Granny Fricket's Thicket

One of the things that I’ve started to (of desire and of necessity) be interested in is trying to do things as inexpensively as possible. I’ve also determined that “frugal” doesn’t necessarily mean cheap or cheapskate… but spending wisely on what matters.

So…

My mom messaged me this morning to see if I could help her figure out why Amazon/Audible (when she searched for audio books) was giving her only ever the option to watch the video. She’s working with Amazon Prime… so… it wasn’t that that was catching her… but… I really don’t know what is. I will have to research.

However… I DO know that she might have been looking at this all wrong.

I have discovered the magic of the library. I am notoriously really crappy about returning books on time to the library when they are dead tree books. I always end up having them checked out for months and forget when they go back (or worse, misplace them when it is time until WELL after the due date). But… with OverDrive and Libby I have discovered the wonders that are digital books.

I have library cards to a couple local libraries where I can check out dozens of audio/kindle/epub books that I can read and that return themselves automatically. I did the research on what it would mean to subscribe to audible and what it costs annually for a Brooklyn library card and it was way more cost effective to pay for a year’s out of state card than to get a streaming service. Added into my free ones, I have enough ‘reading’ material for ages and ages.

It’s not always got the same gratification as being able to pick up a physical book, open it… smell the pages… explore the magic… which I still do (but often as not it is from a second hand book seller) but I can carry fifty books with me wherever I go in my pocket, too, so the trade off is immense.

I highly recommend the free investment in a library card. What you can find to lose yourself in is vast.

GrannyFricket
2/11/2021