Ottakee Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 This is a S/O from another thread where someone was looking for new books to read. Do you think that having a Kindle or other ereader has saved you money? Was it enough to recoup the cost of the ereader? I think mine has been a money saver. I have rarely made trips to the library now (which is 12 miles away) and I have only spent $10 or less total in the past 2 years on books. I have over 500 free kindle books waiting for me to read. In addition to money saving, I love reading lots of books that I would have never otherwise have even heard about. I have also explored various genres. If I don't like the book or find it inappropriate, I can just hit delete and it didn't cost me any money and I don't even have to drive it back to the library. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnyday Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 Yes, I really love borrowing ebooks from the library. I'm also discovering that I can save on curriculum if it's in ebook format. I would have had to buy two cursive books for my two kids, plus shipping; instead I got one PDF and can print the pages I need for free (and in duplicate where needed). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T'smom Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 Not really. I have found a few good, free books, but mostly what I want to read is expensive. I haven't found the free books to be very high quality. (Yeah, I know there are lots of free classics that are high quality, but it's not what I want to read!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trulycrabby Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 Well....I wouldn't say that it saved me money, but one thing that it has done is help me explore and read new genres that I never was interested in before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baseball mom Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 I think so. I have found lots and lots of free books and then borrow lots without having to worry about late fees. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 Yes, I've saved money on books. But I was an early adopter, back when publishers offered really good books for free. And I got a bunch of them. But I doubt I got enough to recoup the cost -- my first Kindle was $359. I don't remember what the second one cost, but it was still significantly more than they are now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanny Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 We don't have a Kindle/ereader but DD has the free KindleForPC application installed on her PC. Yes, it has saved us some $, and DD gets what she needs, in several minutes. We are overseas, so Shipping books down here is expensive and if she only needs a paperback novel, and nothing else at that time, an ebook is the way to go for us. One novel that she needed for her English class was free, on Amazon for Kindle. We have also purchased several novels for her to read with KindleForPC, for pleasure, not school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammi K Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 No monetary savings but it has saved a ton of space! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joannqn Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 I spend more money on books since I rarely bought books before we had a Kindle. But that wasn't why I bought our Kindles. I got my older two kids and I Kindles because I was having trouble securing three identical copies of the same books I wanted us to read and analyze together for our literature studies. Sharing caused problems too. Now, I buy one Kindle copy and we can all read it at the same time (all of the Kindles are on my account). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomtoCandJ Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 Yes, I don't frequent Barnes and Noble as much (I have a Nook) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amira Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 Yes, but for me, the savings have come in not having to ship and store our books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bolt. Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 No savings, but lots more reading these days. Space saving for sure, especially on vacations, and when I was needing grad school (seminary) textbooks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppy Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 No, but I've found some really good books at the local library's overdrive. Books I might never have known about except it was 1 a.m., I was looking through the options, cross-referencing with Amazon / Goodreads reviews. I do better with that limited selection than having the whole world of books available but no direction. I have not found one free kindle book worth reading. A couple from the lending library are ok. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostSurprise Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 Not at all, but I was never a person to spend a lot on books. A couple of bucks at the most and then I would book trade them for more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Strawberry Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 I have downloaded well over a thousand books for myself and the kids. I have paid less than$10 total for books in almost 2years. That is a tremendous savings. I use it for a ton of other stuff, too. I'm on it right now. Definitely worth the money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 No...but to be fair, I very very VERY seldom buy a book brand new. I tend to get my books at thrift stores, paying no more than .25-.50 each. Any books I read on Kindle are usually free, so I don't spend there either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Buckin' Longhorn Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 Hasn't saved me a dime. In fact I spend more money on books now than ever. I rue the day I signed up for 1 click ordering, LOL. It's so darn convenient! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in Neverland Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 NO WAY. My book spending has gone up SIGNIFICANTLY since getting an eReader (first a kindle then an iPad). But I am also reading a lot of really great books so I think it is worth the cost. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksr5377 Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 Not at all. It's SO EASY to just click that little button and have the book immediately sent to my Kindle. I probably spend at least another $200 on books a year. I never really bought books from Amazon that were for pleasure reading before owning the Kindle. I always got them from the library. Now I find myself not wanting to wait. Ah, instant gratification and all that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted December 3, 2013 Author Share Posted December 3, 2013 Interesting on how this is split pretty much 50/50. I save money on the gas to the library and back and the occ. late fee but I was never one to buy a new book at full price---unless it was for a gift or maybe a reference book. I have found so many good reads free on the Amazon site. Then again I will admit that I read for pleasure, relaxation, etc. NOT for heavy thinking, studying, dealing with weighty matters, etc. I have too much of that in real life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoundAbout Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 Nope, but we all read more because of it. DS now finishes a chapter book every 5 days or so and I think the Kindle was a big part of his reading taking off because its ergonomic and we can set font size. DH and I often read the same book at the same time and discuss it. We are also more likely to buy books now because they don't take up space in our house. So I would say our Kindles have cost us more, but worth every penny. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 Interesting on how this is split pretty much 50/50. I save money on the gas to the library and back and the occ. late fee but I was never one to buy a new book at full price---unless it was for a gift or maybe a reference book. If you count gas to and from the library, and late fees, then yes I've saved money. Otherwise, there's not a big difference. I got most of my pleasure reading books from the library before I had a Kindle, and I still get them that way now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 E-readers can be so cheap that I think I probably have if I look at the savings on specific books that I likely would have bought regardless. I mean, if I saved just $3 on twenty books, that could make up the cost of an e-reader these days and I'm sure I've done that, plus gotten free older books and a few things on Overdrive. But it's so hard to quantify because you just use an e-reader differently in some ways. And many of us end up reading books we wouldn't have found otherwise (thanks to how easy it is to read the first chapters for me). So then you end up spending more, but you're also maybe reading more books or books you wouldn't have read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom@shiloh Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 The only books I get for the Kindle are the free ones and I probably wouldn't buy the ones that I put on there. I've looked at the listings from Yesterdays Classics and have gotten loads of those for free, such as all the ones from Arthur Scott Bailey. My younger kids love those. We've liked the free games that we've been able to download on the Kindle. I only get the ones that I think have educational benefit. The word games have really helped to improve my children's spelling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kim in Appalachia Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 I get a lot of books for my Kindle from the library. I also have bought books when they drop in price on Amazon (like today, I just bought Goldfinch, which I have been wanting, and The Son, which looks like something I would enjoy :tongue_smilie: ) I buy a book for Kindle if I know it would be hard to get from the library (plus the library is far) or I can't get it for a good price at the used book store. I would say that I bought 30% of the books I read this year for my Kindle. The rest were bought used (which I then sell back later) or borrowed from the library. I do spend money on books, but I love them. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Kate Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 I use my Kindle app on my iPad mini. I have a Kindle Touch, but prefer my iPad. Reading e-books has definitely saved me money. I am fortunate that my library has a pretty decent selection, so I get almost all of my Kindle books there. I no longer have to worry about library fines or making time to get to the library. Anytime I want to read a book...zap! and the book is there. Now, since I rely on the library, I do have to wait for books at times. But if I want the book badly enough, I just buy it on Amazon. Again...zap! and it's there! Love reading on the Kindle app. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sun Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 I've saved on overdue fines. I'm saved the worry of bringing home bedbugs from the library. But, mostly, no, it hasn't save me money. The instant gratification of being able to get the book I want right now, when I want it, kills any book budget in my house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarenC Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 Not at all. I spend a lot more on books since I got the ereader. Karen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CupOCoffee Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 Definitely has saved me $$$. Along with others, I've also read things I may not have without the reader. Biggest thing for me though is that I am able to read books that would be big and heavy in my hands (I have arthritis in my hands), books I would not have been able to hold before -- cutting down on reading time. ~coffee~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inmyopinion Posted December 4, 2013 Share Posted December 4, 2013 This information is great as I am considering it. Most of the books I end up reading I find from shelf-reading, just looking though the library shelves. I barely buy any books as we move a lot so this might cause me to buy more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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