libraries

5 Surprising Ways a 3D Printer Can Save You Money

Brittany Lyte — Thu, 07 Jul 2016 10:00:12 +0000

It would seem that we're headed full speed ahead toward a world where 3D printing is a part of everyday life — a world in which we print a replacement coffee mug when ours breaks rather than buy a new one. It's been hailed as the next revolution in manufacturing, and Amazon, Home Depot, and Staples are just a few of the major brands that are getting in on it, making plans to build their own 3D printers for consumers. The world of 3D printing is novel, but it is also highly utilitarian.

Depending on the complexity of the job at hand, a 3D printer costs anywhere from a few hundred to more than a hundred thousand dollars. A hobbyist 3D printer — the kind you might use to create a small figurine toy — is far less expensive than a printer capable of, say, building a house. Of course, there are many money-saving things that one can print in an attempt to cancel out the expense of the printer itself. Read on for our roundup of some of the ways a 3D printer can save you money. (See also: 3 Great Home Gadgets That Can Save You Real Money)

1. You Can Sidestep the High Cost of Orthodontics

A 24-year-old college student in New Jersey wanted a straighter smile. But he was strapped for cash. And, since name brand options for clear braces, such as those made by Invisalign, can cost up to $8,000, he decided to use a 3D printer to create his own. Believe it or not, it worked. And it cost him less than $60.

2. You Can 3D Print Cheap Prosthetics

The family of a young boy born without fingers in Oregon could not afford a high-tech prosthetic hand. Not to mention the fact that such prosthetics are hard to find for children — and they cost many thousands of dollars. And so, the boy could not properly grip a baseball bat or play a game of catch. That is, of course, until he was given a 3D printed prosthetic hand. The materials for such a contraption can cost as little as $20 to $50, and some experts say they work just as well, if not better, than the traditional, much costlier prosthetics.

3. You Can 3D Print a Gorgeous Custom Guitar

A personalized electric guitar — the kind that the guitarist in your favorite band might play on tour — can cost several thousand dollars. Plus, it takes a long time to build. This is a dilemma that any professional or semiprofessional guitarist knows all too well. High-performing professional instruments are just plain expensive.

Introducing the beautifully detailed, custom 3D printed guitar by Customuse. At roughly $2,500 a pop, these instruments are not exactly cheap. But they are heaps cheaper and far, far faster to assemble than many other guitars made the traditional way. With 3D printing, creating 10,000 completely unique electric guitars costs about the same as it would to make 10,000 identical guitars in traditional fashion. If you're out for a top notch musical instrument, 3D printing just might be your best, most cost effective bet.

4. You Can Create Everyday Household Items as Needed

With a 3D printer on hand, you can make your own iPhone cases, razors, paper towel dispensers, garlic presses, and other everyday household items as needed, thereby reaping a potentially big savings over time. According to one study, the total cost of printing 20 household products is about $20, or about one dollar apiece. In comparison, online retail costs range from of $300 to $1,900; averaging between $15 and about $100 per product. Why purchase a new set of shower curtain rings if you can make them yourself for cheap?

5. You Can Sidestep the High Cost of a Printer

You're off the hook. That's right, it's now possible to reap the cost-saving benefits of 3D printing without having to make the initial investment in the printer itself. Here's how: The Denver Public Library and the DC Public Library in the nation's capital have several 3D printers available for public use. Bonus: The DC Public Library also offers free classes that teach the basics of 3D printing. At the DC library, printing costs $.05 per gram of the object's weight, plus a $1 charge.

The library estimates that most prints range in price from $1 to $5.

And while they aren't sophisticated enough to print a car or a house, the library's 3D printers are well equipped to build small to medium-sized household objects as well as trinkets and toys. In addition to libraries, some universities, Maker clubs, and UPS Store locations have public use 3D printers. There's also 3DHubs.com, which can connect you to 3D printing services near you.

Have you made anything on a 3D printer?

This article is from Brittany Lyte of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

12 Awesome Things You Didn't Know You Could Get at the Library

Nick Wharton — Thu, 21 Aug 2014 17:00:07 +0000

Did you know there are more public libraries in the U.S. than there are McDonald's locations? At last count, over 16,766. And what's more, the library system is getting used more and more by the general public these days. That's hardly surprising, considering the economic climate and less disposable income available for books. (See also: Free Books: Little Libraries That Build Community and Save You Money)

But that word, books, is something of a misnomer. To equate a library with only books is like saying you can only get a cheeseburger at the aforementioned fast food chain. The fact is, our public libraries have been doing an incredible job of keeping up with the times, and they have way more to offer than simply books and reference materials.

1. Streaming Music and Movies

You think Netflix, Pandora, and Hulu are cool? Well, your library has its own version, only you don't pay one cent to stream the titles. You just need to install the apps, and have a current library card. The most popular one right now is called Hoopla, and it's awesome. All genres are covered, and there are several new releases. You can borrow up to five titles at one time, and stream them straight to your tablet, smart phone, or computer. Isn't technology awesome?!

2. Tax Forms

As well as the post office and some larger grocery stores, libraries have a full stock of the most popular tax forms in the runup to the April deadline. They also have the tax instructions booklets at hand as well. And while librarians are not qualified tax accountants, some will offer you basic advice.

3. Instant Audio Books

You are most likely aware of the massive array of books on CD, tape, and MP3 players at your library. They have both fiction and nonfiction titles. But did you know you can know stream audio books over your smartphone? You don't even have to go into the library. Simply request the title and when it's available (often, there's no wait at all), you will be given a download link. You will have to use an official piece of third-party software, such as Overdrive, but that's all there is to it. The book plays through your phone, and you have access to it for at least two weeks.

4. The Latest Movies on DVD and Blu-ray

As well as a having thousands of older movies, libraries stock the latest releases on both DVD and Blu-ray. Of course, there are some savvy library users who know this, and reserve them months ahead of time. So if you want to get hold of a copy as soon as it's available, become one of the smart users who signs up early. Every public library has a website that enables you to reserve or "hold" the latest titles. Get your name in the system early, or you will be number 432 in line.

5. Coffee, Snacks, and Milkshakes

These days, libraries know that people will want to sit and read a lot of the information they have (and quite a lot of it cannot leave the library). So, they have started to provide beverages and snacks at reasonable cost. You can't just start swigging coffee in the middle of the fiction section; they usually have designated dining areas. But, you can definitely bring your reference book or magazine to that section and enjoy it whilst sipping on a latte and eating a muffin.

6. Museum Passes

The next time you want to take the family (or just yourself) to the local museum, take a trip to your local library first. Many libraries around the country are now participating in the museum pass program, which pairs them up with local museums. The libraries have a limited number of passes every month, so they're given out on a first come, first served basis. Ask your local library for details. Remember, different libraries have different passes and different lending rules, so if one library doesn't have what you're looking for, try another.

7. Vintage Photographs

Many libraries have old and rare photographs in their archives, and you are more than welcome to look through them. Usually, they will be related to the state you're in, but as this is the digital world, many libraries have the information available online. For starters, here is the New York Public Library's photo database. It contains over 800,000 images for you to search through!

8. Family Tree Archives

Are you interested in tracing your lineage? Well, make your first port of call your local library. It can be expensive to sign up to genealogy websites, but many libraries have access to them, and will in turn give you access to the massive searchable databases. If you find out you're related to royalty, make sure you still come back and visit us, ok?

9. The Latest Magazines

A single issue of a magazine can run you anywhere from $3 to $10 (sometimes more if you are interested in international periodicals). Buying a few of these every month can get expensive. Your local library will have copies of dozens of the latest magazines for you to read. Everything from consumer reports to home and garden and fishing, all free and waiting to be read.

10. Meeting Rooms

Do you have a group of friends or colleagues that require a weekly place to meet and chat? If your home isn't available, try the local library. They have several meeting rooms available that can be booked by the hour. Sometimes book clubs meet there, on other occasions it's chess clubs, study groups, or even War Hammer societies. They don't have to be related to books or reading; it's a community service, and you're part of the community.

11. Tools

Really? Well, not every library has its own Home Depot section, but it's starting to catch on. Library members can check out tools the same way they would check out books or DVDs. The list of rules and regulations is a little more rigid (see this one from Berkeley) but the basic idea is the same; free tools for members, for a week or two.

12. Musical Instruments

Interested in learning the violin or playing the piano? Your local library could be a great place to begin. As well as having a lot of musical instruction books and videos on the shelves, they could also have a supply of instruments to check out. From keyboards and drums to stringed instruments, you'd be amazed. AADL even has guitar pedals.

Does your local library offer more cool stuff? Please share in comments!

Like this article? Pin it!

This article is from Nick Wharton of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Free Books: Little Libraries That Build Community and Save You Money

Max Wong — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 11:37:04 +0000

One of my earliest childhood memories is standing in a parking lot in rural New Mexico with my mother, waiting for the Bookmobile to arrive. I loved the Bookmobile, which was a former delivery truck, outfitted with bookshelves.

In pre-Internet days, the Bookmobile brought the outside world to towns too teeny to support their own libraries or bookstores. Bookmobiles still exist, often serving as a library for schools in poor neighborhoods and as a books-on-wheels service for elderly readers with mobility issues.

Alas, with all the state budget cuts, libraries across America are cutting back services or completely closing down branches. Due to soaring gas prices, mobile libraries face a financial double whammy. While some readers can still access a library via downloadable books, in many places, like on Indian reservations, the public library is also the Internet hotspot for the entire community. No library? No Internet, and no access to free books. (See also: 4 Reasons Why You Should Support Your Local Library)

Survivalists in the Post-Library Landscape

Putting aside all the amazing services and perks that public libraries provide — research material, Internet access, DVD rental, air conditioning — the big question for many people becomes: "How am I going to afford my reading habit?"

Obviously, if you’ve got the money, you can buy books.

But most library patrons are frugal readers who prefer to pay for their books with their tax dollars, not their grocery budgets. Also, many places don’t have a big enough local economy to support a bookstore. Sure, you can always buy books online. But, even one-cent books cost money to ship. And you have to pay for the Internet access that you use to download free books.

Luckily, bookworms are a plucky bunch. Around the world people are creating their own book exchanges and sharing their reading wealth with their neighbors.

Little Free Libraries

Little Free Library is a charity that started in 2010 to promote the construction of free book exchanges around the globe to promote literacy and build community. In August 2012, the Little Free Library movement surpassed Andrew Carnegie’s record total of 2,509 libraries built!

My friend Heather joined the Little Free Library as a Steward last year. A tax deductable $34.95 got her a start-up kit with all sorts of helpful information, blueprints, and instructions on how to build her own library out of salvaged supplies, book plates, a numbered metal plaque for her library, and a GPS listing on the Little Free Library global network. More importantly, Heather gets the pleasure of knowing that she’s helping to subsidize libraries in poor areas, plus the accolades of all her neighbors.

Interestingly enough, Heather’s little library isn’t cleaned out every day by book thieves or vandals. People really seem to grasp the concept that her tiny book shelf is a lending library. Heather’s library patrons are remarkably nice about returning books they have "checked out" of her little library once they are through reading them.

Community Book Banks

If an actual lending library feels too overwhelming to manage, even at a miniature scale, or you lack yard space because you live in an apartment complex, you can join forces with a local coffee shop, hair salon, or car mechanic and curate a community book bank in a reader friendly private business.

My local gym owner operates a leave-a-book/take-a-book style free reading exchange in the dressing room. Fact — the gym bookcase is actually where I get all of my trashy ladymags for free. While there is no expectation for people to actually return books to the gym, the owner and her wife make a point of keeping the shelf stocked with interesting reading material. If your local house of worship has a FREE box, you might ask if you can add a bookshelf in the same area. Books are more likely to be returned to book banks if people can make it part of their weekly routine.

Catch and Release

If you’ve ever traveled like a poor person, then you know that just about every youth hostel on the planet has a stack of random books in some corner that are free for the taking…often in more than one language. If you are a sporting type like me, you can actually track your holiday reading that you left behind in taxis, airports, and bus stops around the globe using bookcrossing.com.

My friend Gwen, who lives in Germany, rides to work on a Hamburg city bus that has a built-in bookcase. (There’s some joke about German efficiency to be made from this, one that I just can’t think of right now). At any rate, that is some fine German engineering. Why Americans have not demanded bookcases on all public transportation, I have no idea, but it is just more evidence that we’re losing the empire.

International Catch and Release reading is always a treasure hunt, but it’s also one of my favorite ways of pinching pennies, (or centimes, or lepta) when I travel. I used to buy guide books, but then I discovered that small hotel managers are usually more than happy to load me up with leftover maps and guides because their bookcases are crammed with travel books left behind by previous guests.

Also, when I did my semester abroad in Florence, I packed a bunch of books that were set in Tuscany so I could create mini "book tour" walks where I’d try and track down all the literary locations I was reading about. I thought I was so clever until I arrived at school and discovered that generations of previous students had left behind multiple copies of" The Agony and the Ecstasy," "Portrait of a Lady," and anything ever written by John Ruskin on the school’s lending library shelf. Book geeks. We all think alike. Place-specific literature is just one more thing I now leave off my packing list when traveling in book-abundant areas.

Host a Book Swap

On New Year’s Day my husband and I host a book swap party and waffle extravaganza. (My husband’s waffles are legendary.) We invite all the readers in our life to come over with the good books that are taking up valuable shelf space in their homes. Everyone throws their books on the communal pile and takes what they want for free. People look forward to this party and actually "save up" their books for this event! Leftover books are donated to the Los Angeles Public Library Book Drive.

How much do you spend on your reading habit and where do you find inexpensive books?

This article is from Max Wong of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

5 Tips to Get the Most Out of a Library Sale

Jennifer Scott — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 12:00:06 +0000

If you're a book lover and a thrifty spender like myself, you're already familiar with library book sales. In which case, we can probably swap stories about getting elbowed out of the way to be the first to get to a hot bestseller, or having to sit on a stack of great finds to keep the vultures from picking at books you've already picked out. Library sales aren't always for the faint of heart, and the huge selection plus low prices can be overwhelming. Follow these tips for a better trip next time:

Get there early

They know you mean business when you're in line at 9 a.m. on a Saturday. I find my fellow shoppers at that hour are often seasoned library sale vets and are a little more considerate. Plus, before the crowds pick up, you can sometimes have great conversations with the folks manning the sale, which can yield a deeper discount or a special book they've been hiding in the back.

Bring your own bags

If you can't carry it home, you can't buy it. I have to take a train and a bus to get to my library's main branch, which means it's pretty impossible for me to buy more than I can carry. If you're driving to your library, only using the bags you bring will help you rein yourself in.

Don't bring a ton of cash

At 50 cents and $1 a book, you can get a pretty hefty haul going for not a lot of money. And stick to it. Definitely don't rush up to your fiancé, grab the two books he has and add them to your already full three baskets, yelling, "I'll man the books! You go to the ATM!"

Commit yourself to just a few laps

As soon as you've pored over a table and come away with your finds, a librarian comes out with a full cart to replace the books you just took… so now you have to go back and look at those books. You could do this all day, but you're going to run out of time, cash, space in your bag, and patience. Quickly.

Ask yourself "Will I read this?" and answer honestly

If the voice in your head (what, don't we all have those?) says, "I've been wanting to read this" or "Oooh my favorite author!" or "I wouldn't have paid full price for it, but I'll read it for $1" then by all means put it in the basket. But if the words "might" or "should" come into play, leave it where it is. You don't need to waste even $1 on something you don't really want that will take up room on your shelf.

Bonus tip: Holy cow, is this a great place to find offbeat gifts. I got a girlfriend some Sweet Valley High books at a library sale once, because we grew up reading and collecting them. I've used old cooking magazines to cull recipes for custom recipe books, and if you know anyone with a record player there are almost always really incredible albums for sale.

Now that you know how to get the most out of a library sale, how do you know where to find them? Keep reading, of course:

Book Sale Finder — The site is crowded with ads, and a little disorganized, but it's pretty easy to drill down to your state and find sales you had no idea were happening all around you.
Library Book Sales — Great for serious book collectors, this site lets you search specific books, topics, or libraries for older, nicer books.
Your local library's website — Some libraries, like the Boston Public Library, have book sales on certain days of the month so you'll always know when to go. Others have more fluid schedules, so be sure to check the site or call before you head out.

You're armed with savvy tips and tricks to help you support your reading habit and your local library without abusing your wallet. Now you just have to figure out where to put all those books…

Guest Post Blurb:

This is a guest post by Jennifer Scott. By day, Jennifer is the Digital Communications Manager for PerkStreet Financial, filling their blog with awesome content about how to live well while living within your means. In her spare time she can be found in her kitchen creating frugal and amazing meals, on the couch reading a good book, or taking a run and pretending she enjoys it. Read more articles by Jennifer:

This article is from Jennifer Scott of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Duh..Libraries

Maggie Wells — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 19:16:55 +0000

Let me start off by saying I’m a substitute librarian assistant so I spend at least a few days each month on eight hour shifts of the library. I preface my blog with this to say, dude, I am in the know…and is there anything out there more frugal than using the free resources at the library? But do you know of all the resources available to you?

As libraries across the United States and specifically in my state, California, are facing yet more budget cuts, it’s time I think to remind us all of the value of the library. And while the book stacks are a nice visual reminder that, yes, you can check something out and read for free provided you reside in the county the library is in, there is more to the library than the stacks of free reading material in the stacks.

The number one thing that keeps me busy these days as the library sub is checking out videos. Our library, like many, has a two tier video rental system. The county dvds are newer and free for two days and the ones donated to the library (which can help you have an eighties flashback weekend) are free for four days. This seems to be the number one reason why most people visit our library.

As April and tax time is approaching the second most used service is all the income tax forms and instruction booklets, and while we don’t give out tax advice, we do instruct people on where to go in town to talk to someone and give them an idea of which form is probably for them.

Next is the computers. Free wireless without having to purchase coffee to use it. Free computer access for those not bringing their own laptops. Free computer classes for those who don’t know how to use the computers effectively. Most of the librarians I know will help with some instruction regardless of whether or not you are in the computer classes.
I often wind up helping people navigate or learn how to use keywords.

Newspapers and magazines. Why bother with a subscription you don’t read all of anyway? The library has it. And has all those back issues that you accidentally recycled. Being a library employee has cut down on my subscriptions. I now only subscribe to small presses. I read the big guys like Time and Newsweek at the library (and they are available for check out).

Audiobooks and tapes. Probably the most expensive way to buy a book is an audio CD—good reason to check them out instead. Even in a small rural area you can have access to variety because smaller libraries and counties usually have a collective that they pull from. In Northern California, we are part of the “North State Collective” which means if I want to borrow some book on tape from neighboring Butte County, I can.

Speaking of CDs…libraries…the ultimate in legal music sharing. And you are just listening, right? Not copying…no, not you. Never.

Storytime. Where else can your toddlers and preschoolers have someone read to them other than you, do some sort of crafty thing with paste, buttons, and feathers AND get a sip of juice and cookies for free? Affluent neighborhood mommies pay big money for this sort of thing and your kid and get it all for free one day a week at the library. And though we don’t have a jungle gym in the kids section, we’ve got toys from every decade of the last fifty years for the pleasure of the kiddies to play with while they are here. And you don’t even have to buy a happy meal.

Some libraries I know show free movies. Ours is too small for it, but every once in awhile we have some. We also host poetry workshops that you’d pay $200 for elsewhere with the exact same instructors.

The biggest perk for me (other than working here so I’m on top of my due dates and fine potential) is the Friends of the Library booksales. Our town has about five different book clubs and we seem to get all of their books on a regular basis. If it’s on the best seller list, eventually—sometimes even within the same month, I can score a copy of the latest books that still look new for a quarter a piece. We have a free table of older donations and magazines too.

The community bulletin board. I know of everything that could possibly be going down in this town all because of the library community bulletin board. If it ain’t on the board, it’s not happening.

As a regular patron, if you don’t find the book you want that you just read a terrific review of, you can request it. Many counties use patron requests as a guide in their book buying.

So, what are you waiting for? Get your butt back to the library. Meet your neighbors. Find out what’s going on. Check out new things, old things, use the Internet. Use the library before the powers that be decide that it’s something they can cut out of our lives and our communities. It’s the ultimate in our frugal lifestyles…a good gathering place for the coming recession…

This article is from Maggie Wells of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread: