Thrifty Thursday - A World of Family Fun at the Library

Something that almost everyone has access to is the public library.  Yet I am often surprised when I talk to friends, how few people actually take advantage of this resource.  Here are some simple ways your family can save money, learn something and be entertained at your local library.

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Each week we take a trip to the library where we borrow books, DVD's and CD's.  My daughters were having a tough time going down for their nap because they kept talking and playing.  I borrowed some stories on CD from the library and played one at the start of each naptime.  This has made naps so much easier.  Our library has a great selection of children's books on CD and we borrow a bunch each week for the girl's naptime.

Each night, hubby reads the girls a book before bed.  We quickly ran out of books in our personal collection so we headed to the library.  Now we read them a new book almost every night.  We read old favorites many times during the day, but at bedtime, the girls are always treated to a new book.

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A trip to the library can become a family outing.  My girls fight over who will put the checked in books into the book return.  I think they like doing things they see adults doing.  In the children's area of our library, there is a puzzle table and my kids love going there and working on puzzle after puzzle. My library also has computers with kids games for older children. I don't think the puzzles or computer games are unique to the libraries in my county.

Aside from all the books, the library offers free story-times and opportunities for family events.  Before Christmas we went to a fun family sing-a-long at the library. But one of the coolest things that many libraries offer are free museum passes.  That's right, you can have free family outings thanks to the library.  My county library allows you to reserve and print these passes at home.  What more could you ask for?

Needless to say, the public library is a frugal mom's best friend.  But you will find something there for everyone.  When I move to a new town, the first thing I do is get a library card.  Please explore all that your local library has to offer.  Just make sure to return your items on time.  Late charges are not so frugal.