Hunting for Bargain Books
By Rachel PaxtonThere are many places, on and off the Internet, to find great deals on books. To me, part of the fun is hunting around for them, so I do the majority of my looking around offline.
I buy a lot of my books at yard sales. Yard sales are great for finding children's books. A few years ago I decided to start looking for some of my own childhood favorites, and have already replaced many of my long lost childhood books, often for .25 to .50 each. These same books would cost between $3 - $20 in an antique store.
One advantage of shopping around where you live is finding books related to your area. Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, I love to collect old books relating to this region and culture, and it's relatively easy to run across them.
Estate sales often have the largest selections of used books. Most yard sale ads will note whether or not they are estate sales. Sometimes you will discover irreplaceable book collections practically free!
Another great place to find bargain books is thrift stores. It's best to check more than one store. In our town, one practically gives their books away, and another charges several dollars a piece for them (especially cookbooks). Also watch for bargain days. One store I go to offers 20% off everything every Sunday and once or twice a year offers 50% off.
Used bookstores are also a great place to find bargain books, but again you have to look around. One store I go to sells their cookbooks for .50 - $2 each, and another sells theirs for between $3 - $10 each. Most used bookstores will also let you trade in unwanted books for store credit, further reducing your overall cost. I often trade in books I've purchased at yard sales to offset the costs of the books at the used bookstore.
One possibly overlooked place to look for books is antique stores. I found one antique store that has a whole selection of used books for about $1 each. That's a good place to find old community and church cookbooks (my favorites!)
There are several good Internet resources for finding used books. Ebay is good for low-cost books if you have the patience to bid on them. Powell's is an online bookseller out of Portland, Oregon, that has a great selection of used books. A couple of other places to try are www.abebooks.com, and www.bibliofind.com.
Happy bargain hunting! Remember, if you value your marriage you'll only buy as many books as you and your children can carry yourselves!
About The Author:
Originally published at Suite 101. Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer and mom who is the author of What's for Dinner?, an e-cookbook containing more than 250 quick easy dinner ideas. For recipes, tips to organize your home, home decorating, crafts, holiday hints, and more, visit Creative Homemaking at http://www.creativehomemaking.com.
Feedback About This Post:
RE: Help-it won't thicken
I used my turkey drippings and then added a flour water mixture to the drippings. The gravy is not getting thick. I'm whisking the gravy over a low heat. What to do next?
Post By jasohio@aol.com (Guest Post)
RE: Helpful Hints for Great Gravy
I add a little tamari or soy sauce to my gravy for color & taste.
Liz
Post By Liz (Guest Post)
RE: Helpful Hints for Great Gravy
Did you know? It takes half the amount of cornstarch,as it does flour.You will taste less that paste flavor, with cornstarch. It take half the amount arrowroot as it does cornstarch, Arrowroot has no taste. Just asking,if anyone heard about arrowroot or uses it?
Post by hummm
RE: Helpful Hints for Great Gravy
When making beef gravy I always use about a tsp of Kitchen Bouquet near the end of cooking. Adds a great taste.
Post By Zelda (Guest Post)
RE: Helpful Hints for Great Gravy
Another tip for making good gravy is to save your potato water and add it to the gravy before other liquid or add to the liquid before adding to the pan. In my greaseless gravy recipe I neglected to add the part about adding potato water. It seems to give it much more taste.
Thank you,
Nell
Post By Nell (Guest Post)
RE: Hunting for Bargain Books
Try your local library. We have 2 libraries close by and both have book sales 2 times a year. They are posted in the paper and tons of books, videos, cd's etc avail.
Post By DEBRA J. (Guest Post)
RE: Hunting for Bargain Books
Another good place to find old books online. Try amazon.Com some books are only a penny plus 4.00 Postage. Another wonderful "old book place" online is alibris. More expensive but some great books.
Post By DEBRA J. (Guest Post)
RE: Helpful Hints for Great Gravy
I was fixing gravy with a spoon a long time ago, and my daughter-in-law asked me why I didn't use a "whisk"? I had never thought of it was my reply--this is what my mom had always done. Now I use a whisk and have very few if, any, lumps in my gravy
Post by Martina
RE: Helpful Hints for Great Gravy
I learned how to make gravy from my mother-in-law many years ago. Empty the pan and put two or three tablespoons of drippings into the pan. Add one to two tablespoons of flour, depending on the size of the roast. Make a paste of this mixture, using a slotted cooking spatula, and cook it for a few minutes, until it is browned, then all that is left is to slowly add cold water and keep stirring, picking up the bits and pieces in the pan, until you reach the desired consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add more drippings, if necessary.
Post By Thrifty Me (Guest Post)
RE: Helpful Hints for Great Gravy
When roasting meat in the oven you can put flour in a pie tin and let it brown in the oven while meat roasts. You have to watch it so it doesn't burn, but it sure saves time when you can use already cooked flour to put your gravy together. I also use a whire whisk when I combind the roux and the broth. Stir the hell out of it with the whisk. Also make sure broth is cool when you add to hot gravy makings. this helps prevent lumps. Just keep stirring, it will all come together. Happy cooking.
Post By Joyce (Guest Post)
RE: Helpful Hints for Great Gravy
If it gets lumpy, I just put it in the blender. Works great.
Post by valbush
RE: Helpful Hints for Great Gravy
I use corn starch in a small amount of water (using a wire wisk) instead of flour....no lumps ever and tastes great!
Post By Enter your name. (Guest Post)
RE: Helpful Hints for Great Gravy
I have been putting my gravy through the collander for at least 40 years.... I get a lot of giggles when I tell folks that but it is the truth.
Post by MartyD
RE: Hunting for Bargain Books
I just love AmericasBookShelf.com , the full service system is just like Netflix.
Post by BudMurray
RE: Hunting for Bargain Books
Im a member of AmericasBookShelf.com and love it.
Post by BudMurray
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