Book Thrifting

For those of you who have heard the old adage, “It takes a village” I’m going to go one step further. The community has a wealth of resources that, when tapped into appropriately, is just waiting to spill its bountiful load out to anyone in need of assistance.

You may think you know the direction that I’m going in, but I’m talking about taking a different approach for the parent that may either be struggling financially, or may just be looking for a way to cut back on costs when it comes to stocking up on baby supplies. In the course of my personal parenting journey, I’ve come across several articles with titles such as, “How to raise a baby on a budget” and “Ways to save for a baby”and they’re all very good ones. But I discovered one on my own that’s not too big of a secret, just probably a lost art: the art of thrifting.

Now, I don’t claim to be an expert on the subject, but it simply stated from me taking a trip to my local library down the street, as I happened to notice that they had some pregnancy-themed books the last couple times I stopped in there on their resale cart. Me being the person I am who is so unable to resists a good deal, I started making frequent trips back and this began my own personal pregnancy library. And this all happened before I decided to become a doula! We’re talking individual paperbacks and hardcovers ranging from.25 to 1.00 each – well below their original value. Now, the only thing is to make sure that depending on what you’re choosing, it reflects current-Day research and practices.

Now, I’ve started building a reference library of my own that will also become my starter Lending Library for family, friends, and clients to come. For any and all other parents out there, whether you want a good read, or a specifically themed book, you never know what your library has in store for you. Need an idea for date night? Go out and find some books to read together! You can even get your kids’ libraries started as well (picture books). I’ve also started collecting some of these as well. There is no shame in gently used and worn books; somebody loved them at one point, and they can be loved again. So get out there and start thrifting!