If you have recently started collecting stamps, or are thinking about starting, you may be wondering if the hobby is expensive. Can you enjoy it with limited money? What if you have no money at all for the hobby? The answer is an absolute positive one. Not all collections consist mainly of unused stamps that you buy in the post office. Used stamps are worth saving, have value, and they may cost you nothing. In fact, many stamp collectors save only used stamps! The first place to search for stamps, then, is your own mailbox. You can ask people who write to you to use commemorative (纪念性的) stamps on their mail. Also, if you write away for offers that require a self-addressed stamps envelope, you can put commemoratives on your return envelopes, knowing that they will come back to you later. Neighbors, friends, and relatives are another good source of stamps. A majority of people is only too happy to save the stamps on their mail for someone who will appreciate them. You may even know someone who works in an office that gets a lot of mail. Many businesses get a lot of foreign mail and regularly throw away stamps that may have interest or value to a collector. And don't forget to ask your parents if they have any old letters which may still have stamps on the envelopes. Now that you have stamps on paper, what do you do with them? The most common way to get stamps off paper is to soak them in water, then dry them on paper. To understand more about soaking stamps, it is best to find a handbook on stamp collecting at the library. Stamp clubs are another place to get stamps. A club may offer stamps as prizes, or have inexpensive stamps you can afford to buy. If you don't have a stamp club around you, try to start one with a few others. All it takes are four or five other stamp collectors who are interested in getting together to learn about and trade stamps and ideas. Obtaining a pen pal (笔友) in another country is a very good way to get stamps from that country. His or her extra stamps may seem really common in that country, but over here they are much scarcer.