Well it finally happened; I caved in and bought a Nook. I’ve wanted an e-reader for quite some time, and so far I’ve enjoyed it immensely. I told myself that if I was going to indulge in buying a Nook I needed to get the cheapest version. They have flashy ones, but realistically no one really needs those ones (I’m not saying they aren’t nice to have). I held to my guns and bought the Nook Simple Touch. Before I bought it I had some ideas about how having an e-reader would save me money in the long run. My initial thoughts were I would save on gas, on furniture, and on the books themselves. Not to mention they are easy to carry around.
If you’re planning on buying an e-reader (and are late to the game like I was) here is how it will most likely add value to your life:
1) You no longer need to drive to the book store (Save money on gas).
2) You won’t need to buy anymore book shelves (Save money on furniture).
3) You won’t get stuck having to buy an expensive book that only comes in hardback (Save money on books).
4) You won’t have to lug books around with you. This is especially convenient for traveling.
After giving the points above some more thought I realized that there is a chance that anyone that buys an e-reader could end up spending more money on books rather than saving. If any of you are like me you’ll read a good book within a week. Sometimes we aren’t sure what to read so we might take a break, maybe a few weeks or months where we don’t read at all. Then we find another good book/series and start the cycle all over again. With the convenience of an e-reader we could end up reading even more (buying more books). Any money we would have saved on 1-3 will be diminished. There goes the whole theory on saving money by buying an e-reader, but all isn’t lost. We will still save time, and sometimes I think time is more valuable than money anyways. The days of browsing the bookstore, waiting for help, sitting in traffic, standing in line, putting together a cheap Wal-Mart bookshelf are over. While the people that don’t have an e-reader are doing those things we’ll be reading our books.
Has buying an e-reader saved you time/money?
Chris Neighbors 
Canadian Performer's Money
May 25, 2012 at 2:58 PM
I bought a BlackBerry PlayBook when they dropped the price to $199 for the 16 gig. I took it on my recent Hawaii trip. I shot video with it, took picture with it and read a book on the plane with it’s e-reader. Small package and it made my trip so much more enjoyable!
Chris Neighbors
May 25, 2012 at 3:15 PM
I’m going to Ireland next month, and I wanted a Nook so I could bring multiple books without taking up too much space. I’ve never been to Hawaii. Hopefully someday I’ll make it there.
Canadian Performer's Money
May 25, 2012 at 3:53 PM
How much was your Nook? For $199 I got an HD video camera, still camera, e-reader and can web bowser all in one. Tablets are the way to go if you can find a cheap one. They all have e-reader aps.
Chris Neighbors
May 27, 2012 at 6:55 PM
I got it on sale for $79. I think tablets are neat, but I think my phone has the same functions just on a smaller screen. Plus I bought a new laptop not too long ago. Google has a really interesting idea called the Google glass project. You should watch this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9c6W4CCU9M4
Canadian Performer's Money
May 27, 2012 at 8:00 PM
That videos crazy! We have become half human-half machine!
Chris Neighbors
May 28, 2012 at 8:18 PM
I know! On one hand it’s scary, and on the other it’s exciting!
Canadianbudgetbinder
May 25, 2012 at 3:48 PM
I always wanted one of these, and I might keep my eye open for one. I love to read, I read alot as a matter of fact. I do use the library system but it would be much better if I didn’t have to move from the comfort of my own home. Thanks for this Chris!
Chris Neighbors
May 27, 2012 at 6:52 PM
My girlfriend gets mad at me because I don’t use the library. I just know I’d get a ton of late fees and all the books I would want to read would be checked out!
Charlene Vidal
May 25, 2012 at 4:01 PM
I bought a Kobo Vox with WiFi ($175.00), love it. It is an e-reader and I am able to get on the internet to check my mail, facebook, plays games. Comes with many free apps. Many businesses in our area offer free WiFi. You can sit at the park and pick up the signal. I am able to get e-books from my local library at no costs. There are also many sites that offer current books for free. I love it and would recommend it to anyone looking to buy one. It is the Canadian version of the Kindle.
Chris Neighbors
May 27, 2012 at 6:58 PM
The Nook has a really cool feature where you can share books for a week with your friends for free. I wish we had more free WiFi in our area. The Kobo Vox sounds neat.
lifewithfelber
May 26, 2012 at 6:33 AM
I think mine actually has saved me money because I rarely buy “actual books” and instead take advantage of free digital books offered online. I still buy eBooks but will often price compare to make sure I’m paying less. Also, many libraries now offer an eBook checkout system.
Having said that, I think whatever I pay for books (and what I paid for the eReader itself) is completely worth being able to carry 1000 books in my purse. Piece of mind that I’ll never run out of reading material.
Chris Neighbors
May 27, 2012 at 7:00 PM
I need to check out the library e-book checkout system. Hopefully my local library has one. Do you have have to go into the library to get the books, or can you just go to their website?
lifewithfelber
May 30, 2012 at 9:57 AM
I was able to go there through my library’s website, but you do have to have a local library card.
thethriftyspendthrift
May 30, 2012 at 10:15 AM
I don’t have an e-reader but once in awhile I will download a free book because I have apps/software in order to read them. I think keeping an eye open for free downloads is a good way to save money. I also belong to the library in my city and all I have to do is log in and put a hold on an e-book if it’s available. I believe in my neck of the woods it’s available for 14 days after you “check out” the book.
Chris Neighbors
May 30, 2012 at 5:02 PM
I really need to get over my love of purchasing books and just join a library! Thanks for the comment.
Thoughts for One
May 30, 2012 at 4:49 PM
Chris, I admired your advantage points above. Enjoy your E-Reader; I know I enjoy having some of my favorite books in my pocket as well.
Elle.
Chris Neighbors
May 30, 2012 at 5:03 PM
Thanks Elle, I will!
dhmccall
June 5, 2012 at 9:57 PM
I am an avid reader who resisted buying an e-reader. After finally purchasing a Kindle, I wonder why I waited so long! I love the convenience of being able to download books. I do agree with Chris on the fact that you risk spending more money. My advice is to set a book budget and stick to it! The one-click feature that Amazon has is convenient, but can be a budget buster if used too much!
Chris Neighbors
June 6, 2012 at 7:11 PM
You just reminded me that I need to buy some books before I leave for vacation tomorrow! Thank you and thanks for the comment.!