Comments on: The Frugal Fan: Saving Money With the Amazon Kindle

By: Cillasi

Cillasi — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 05:53:46 +0000

I’m a kindle owner for much the same reasons as the author. In fact, reducing clutter was finally what tipped the scales for me. Currently in the midst of a major remodel, I’m astounded at what 30 years of buying books can do.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve taken a book or two with me on vacation and then decided that I wasn’t in the mood to read them. With my Kindle, I can carry hundreds of books with me. I can also get my local paper if I want it, although it’s not too difficult to get hold of the New York Times. My Kindle is like an appendage…I don’t leave home without it (apologies to Amex).

I don’t think e-readers will replace real books any time soon, and there are some books with pictures and illustrations that, by the time e-reader technology could replace them, we’ll be reading on something else entirely, if we’re still reading at all.

By: SusanKay

SusanKay — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 23:30:22 +0000

I agree with Elfyn in many respects. There is a place for dead-tree books. Cookbooks come to mind, first. There are a number of books that physically have presence in my life. And there are those wonderful art books that can’t be Kindleized (at least for the time being). But my Kindle (named “Velcro”) goes in my purse every morning, accompanies me on the bus, my coffee breaks, lunch. If I’m stuck for a moment, I have a library at hand. At night, Velcro joins me for a bedtime read, then I power down while it powers up. If I forget to plug it in, no problem– the battery life if very good. I find free books all over the net, and with a 2G SD card, I have over 80 hours of audible books taking up only 1/2 of the card. Versatility, economy (over all), and ecofriendly. I love my Kindle!

By: Daniel

Daniel — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 21:05:01 +0000

Let me preface this by saying that I have a Kindle, and I love it – but it’s not saving me any money.

Everybody who does one of these cost/return breakdowns assumes that the buyer is buying hardcover books all the time. I can tell you that while I read a *lot*, I only buy/bought maybe 2-3 new hardcover books per year. The rest of my purchases were either used or paperbacks, both of which cost quite a bit less than what Amazon charges for Kindle books.

I bought a Kindle both because I’m a gadget geek and because I wanted the convenience and special features only an ebook reader offers such as searching and online lookup of things.

The Kindle is awesome, but *not* because it saves you money.

By: Elfyn

Elfyn — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 18:47:27 +0000

I don’t understand why so many people think that if you have a Kindle (or other electronic reader) that you can’t have physical books too. There is a place for both in my life. The Kindle is much easier to carry around and read when I’m out and about plus I can have several books with me in one compact package. I still have many, many favorite paper books, some that I’ve had since I was a child, that will never ever be replaced by an eReader. The Kindle has just made me more selective about which physical books I buy and which I choose to keep. I have cut way down on the clutter in my life because of it. Another bonus of the Kindle is that you can use it to listen to Audible books (I have a huge library of those) and music too.

By: Kate

Kate — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 15:25:47 +0000

Can’t agree i’m afraid. I think these digital books are ok for people who travel regulalry and who don’t wnt to arry heavy books around with them. But for me I love the book and as I buy most of my books second hand and often from charity shops i think that money wise and from a recycling pint of view i think the good old book is a frugal dream.