November 11, 2008 – 12:00 pm
When I ran my previous article about the benefits of owning an Amazon Kindle, I had responses from people arguing for and against the frugality of the gadget. Regardless of how you feel about the Kindle itself, I don’t think anybody can argue that free books are a bad thing. There’s a virtual treasure trove of resources online where you can find free e-books to download, and nearly all of them can be converted into a format that will work on your favorite portable e-book reader if you don’t like reading from your computer screen.
Here’s a list of a few good places to check:
- Project Gutenberg
Project Gutenberg is the go-to site for finding free downloads for nearly any classic book or book whose copyright has expired. You can also find a number of newer public domain works there. The site runs on donations and boasts over 25,000 free books to download, along with over 100,000 more books available through their list of partners.
- Google Books
Google is another great source for classic books, old and new (though mostly old).
- Baen Free Library
This is a great resource for free sci-fi and fantasy books. It came recommended from our resident bibliophile, Kelly.
- ManyBooks
This one has around 20,000 free e-books, and if you do have a Kindle, you can access ManyBooks through www.mnybks.net via the Kindle browser and download books directly onto your device in .mobi format.
- FictionPress
FictionPress is a large community of original works by contributing writers. A lot of it consists of Mary Sues and bad fanfic-esque stories, but I’ve actually found a few good and worthwhile pieces here. It’s worth checking out, if only to see what other people are writing and posting up.
October 28, 2008 – 11:00 am
If you’re a gamer, you no doubt have felt the sting of all those dollars leaving your pockets to pay for your hobby. You probably also have a decent collection of old games you’ve either finished playing or have lost interest in. It’s obvious that you can put some of those old games to work by trading them for new ones, but you need to do it the smart way to get the most bang for your buck (or game).
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October 14, 2008 – 11:00 am
When you’re into buying DVDs, CDs, and video games (not to mention tech gear, cameras, and anything else you might be into), it’s a given that you want to be informed about the best deals in a timely manner. There’s a simple ritual all bargain hunting fans should work into their weeks, and if often goes neglected: the Sunday ads.
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October 7, 2008 – 11:00 am
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about how I use Gamefly to save a bunch of money on my game purchases. Sometimes there are even cheaper ways for finding video games, and nowhere is a better resource than CheapAssGamer.com.
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September 30, 2008 – 6:00 am
This week’s Frugal Fan takes a look at how book fans can save some money, space, and trees by going digital.
I’m an avid reader, and I’ve amassed a huge collection of books of all types. The shelves of books turned into stacks, which turned into piles and eventually boxes and then boxes with piles next to them. It finally reached critical mass when I moved into my new house last February, and I knew something had to be done to cut down on my clutter. Little did I know that the solution would also be a money saver in the form of the Amazon Kindle.
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September 23, 2008 – 11:00 am
The Frugal Fan is a new feature on Fandomania that will bring you new ideas and ways to save money without sacrificing your fandom. This first installment gives some insight into how I do my shopping for new video games without spending an arm and a leg.
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