Budget Bookish – Little Free Library
I love books, they are some of my most prized possessions. Throughout my life, I’ve had a lot of moves (like 20+) and in a lot of those moves, we were limited to a 50-pound suitcase. Books, are heavy and often get left behind when it’s time to go. I am now fortunately at a point where I have a good housing situation and I can see myself staying here for a very long time. With this security, I’ve finally felt comfortable building my library back up. Books can get quite pricey especially if you’re getting those fancy hardcovers so while I love buying new books I’ve been looking for more financially responsible options. Here is my first budget bookish suggestion: the Little Free Library.
Little Free Library
The Little Free Library got its start when founder Todd Bol built a little school room cupboard shaped like a school room in honour of his mother who was a school teacher. He filled the box with books and set it up in his front yard.
People loved the concept so much that he built a couple more and gave them out to be set up in other places around his town. Two years later and the Little Free Library was officially founded and became a registered non-profit organization. They based the Little Free Library on the goal “to share good books and bring communities together.”
By 2020 there were 100,000 registered libraries in more than 100 countries. On the Little Free Library website, you can access their map which will show you what libraries are in your area. It is up to the person who set up the library to update it on the map so just know there may be some around that are not on the map.
Check out the website here: littlefreelibrary.org
Check out the locations here: littlefreelibrary.org/ourmap
Who Sets These Up?
“Stewards” buy a Little Free Library from their website. That library will be registered with Little Free Library and a charter number is provided to the Steward. Blueprints to build and install your Little Free Library as well as a bunch of other resources are available on the official website. If you want to start your own check out the Little Free Library FAQ page! I kinda want to start one in my neighbourhood now!
Book Sharing
If you are like me I want to know all the rules of something before I even think about starting to do something. What can I say when I was little a friend’s mom would yell at me for not doing crafts “properly” ever since then I live in fear that while doing mundane things someone will emerge out of nowhere and yell a me that I’m doing it wrong.
So go with confidence friends I’ve looked up the rules! Take a book, leave a book. Or just take a book. Or just leave a book. Simple, straightforward, and user-friendly. So don’t let anyone’s mom yell at you that you’re doing it wrong.
The Adventure Begins
On a rainy Sunday, I dragged my sister with me to go explore some Little Free Library boxes that were near us! It was a great weekend activity to get me out of the house. I have a tendency to hide away in my house all weekend and then be sad when Monday rolls around and I haven’t gone out and done something fun.
Initially, we intended to only visit three but I got carried away and we ended up going to five. We both had some of our own books that we no longer wanted so we brought those with us to swap out with any books we found. (SIDE NOTE if you do go visiting some Little Free Library boxes don’t use them as a dumping ground for books that are basically junk. Be nice to your community and leave some amazing books for others to enjoy)
If you love books, engaging with the community, passing on your books, and looking at adorable painted library boxes you would enjoy a Little Free Library tour through your town. I really loved taking my love of books and subtracting the consumerism aspect. It’s a nice breather and a great way to get some new books to read without spending money.
What Books Did I Take?
I ended up trading for three new to me books! Winnie’s Great War which is a kid’s novel about the bear who inspired Winnie-The-Pooh. As a Canadian child of the 90’s I was aware Winnipeg the bear existed and inspired A. A. Milne to write his classic stories. But I don’t know much beyond that. I’m excited to tuck into this story! One Little Free Library had a bunch of Baby-Sitters Club books and I just had to get one for the nostalgia. This one comes complete with a postcard from the author.
It’s worth it to take your time looking through all the books in each library. I found myself glancing and just assuming there was nothing there for me. Glad I stopped myself and took another look. I’ve never heard of this book before but it SEEMS like it’s a badass retelling of Jane Eyre. Jane Eyre but Jane kicks ass and takes names. In other words the only version of Jane Eyre I would be interested in.
This was one of the loveliest Sundays I’ve spent in a while. There are loads of Little Free Libraries all over the place! If you’ve got some books you’d like to share track down one or make a day of it!
Hannah
