How to Save Money

Who doesn’t like to save money? I know I do. Most people know they can save money every day at the Kenton County Public Library by borrowing books, movies, music and video games and attending programs. But people don’t realize that there are so many other ways the Library can save them money.

The Library offers several online services, most of which can be accessed from any computer with an Internet connection and a Kenton County Public Library card number. Chiltons, Consumer Reports, ValueLine and Morningstar Investment Research Center are just a few of the services.

You can view full issues of Consumer Reports, compare prices, find the best rated products and much more. This is a great resource with the holidays right around the corner. You can find the best rated electronics, appliances, cars and more. You can also compare features. This allows you to make informed decisions before making purchases. I will be using this free online service to choose which netbook will be best for my 10 and 13-year-olds as a gift.

Have you ever wished you could fix your car yourself? Have you thought it’s probably simple enough that you could if you just had a guide? You can access the Chilton Manuals for free through the Library website. You can find out how to replace breaks, change oil, replace plugs, fix a muffler and much more for most makes and models.

ValueLine is an independent investment research and financial publishing firm based in New York, New York, USA, founded in 1931 by Arnold Bernhard. Value Line is best known for publishing The Value Line Investment Survey, a stock analysis newsletter that is updated weekly and kept by subscribers to the print edition in a large black or green binder. This online service makes it easy to read stock reports.

Morningstar Investment Research Center offers analysis on 1700 stocks, 2000 mutual funds and 300 exchange traded funds (ETFs). While it is primarily designed as a tool for investors, it is also an excellent place to get quick information on a company.

You can also save money with ZINIO, a free online magazine service. You can receive dozens of magazines right to your email inbox for free. Magazines available include Cosmo, Country Living, Good Housekeeping, Men’s Fitness, Macworld, Popular Mechanics, Parenting, US Weekly, The Nation, Working Mother, Veg News. There are many more titles. Downloading full magazines for free saves money on yearly subscriptions, helps you find great recipes and craft ideas, keeps you up on the latest news and gives you the latest health and fashion trends.

You can use the Library calculator to calculate how much money you save each month with the Library. For example, my family saves over $500 per month by borrowing books and movies from the Library, using Freegal to download music, Zinio for magazines and other Library resources for research.

We are going to help you save money yet another way this month. We are giving away four tickets to the Cincinnati Museum Center. You have four chances to win! Be sure to include your first name and email with each entry. One person will be randomly chosen. Contest ends Monday, Nov. 12 at noon. Library employees and their immediate family members cannot participate.

1.      Post here telling us about your favorite online Library service.

2.      Click follow on the blog and comment here that you did.

3.      Use the Library calculator and tell us how much you save a month.

4.      Like us on Facebook and comment here that you did.

This post was written by Gina Holt, public relations coordinator for the Kenton County Public Library. Gina can be contacted by commenting on the blog or emailing gina.holt@kentonlibrary.org.

Note: Museum tickets were donated.