People go to the library for a ton of different reasons. Saving money on books seems like an obvious one. But what's not immediately clear is exactly how much money you could be saving by booking it to your local library.
In a viral Reddit post, now upvoted thousands of times, one Redditor shared that their library gives them a receipt every time he borrows a book, outlining the total amount of cash they've saved by not purchasing books — in his case, $248.18 in one year alone.
Other Redditors were quick to jump in and share similar stories.
One user commented, "I'm at a grand total of $4,105 saved."
"I forgot how many great resources [libraries] provide! It's awesome to see an actual dollar amount saved on each receipt, too," wrote the author.
In addition to saving cash, libraries enable a single book to be read hundreds of times, whereas buying a book to read it once or twice can break the bank while adding to landfills.
Think of using the library in terms of the 3R's of waste management: reduce, reuse, recycle. By borrowing books, you're not only reducing the amount of trees being cut down, but also reusing books that have already been made.
And it's not just paper from trees that make up books' environmental impact. The process of producing a book requires energy and produces waste.
In creating each book, on average, over 16 pounds of harmful carbon pollution that overheats our Earth is emitted. Going to the library can help us cool down our planet, too.
So, the next time someone asks you how you're living sustainably, you can tell them that you use the library. It's a win for your wallet, the planet, and your vocabulary.
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