing book packs that ended up being a really great deal. I've found the
Botanicum and
Animaliaum from the Welcome to the Museum collection in a pack for $30 -- just one of those books is listed between $33-$35, so getting two for that price was a STEAL.
Some other books I've seen at (and bought from) Costco include:
Costco.com is another great place to look for books that you may have spotted in-store but didn't have a chance to pick up. Sometimes, they can be spotted online a few months after they were in the store.
Some of my favorite sets include:
One thing I recommend when shopping in-store is peeking under the table because sometimes you can see books that haven't made it on top of the table. I've spotted several books under the table that were placed on the table a few weeks later!
Another great place to get more books for your buck. The entire warehouse has books that are marked anywhere from 50% to 80% off. They have always had bundle deals available and a lot of times you can find 10% off books that have just been released! If you have a location nearby, then I'd check them out. I rarely leave this store without several books in my hand.
I'm going to let you in on a little secret -- as a homeschool mom, I opted to try registering as a teacher and it worked! Once you get approved, you have books at 25% off at your disposal. Every few months they have packs of 75 books for $50 which is a great deal.
I've read from other moms online that weren't able to get approved for the teacher's account as a homeschooler and I think that may have been for two reasons.
1 | because they didn't have a school name. I've branded the homeschooling segment of my brand European Homestead, so I used that for the name and it worked!
2 | if you're an early learning teacher, you probably won't get approved. I tried that first and it automatically redirected me to the parent's page. If you list any grade/age prior to first grade, you will get declined. I have two homeschooled brothers that I often teach in the 2nd and 3rd grades and once I listed them as grades I teach, my form went through.
I think it is worth mentioning that most of the affordable books you purchase at scholastic are probably going to be paperback, so if you're okay with that, then I'd say sign up! They do have some hardcover books, but those aren't as heavily discounted as the paperbacks are.
Local Thrift Stores & Secondhand Stores
I don't frequent these shops as much as I want to because I have fidgety littles who don't have the patience to wait on me as I ruffle through unorganized shelves of what seems like an endless amount of books, but if you have the time, I'd say go for it. I go book thrifting about twice a year and sometimes, you can find real treasures.
Barnes and Noble
This is probably my last stop when I am looking to buy books because you're going to see books listed at their full retail price almost always -- especially the newly published ones. One place I frequent is their bargain bookshelves as well as the coupons + sales that they have online. Every once in a while, they have some good sales and if you're signed up for a membership, you can get 10% off on your purchase.
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Soooo, there you have it -- these are my most frequented book stores + online shops! every once in a while, I'll be shopping at a small shop that I love and if they have books listed as items and it's been a book I've been eyeing, I'll buy it from them. I also frequent places like Target and Walmart (both online and in-store) when they have sales on books. Basically, book sales are the way to go when a book you want isn't in a discounted store or thrift shop.
annnnnnd, that's a wrap y'all! I hope you've found this post helpful. I love you guys!
