When To Buy and When To Borrow

I love books. I think I've made that pretty clear on this blog, but loving books usually comes with a price, literally and figuratively. When it comes to reading books there are two very basic ways to acquire your reading material.

1. You buy the book or
2. you borrow it.

Seems simple enough, right? Wrong. Now comes the all important decisions on which one of these two options to choose. I have compiled a list of things to check and ask yourself before you do either of these.

• Is the book you want to read a classic?

I have a very strong opinion on this. If your answer to the above question was 'yes', then buy the book. Classics are always a good investment to make, since you'll probably pass it on to your kids, read it again or lend it to someone. You can borrow the book from the library, but it just won't be as significantly gratifying as having it on your bookshelf for the rest of your life.

• Is the book you want to read a textbook for school/college?

If 'yes', buy it. Buy the book as new as possible at the cheapest you can find it and when you're done with, sell it to someone else at a ridiculous price. You'll make a profit and be rid of the book when you're done. It's a win-win situation. Just remember that textbooks change over the years, so make sure the book you're buying will be used again, otherwise you should try to find a way around buying it or buy it from the previous year's students. They may give you a good deal on it.

Important note: If the text you wish to acquire is a Math textbook, buy it and then burn it when you're done. It'll be way more satisfying than making money off of it.

• Does one of your friends own the book already?

Borrow it, you idiot. If you know someone who owns the book (and it's not a classic), why are you even considering to buy it. Be glad you read this entry before you carelessly went and wasted your money. Not that buying books can ever be considered as wasting money, but still.

• Can you get the book for a good price?

This is up to you. If it's a book you really want, then maybe buying it will be a good option, but always ask yourself if you wouldn't rather check it out at the library. If it is available at your local library, rather check it out than buy it, unless of course you want to own the book, in which case see if you can't buy a new version of the book. Second-hand bookstores are always a good place to look.