I’ve been toying with the idea of buying a Kindle for a while now. I’ve struggled to pull the trigger though, since I really like the experience of reading books. On the other hand, I am on a quest to reduce the amount of things that I own.
And, since books are pretty much the only things I’m interested in having, a Kindle might be just the thing. The Kindle could be a wise financial choice in the long run for me, but what do you think?
Why the Kindle, Instead of a Tablet with eReader?
One of the options I considered was getting a tablet with an ereader instead of the Kindle. After all, a tablet, even though it costs more, would have other uses. It would mean fewer gadgets to lug around. However, as I considered the options, I decided that a Kindle might work better for me. The print is easier to read on the Kindle, and the backlit screens on tablets can have glare that would make reading uncomfortable. After trying out some different devices, and talking to avid readers who love the Kindle, I decided that a Kindle would provide me a reasonably good experience with little inconvenience and discomfort.
We might decide to buy a tablet down the road too, but the reasons for buying the tablet would be different, and it would have a different purpose. As far as reading goes, the amount of reading I do means that the Kindle might be a wiser purchase for now.
How Much Would the Kindle Cost Me?
The cost of the Kindle I am thinking of costs $139. Kindle books cost as little as free (especially for older classics in the “public domain”) and run up to right around $10 or more. Chances are that most Kindle books would cost me around $5 or $6. That’s about half what I pay for books right now.
I could probably sell back many of my books (which are in good condition) and use the money to buy them again as Kindle versions. There are some books I would keep, though: books with special meaning or books I especially enjoy.
Due to the number of books I purchase, there is a good chance that buying less expensive versions for the ereader would result in my ability to recoup the cost of the Kindle in a matter of months.
On top of that, the costs that come with storing all those books, and moving them if my husband’s work takes us to a new city in the next two years, would be saved. It would make life a lot easier, too, since I wouldn’t need to keep buying bookshelves to accommodate all my reading materials.
Bottom Line
Purchasing a Kindle would likely to save me money in the long run. On top of that, the Kindle would help me as I work toward my priorities of reducing the amount of stuff that I own, as well as living in a more environmentally sustainable manner. What do you think? Is a Kindle likely a good fit?
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My local library system has an extensive catalogue of ebooks which can be checked out and automatically downloaded to my Kindle. This is more convenient than a traditional library, and a great option if you don’t care about owning the book and can read it before the checkout expires. I read more because of the time pressure and have saved hundreds of dollars a year by not buying books.
I expected to dislike the Kindle, which was a gift, but the first time trying it turned into several hours of reading pleasure that went by astonishingly fast. It had become hard to hold books, but I hardly notice holding the Kindle. I don’t like looking for books on it. I find them elsewhere, but buying them takes only seconds.
It works great with reducing the amount of things you own. I’ve switched to the Kindle a while ago but my main problem now is I feel like a lot of gadgets are getting redundant now. It’s a little too much bringing multiple gadgets while you’re traveling so I have now migrated most of my ebooks to my iPhone so I only bring one gadget around.
E-readers are fine but I don’t think that there are any savings for ebooks vs the same books as paper backs. There should be, but I haven’t seen that in my experience. Most of the free books are worth what they cost. The main advantage of a Kindle is it is easier to pack than three or four books. Plus you can buy books instantly.