For many of us, holidays look better when they’re ahead of us, and not quite as appealing in retrospect. If you’ve managed to get through December with your budget intact and your children, spouses, significant others, relatives and other associates happy and feeling duly acknowledged, kudos and felicitations! You are an exemplary role model, and we will listen in rapt attention as you tell us how you managed to enjoy and celebrate the season meaningfully with family and friends in festive-yet-frugal fashion.

The rest of us might be just a wee bit envious of your creativity and fiscal discipline. We may have made new resolutions to pay off those bills, make things simpler next year, or find a hermit’s hut where we can live on dry oatmeal and inspiration until July as we struggle to get a grip on our impulse purchasing.

The good news is that there are far more pleasant options for redesigning your spending habits than the penitential hermit hut, for about the same price, and far more convenient and comfortable – the library.

Several approaches are possible from finding affordable family entertainment to exploring the scientific side of micro-economics, depending on your level of interest or degree of adjustments needed.

Far more appealing than the hermit’s hut, and just as cheap, take the entire family on a library outing. Everyone can find something interesting and check it out for free. Each library trip can be an adventure in its own right, and can lead to hours of in-home entertainment with reading, DVD movies, music and magazines. It’s like free shopping with few limitations: Each member of the family can select a whole bag load of goodies of all sorts. No consensus needed, no money spent; nobody will feel the least bit deprived, and all you have to do is bring the stuff back on time.

If your self-imposed financial overhaul requires a bit more structure, turn to the library’s resources for guidance, from humorous to inspirational. We used the keyword “frugal” to search the King County Library System collection, and found about 122 titles about frugality—as a positive choice. Here are some of the items we found.

“The New Frugality: How to consume less, save more, and live better” by Chris Farrell. Here’s what the book jacket said: “In this friendly, approachable guide, Farrell explains both the theory and practice of the New Frugality. It doesn’t mean old-fashioned penny-pinching, it means spending your money on quality instead of quantity-buying the best you can afford but the least you need.”

“Thrifty: Living the frugal life with style” by Marjorie Harris. You can be the first to review this new item.

“Suddenly Frugal: How to live happier and healthier with less” by Leah Ingram: “By providing a dollar amount for each cost-saving step, the author helps readers pinpoint small, painless changes they can make to their daily habits that can add up to big savings, in a book that encourages readers to group these changes by a room of a house or an errand on a to-do list.”

If these titles don’t suit your fancy, try these keywords for your own catalog search: “Thriftiness” brings up 15 titles, including: “Nifty Thrifty Math Crafts” by Michele C Hollow: “Math + crafts = fun for everyone. These ten crafts will add to your enjoyment of math. Using inexpensive materials found at home or in the classroom, learn to make an origami hat, a piggy bank, and even a dream catcher clock.”

Keywords “Consumer education” lead to 306 titles, including “Get Real” by Mara Rockliff, described as “A consumer guide for tweens provides insight into a range of topics from truth about fast-food nutrition to the environmental costs of cheap products, and shares related counsel on how to make informed shopping decisions.”

Keywords “Finance, Personal” summons up 1,364 titles from “Does this make my assets look fat?” A woman’s guide to finding financial empowerment and success, by Susan L. Hirschman, to “Debt-free for life:” The “finish rich” plan for financial independence, by David Bach.

However you choose to approach your financial transformation, you’ll find library resources to help you succeed. Look for more ideas in future articles from the King County Library System.

Library Tip: Each item in the library catalog has a description, including a list of related subjects where similar items can be found. If the title you want has a long holds list, click on the other “Subjects” and brows those options. You might just find something better that’s ready right now!