Dirt Cheap Hobbies: Reading

Nothing can take you away better than the written word.  A good book can capture your imagination and transport you to a different time, a different place, or a different universe.  As you read more, you'll also become more literate, more articulate, and more able of learn by reading.  Reading is both a powerful escape from the real world and a powerful tool in the real world.  Plus, reading is a very cheap hobby.

If you are on a tight budget, you can find plenty to read for free or almost free.  You can go to the library and check out books at no cost.  Used book stores and thrift shops have thousands of titles at just a dollar or two apiece.  Finally, if you can read this online, you can find lots of books available online for free or very low prices.If you have a little money to spend, Amazon's Kindle Unlimited Program will allow you to read an unlimited number of books each month for free.

Many people are publishing their own books now using tools from Amazon, Smashwords, and other electronic bookstores.  If you look at just one group of independent authors, take Twitter's #WolfPack Authors group for example, you'll find everything from animal tales in a forest to detective fiction to erotica to romance to zombies.  They cover all the genres.  You can find almost anything you care to read at bargain basement prices.

There's a whole universe of great writing out there.  All you have to do is open the pages of a book.

How to Save Money on Magazines

Have you ever perused the magazine rack in a grocery store, found a weighty magazine, and then discovered that it costs $9.99 or even $12.95.  It's possible to spend $60 and walk out with only a half-dozen periodicals.  if you are on a tight budget, that's not cool at all.

Here are a few ways to save money on magazines:

1.  Subscribe.  If you subscribe to magazines, you'll save a lot of money over the newstand price.  Sometimes you can get a whole year of a magazine for $10 or $12.  To save money right now, you can easily subscribe to Amazon magazines and handle your whole subscription process online without those annoying little insert cards.

2.  Use the Public Library.  Magazines at the library can be read for free.  You'll also find music on CDs, movies on DVDs, and plenty of books.  All of these resources are cheaper than magazines, bookstores, or Netflix.

3.  Read on the Web.  Lots of magazine content is available online.  Plus, there are plenty of bloggers who are writing magazine-like articles.  It's all free with your web connection.