Information is power, and reading more enhances your knowledge and the connections your brain makes between the things you learn. Even so, books cost money. Your budget may not be as flexible as you'd like, but even on a lean budget you can read more. Here's how.
Start With Your Local Library and Sites with Free Ebooks
These two options are the most obvious ones, but also the most powerful. Libraries are always free, so as long as you can keep track of due dates you can explore as much as you want. (Here's a useful tip to conquer library due dates—Divide the book up into sections by the number of days before it's due, and placing stick-on tabs to keep track. For example, if a 200-page book is due in 8 days, place a tab every 25 pages.) You can also borrow ebooks for free at libraries, which typically don't come with the same check-ins and check-out rules that apply to physical books.
There are a ton of free ebooks available on Project Gutenberg. You could also use UPenn's search engine for classics in ebook format. If you have an ebook reader (like a Kindle, or a rooted Nook), we'd previously looked at some ways you can get ebooks for free. Even if you don't have a Kindle, you can download the Kindle reading software for your device and use some of the tips in that post. If you pay for Amazon Prime, you can even borrow Kindle books for free.
Finally, try Wattpad, a community of readers and writers that share (mostly fiction) stories. There are a lot of stories by amateurs and hobbyists, but you can also find work by authors like Margaret Atwood, Tucker Max, and James Altucher. You can download the Wattpad mobile apps for iOS and Android to read on-the-go and without an internet connection.
Find Great Used Book Stores and Thrift Stores
Thrift stores often have great books at bargain prices. The key is to shop in upscale neighborhoods. You can use Zillow and Google Maps to identify areas with high property values and find thrift stores in upscale areas near you.
Naturally, you can go online to find used books. Thriftbooks has free U.S. shipping and offer used books at a fraction of retailer price. If you're looking online, local blogs and communities also have tons of threads and posts highlighting people's favorite used bookstores. (For example, here's one for Austin, Texas.)
When you buy books, you allow yourself the freedom to write in margins and make notes. You can also trade these books with other people to get ones you haven't read before.
Swap Books Online
If you're done with a book and see no reason to keep it, you can swap it with other people online. We've previously looked at services like BookMooch and PaperBackSwap. You can also use WhatsOnMyBookshelf. These services typically have pretty wide selection. Remember, there's a level of scarcity on these sites—so you should act fast if you find a book you like. Otherwise, someone else may pick up what you're interested in.
Should you have any unread books at home, or if you plan to go to used bookstores, keep your eyes peeled for the most demanded books on these sites so that you can swap them for ones you want to read.
Read Tons of Books at Major Discounts
If you plan to read a lot, sign up for a service like Booksfree.com, which is essentially the Netflix for books and audiobooks. You can sign up for a limited plan, which allows you to have two books at any given time, for $8.99 per month.
The key with something like this is to cycle through as many books as possible. Life is too short to spend with a story that you don't like. If you're 50 or 100 pages into a book and still aren't feeling it, ship it back for a new one.
You could also try a service like Oyster, which offers unlimited eBooks for $9.95 per month. You can read books on iOS, Android, Nook HD, Kindle Fire, and through the web. You can get a free month's subscription from Oyster here.
Alternatively, you could also try a service like Storybundle, which ships a lot of DRM-free ebooks by independent authors in one affordable package. At the time of writing, you could pay as little as $3 for 4 books and a handful of zines.
Explore New Literary Worlds on a Budget
Reading more doesn't have to be expensive. Make the most of your budget by downloading free ebooks and borrowing from libraries, or using apps like Wattpad. Use Zillow and Google Maps to find the best used book stores and thrift stores near you. Swap the books that you don't want for new ones, and sign up for a service that serves up all you can read. Now, with all these worlds to explore, your next challenge will be reading more effectively to keep up.
Photos by donatas1205, Misha Abesadze, twechy, Steve Snodgrass, Christopher, Pedro Ribeiro Simões.