Save BIG this Summer
Summer doesn’t have to be a bummer on your wallet, with so many unexpected things at your Library to borrow, instead of buy! Meet Therese Maxwell, her three kids, and their Library of Things story of fun and savings. Spoiler Alert: they’re adding two extra days to their vacation! With all they saved, they think they deserve it – and so do we!
Car Trouble
Therese’s summer dreams started brightly – but not in the way she wanted! She noticed a light shining menacingly at her from her car dashboard on her way to the Library to pick up her books on hold. Visions of mechanic bills, canceling her family beach vacation, and how to break it to the kids quickly filled her mind. Just taking the car to the mechanic to figure out the problem would cost her at least 100 bucks.
HER SOLUTION? Calm down, walk inside the branch, and borrow a diagnostic code reader. She used it in the Library parking lot – and discovered that the problem was a loose gas cap. Problem solved!
COST SAVINGS: $100.00!
Graduation Party Planning
After returning the code reader, Therese began chatting with her favorite librarian, Claire, about her daughter’s upcoming high school graduation – and figuring out how to keep her young nieces and nephews from getting bored. At the last birthday party, they had torn up her kids’ rooms looking for old toys and swirled their fingers in birthday cake icing to make cool designs. Ugh! Claire had the perfect solution - borrow giant yard games!
Claire showed her a huge tic tac toe game to play with frisbees and a gigantic Jenga tower. Even high schoolers would enjoy these. Plus, she didn’t have to find a place in her cramped storage for the games after the party.
COST SAVINGS: $140.00 (cost of two giant yard games)
Tuning Out Summer Boredom
After the hype getting ready for the party and enjoying the fun in June would come a dead time for her middle schooler, Ethan. Ethan was too young to get a job like his big brother, Tom. He loved music, and begged for a guitar and lessons, Therese envisioned a money pit with a guitar joining Ethan’s abandoned drum set and violin. However, her daughter Chloe’s friend had livened up the grad party with a ukele, which was apparently a trend on TikTok. She also recalled hearing that a ukelele was easier to learn than a guitar. Surfing the Library’s website, she found she could borrow one with directions. Ethan could test it out, with a shorter learning curve and no investment in an instrument or lessons. Score!
COST SAVINGS: $300.00 (UKELELE PLUS FIVE ONLINE LESSONS)
Driver’s Ed Challenge
Therese’s middle child, Tom, was busy with driver’s ed, which was going pretty well, except for maneuverability. No matter how many times the instructor ran him through the course of cones and poles, Tom inevitably ended up knocking one over – which meant automatic failure. He was scared to take the test and desperately wanted to practice. Tina didn’t want to pay for extra lessons and the driving school didn’t offer a place they could practice. What to do? Once again, she looked to the Library. She found cones and poles she could borrow online, allowing her to set up her own practice course at her church parking lot. Tom practiced over and over again until he could maneuver with the best of them. He would pass his test with flying colors, and Therese would have an extra driver to head to the ocean!
COST SAVINGS: $150.00 (traffic safety cones and PVC poles)
Looking to the beach vacation in August, Therese patted herself on the back, tallying $700.00+ plus in savings from the Library of Things. Plus, she had avoided a lot of aggravation! She had a family meeting – and justified adding two days to their vacation home rental, to soak up every bit of ocean fun before moving her daughter to college.
Therese only used five items from the Library of Things. Imagine what you could do with your summer. Check it out – and be amazed.
Please let us know what you borrowed and how it worked for you! It helps us know we made the right investment to serve you and gives us ideas about other things to add. We can’t wait to hear how the Library of Things made your life easier – and your bank account healthier. PS, it works in the fall, winter, and spring too! Happy savings!
