1.All of your Kindle books are backed up to the Amazon servers including the annotations, highlights and bookmarks you put in your books, so you don’t lose them.

2.There are no monthly connection or download fees.

3.From your Kindle, you can lookup words in the dictionary, search Wikipedia for something your not familiar with, and (my favorite) search the book for a character/idea/reference (can’t do that with a physical book)

I do save money with my Kindle two ways.

1. I like to read new releases. I like being on the forefront and recommending books. Most new releases are $10, or $15 less than the hardback. Older books are often cheaper or free. It is a cheaper alternative for those who don’t like to wait until a book is available at the library/used bookstore.

2. I download samples of books I’m interested in or hear recommended, and decide to buy after reading them. Samples are usually the first few chapters of a book that you can read for free, from anywhere. I read 6 samples on a recent business trip and only liked 2 books well enough to buy them. I spent $20 instead of $150 (and yes I would have bought these before).

I LOVE my Kindle. I was an English Major so don’t talk to me about loving physical books! I work two jobs and travel a lot, so I love that I can shop for books from anywhere. The Kindle saves my back from the weight of hefty books and eliminates the dilemna of which books to put in my commuter bag/suit case.

Best case scenario – ask for the Kindle as a gift. That will save you money!

1) Most of the books I bought weren’t available in Kindle format (17 books, 59%).
2) I got 4 books free through Amazon’s buy 3 get one free thing.

I even included a cookbook and another book that I wouldn’t have bought in Kindle format, even if I had one. Also, most of these books are books that I have loaned or will loan to at least one other person.

1. Living frugally doesn’t mean foregoing things you would value and enjoy.

2. I use ebay/paypal for splurges like this. I have to sell enough clutter to have the money to purchase the new toy. Can’t buy until my paypal has enough cash. Really helps cut out impulse buying!

3. Recently considered the Kindle myself. Instead, for about the same price, I purchased a netbook computer. Loaded MS Reader, Adobe Reader, and Mobipocket Reader on it. Now I have an ebook reader and a computer for surfing, emailing, etc. all in one package. Admittedly, not as lightweight and convenient as the Kindle, but it was a better choice for me.

4. I got rid of all my books when I moved last; except for one box of reference books and cherished books. Now as soon as I finish a book, I pass it on to someone else. I have found that by giving books away, people now bring me books that they think I’ll enjoy.

5. There are LOTS of free ebooks out there.

I don’t go to the library because I invariably end up with fines when I forget to return books on time. I buy all my books new, except for an occasional second-hand book.

I’ve not got the time or patience for paperbackswap.com or anything like that. I want to go to a bookstore and just buy what I want, no hassle and no waiting.

Plus, I just don’t like second-hand stuff. It’s my own thing, I’m happy others find value in buying second-hand stuff and there’s certainly plenty of it to go around. It’s my personal choice that I generally would rather do without something, even a book, than buy second-hand items (antique books excepted, because they are cool.)

I’ve read out most of the genres I read in the public library, and I even make use of InterLibraryLoan. I belong to paperbackswap.com, and use that ferociously as well. Barnes and Noble makes no money off my membership card. I even tried BookSwim, but decided it wasn’t worth it.

But, I don’t watch TV or movies, I used to do some crafty stuff, but not in this house…I don’t travel. Really the only other thing I spend money on is food (and cookbooks. And I’m not that gourmet a cook – I don’t do a lot of Asian food (or sushi).

Re: Kindle: I read 100 to 120 books a year, about 75% of which I buy new, and my problem is I like Books. The whole physical package of them. But I can easily foresee a time when living-space downsizing would make the Kindle a desirable alternative, and frankly I would probably read more NEW books if I got them electronically. Has got to be great for travel, too.

You also get them instantly. If you are a huge book reader, and you don’t want to wait to get to the library or book store, the Kindle would work for you.

Me? I wait, I go to the library, my books are free.

But I can’t see it being very economical. Libraries or used books are going to be cheaper.

Probably not… boo!

Also, I love Crazy Aunt Purl… it’s not a typical knitting blog at all, I’d call it more of a lifestyle blog. Her book Drunk, Divorced and Covered in Cat Hair is a pretty funny read as well.

I love books — really cool old books. But I don’t want to keep a lot of books. I only keep books that are really significant to me personally or that I bought because they are antique works of art.

But there is the storage factor. I strive to simplify my possessions. There are a lot of books I like, but not well enough to justify the storage demand of keeping them. Considering I can go through a trade paperback a day, that’s a lot of bookshelf space.

It’s also a lot of paper.

So for me, a Kindle could be a worthwhile investment. There are some books I’d keep in print form — antique books or books that are really important (like LOTR). Books that I wanted strictly for reference, or that were meant to be a fast and disposible read, would go on the Kindle.

I also have a collection of pdf ebooks that I’d like to put on the Kindle. Reading on the computer is a pain, and printing to paper is not efficient either.

Plus I think the Kindle has an annotation feature.

Oh and as for reselling books — I’ve done my fair share of it. Sometimes it works out ok but mostly it’s more trouble than it’s worth to me.

I also like to save up to give myself some wiggle room. I ultimately decided to take a contract job this summer, but I was toying with the idea of just driving around and visiting friends. My co-workers were shocked, but this is the stuff I save my money for. I think I’ll be taking that time off sometime in the late fall/early winter instead and perhaps hitting somewhere a bit more exotic.

Or maybe I would buy one if I had an American Express account and they gave me $300 to close it!

With “it’s math, not voodoo,” have you *seen* upper level math? My dad majored in math. I’m pretty sure voodoo makes more sense!

For now I use my iPod Touch with a free program called Stanza. Check it out. You can down load tons of books for free. There are also some newspapers and magazines that you can download.

Second -regarding traveling – that article was great! The husband and I took 4 trips to Europe in 3 years. Each trip was lasted 10 days to 2 weeks. People couldn’t understand how we could possible afford those trips. We also don’t have a lot of stuff. Sure, we have some stuff (I scrapbook and own all the books I read) but traveling was important to us and so we saved money for those trips instead of buying stuff that we might have wanted. We also went to Jamaica last month and stayed in an all-inclusive resort. We did get some crap about spending money on an expensive trip while the economy is the way it is but…we save for our trips and spend less than we make. SO..why not take advantage of an awesome deal and maybe help the world economy at the same time?

Will I buy a Kindle? Not sure.

I got a (used) Sony Reader and there are a ton of classic books available from Project Gutenberg, so it really doesn’t cost much at all, depending on what books you read.

As for the commentor above who uses their kindle when waiting in line etc. – I see your point it would be very handy for those situations. I usually have a book in my handbag but if I don’t I just pull out my iphone and read blogs or the newspaper online.

@Elena, all you need for bathtime reading is a 1-gallon Ziploc bag! I actually feel safer with the Kindle in the bag than I do with a real book, where there is the possibility you could drop or splash.