Our library only kept what they could realistically use. So that meant it had to be something that we needed based on our normal selection criteria - the book had to be in really good condition, the topic had to be relevant and it had to be something that we needed and had room to shelve. Most of the books we received were things that people didn't want any longer yet had trouble throwing away so they would donate them. We would get hundreds of out of date textbooks, worn paperbacks that were loosing pages, books with stale, musty odors, odd assortments of magazines and even incomplete sets of encyclopedias. Those were the titles that quickly went to the book sale. I know it might sound like we were being too selective but as the other posters mentioned it still cost money to prepare these books for circulation and most of them didn't have library binding so they wouldn't hold up. New titles that are best sellers were the easiest to keep because we usually had a waiting list. Even then we would lease extra copies of those books to keep up with demand. If there were other books that we didn't need and were worth keeping we would offer them to other branches in our library system. One of my branches was across the street from a senior center and I would ask the staff there if they wanted to take any that we didn't need. Unfortunately they really needed large print materials.

On #s 15 & 16, I think it's important to point out that often the alternative to refi and the like is simply pay down the principle! Especially if you're early in the mortgage, every nickel you pay toward the principle means the balance of the loan's interest on that nickel goes into your pocket. Ol' Joyful, I'll need some of your expertise here, but could you figure a rough calculation of an average type house loan, average refi costs applied to the current loan and how that would compare in the end? I think it'd be interesting. Also, said before, but often people think they "need" a new car and don't consider if they put some money into the old one, it'd save in the long run. Remember, new cars have higher insurance and license costs so there's more than the initial price to consider. I would take a bit of issue too with the convenience store avoidance. You could actually save money if wise. Often, convenience stores sell eggs, milk, bread etc at very low prices, often far less than the markets. Plus it's not a special trip, saves time plus there can be (tho not guaranteed - it's up to you) fewer impulse buys. The longer you're in the grocery store, stats say you'll spend more. Again, it's how savvy you are, but be careful. #18 (Shudder) Buyer's Brokers are seldom a good thing. Let's face facts, no real estate agent/realtor or the like works FOR the buyer! Who pays them? The seller. How do they get paid more? By "benefitting" the seller. There's no way the buyer benefits from realtors. The fewer the better in most cases. Why? Because you can often negotiate the realtor fees. If you have one realtor taking the entire commission, it's far easier to negotiate them down than to negotiate with multiple agents and try to negotiate down when they're getting 1/4 or less of the commission. Beware of this statement and check into these claims. You're far better off to have a good real estate attorney on your side. S/He'll be working for YOUR benefit. Mine found problems in the paperwork and embarrassed the daylights out of the stack of realtors, closers and the like at my closing! It was hilarious! Now as for the inspector, yes, that can be worthwhile, but don't use one recommended by the realtor (kickbacks) and make sure you know what they're inspecting, their qualifications and the like. A good alternative can be a trusted friend with qualifications. Hire like any professional. Realize, though, that the inspectors DO NOT GUARANTEE the house! So if they overlook something, it's not their fault or responsibility and they won't be doing anything for you so know what you're getting. A title examination, especially of abstract properties, can be very important especially if you don't know how to read an abstract. Torrens is less problematic. Buying a home brings up a pandora's box of potential problems and far too many to go into here, but there's some things to be careful of. #21 Consumer Reports is a pet peeve of mine. They're often very biased in their reporting. Plus, keep in mind that they do not "test" ALL models and versions, even of similar products! Do you realize that the washer you buy at Home Depot is different than the one you buy at Best Buy and they're both different than the one you buy from a mom-n-pop dealer? That can have significant differences in the specs and needs. One can have cycles and features the other doesn't. Don't get caught up in the CR myth. Read their magazine with a shaker full of salt and do far more research than CR. You'll be doing yourself a favor. That's enough for now. There's more opinions coming, I'm sure! :) Happy saving all! Enjoy the frugal season!

I'm lucky -- an abundance of libraries within easy driving distance. The smallest branch library is in a nice "town square"-type community (stores, restaurants, movie theater, small grocery store, arts theater, and a dog park/strolling park across the street). But when you walk in, the first thing you see is desk after desk of computers. People can sign up for computer time, and those seats are always filled. There's also WiFi, so others come to the library for "office" work. That's great -- not everybody can afford his or her own computer. But the layout just seems to push books to the periphery, and that kind of saddens me. This is the library I usually stop at on my way to work to pick up my "holds." And the libraries in that county (which is just 15 minutes or so away) have deep CD and DVD collections. A library a bit closer to home is a slightly more "warm" place -- there are plenty of computer desks, but when you walk in, there are many book displays (how many times have I picked up interesting books there before I remembered the titles I MEANT to look for? Too many!). The librarians do a great job on their book displays. And because there are two really big used-book sales a year, there is enough revenue from those, and from the county, to also have many shelves of "just released" books. CD/DVD collections, not so much. And then there's the library in the next community over, where I used to live. It was designed by the architect Michael Graves, and I was really interested in seeing it. I walked in, and I actually felt cold. A lot of glass, soaring roof line. But there were so many shelves that looked half-filled. I couldn't decide whether they were just still pulling things out of storage, or whether they'd spent so much money on the redesign that they were short of book funds! Haven't been there recently, but I trust that everything's out of storage by now. But I have to admit that even tho I realize I have a wealth of library options, none of them stacks up against my memories of my favorite library -- the one I grew up with, in Connecticut. Picture your quaint New England buildings -- that was it. Small, but it always had what I needed for school projects; the card catalogs; beautiful heavy Windsor-type chairs -- just a wonderful atmosphere for researching and finding something new every time. My dad and I went there together frequently. So for me, it's not just the building and the materials -- the best library has to "envelop" me somehow, with friendliness and warmth.

I'm not a reference librarian, but I do work in the Reference Department of my local library - nothing so fancy as the big libraries, I'm sure. It is nice though when you know you've really helped someone out - I had a patron who was interviewing with a Japanese company and wanted to know about customs/how to behave, etc. He was eventually hired by them and he gave us the credit! Even after he moved away (from my little midwest town to the DC area) he would call us for assistance.