About The Author:

Alise is a wife and mother of four living in WV. She love knitting, crochet, music, reading & zombies. She is afraid of killer robots. You can read her writing at Big Mama’s Blog, and can connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.

Our whole family is comprised of avid readers. (Well, I’m guessing about the animals. But the dogs have been known to literally devour a book or two and the cats like to climb in my lap when I’m reading, so I assume that they’re on board with the whole reading thing as well.) And if you read, you know that a book habit can be expensive. And if you’re a family of six, you know that a book habit for six people can be really, stinkin’ expensive.

Which is why I was thrilled a couple of years ago to discover PaperBackSwap.com. A friend referred me there and I was sure that it had to be a total scam. I send my already read books to someone else and I get a credit and that credit is good for any book? Definitely too good to be true.

Incredibly, it is absolutely true! I have exchanged hundreds of books at the site and nearly all have gone without a hitch. There are guidelines that should be followed (no writing or highlighting in books that aren’t textbooks, no liquid damage of any kind, no broken spines), but provided your book is in pretty good condition, you can trade it for something that you haven’t read. Media mail is relatively inexpensive, so each transaction costs you about $3, which is far below retail and often even sale prices for most books. When you join and post your first 10 books, you even receive 2 credits for free! And they have handy printable mailers that you can use to send out your books right from your home.

I originally joined so that I could get rid of some old books and make more space, but honestly, I’ve ended up bringing in many more to replace them! But honestly, it’s absolutely wonderful. Most of the people on the site are incredibly nice and my transactions have primarily been really positive. And don’t let the name fool you — you can swap both paperback and hardbound books. I have received gorgeous, like-new copies of the entire Harry Potter series in hard cover for my family from this site!

I do encourage you to check out the forums there. They have games where you can trade books without using credits (usually themed games with a specific genre in mind, but sometimes books on different topics or even something silly like a title with a specific set of words in it) and the “book bazaar” where people sometimes run deals where you can get more than one book for a credit. I have picked up a lot of children’s books that way (and unloaded a lot of books that my kids no longer read). I love that I’ve been able to put presents together for birthdays and Christmas using used books.

There are other book swapping sites out there, but I have found none to be as well organized or as helpful as PaperBackSwap.com. If you enjoy reading, this site can save you hundreds of dollars in books! If you happen to join, let them know that BigMama sent you!

About The Author:

Mrs Green runs Little Green Blog, which covers green technology, gentle parenting and eco friendly living.

One of my passions is living as lightly as I can on the earth. This doesn’t mean a life of deprivation or ‘going without’ some of the modern comforts and conveniences of 21st century life; neither does it mean having an unlimited budget for hybrid cars or big solar panels.

Living a green lifestyle can be very creative and *very* frugal as these tips will show you. Every one of these tips will cost you precisely nothing!

1- Love your leftovers

Instead of calling food leftovers, view it as ingredients. Left over cooked vegetables can be made into soup, while fruit that is past its best can be whizzed into smoothies. Putting old food into landfill produces methane; a potent greenhouse gas and you’ll get better value for money if you use up every last scrap.

2- Cooking from scratch

If you cook from scratch you know exactly what you are eating and can eat for a fraction of the cost. You’ll save heaps of money and be healthier too. Why not batch cook to save energy and freeze ‘convenience food’ for a later date?

3- Turn it off!

If you can see the red dot on your appliances, you’ve left them on standby. Ok, so it might be a few cents of electricity you are saving, but how many gadgets do you leave on standby and for how long? Do the math and you’ll see you can make quite a saving by turning things off at the socket.

4- Close the curtains

Once dusk comes it’s time to close the curtains; by doing this tiny step you’ll be keeping heat inside your home for free. If you line your curtains with old blankets you’ll conserve even more heat.

5- Reuse instead of dispose

Is there one disposable product you buy which you could swap for a reusable option? Kitchen towel is a great example – grab a pile of unworn t-shirts, cut them up into rags and you’ll save yourself money and trees throughout the year!

6- Green clean

Do you really need a separate product to clean the floor, another one to wipe the kitchen surfaces and yet another to shine the sink? By using white vinegar and baking soda you can successfully do most cleaning jobs in your home – it’s safer for you, better for the environment and cheaper too.