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Book spending
I have a Borders Rewards membership. Eh, why not, it's free, and I get coupons and discounts. This morning in my inbox, I had a message about my holiday savings reward -- $29.88. That's a hardback, or a couple of trade paperbacks, or three/four massmarket paperbacks. Yay me! Except the email also broke down what my other savings were during the year. Working from the discount (usually 10% but occasionally as much as 20%), I can tell about how much I spent on books/magazines at Borders this past year -- more than $700. And I probably spent equal that at B&N and Amazon, although I haven't run a report in Quicken to know for sure. Which is more than I estimated. I thought I spent about $800 annually on books from all sources. Granted, this year I went a little overboard and the TBR pile grew into a mountain, but, but... Ouch.
But then I stop and think about it. And I feel like a feckless spendthrift, because even if it is only $1,200, that's $100 per month, which is 3 or 4 hardbacks per month, or 12-14 paperbacks, or 6-7 trades per month. Am I reading that much? Well, yeah. And that doesn't even take into account library books, PBS, or library sale books.
I justify my book buying by saying that there are worse addictions. That I don't smoke or scrapbook or do drugs. [Scrapbooking ranks as an insidious, addictive activity, I think, based on my observation of my obsessive scrapbooking friends.] I don't drink to excess. I don't collect expensive tchotchkes. I just read books. But seeing in black and white what I've spent on them (the bulk of my entertainment budget) is making me cringe.
But then I stop and think about it. And I feel like a feckless spendthrift, because even if it is only $1,200, that's $100 per month, which is 3 or 4 hardbacks per month, or 12-14 paperbacks, or 6-7 trades per month. Am I reading that much? Well, yeah. And that doesn't even take into account library books, PBS, or library sale books.
I justify my book buying by saying that there are worse addictions. That I don't smoke or scrapbook or do drugs. [Scrapbooking ranks as an insidious, addictive activity, I think, based on my observation of my obsessive scrapbooking friends.] I don't drink to excess. I don't collect expensive tchotchkes. I just read books. But seeing in black and white what I've spent on them (the bulk of my entertainment budget) is making me cringe.
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(Anonymous) 2006-11-15 02:23 pm (UTC)(link)The first year of the program I realized I had spent 1100.00 in books and maybe I bought 4 HC in the year. Yeah, that was an eye opener but back then I used to get 5 bucks back on every hundred I spent as well as the 10 % off.
Now, it's strictly 10% off and then they will send you the odd coupon and most of the time the membership is 25 dollars. So I would have to buy 250 dollars worth of books just to pay the membership but since I spend that easily I pay for the membership. Although I do sometimes make them work for it - They will send reminders and for the last few years I wouldn't sign up right away and then they would send a 10 dollars off coupon - much better ;)
Like you, I don't drink or smoke and the decorating I do is for 'us' and not just me ;) Yep, I love the justification.
CindyS
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The only other bookstore I frequent on a regular basis is my local independent, Goerings Books, one of the last of a dying breed. They carry my Darlene Marshall books, handsell them and have set up signings for me too. While I'm glad Amazon offers books for sale at a good price, I want to keep as much money as possible in my local economy.
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justification