Reading on a budget:

Authors work really hard to give readers a story that they can sit down and enjoy, and authors deserve to be compensated for that. But if you're an avid reader these books can add up to a pretty substantial amount and not everyone can afford to buy multiple books a month. And let's be honest, as much as I love the library, they don't always have the books I want to read.

So here are some ways that I've found work really well to keep me in a healthy supply of books without depleting my bank account...

1.

Kindle Unlimited is still fairly new but it quickly became a resource a lot of readers and authors use. For $9.99 a month you can download and read as many books as you want from the program. Only ten (10) can be on your Kindle at a time, but that's really no issue.

I personally love this program but it is something you should use wisely. If you're a slow reader that only reads one or two books a month, you're probably not saving money with this. But if you read, I'll say five (5) or more a month then definitely give this a try. And the first month is free so that's always a good thing.

Try Kindle Unlimited: http://amzn.to/2znklW8

See what books the program has: http://amzn.to/2x9DdXQ

2.

Romance Read Club is a FREE and easy way to get one book a month at no costs and barely any work. If you sign up with this subscription you will get only one email a month (no spamming here) with a free romance book of the Club's choosing that you can download from Barnes & Noble. It always comes with step-by-step instructions on how to download the book that are simple to follow and that's it. Sign up, wait for your email, and enjoy!

I've read some really great books from this program and even discovered new authors that I now love.

Go to their website to sign up and also check out the amazing list of featured authors: http://www.romancereadclub.com/

3.

If you don't mind a little extra email, sign up for your favorite authors' Newsletters. Not only does this keep you updated with their upcoming books, but there are tons of authors that share free books in their Newsletters or tell you when their books are on sale. I've found extremely discounted books this way, both ebooks and paperbacks.

A tip if you hate having an over abundance of email waiting to be opened is to make a new account only for Newsletters. This way you can easily separate the everyday life email with the ones from authors.

4.

Authors, publishers, bloggers, and other readers are always giving books and giftcards away so you should definitely be on the look out for those. Going back to Newsletters, if you sign up for them there are a ton of giveaways that you can learn about. But even if you don't want to do that there's always Facebook or Goodreads. 

Following authors on Facebook can show you a lot of Giveaways, especially if an author has a new release coming out. I also love to join author groups on Facebook and you can find some amazing giveaways in those that are exclusive to that group. The great thing about those is that they are usually Closed Groups, so if you don't want your relatives knowing the smutty books you read, that's the place to be.

Goodreads is always an asset and if you take the time to look through their long list of giveaways I bet you can find quite a bit that you want to read. If you're not a member of Goodreads or you don't know where to find those giveaways you can go here 

-> https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway

Also I'm gearing up for a pretty big Halloween giveaway on our Facebook page so be sure to like and follow us there before the 31st 

->  https://www.facebook.com/escapingintobooksblog/

5. 

Book bloggers can be a huge resource if you're trying to keep your book spending down. Not only do they do giveaways but they are always in the know. Those free books that pop up for a very limited time? Yeah, they usually know about those before it even happens. And they're always sharing sales that you may not find on your own. So find some blogs that you like and make sure to keep up with them on Facebook or subscribe to their pages. 

A few of the ones that I love include: 

Angie & Jessica's Dreamy Reads

Website: http://www.angieandjessicasdreamyreads.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AngiesDreamyReads/

ChatterBooks Books Blog

Website: https://chatterbooksbookblog.blogspot.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chatterbooksbookblog/

The Rock Stars of Romance

Website: http://www.trsor.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/therockstarsofromance/

Vanilla & Spice Books

Website: https://vanillaandspicebooks.blogspot.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VanillaandSpiceBooks/?pnref=lhc

So there you have it, just a few easy ways to save some money and still feed your love of reading. Keeping yourself to a budget can be hard with that pesky One-Click button but if you take the time to look around you can find a lot of hidden gems for very cheap.

And don't forget that no matter where or how you read an authors book, review it. Reviews are powerful things and can help an author out so much. Even just a quick sentence or two can make a difference.