How to Get Free Books

Summary

Frugal Friends Podcast Episode Summary: "How to Get Free Books"

Release Date: December 17, 2024

Hosts: Jen Smith & Jill Sirianni
Produced by: iHeartPodcasts and Eric Sirianni

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Introduction

In this engaging episode of the Frugal Friends Podcast, hosts Jen Smith and Jill Sirianni delve into practical strategies for avid readers seeking to expand their literary collections without breaking the bank. Titled "How to Get Free Books," the episode offers a comprehensive guide filled with actionable tips, personal anecdotes, and valuable resources aimed at helping listeners embrace frugality while indulging their love for reading.

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1. Leveraging Local Libraries and Digital Platforms

Timestamp: [08:28]

Jen and Jill begin by highlighting the invaluable resource that is the local library. They emphasize not only traditional borrowing but also the utilization of digital services like Hoopla and Libby, which allow listeners to rent eBooks and audiobooks seamlessly. Jill shares, “We are both a part of a book club, and this is entirely how we read our books. So even though we are reading regularly, we're not purchasing every book that we're reading” ([08:28] Jen).

Key Takeaway: Signing up for local library services and using digital apps like Hoopla and Libby can significantly reduce the cost of accessing a vast array of books.

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2. Obtaining Non-Resident Library Cards

Timestamp: [09:52]

The hosts discuss the option of acquiring non-resident library cards from counties or states outside their residence, which can offer access to additional library resources. Hoda Kotb mentions, “Everydayreading.com has a list of all the places where you can get non-resident library cards along with how much they cost, if anything.” ([09:52] Hoda).

Key Takeaway: Non-resident library cards can unlock access to more books and digital platforms, broadening your borrowing options.

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3. Dolly Parton's Imagination Library

Timestamp: [12:01]

Jen and Jill introduce Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, a program that provides free books to children. Jill explains, “If you have kids, this is a fantastic thing to sign up for. Getting like a gift in the mail every month for your kid that you didn't have to buy is so fun” ([12:01] Jill).

Key Takeaway: Enrolling children in Dolly Parton's Imagination Library ensures a steady stream of free books, fostering early literacy and a love for reading.

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4. Exploring Little Free Libraries

Timestamp: [12:31]

The concept of Little Free Libraries—small, neighborhood book exchange boxes—is discussed as a charming way to access free books. Hoda recounts her experience: “We came across on like a 15-minute bike ride... I stopped at all of them and found some really great options” ([12:31] Hoda).

Key Takeaway: Little Free Libraries provide a community-driven approach to sharing and discovering new books effortlessly.

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5. Acquiring Books Through Review Programs

Timestamp: [14:02]

For those beyond traditional libraries, Jen and Jill explore review book programs like NetGalley, Book Rebel, and Readsy. Jill notes, “It's just a single exchange that they might want is a review or sharing it if you have, like, a social media presence” ([14:02] Jill).

Key Takeaway: Participating in review programs can grant access to advanced reader copies (ARCs) in exchange for honest reviews, expanding your book collection without cost.

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6. Utilizing Project Gutenberg

Timestamp: [15:47]

The duo highlights Project Gutenberg as a treasure trove for free eBooks, especially classical literature. Hoda points out, “They have over 70,000 books you can download or read online... you can stay updated on their new books” ([15:47] Hoda).

Key Takeaway: Project Gutenberg offers a vast library of public domain books for free download, catering to a wide range of literary tastes.

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7. Swapping Books with Friends and Family

Timestamp: [16:35]

Jen and Jill advocate for book swapping among friends and family. Hoda suggests initiating threads in Buy Nothing groups to facilitate exchanges: “This could be a fun thread to start in your buy nothing group... It's a fantastic way to discover new books in a place that's already primed for gifting” ([24:17] Hoda).

Key Takeaway: Organizing book swaps within your social circles can lead to a diverse and ever-changing personal library without any financial commitment.

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8. Exploring Book Deal Websites

Timestamp: [25:31]

The hosts discuss BookBub Deals, a platform that notifies users about free and discounted eBooks based on their preferences. Jen elaborates, “They do not sell books directly, but they'll show you where the deals are happening... You can also proceed with caution and knowledge of yourself” ([25:31] Hoda).

Key Takeaway: Book deal websites like BookBub and FreeBooksy are excellent resources for discovering time-limited free or heavily discounted books across various genres.

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9. Engaging in Book Crossing

Timestamp: [29:31]

Book Crossing is introduced as a method to leave and find books in public places, fostering a global sharing community. Hoda clarifies, “It's not like littering. You download labels, print them, and mark the books as part of the Book Crossing community” ([30:16] Hoda).

Key Takeaway: Book Crossing combines the excitement of a treasure hunt with community sharing, allowing readers to exchange books freely while tracking their journey.

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10. Navigating the Amazon Kindle Store

Timestamp: [30:32]

Jen and Jill caution listeners about navigating free offers on the Amazon Kindle Store, distinguishing between genuinely free books and those tied to subscription services like Kindle Unlimited. Jill advises, “When it's actually free, it will say buy now with one click and it will be saved so much money, 100%” ([32:18] Jen).

Key Takeaway: Being strategic and informed when browsing the Kindle Store can lead to legitimate free eBooks without falling into subscription traps.

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11. Participating in Book Giveaways

Timestamp: [32:49]

The hosts encourage entering book giveaways hosted by authors and content creators. Jill shares her experience, “If you're a book lover, you want to read more books in 2025... the best opportunity with buy what you love without going broke” ([33:29] Jill).

Key Takeaway: Engaging with authors and participating in giveaways can provide opportunities to receive free books, especially new releases and exclusive editions.

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12. Additional Methods and Tips

Timestamp: [35:05]

Jen and Jill offer supplementary methods for obtaining free books, including:

• Street Team Programs: Joining an author's street team to receive ARCs.
• Short Stories and Poems: Utilizing platforms like the Library of Short Stories and Poetry Foundation for free literary pieces.
• Audiobook Trials: Taking advantage of free trials from services like Audible to access audiobooks without cost.

Key Takeaway: Exploring various online resources and taking advantage of trial offers can further enhance your ability to access free literature.

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Lightning Round: Favorite Free Books

Timestamp: [44:39]

In a lighthearted segment, Jen and Jill share their favorite free books:

• Hoda: "The Nightingale" by Kristin Hannah, accessed through the library.
• Jen: "Transcendent Kingdom" by Yaa Gyasi via Hoopla, and children's favorites like "If You Find a Rock."

Key Takeaway: Personal recommendations highlight the diverse range of high-quality books available for free through the discussed methods.

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Conclusion and Call to Action

Wrapping up the episode, Jen and Jill emphasize the importance of community and resourcefulness in obtaining free books. They encourage listeners to pre-order their book, "Buy What You Love Without Going Broke," to support their mission of making personal finance education more equitable and inclusive. Additionally, they invite listeners to share their own success stories and favorite free book sources, fostering a collaborative and supportive listener community.

Jen concludes, “If Frugal Friends has helped you save $25 in your life... help us further this mission and help other people save $25 or more” ([05:58] Jen).

Key Takeaway: Supporting the hosts' initiatives not only enhances personal financial well-being but also contributes to a broader mission of financial education and empowerment.

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Notable Quotes

• Jen Smith: “You'll only pay for one book for the rest of your life after this. Maybe two. Who's to say? But really, that's all you'll need.” ([04:00])
• Hoda Kotb: “These are such cool concepts.” ([14:02] Hoda)
• Jen Smith: “There are so many places that you can also find some of these shorter literature pieces.” ([35:05])

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Final Thoughts

This episode of the Frugal Friends Podcast serves as an invaluable resource for readers aiming to cultivate a rich and diverse book collection without incurring significant costs. Through a blend of traditional library services, digital platforms, community initiatives, and strategic online engagements, Jen and Jill provide listeners with a robust toolkit for accessing free books. Their personable delivery and practical advice make this episode both informative and inspiring for anyone looking to embrace frugal reading habits.

Transcript

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[Savannah Guthrie]

Hi everyone, it's Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Copy from the Today Show.

[Hoda Kotb]

Nobody does the holidays like today.

[Savannah Guthrie]

From festive performances and great gift ideas to tips for the perfect holiday feast, join us every morning on NBC and make TODAY your home for the holidays.

[Hoda Kotb]

Episode468 how to Get Free Books.

[State Farm Representative]

Welcome to the Frugal Friends podcast where you'll learn to save money, embrace simplicity and.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Live a richer life.

[Hoda Kotb]

Life.

[State Farm Representative]

Here are your hosts, Jen and Jill.

[Hoda Kotb]

Welcome to the Frugal Friends Podcast. My name is Jen.

[Savannah Guthrie]

My name is Jill.

[Hoda Kotb]

And today we are going to let you in on all the secrets on how to get free books.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Isn't that so great?

[Hoda Kotb]

You'll only pay for one book for the rest of your life after this. Maybe two. Who's to say? But really, that's all you'll need.

[Savannah Guthrie]

And speaking of, this episode is brought to you by saying thank you. It's just a nice thing to do, especially when someone does something really nice for you, like give you free money saving content for 6.75 years. And especially when those same people tell you how to get free books. But how on earth do you say thank you for something so generous? You buy their book called Buy what you love without going broke. Yes, we are talking about us, yours truly, Jill and Jen. And we are being super transparent about all the ways you can get free books on this episode. And we do hope that you do that. But we also really hope that you pre order our book. It is what helps this thing do well, because pre orders are what counts towards identifying whether a book is or isn't doing well. Waiting until it's been on the shelves for a month will still take it. But if you think you want this book, the best time to get it is now. It's what communicates to the people in the big offices that this is the type of content that we all want more of. It doesn't just help us, it helps our entire community. It helps other content creators who have similar messages to keep talking about this version of Consumption this version of mindful spending that we really do believe can be life changing, super impactful for you and your children and your children's children and your children's children's children.

[Hoda Kotb]

Buy what you love book.com we are.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Nearly on our knees.

[Hoda Kotb]

If Frugal friends has helped you save $25 in your life, we would be so honored, so grateful if you would get buy what you love without going broke and help us further this mission and help other people save $25 or more.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Buy what you love book. Com. And if you do pre order, we're also giving you other little freebie incentives. We're doing an all year meal plan live together with you December 29th.

[Hoda Kotb]

Yeah, we're walking you through how to make your own one year meal plan, doing it with you.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Then in January, we're doing a full year spending plan, walking you through how to plan out your finances for the entire year. That's live with both Jen and I. It's also then recorded. So go to buy what you love book.com first pre order, then fill out the form on that same website and you'll get included into those live events.

[Hoda Kotb]

Yeah. All right, so let's not bury the lead. We are talking about how to get free books because we are trying to sell our book and we want you to buy our book and then never have to buy any other books again unless you are supporting the mission of an author like us. So we love getting free books. It is the primary way that we get our books. A because we're minimalists. Right? We don't love, we don't value as highly the stacks of books and the bookshelves like bookstagrammers on Instagram or TikTok do for those people. That's fantastic. And maybe you're one of them. Maybe you're gonna buy two copies of buy what you love without going broke.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Wouldn't that be fun?

[Hoda Kotb]

Yeah. But we hope that you'll buy our book, you'll read it, and if you love it, maybe you'll pass it on to a friend. If you're a minimalist and you don't want to keep it around or maybe you'll refer back to it, whatever it is we want you to recognize. Yes, there are a lot of ways to get books for free, but if you want more personal finance messages that sound similar to ours out in the library and available to other people who may not listen to podcasts, then preordering our book is the way to do it.

[Savannah Guthrie]

So this first article that we're going to the only article that we're going to go through comes from Making Sense of Sense, a little play on words, our friend Michelle. Yes. And it is titled 13 Ways to Get Free Books Online and sent to you. And I'm just going to kick it off with this first one. We all know it, but the library, of course, your local library, you can rent out books and that costs you nothing. But also, if you don't know, Hoopla and Libby are apps that you can connect to your local library through these apps and also rent ebooks and audio books through the Hoopla or Libby app. For Jen and I, we're actually able to use both. Both Hoobla and Libby connect to our local library system. But check which one works for you. We are both a part of a book club and this is entirely how we read our books. So even though we are reading regularly, we're not purchasing every book that we're reading. And this is, we actually will make our selection based on what's available through Hoopla or Libby. So that's the best kind of book club to be a part of. But if you're not already a member of your local library, there's more reason than one to do that, but certainly for getting all the books you want.

[Hoda Kotb]

And speaking of the library, I should probably check to see if this is further down. I don't think it is. No. So you can actually, if you don't have access to Hoopla or Libby at your library, you can get non resident cards, library cards for different states. And so some of them are free and some of them just maybe cost like 50 to $100 a year. So Alabama, there's Jefferson county, that's $50 a year. Anchorage Public Library is $50 a year. But you get the first three months for free. There's Maricopa county in Arizona, Central Arkansas, Los Angeles, San Diego, Sunnyvale, Palos Verdes, San Jose. So there's a lot. And a lot of the ones in California are free. But so yeah, you can go. There's a. Everyday reading. Everyday reading.com has a list of all the places where you can get non resident library cards along with how much they cost, if anything. And then you can see if they have access to Hoopla or Libby or whichever one you're not getting. So the next one on here is getting sent to your home. I love this one. She's my girl. Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. Dolly has given free books to kids since 1995. And this is such a popular program. If you have kids this is a fantastic thing to sign up for. And getting your. Getting like a gift in the mail every month for your kid that you didn't have to buy is so fun. It's just like a fun event every single month. When we get a book, I'm not sure if it's from Dolly Parton. We do. I think it's just from Pinellas county schools.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Whoa.

[Hoda Kotb]

But so, yeah, check your school. Check your schools too.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Yeah.

[Hoda Kotb]

Ours is for Atlas. So it's like for up to. Until you get into school. They're for like early read. It's for early readers. Yeah.

[Savannah Guthrie]

They just send it to you and you can keep it.

[Hoda Kotb]

Yeah, yeah, you keep it. It's a gift. Yeah.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Wow.

[Hoda Kotb]

So check to see what's local in your area. And if you don't have one. Dolly Parton's Imagination Library.

[Savannah Guthrie]

The third that we'll point out is little free libraries. These are popping up everywhere in both urban and suburban areas. I mean, even if you live rurally, I bet there's somebody out there with a little free library at the end of their driveway. It's just people in the neighborhood setting up small boxes with books. The idea is take a book, leave a book, or just take. When you come across a book you want to leave in its place, feel free to do that. I actually did this before I had. I got called into jury duty. This was over a year ago at this point, but I really wanted to. I didn't. I was anticipating I might be here all day. And I don't know what their deal is going to be with having cell phones on and whatnot. So I want to take a book. But the library was closed by the time that I learned that I was doing jury duty. I don't know. I don't know how it was happening. I just know I couldn't get to the library. But I wanted books. So Eric and I went on a bike ride knowing that we've seen these little free libraries in our neighborhood. Let's just start going up and down the roads. We came across on like a 15 minute bike ride. I want to say four little free libraries. So I stopped at all of them and found some really great options in these little free libraries. So that was so, so fun. So take it, bring it back when you're done or replace it with something else. These are such cool concepts.

[Hoda Kotb]

So number four and one that we are getting acquainted with is review books. So this is if you are beyond the library, if you're beyond getting your non resident library cards elsewhere, this is the rest of this episode is for you. So we're going into review books. This is a popular way for avid readers to enjoy new books without spending money on them in return. Authors and publishers get either honest feedback or reviews on Goodreads. And so this is. If you prefer, like, physical books, you can do book Rebel. There's NetGalley Online Book Club Readz R E E D S Y Kirkus Review. I think the biggest one, and I don't see this. I think netgalley is the biggest one right now. It's the one our publisher is using. If you sign up for a NetGalley account, then you can start getting advanced reader copies, arcs of books before they're published. And it's just. And the only exchange that they might want is a review or sharing it if you have, like a social media presence. And you'll figure out what your contribution will be as you're signing up for NetGalley. But that's the one that publishers are really using right now.

[Savannah Guthrie]

The next one on here is Project Gutenberg. They are a great place to find ebooks. So it has over 70,000 books you can download or read online. It does say that most of them are going to be older works, meaning they're out of copyright. But you can choose books in different formats from Epub or Kindle. Go to the website, pick out what you want, download them to your device. But they do have a range of genres, from novels to nonfiction to classic literature. And you could stay updated on their new books. You can subscribe to learn when new titles are being added to the collection. So you can kind of know what's newly available for you to download through Project Gutenberg.

[Hoda Kotb]

The next one on here is my absolute favorite.

[Savannah Guthrie]

No other way.

[Hoda Kotb]

No other way. Ask friends and family. So this is either you're putting out a call, like in person, or on Facebook or Instagram being like, hey, I'm looking for a new book. Does anybody want to swap books? And this can be a great thing to do when you finish reading, buy what you love without going broke being like, I just read this amazing book and I'm ready for a new one. Does anybody want to swap books? Because we all have books that we own, that we want to own, but we also feel bad that they're just sitting there and. But also we kind of don't want to just like, hand them out because we don't know if we'll get them back.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Right, Right.

[Hoda Kotb]

But with a swap, then you're.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Then you've got some collateral yes. Yeah.

[Hoda Kotb]

So this is fantastic to do before any holiday. Like any time you think about it, it's just a fantastic way to figure out what your friends and family are reading, connect with them. If they loved the book, then you'll probably love the book and then you'll have something to talk about. I've done this with many smutty books this year and last. I know.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Well, we've probably mentioned this on another episode too, but this could also just make a good Christmas gift. If you do have a book that you no longer that you own but you know you're not going to read it again, you're fine with parting with it. You know some friend or family member would be interested in reading it. There you go. Just give it as a gift. Done free. Not only for you know, it's not just about receiving free books, it's about giving free books too. Monarch is the modern way to manage your money and can be super helpful when trying to stick to a budget. We especially like it for the ways it can help you collaborate and get on the same page with your partner.

[Hoda Kotb]

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[Hoda Kotb]

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[Savannah Guthrie]

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[Hoda Kotb]

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[Savannah Guthrie]

Next one on this list is openlibrary.org so you can find a lot of more free books on Open Library. It's like a digital library where you can read and borrow books online and they've got millions available. They also come in multiple languages. I'm going to assume that most people here are primary English speakers if you're listening to us, but if you speak other languages or you know people who speak other languages, this is a really great resource. So you can search for books in your preferred language, just simply type that language into the search bar, look through their categories. But that's another website you can get free books from.

[Hoda Kotb]

Next is your buy nothing groups.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Sure is.

[Hoda Kotb]

And this could be a fun thread to start in your buy nothing group saying like you don't have to do a full book haul, but being like I have these books, does somebody want to trade or just have them and in the thread be like hey, if you have a few books that you're looking to gift, then post them in this thread. Let's start a book thread for the next week. So buy nothing groups are great for that. These like these threads, these short term threads that are fun and you can have people post something like the funniest meme gets, you know, the most popular book or whatever. But I love this idea for buy nothing groups because maybe you don't have a lot of like maybe you have a lot of fiction readers in your friend group but not a lot of nonfiction. And so you can start like a non fiction book thread in your buy nothing group or vice versa. So this could be a really fun way to discover new books in a place that's already primed for gifting.

[Savannah Guthrie]

The next one Here is BookBub Deals. So like Book B U B deals, this one isn't exclusively free books, but they will tell you about free and inexpensive books that you can save money on purchasing through Kindle Nook. Other places that you might be reading digital copies of books. So you would sign up for their.

[Hoda Kotb]

Free website, put email, they have a newsletter.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Yeah, they say sign up for free on the BookBub website, but yes, yes to receive an email and you would tell them exactly what types of books you like, what kind you want to read, and they will email you you regularly with deals that are happening maybe on the genres that you're interested in, either free or the steep discounts. They themselves do not sell books directly, but they'll show you where the deals are happening, whether it be through Barnes and Noble or Amazon or other book websites like that. So that would be maybe second level if you've kind of exhausted these other free Options to utilize BookBub because it's not necessarily always going to be entirely free and you don't always want emails daily telling you to spend money. So proceed with caution and knowledge of yourself. But that, that's another resource you could look into.

[Hoda Kotb]

Well, I, I used BookBub when I was self publishing. So a strategy that a lot of self published authors will use is at least when they're going exclusive to Amazon is the first couple days the ebook will be free. And so to get the word out about those free books or that free book, you take out an ad on bookbub or free booksy freebooksy.com I believe. And those are how you get people to find out. Yeah, Free Booksy isn't even on this list, but freebooksy.com is free ebooks in a lot of different genres. And again you go to freebooksy.com, enter email and subscribe and they'll send you every day. It's a lot of self published and it's a lot of fiction versus nonfiction. So both BookBub and Free Booksy will be more of your romance, horror, mystery, science fiction, fantasy, literary fiction. There is some nonfiction, self help, how to stuff and you can actually tell them what you're more interested if it's one or the other or both. But yeah, you're just going to get. Because there are so many more fiction books being self published, you're going to get more of those in these newsletters. But yeah, you will find free Kindle books on both Bookbub and Free Booksy. Next is the Overdrive app. So this is similar to Hoopla and Libby. This is. I was actually using Overdrive before Libby and Hoopla were. I don't know if they were a thing or before they were popular Rise. But, but it's similar. So it's the same thing. If you love reading the Overdrive app, it's got ebooks, audiobooks, magazines and it's all connected with your local library. So again, you'll need to connect your local library card to overdrive and then if your library card does not use Overdrive, look into that list of. I mean there's a ton of them around the country of the non resident library cards that you can get to see if they are connected to Overdrive, Libby or Hoopla.

[Savannah Guthrie]

This next one is really interesting. It's called Book Crossing and in the article they describe it as the practice of leaving a book in a public place to be picked up and read by others who then do likewise. So it's like a global library where you can find, share and track books. So definitely maybe similar to your community libraries. It's a fun, community driven way to share books, discover new ones without spending anything and kind of has that treasure hunt element to it, a little bit of geocaching going on. So again, that one's called Book Crossing and not only gets you some free books but kind of connects you, gets you outside.

[Hoda Kotb]

Yeah. And it's not like littering. You go to bookcrossing.com and you download labels and then you print them and put them in the book. So the person knows this is a geocache kind of. This is a book geocache.

[Savannah Guthrie]

That's cool. Yeah, it's gotta be the first one to get to it. Yeah, we should do that with ours. Ooh. Oh.

[Mint Mobile Representative]

What?

[Hoda Kotb]

Oh, okay, okay.

[Purina Representative]

Maybe.

[Savannah Guthrie]

And it's not littering.

[Hoda Kotb]

It's not littering.

[Savannah Guthrie]

It's not littering.

[Hoda Kotb]

It's. Yeah, don't just leave a book without a geocache thing in it. All right, next is the Amazon Kindle store. So what I was saying with Free Booksy and Bookbub where self published authors will offer their books free for a couple days. Obviously the most of those are going to be on the actual Amazon Kindle store. And the reason that I want to like point this one out specifically on the list is because so many times Amazon wants you to purchase a subscription to Kindle Unlimited and so it will take you, you will be on a book and it will say like $0 now. Right. There's a difference between buy now with one click for $0 or trying a Kindle unlimited deal for however many days. So when you are going and it's. And they make it really confusing on purpose. I remember when I put my own book up for free on Kindle. I was confused on like it was free and they still wanted me to get a subscription to.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Yeah.

[Hoda Kotb]

To these things. So I'm trying to find one so that I can. So when it's actually free, it will say buy now with one click and it will. The Kindle price will be $0 and it will be saved so much money, 100%. And when it is not, I'm trying to figure out the exact verbiage. Carry on, Jill.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Well, I just want to add on some of my own things that were not listed in this article of other ways to get free books. So one additional way could be entering book giveaways. This is a little bit more right place, right time kind of situation. But be following authors, following content creators, the people who are writing books, they will eventually do book giveaways. Or even the guests on podcasts like I know Haley and Justin from Price of Avocado Toast podcast had us on and they are doing a book giveaway. Five of our books they're giving away.

[Hoda Kotb]

Yes.

[Savannah Guthrie]

So things like get over there happen. Right?

[Hoda Kotb]

Yeah.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Go listen to them get our book for free. But also pre order it, please. Thank you. So as you're kind of engaging with content and the people that you love and trust, you might also find yourself able to enter some of these giveaways. You can request galleys. So if you see that there's somebody that you really enjoy listening to, reading from and this author is putting out another book, reaching out to them either through email or a DM and saying that you are willing to give them a review on their publishing date in return for an advanced reader copy. They call it an arc for short arc. A lot of time. I mean if someone were to reach out to us and say that. Yes, yes, actually we did do that for our street team. Street Team applications are closed at this point. Wah wah. But yeah, the people who are going to be giving us reviews did get an advanced reader copy and from there just utilizing the Internet for even short stories and poems, if you're just a reader who loves to read and you love to engage in kind of even small snippets, they don't even have to be full books. There's so many places that you can Also find some of these shorter literature pieces, of course, Project Gutenberg that we already mentioned, the Library of Short Stories, Poetry foundation, certainly magazines that you can get from the library. So those are just some other ways to digest some other types of literature.

[Hoda Kotb]

Yes. And so it looks like they did correct the verbiage used on the free buttons. So they aren't so much trying to trick you anymore to get that Kindle unlimited subscription.

[Savannah Guthrie]

That's good.

[Hoda Kotb]

Yeah. So I'm glad that that's changed, but. And don't discount self published books on Amazon. Like I'm looking at one right now that is free right now and it is a Wall Street Journal or a USA Today bestseller. So it's, you know, there. Yeah, there's. Just because it's free, it's. It doesn't mean it is a poor quality. So definitely take advantage of all of these ways to get free books. And yeah, I personally love audiobooks on Hoopla and Libby. That's my favorite way to get free books.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Yeah. Usually audible has a 30 day free trial that you could take advantage of. There's also another website called archive.org so if you've never looked at our show notes before. Yeah. This is a time to look at it.

[Hoda Kotb]

And here's the thing. If you're listening to this right now and you want to listen to our book, the audio version, you can get your 30 day free trial of Audible and use that free credit for our book.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Whoa.

[Hoda Kotb]

Yeah, you can't because it's within like a month of publishing. So it'll just. You'll get it on January 7th.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Oh, that's exciting.

[Hoda Kotb]

So cool. And if you want to help us out, at no cost to you, frugalfriendspodcast.com audible.

[Savannah Guthrie]

And that's where you be away.

[Hoda Kotb]

Yeah.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Oh, that's smart. So smart. You know what else is smart and fun and exciting and welcoming and free? The bill of the week. This is the bill of the week.

[State Farm Representative]

That's right. It's time for the best minute of your entire week. Maybe a baby was born and his name is William. Maybe you paid off your mortgage. Maybe your car died and you're happy to not have to pay that bill anymore. Duck Bills, Buffalo Bills, Bill Clinton. This is the bill of the week.

[Mint Mobile Representative]

Hey, Jen and Jill, this is Violet and I'm calling you from Paris, where the Olympics frenzy is in full speed. My bill of the week is actually not a bill. It's some money I did not expect I would get. It's basically a bonus that my company was supposed to give us, but they gave us the gross amount and I subtracted more than I should from the gross amount to make up the net amount. And it's a lot more than what I thought. So I'm really excited. And now what I need to do is to not splurge on some Olympics tickets because those are expensive, you don't see as well as on tv. And it's obviously very tempting because I have this full amount of money that I did not expect to get. So, yeah, I'm going to try to do that. Otherwise, I have to say, Jen, your Olympics party sounded really, really fun. It was obviously very fun to be here too, although it rained the whole time. But we are all very excited and very proud and very excited to have all these American people running around the city and people are just so happy to be here. It's really, really cool. So, yeah. Kisses from Paris Bisou.

[Hoda Kotb]

Oh my God. You.

[Savannah Guthrie]

We are the crazy Americans running around our podcast studio right now. So excited about this.

[Hoda Kotb]

Oh my gosh. I am honored that you would think that my party would be even slightly as fun as what happened in Paris. And yeah, it was a good party. It was a good party and it did not rain inside my house and I did feel a little bad, but it was still so. I mean, Celine Dion can go. Can you even.

[Savannah Guthrie]

No, we can't.

[Hoda Kotb]

Can you? Can't. You can't even.

[Savannah Guthrie]

I'm so glad that you were there. I heard so many people left the city in preparation for all the crazy Americans and others running around, but I'm so thrilled that you were there. Got to partake in the energy of it. And congratulations on this unexpected bonus that you received and how it's not only unexpected, but more than what you thought, even the take home amount. And I'm with you about the not being tempted to just spend it on who knows what because it's money that you didn't even think you were going to get. I'd be so curious to know what you did spend it on. I mean, whether you want to just email us, send us a dm, call in another bill. We're here for it. If you want to update us on how you ended up spending that bonus, I'm so curious. But thank you so much for leaving us such a kind bill of the week. If you all are listening and you have a bill that you want to share, if it's about trying to figure out what to do with unexpected bills or what you have done with unexpected bills or you are a bill who someone didn't expect. Frugalfriendspodcast.com Bill we can't wait for it.

[Radi Devlukya]

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[Purina Representative]

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[Chase for Business Representative]

Owners this one's for you. Chase for Business and iheart bring you a podcast series called the Unshakeables. This one of a kind series will shine the spotlight on small business owners like you who faced a do or die moment that ultimately made their business what it is today. Learn [e-mail] business podcast Chase make more of what's yours Chase mobile app is available for select mobile devices. Message and data rates may apply. JPMorgan Chase Bank NA Member FDIC Copyright 2024 JPMorgan Chase & Company.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Hi everyone. It's Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Copy from the Today show. We love this time of year. There's so much to celebrate. That's right. Nobody does the holidays quite like today all season long. Join us for special performances with the brightest stars. Plus festive recipes to whip up the perfect holiday feast. And great deals on the hottest toys.

[Purina Representative]

And gifts forever everyone on your list.

[Savannah Guthrie]

So join us every morning on NBC to make today your home for the holidays.

[Chevy Representative]

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[Savannah Guthrie]

And now it's time for the lightning round.

[Hoda Kotb]

Favorite book that you got for free? So my favorite, I think is the Nightingale by Kristin Hannah. It is one of my top favorite favorite books and got it from the library and I love it so much.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Wow. Yeah, I have yet to read that one. I'm currently reading Four Winds Kristen.

[Hoda Kotb]

I mean, Kristin Hannah all around. You cannot go wrong with any of.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Her books after reading. Oh, what was the first one about the Vietnam War? Not the first one.

[Hoda Kotb]

The women.

[Savannah Guthrie]

The women. Yeah. That one shook me. That one ruined Jill because Jen was like, oh, if you don't cry at this, you're a psychopath. And I was like, that's an extreme statement. I don't know what I hope happens to me, but I do know I'm gonna be ostracized if I don't cry. But I'm like, I don't think I'm gonna cry. I don't cry at movies. I don't cry at books. I do have a heart, but I just don't cry that often. I knew this about Jill and so I read it. Put it down, was like, wow, that was the end. What a journey. Didn't cry. I was like, oh, boy, what's Jen gonna have to say about this one? Four hours later though, after having finished the book, I am full out sobbing. Eric comes into, I don't know, the office, the kitchen, wherever, wherever I was. And he's like, what's wrong? And I was citing all these other reasons. And there were other things. There were other, like, cumulative pieces that, like, were making me maybe a little sad. But none of it cry worthy. None of it would. I. I'm just like, I don't know. It's just. I don't know why I'm crying. And then 30 minutes after that, I was like, actually, I think I'm crying because of the book that I finished today. He's like, mm. So, yeah, I think the book did make me cry. It was just like a delayed effect. But then what I wanted to do was I immediately downloaded the Nightingale after that. Cause I'm like, what do I do from here? It's like a book hangover. And I felt like I just needed to jump into the next thing. And then I had to pause because I'm like, this is a very extreme reaction. This cost my emotions and my mental state a lot. I loved it. I just don't know if I can do this again to myself. So I did. I went. I went to something much more lighthearted. But now I'm back. I'm back in it. I'm reading a Kristin Hannah book currently. And we're just preparing ourselves. Okay. We're just gonna be ready for it.

[Hoda Kotb]

Yeah, you can't. I mean, you can't go wrong with Kristin Hannah.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Yeah. So I don't know about my favorite book, all time book that I got for free. So I'm just gonna focus on this year. I enjoyed Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gayasi. It was just a really cathartic book to me. I enjoyed it. Of course, I got it for free. It was a book club book that we read and I just get them all through hoopla or Libby. But all the children's books that I have, I've inherited from my own childhood. Or my mom has gotten them for me or a friend has gotten them for me because they know that I just. Meanwhile, I am not the one with children, but I do have a good amount of children come visit. So that. That helps to have some toys and books on hand. But my favorite children's book, I think at this, like today, if you're gonna ask me today, is this one that my mom gave me called if youf Find a Rock. And I just think it's so fun.

[Hoda Kotb]

Oh, that's fun. I've never heard of that one.

[Savannah Guthrie]

I. I don't think it's popular. I think it's potentially written just by a children's author in the area that I grew up in. And it's not. There's no, there's not necessarily some this is gonna teach you to be a better person kind of book. It's just a sweet, cathartic like about all the different types of rocks you can find. I think one of the reasons I love it is because I was a child of the woods who did enjoy what who did enjoy, like making soups and stews out of grass and collecting.

[Hoda Kotb]

Rocks of the suburbs.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Skipping rocks. Yeah. But I had woods on the property and that's where I would go into the woods and do my thing with my rocks. I love to climb on rocks. I love to skip rocks. So for me, I'm like, I get, I get this book because I love all the uses. And then you also realize there's so much you can do with rocks. How cool is that?

[Hoda Kotb]

Okay, let's move on for you.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Move out of this, please. Too much vulnerability raining in.

[Hoda Kotb]

That's so fun. Yeah, we get a lot of children's books and we get them mostly from the library. Either we inherit a lot of children's books too. I think like mom friends, passing on books is a kindness. That's what I every birthday party I and here's a hack moms. I don't buy things for birthday parties for my kids friends. I pick a book from the bookshelf. It either gets wrapped or goes in a bag. And that is the gift.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Yeah.

[Hoda Kotb]

It is a re gifted book every single time.

[Savannah Guthrie]

And it's on brand now. It's just your thing.

[Hoda Kotb]

That's my thing. I don't know if I'm known for it. I hope I'm not known for it.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Well, you are now talking about it publicly.

[Hoda Kotb]

Yeah.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Lean in. You're a one issue voter. You're a one gift item.

[Hoda Kotb]

Support local libraries and give used books as gifts. And that's my platform. So thank you so much for listening. We hope that if you are a book lover, if you want to read more books in 2025, if you want your children to read more books in 2025 that you found this helpful. And I truly, truly hope that you will join us on our mission to make personal finance education more equitable and more inclusive. And that comes by purchasing books from people who do not all look the same who write all the personal finance books. So you have a great opportunity to do that this year with buy what you love without going broke and yeah, I just hope that you will feel as passionate about the mission as we do and bringing More empathy to this traditionally callous subject.

[Savannah Guthrie]

So, wow.

[Hoda Kotb]

And if you've already pre ordered the book and you want to leave a kind review about the podcast, while you're waiting to leave a review about the book, take a cue from Kolilemi who says amazing. Five stars. I've been listening to these ladies for the last few years and I think I've heard them all. Jen and Jill are realistic about their money, ideas and advice. I have been able to up my budgeting game the more I listen, but also give myself grace when I slip. Books and plants are my weakness.

[Savannah Guthrie]

We're here for you, Kalilemmy.

[Hoda Kotb]

Thank you ladies for always giving us such good advice and making it real.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Oh, so this is a great episode for Kali. Lemmy, I hope you're here and I hope you're hearing us call you out. Thank you so much for such a lovely review that will hopefully help other people know if this is a good fit for them. And so, yeah, if you've not left a review, please do that. We would be so grateful.

[Hoda Kotb]

Frugal Friends is produced by Eric Siriani.

[Savannah Guthrie]

What book are you currently reading, Jennifer?

[Hoda Kotb]

Well, I'm in between books right now. Oh, wow.

[Savannah Guthrie]

How does that feel? Like you're just out in the water, no anchor.

[Hoda Kotb]

I know. I read, I listened to all my books and then I was waiting for some books. And so right now I have, let's see, I have a couple borrowed. I just finished up the entire suite of Emily Henry rom coms. And I have the Invisible Life of Addie Larue. And I have the Midnight Library by Matt Haig.

[Savannah Guthrie]

That one keeps, like, coming up for me.

[Hoda Kotb]

Well, that's why I borrowed it.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Interesting. I'll be curious to know. Well, you should be reading our book club book. You shouldn't be in between books.

[Hoda Kotb]

Oh, wow. What is the book club book?

[Savannah Guthrie]

The Berry Pickers.

[Hoda Kotb]

Oh, okay.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Yeah, right. So that's what we're both reading right now.

[Hoda Kotb]

It's great. How about how's the Berry Pickers?

[Savannah Guthrie]

It's okay. I would say I'm about halfway through. I'll be interested to see how it keeps going from here. I feel like they're about to wrap up. It feels very much like you're not selling me on. I get this story. I think one more chapter will do it. So I.

[Hoda Kotb]

How many chapters do you have left to go?

[Savannah Guthrie]

I mean, I have. I'm listening to it, so there's gotta be at least 50% more left to go. So I don't know, it feels like. Okay, so If Emily Henry feels like you're watching a Hallmark movie, this one feels like you're watching a Lifetime movie.

[Hoda Kotb]

Oh.

[Savannah Guthrie]

You gotta be in the mood for it.

[Hoda Kotb]

I don't think Emily Henry is a Hallmark movie.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Yeah, I guess that's true. She's like a close, though.

[Hoda Kotb]

She's like a big screen romcom.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Yeah. Well, either way, this one feels like you're watching a Lifetime movie. Okay.

[Hoda Kotb]

Okay.

[Savannah Guthrie]

We have more time, though, that we.

[Hoda Kotb]

Gotta keep chatting, fielding questions. Can I. Can I take a call from my husband?

[Savannah Guthrie]

Yes. We've never done this before. We're taking a caller seven. Oh, no. Let's hope he wants to say something that we're willing to air.

[Hoda Kotb]

I'm not going to air him.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Only your side of things. This is a very fun experiment that's making me a little bit nervous, a little bit sweaty. We are in our unhinged era, though. She's trying to call him now. I'm doing play by play. She's trying to call him back and he's not answering even though he has called multiple times. Oh, he just tried FaceTiming, failing.

[Hoda Kotb]

I think it's because I think there's a problem.

[Savannah Guthrie]

And if you're still staying for this part of the episode, you are the real deal. And you probably should be pre ordering our book. You can also take this time to pre order our book.

[Hoda Kotb]

Yeah, we're recording an episode.

[Savannah Guthrie]

You're our special guest.

[Hoda Kotb]

You're our special guest. Just.

[Savannah Guthrie]

And I feel like I should fill some space now.

[Hoda Kotb]

Yeah.

[Savannah Guthrie]

I don't know what his update is about, but.

[Hoda Kotb]

Okay. Yeah.

[Savannah Guthrie]

I don't know how riveting it is.

[Hoda Kotb]

Okay, love you. Bye.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Okay.

[Hoda Kotb]

Yep. He's just checking up on me.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Oh, wow.

[Hoda Kotb]

Yeah.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Just concerned that the call wasn't going through his.

[Hoda Kotb]

There's something going on with his phone. Yeah.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Okay.

[Hoda Kotb]

So he is fine now.

[Savannah Guthrie]

He's fine.

[Hoda Kotb]

He's gonna be fine. Are we. Are we at 45 yet?

[Savannah Guthrie]

We're not yet. We're about five seconds away. This is a fun game we're playing on her podcast.

[Hoda Kotb]

Fun, fun game that we just play.

[Savannah Guthrie]

We're gonna record another episode after this. Hopefully we can meet our time requirement on that one.

[Hoda Kotb]

We usually have no problem meeting our time requirement.

[Savannah Guthrie]

We just are able to rattle off these book tips so fast. What more do you have to say about it other than buy what you love? Book.com.

[Hoda Kotb]

Ah.

[Savannah Guthrie]

And here we have travelers in their natural habitat enjoying guaranteed 4pm checkout at fine hotels and resorts booked through AmexTravel.

[Hoda Kotb]

And they don't even see what's coming at them.

[Savannah Guthrie]

We're in.

[Chevy Representative]

We got the table.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Yep. With resi priority, notify they're alerted when.

[State Farm Representative]

Hard to get Reservations open up Reservation.

[Purina Representative]

For two Save the best for last.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Thanks to Amex Platinum, the last day vacation brings yet another experience. That's the powerful backing of American Express. Terms apply. Learn [e-mail] with AmEx this holiday season.

[Hoda Kotb]

Surprise everyone on your list with the.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Best gifts tickets to see their favorite artists live. Choose from thousands of concerts and comedy shows, including Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, Matt Matthews, Metallica, Thomas Rhett, Trans Siberian Orchestra, Sarah Silverman and so many more. Share a memory or give a gift they'll never forget. Find the most exciting gift for every [e-mail] gifts that's livenation.com gifts this is.

[Purina Representative]

Dr. Laurie Santos from the Happiness Lab. Many people have questions about how to improve levels of happiness. Living a healthy lifestyle is one sure way of increasing happiness, and a good place to start is with your oral health. Just a few small changes to your oral care routine, such as changing your toothpaste to Colgate Total, can lead to beneficial changes in your oral health. Colgate Total helps stop oral health problems like gingivitis and cavities before they start, because preventing oral health problems is a lot easier than treating them. Be dentist ready and get colgate [e-mail].

[Vraylar Representative]

Total game on because ESPN content is now available on Disney for bundle subscribers, you can watch your favorites on Disney the boldest stories from Hulu and the greatest in sports from ESPN together like never before with ESPN. Unwrap a full day of NBA action. Streaming December 25th. Then with Hulu, watch the terrifying sci fi thriller Alien Romulus, now streaming and on Disney. Follow a new adventure across the galaxy in Star Skeleton Crew, now streaming term apply. Visit disneyplus.com for details.

[Chevy Representative]

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