Welcome to Caffeinated Confessions!
I wanted a forum where we could talk about bookish subjects from swoon-worthy covers to the price of eBooks. I hope to share my thoughts on a different subject each month. So that we can all chat and share opinions. In the process, I hope we get to know each other a little better. I made a pot of peppermint mocha coffee and have some lovely peppermint tea so grab a cup and let’s chat:
Book Purchases in 2012
Do you know how many you bought?
How much you spent?
For our first confession, I’d thought we would talk about book purchases for 2012. I was recently asked how much I spent on books last year and I literally had no idea. *facepalm* I could have ventured a guess, but I quickly dismissed the idea. *nope not gonna look and you can’t make me* This kind of bothered me *for about a NY minute*, I mean I know I buy books every month..hmm maybe every week *ok, ok I know you see my bought books every Sunday!* but either consciously or subconsciously I haven’t made a monthly budget for them. I could take a wild guess or dig out my receipts *inner cover whore shakes her head no and says, “you can’t I ate them”* For me my book purchases happen like this:
- It’s a planned purchase: such as an author on my auto-buy list, I buy or pre-order it *must have, mine*
- Impulse buy- I read a review *yep-probably your blog review*, or see a beautiful cover *the inner cover whore in me goes crazy* and I buy it!
- Just window shopping for deals or see a deal: and I scoop them up as fast as I can. *those .99 cent sales get me every time*
- Had a Bad Day-*for example it rained or you didn’t comment on my fabulous review* so I need a pick me up and buy a book on my wishlist.
Books are my guilty pleasure *manna from heaven*, and most of the time I can say I do not spend more than 50.00 a month on books. *eyes bookshelf* Do I feel guilty? Nope, nada..zilch. I do not have a closet full of shoes, my coat is at least 5 yrs old and I can count the number of caramel macchiatos I had from Starbucks last year. How many books did I buy? No clue! Ask me how many I read and reviewed and I can give you exact numbers. I will confess that the only time I stop myself or should I say budget myself is when it comes to the price of a book. Unless you are on my must-have gotta read the auto-buy list I am not paying more than 10.00.
Am I an addict? *nods head and shrugs* Probably but for me being on a budget or maybe even acknowledging what I spent would probably suck the fun right out of buying them in the first place. Books are a joy, an adventure and the perfect pick me up:) Is my TBR pile out of control? *folds arms across chest and tilts head while raising an eyebrow and giving you the death stare* That my friends are a subject for another day! Since my addiction doesn’t impact our household budget (in other words I am not charging books, or spending the car payment on them *yes I feed my children*) my motto is “Shop On!” and “Don’t ask, don’t tell!”
What about you? Do you know what you spent in 2012 on books? How many books did you buy? Do you have a monthly book budget? If yes, do you know what you spent on coffee to go, lunches etc? I am curious if you are a money tracker, budget keeper or if books are one of the monthly expenses you track. Or, are you like me and don’t keep track? Are your reasons the same as mine? Do you know how many books you bought but not what you spent?
~ Kimba
About Kimberly
Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. BlueSky | Facebook | Instagram
Angelas Anxious Life
I maybe spent $20 on books. Yes that’s right. I only get my books from the library. I rarely buy any. My husband works and I don’t so we have kind of a limited income. So the library is heaven to me!!!!
Angelas Anxious Life
hahahaha!
readingdiva
Great post Kim, I guess I am a compulsive buyer and though I didn’t spend much in books in 2012, my money went towards giveaways LOL…almost the same 🙂
Cyn
I definitely bought more books this year than I usually do (probably because I got into actually reviewing books and therefore waaay more aware of all the new releases haha) and I keep my eyes out for sweet deals more. Also lots more gift cards this year.
As a poor university student, the library is my best friend (the majority of books come from there) and I usually base my buying on books that I’ve read before and would like my own copy b/c I love them so much and ones with pretty covers (sometimes I’m a little shallow like that hehee).
I think books are a great addiction (mine’s actually shoes but books are definitely a close second, if libraries didn’t exist, books would be first ;))
Aurian
O Kim, what an awful question! I really don’t want to know the answer to that. I know it is huge. Probably a month salary each year, perhaps more. I am an addict, and I know it. But I just have to have the new books by authors I collect, and when I read some great reviews, I just have to, and when I discover a new author, I want the whole backlist. And then of course, those second hand books which are so cheap and on my wishlist, and to safe on shipping costs, just fill a box …
Danielle Chapman
I am too scared to think about how much I spend on books! I will admit that I hit the Half Price bookstores at least once a week. I live by a few of them and I am always amazed at what I can find. Then when they have sales… wow! I also sell back my used books to them so that helps out with my purchases.
Now I am off to snuggle on the couch with my chai and the books I started reading early this morning! 🙂
karina
Oh yes, I’m an addict too! Fully admitted. However like you I don’t spend money on clothes and cosmetics and make sure all the bills are paid first, and books are actually cheaper than many other hobbies 🙂 Plus as an addiction it’s pretty harmless. Also no way in hell I will tell you how much money I would spend on books per year. Probably no more than £25 per month. I’m also guilty of book shopping when I feel tired and down to give myself a little cheer, but I would always look for a bargain. Plenty of books on my wishlist cost £15 as hardbacks which I can’t afford, so I’d rather wait a year for a paperback or wait until the book is in the library.
Bookluvrs Haven
I am a huge addict. Not matter how many books I have waiting for me, and we are talking HUNDREDS, I can’t say no to books. At my current library and reading rate, I need to clone myself possibly 5 times (now 6) in order to read everything I have. (I actually did do a half assed calculation based on how many books I managed to read over 2012 vs the estimated book # that I have in my possession.)
It is absolutely sick when you think about it. Over the last year I came across Free Kindle newsletters. Everyday, sometimes twice we get an email that includes free promotions. There is ALWAYS at least one novel that I think I will like.. My amazon library grew from about 19-25 books, to now over 400. Its hysterical!!! But I will ALWAYS have options.
Most of my library is electronic now. I donated about 700 physical books of my collection 2 years ago to a hospital charity here in Toronto (where the sales go to Sick Kid’s Wish Foundation) and I feel pretty good about giving them up for that cause (though it did hurt to see them all go).
But if I am going to have a guilty pleasure (or obsessive one) this is definitely one that I am proud of. I love the written word, and I couldn’t live happily in any world that didn’t have books in it! So what if I will never live long enough to read them all? I am working really hard and having fun trying!!!!!
HUGS to all you obsessive book buyers and lovers!
Lily
Bea
Yes, yes there are! 🙂
Bea
I re-read ALL THE TIME. Ok, not all the time but I did before I started reviewing. 😀 I practically live at my local library, They all know me by name there. 🙂
Bea
I have no clue what I actually spent on books last year or how many I bought, though I could probably figure it out if I tried. I do have a budget and I know that most months I don’t use it up. The majority of books I “purchase” are kindle freebies. I never pay full price for a book. I buy it on sale or at my library’s used book sale. I also borrow many books from my library which allows me to read, oh, about 10X more books than I can afford to purchase. If I love it, I’ll look around and buy it on sale. But, there’s no question that I’m a book addict. What the heck, there are worse addictions. 😀
Tanya Davis
I track what is spent on most things, but books, I am too impulsive, I see it, I gotta have it. I have a long list of pre-orders that I have a habit of forgetting to include in the weekly budget, but oh the joy out of seeing them pop up on my kindle! It’s better than Christmas! Unless of course Christmas includes a nice little Amazon gift card! My book spending is my dirty little secret. The family doesn’t ask, so I don’t tell. Rather I just don’t look so I won’t have an answer for them anyway!
SweetMarie83
I love this! Until last year, it had been years since I bought books because I just couldn’t afford it. Then I started to make a bit more money and discovered The Book Depository and the bargain books section at Chapters, and I started slowly buying books…and then buying TONS of books. The other day I realized I didn’t know how many I bought or how much I spent but I didn’t want to know because I didn’t want to feel guilty. But like you, I don’t spend on other things – I’m not a shoe or purse or clothes fiend, I don’t smoke or buy expensive coffees, I don’t go out that much, I don’t have a car to eat all my money, so why not buy books when they bring me so much pleasure? Like you I limit myself to books $10 and under, plus I still go to the library a lot, so it’s not like I buy ALL my books, and even though I tend to buy them and then they sit on my shelves forever while I continue to accumulate MORE…who cares? Is it hurting anymore? Nope. You made me feel better Kimberly! *leaves to browse TBD for some new books*
~Marie
Ramblings of a Daydreamer
Leah Woods
On the plus side, there are much worse things to be spending money on!
Leah Woods
Brilliant post! Honestly, I have no idea how much I spend on books a year. Far too much most likely! Today, I only went to Cardiff to coach my partner at Archery Squad and ended up buying three books! There’s also an amazing bookshop which offers books 3 for £5 and again buy so many. Along with having to buy course books (doing a postgraduate degree in English is costly), feeding my J. R. Ward obsessions and constantly topping up the Kindle it’s probably best for my health to not even try and figure out the cost of the book buying obsession! Completely feel your pain :).