Get a library card!

There’s no getting around it. Life is expensive and prices seem to just keep going up. However, some costs are way more optional than you think, in part, thanks to institutions like public libraries.

Public libraries provide free access to a lot of things you might otherwise have to purchase in your day-to-day life. Nowadays, when every penny counts, it makes so much fiscal sense to take advantage of the free options at your disposal.

I’m going to show you just how much sense it makes (right down to the last cent!) by taking a look at the estimated annual savings of an average library cardholder.

We’ll start with the most obvious savings: books. An Ipsos Reid poll found Canadians read an average of 22 books per year. If all 22 of those books are newly purchased, then you’re looking at around $550.

Now let’s look at movies and TV shows. Canadians spend roughly $157 annually on video streaming services. If you were to borrow DVDs and/or Blu-rays from the library, then you could pocket that amount instead.

Or, if you want to keep streaming videos, you could trade the for-profit services for the video streaming services offered for free by your library instead. The Niagara Falls Public Library has two such services — Hoopla and Kanopy — and they both have tons of excellent content.

Similarly, Canadians spend between $100 to $200 annually on music streaming services. Once again, library cardholders can access music for free through the library. There are CDs for those who still have CD players or access to Hoopla, which also functions as a music streaming service.

Finally, gamers, there are significant cost savings at the library for you too! If you buy just five games per year, that’s around $350. The Niagara Falls Public Library has Switch, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X and Xbox One games you can borrow for free. Meaning you’ll save that cash and be able to play way more than just five new games a year.

As you can see, having a library card just makes economic sense. It can save you more than $1,250 annually, and this calculation doesn’t even include all the other items you can borrow for free, like vegetable seeds, board games, musical instruments, picnic games, outdoor equipment and more.

So, what are you waiting for? Get a library card from the Niagara Falls Public Library and save your money!