Find Cheap Music On A Thrifty Living Budget

Cheap music does not mean bad music. Just because you have decided to live a frugal lifestyle where you want value for your money, it doesn't mean that you have to miss out on all the fantastic music available.

I enjoy a wide taste in music, from rock, pop, folk, dance and classical. But there is no way I could indulge my love of this music by buying CD's from the shops.

I think I would need to take out a huge loan to do that. Instead I have found a few ways where I can find cheap music that is both to my taste and up to date.

picture by jrossol

Where to find cheap music

New CD's

Music clubs - you could join a music club where you only have to buy a limited amount of CD's at a normal price but they offer you free ones in return.

Always read the small print, as you do not want to commit yourself to buying more CD's then you want. Check out www.bmgmusic.com you only have to buy one full price Cd and you get 5 more free (America only).

Library - Check out your local Library, most now operate a music lending service for a small fee and if you are lucky enough to have a well-funded Library you will discover many of the latest CD's available. I love doing this as it gives me the opportunity to sample lots of music I wouldn't normally get to hear and it doesn't upset my frugal lifestyle either, yey!

Gifts - Why not keep a list of the latest Cd's you would like and ask your family to give them to you as gifts when it's your birthday or at Christmas.

Used CD,s

Charity and Pawn Stores - Here you will find a wealth of cheap music available. Admittedly it won't be the latest music but you can find some fantastic classic albums if you search around and all at a very small price.

picture by Alana Elliott

Ebay - It's always worth checking Ebay out, as you will often find many nearly new CD's available at a lower price.

But always check the postage costs and where the CD is coming from. It may even be worth asking the buyer if the CD is an original rather than a copied one. Although I think Ebay is quite strict about forgeries now.

Garage sales - This is a great way to find cheap music, but go early to get the best pick and be sure to haggle a little. Often the seller is willing to lower the price.

Swap - I have recently discovered a company called www.swapacd.com who allow you to swap your Cd's with other members for a very small price. You won't find the latest music but you may be able to ask for Cd's that you have always wanted or could never find at the garage sales.

Downloads

Yahoo.com - Yahoo offer a music service now where you can subscribe and download as many tracks as you like to your PC and for a very small extra charge can burn them to CD. Unfortunately it is only available in the US.

Pod casts - Check out your local radio stations for free pod cast downloads. This is truly cheap music because it's free. I use the BBC radio stations a lot and they have new weekly pod casts to cover a wide variety of musical tastes.

I think these are fantastic recent creations and it certian allows me to have lots more free frugal entertainment at my finger tips.

picture by Macieklew

Freebies

Newspapers and magazines - check out the news stands every day and keep your eyes peeled for giveaway CD's.

They will often give away tracks from new artists trying to break into the industry or some old classics. It's a good way to bolster your music collection.

Live Music

You can't beat live music for great entertainment. But sadly most of the time the main concerts and gigs are way out of my frugal living budget. However there are still plenty of live performances available that are either low cost or free.

Local Newspaper - always check the what's on section of your local paper to see if there are any cheap music concerts going on near you. A lot of colleges put on end of term concerts and recitals that are often free to the public.

Local Pubs and bars - as an inducement to get more customers, a lot of bars and pubs put on free musical entertainment and from my experience most of it has been very good.

The secret is to savour your beverage so that you don't spend your money on drinks (it is possible but may require some will power).

Summer festivals - During the summer there are lots of local events put on in the parks that may include music concerts. Take advantage of all this free entertainment and cheap music.

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