Have you ever thought about purchasing an e-reader? Right now, there’s a lot of competition out there for your paperless reading dollar! My personal favorite is the Kindle. I paid way too much for it, exactly 33 days (if it had been within 30 days I could have gotten a refund, so this is significant) before the big price drop of 2010. Yes, we paid $256 for a Kindle that now costs just over $100! Was it really worth it?
I’m going to say yes, in fact I’m going to elaborate further and say it’s one of the best purchases I’ve ever made!
Here’s why I think an e-reader is a great frugal choice for all book lovers:
- Books are cheaper when they are in e-reader format! Sometimes as much as $10-$20 cheaper depending on what book you are interested in.
- You can get books immediately when they come out. You don’t have to wait to have them shipped (and pay shipping) or make a drive to your local bookstore.
- Many e-readers (coming soon to the Kindle) now have the ability to check out books from the local library remotely. Totally free!
- Less burden on the environment, which puts a bit more money in everyone’s pockets.
- Less clutter in your home. Less clutter leads to better organization and better organization leads to saving money.
- The ability to share books between friends has worked it’s way into many e-readers. Sharing is caring!
- They are ridiculously cheap nowadays, and can hold enormous quantities of books!
- Free public domain titles. If it’s public domain, it’s yours for free!
- A steady rotation of pretty decent free titles rotate through Amazon every week.
- Not interested in buying an actual e-reading device? That’s not a problem either, just download a free app for your phone, computer or iPad.
Don’t get me wrong, I was hesitant at first to go the e-reader route. I love the feel of a book in my hands and I thought I’d always be conscious that I have an electronic device in my hands. I was mistaken though, you get used to it very quickly!
I will admit that reference books are still better to buy in physical form. You can bookmark and highlight on e-readers, but I still prefer the old study guide method of bookmarking for reference books.
The initial investment might seem steep, but they are actually very reasonable!
- Amazon Kindle $139 or $114 (with special offers)
- Kobo $139
- Sony Reader $179
- Nook $149
Or, if you aren’t in a purchasing mood, just download a free e-reading app from Amazon and get started today!
Do you have an e-reader? Do you love it?
