We like to have access to good, family-friendly media in our home. But we are fresh out of grad school, and trying to keep up with all of the media that comes out can put a strain on our budget if we aren’t careful. Since the trees near our home produce only acorns, not money, we have had to find ways to stretch our “fun funds” to allow our family to enjoy as much media as possible without breaking the bank. 

In the absence of the abundant wealth a money tree might bring, you may also find it difficult to fund your family’s media. (Or, maybe you do have a money tree. I don’t know.) To help, here are 7 tips and tricks for stretching your media budget just a bit further.

1. Don’t underestimate your library’s resources

Just about everybody has heard of the library. (At least…we hope they have.) It’s a wonderful resource for books and audiobooks (if you have and know how to use a CD player). But a lot of people overlook just how extensive their public library’s free resources are. Most libraries have vast collections of movies and TV shows. Some even offer video games that you can borrow if you have the proper console.

The downside to using the library is that you may have to wait if somebody else has the item you’re looking for. And, occasionally, others may not have handled the items with the utmost care, so they’re a bit worse for wear. But the fact that you can actually find older movies to watch or get items for free balances things out a bit. You might need to invest in a DVD or Blu-Ray player (gasp!), but in the long run you’ll save money on streaming subscriptions and movie tickets if you’re patient enough (and don’t mind being the last person to see new movies or shows).

2. Use one of the numerous free apps for ebooks, audiobooks, shows, and movies

Your library may also give you access to a number of free applications, such as Hoopla, Libby, or Kanopy. Hoopla and Libby are great for audiobooks. Their selection is tethered to what your library pays for, but we can usually find what we want to listen to on one or the other. They also have ebooks, if you are the type of person who doesn’t mind reading on a device.

Libby’s drawback is that it functions like your local library: only a certain number of digital copies are available, so you may need to wait while others finish up and return the book.  You never need to wait with Hoopla, but you’re only allowed to check out a certain number of books each month. That number grows as you use the app consistently. And, during the pandemic at least, the number is usually generous enough that even the most avid readers can get what they want when they want it.

Librivox is an audiobook app and website whose content is not tethered to your library. Their shtick is providing free access to audiobooks in the public domain. This means that it’s only useful for classics. And even then, note that the readers are not usually professionals. They’re volunteers! That means that the recording quality can vary a bit. I’ve had some stellar experiences (for example, I found a reader I like who did several Mark Twain novels) and some that disappointed. But if you’re looking for a book in the public domain (or if you’re an English major and need to speed read Ulysses…), this is a great resource.

There are also a couple of library-based apps we use for watching shows and movies. Hoopla has the distinct advantage of carrying many TV shows and movies, as well as books. They don’t have everything, but they have a pretty good selection. But each episode or movie you borrow counts as one of your borrows for the month, so you can run out quickly if you’re trying to binge watch something.

Kanopy has a very good selection of films (especially Shakespeare and things like that). There isn’t a limit to how much you can borrow, but I don’t think it’s quite so widely available as Hoopla. Each of these apps (Librivox excluded) does depend on what your local library has available. But more and more public libraries are picking up on these apps for their patrons, so hopefully you will have access to them as well.

3. Rent movies, shows, and games

In all honesty, we do not end up renting most of our media. We get by with the free stuff from the library for books, movies, and TV shows, a lot of the time. And we prefer to own video games, so we use some of the tips below for those.

But on occasion, we do end up in a pickle. Free resources can cover a lot of ground, but sometimes you just cannot find what you’re looking for at the library or on the free apps. Since piracy is so 1508, it’s best to find a place where you can rent the movies, shows, or video games you’re looking for. It’s a shame Hollywood Video and Blockbuster aren’t around anymore. 

Redbox can be great for movies if they came out in the last, say, two weeks or so. For many older films, Amazon and iTunes have them for a few dollars. For games, you could use a service like GameFly, which lets you rent games and, if you decide to keep them, pay a reduced price to own it. (We have not yet used GameFly, but we’ve heard good things.) Renting is a good way to save on things you’ll likely only watch or play once or twice.

4. Sell back or trade in old media

Let’s say you have a stash of old games or movies you never play or watch anymore. Or, maybe you bought a book you thought you would love only to find out that you’ve been snookered. Whatever the situation, don’t forget that you can probably sell that old stuff to somebody else. For video games, you can trade them in at GameStop or Amazon for minimal effort and minimal returns. Or, you can sell it yourself online somewhere for a bit more effort and significantly more returns.

Amazon may also buy back your books, but you can generally find a used bookstore nearby, or even a pawn shop or something of that kind to take your movies. Then you can use the proceeds to fund your future obsessions!

5. Buy used copies

The rest of our tips are for those times when you feel you must own something. Renting and borrowing simply will not do. First, we recommend that you find a spot to buy things used. It’s a bit obvious, but a lot of us overlook the idea for its simplicity.

You likely have a local used bookstore that might carry what you need in that department. But don’t forget about local pawn and thrift shops (like Goodwill). We’ve found several surprise gold mines, and not just for books. We have found copies of games and movies going for just a couple of dollars each, even though they were in excellent condition. Items that might sell for the price of a small pony online often go for pennies on the dollar in thrift and pawn shops.

Your library may also hold sales of old materials. Michela’s library growing up had annual sales where books, DVDs, and games would sell for approximately the price of a pack of tissues. We went a couple of years ago when we were visiting, and we made out like bandits. We’ve lived in other places where the library had sales, but they happened less frequently. Just keep an eye out for what your local library might be doing.

But there are good places to look online for used things. Thriftbooks.com has good prices for used books (we used to use them to get textbooks in college, too). We’ve noticed that GameFly, which also rents games, has a good selection of used games for sale. And their prices usually compete well with places like GameStop (which is also a pretty decent place to buy used video games). eBay and Amazon are other obvious spots to pick up the media you’re looking for. Do some poking around, and you’ll probably find what you want inside the confines of your family’s budget.

6. Use an audiobook subscription app

If you’re like us, then you do most of your reading with your ears. We love the free selections on Hoopla and Libby, but sometimes you just want to own a book so you can listen whenever you like. One of the cheapest ways  to own an audiobook is to get it through a service like Audible or Audiobooks.com. We’ve used and liked both of these, but there are several others you can find as well.

It is much cheaper to get audiobooks with one of these services than it is to buy them outright. When you subscribe to Audible, for example, you pay $15 per month and you get one free credit each month. You can use that credit to buy any audiobook in their catalogue (which, by the way, is massive). This is a stellar deal, particularly for larger books (Like any of the Stormlight Archive books – which we have discussed here and here) or series that can cost upwards of $40 or $50 per audiobook to own. 

As a quick example, Ben grew up on the Harry Potter audiobooks. They were a road trip staple of his youth, so we wanted to get them for our kids to enjoy when we take long drives. But those suckers cost $45ish each! Instead of paying for each one outright, we did a free trial on Audible that got us 3 of them for free (though now the free trial might only be for two books), and each subsequent book cost us only $15 because we used our monthly credit. So, instead of hemorrhaging $315 to own the whole series, we spent only $60.

On top of that, these services sometimes have exclusive audiobooks that you can’t get anywhere else. (We’ve mentioned before that the audiobook for The Talisman Ring is housed exclusively at Audible.) So they occasionally have a bit of a leg up on the free resources.

Our favorite bit, though, is that you get to keep the books you buy even after you stop subscribing to these services. So if a monthly subscription stops being within the realm of your budgetary possibilities, you can cancel your subscription and keep what you’ve already bought. Audiobook subscription services are a flexible, affordable way to get the audiobooks you want when you want them.

7. Keep your eyes peeled for sales

 It takes patience, persistence, and probably some prayers, but eventually your most coveted media might go on sale. Or, if you use an online web app like Honey, there might be a pertinent discount code, rebate, or coupon.  If you want something in new condition and you’re able to wait, it’s always worth keeping an eye on sales so you can nab it up at a good price. (Nintendo fans might be out of luck on this one, since their stuff doesn’t usually go on sale, but for the rest of you: sales will come.)

We use each of these tips to do geeky things together without breaking our budget. But what about you? Do you have other tips or resources for geeking out on a budget? Let us know in the comments below!

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Feature image by Micheile Henderson on Unsplash