Unless you regularly pass time of an evening setting fire to money for kicks, your gaming is going to be affected by your budget. With new Xbox 360 games retailing for between US$40 and US$60, building up a library is going to hit you in the wallet. This is where a bit of smarts can save you a lot of money.

Cost is especially a factor if you play a lot of RPGs or adventure games that have 'ends'. They great while you're playing through, but once you're done, you're done. Some of these are big sellers for the Xbox, like Tomb Raider: Legend or King Kong, or even Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. The thing is, everyone else is in the same position. Look for these games in stores like EB Games and Gamestop, that take used games as trade-ins. If you trade in your own finished games at the same time, you can get a nice turn-over going at a much lower cost.

If you're not in a big hurry to be the first person to play something, you can also look in rental stores. Buying second-hand with both these options, you should be able to get a good look at the disc itself before you buy, so you can see any obvious marks and scratches. There might be some damage to cases, especially with rental titles, and the manuals may be missing. You should be able to get a good deal in that case, and for many games the manuals are available online.

Another obvious place to look for games is eBay. You'll get more variation in price here and it pays to shop around. You'll also have to factor in the cost of shipping and the risk of not being able to get a good look at the product before you buy. Beware, too, of people trying to flog off commonly-bundled games at absurd prices. Try bidding on large lots of multiple games if there's something in there you like the look of. They'll be good value, you might find a gem in the slush pile, and then you can sell the rest or use them as trade-ins.

If you're on the lookout for gaming bargains in general, then a good place to check out is www.cheapassgamer.com. They trawl the net for bargains featured on other sites and collect them all in one place, as well as pooling gamer knowledge on good deals in bricks-and-mortar stores.

Another site you might want to check out is www.gamefly.com. They provide a rental service for a $20/month fee where they mail games out to you from your wishlist. When you're done, you send them back, and they mail out the next lot. They also sell off rental titles, and you can often pick up games through them about a month after they come out, for half the normal retail price.

Games seem to drop dramatically in price about four months after they come out. Financially, it's well worth waiting if you're buying. That gives you time, too, to get feedback and reviews on the game from other gamers. There's nothing worse than ponying up for a game only to find it blows, or it's really good but only a weekend's play.

Patience is the key if you're looking to save bucks gaming. Hang back and profit from other people's buyer's remorse, or put in the time shopping around for a good bargain.