This month, part of our challenge is to discuss our book buying budget. Yes, this is a No Book Buying Challenge but for those of us who wouldn't survive not being able to buy a book for an entire year, we were allowed to budget some money in whatever way we wanted. In my case, I not only budgeted some money, but I also created ways in which I could earn a book. :)
Y'all, I have never put myself on a book budget. NEVER. If I wanted a book, I got it. That explains why my shelves are so out of control, huh? But I really wanted to participate in this challenge - not only to read books I already own but also to practice some self-restraint where book buying is concerned. So here's my system:
- I budgeted $10 a month for books. It's not much for a person who's used to one-clicking or picking up a book whenever I want one. If I don't use all of my $10, it rolls into the next month. (gift cards and audible credits don't count towards my allotted spending) I can also earn books by fulfilling certain criteria. I originally had said for every 3 books I remove from my shelves, I earn a book; for every week I exercise 5 days, I earn a book; for every 5000 words I write on my WIP, I earn a book. But I'm modifying the first part...instead of earning a book for every 3 I read, I'm changing it to for every 5 books I read (remove from my shelves), I earn $0.50. I think this is more of a challenge. We'll see how it goes. :)
- I created a spreadsheet - which I'm quite proud of. ;) In it, I put all the books that I would have one-clicked under normal circumstances. I also include the author and where I heard about the book. (yes, which blog tempted me to one-click - I'm keeping track of you all!) Oh, and the price.
- At the end of the month, I review the list to see which books I still want to one-click, if any. I've found that after my initial emotional response is cooled, which was elicited by YOUR reviews, there are some books that will stay on the list to be purchased at a later date.
For January, I did well. I only purchased 1 book using my budgeted money. Also, I earned 6 books. But I haven't purchased them yet. In fact, I'm thinking about re-doing my earning criteria...I'm thinking I should require that I read at least 5 books, if not more.
Do y'all have a book buying budget? If so, how do you go about deciding which books you're going to use your money on? If you don't have a budget, do you one-click at your heart's desire or exercise self-restraint?
This is serious huh, a spreadsheet?! I don't have a budget only because I utilize NG/EW & the library so much. With the amount of books I read, I'd go broke buying books. The downside of that is the pressure of reading those darn ARCs I grabbed. Oh well, we have our own hells. Happy V-Day Brandee!
ReplyDeleteOOh my you changed your earnings options to be HARDER! Go you! You sure did earn a lot of books, so I guess that's why you decided to make it harder. I haven't earned very much..
ReplyDeleteOh I love the spreadsheet idea! See how much impulse buying is just the moment, versus you really really want it. I have a feeling I'll be on that list influencers, but I promise you want the books I push ;)
ReplyDeleteNo budget and the tbr pile to prove it..lol. I budgeted when my kids were small. Now I grab what I want, but I still tend to be responsible...ok, mostly responsible.
ReplyDeleteI don't have a book budget, and I tend to one click way too much. I do however have big family Christmas's, and get a lot of gift cards- coupling that with my birthday gift cards, I tend to have them left over from one year to the next. So as long as I stay away from the more expensive books, and keep it mostly under $4.99 each, I do good. Of course Net Galley helps a lot towards all of this! I am very impressed at how well you are doing. I don't think I could do it!
ReplyDeleteOh, I like the spreadsheet idea. I love spreadsheets. :) I have been worried about forgetting new releases and other books that catch my eye.
ReplyDeleteTerri M., the Director
Second Run Reviews
Spreadsheet huh? That made me smile, Brandee! With all the exercising and shelf clearing you've earned some book buying for sure. I don't have a book budget meaning I almost never buy books. I feel like a bad author girl in that account, but I'm a very good library girl! Good job on all this delayed gratification you got going.
ReplyDeleteWhat I did last December was asked all my friends and family members (who were going to give me a gift) to just give me bookstore GCs. I mean seriously, that would be the best gift. I'm so happy a lot of them complied!
ReplyDeleteGlad you are doing so well with the challenge. Changing it to five books sounds like a good challenge for you too!
ReplyDeleteKeep it up!!
Naomi @ Nomi’s Paranormal Palace
I like that spreadsheet idea, too! And the idea of delaying purchasing a book to be sure you want it. But my problem is the daily deals and other short-term bargains. If you don't get them when they're cheap, the price goes up - sometimes a lot. That makes it a lot harder to delay buying it!
ReplyDeleteI've tried the incentives thing, and it sometimes works for me: when I finish this work project, I can buy that book I've had my eye one. I wish the exercise incentive worked better for me - I really, really need to exercise more!