# OOOH my aching credit card



## Marguerite (Jan 18, 2009)

I got the kindle for Christmas,  yes as a gift right before K2.  No I can' afford to buy K2.  that has not stopped me from downloading tons of books.  I have "bought" lots of free books and what I thought were just a few other books.  I just went and added up my purchases and they come to $100 in just two months.  Granted, I have 30 books or so but I can't (read that,"I don't want to") stop.  I haven't even gotten to all of them yet.  What is your average monthly book budget?  I want to explain to my husband that this is normal and NOT too much.


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## Vegas_Asian (Nov 2, 2008)

My first two-three weeks with my kindle I spent 100$. I'd ask my parents if I could one-click a book and they would say yes....but they never realized what it added up to until they got their credit card bill. I got grounded from one-click. (which is so not fun) The following month I spent 100 (using a giftcards from coinstar). Last month I was REALLY careful and spent 35 dollars....I was hard to decide what to purchase.


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## meglet (Feb 14, 2009)

Well, the day my Kindle shipped, I bought a $100 gift card as my "monthly" budget for February for Kindle books. (Note that there were only 4 days left in the month at that point.  ) I've since spent that, and I'm sure I'll spend about the same this month as I build my Kindle library. I tend to re-read a lot, so once I have more titles on the Kindle, my monthly purchase total SHOULD go down.

I have an Amazon Visa that I use for my Amazon purchases, which gets me triple points and a $25 gift certificate for every 2500 points. That really helps with the pain when I add up what I spend on books (or anything else from Amazon.)


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## L.Canton (Jan 21, 2009)

Believe me, I know the feeling. They've made it so convenient to spend money.


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## kevin63 (Feb 10, 2009)

I right with all of you.  I love to pull out that plastic.  It's been getting a work out with the Kindle and accessories.  The good part ....I've been racking up miles for my frequent flyer program.


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## Chad Winters (Oct 28, 2008)

I can't believe how much I spend on books!!
they're all SO good!! I can't stop.


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## VMars (Feb 8, 2009)

So far I've only bought 20 dollars worth of books. I have like twenty samples and I read the samples, but I just have not been impressed with the samples. Now I'm reading Outlander, and that book is so long, it will keep me from clicking on anything for a bit.


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## Steph H (Oct 28, 2008)

Tell your husband that $100 in the first two months is wayyyyyy less than a lot of people have done.   Most people "freak out" in the beginning with how easy it is and the excitement of the new toy and all that (been there done that, still doing it 9 months later LOL) and have spent much more, and then start to slow down and be more careful of the budget.

As someone else mentioned, one way to stay on budget once you decide what the amount will be, is to buy an Amazon gift certificate for yourself at the beginning of the month. Once the GC is gone, no more buying books until you get the new GC the next month, even if you spend it all by the 25th or 15th or 5th.  Assuming you can stick to that kind of restriction and not keep buying anyway.   

You can also supplement that during the month, or however often you can, with turning coins to "cash" at a Coinstar machine near you that gives Amazon GCs, if you have one. Lots of folks do that, too.  Make sure you keep an eye out in the Book Corner forum to the Free Books thread and the Bargains thread, as a way to make the book budget go farther. Amazing how many freebies (not the old classics, but "current" books) there are in a month, as well as good bargains!


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## soapy70 (Oct 29, 2008)

I have had my K1 since February of last year and spend about $100 a month. I usually buy myself a $50.00 gift certificate every two weeks and try to limit myself to that. So far, so good.


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## kari (Feb 15, 2009)

I'm new to the Kindle but so far I've only bought 2 books.  I think I will just buy a couple and read them as I go.  I don't think I'll buy a bunch of books before I have time to read them.  Plus, I've noticed on some of these that the price goes down as they get a little older, so there's incentive to chill out and not go crazy.


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## Steph H (Oct 28, 2008)

You are much wise.  But make sure you jump on freebies and bargains that you really think you might be interested in, 'cause freebies sometimes last only a short time (maybe even hours), and same with bargains -- something that is 99 cents at 10am may be $9.99 at 4pm!


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## Thumper (Feb 26, 2009)

I bought 4 books right off the bat thinking Hey! This will do me for 3-4 weeks!

Hm, yeah, I read them all over the weekend. So I bought 3 more...we'll see. The novelty needs to wear off fast, lest I go very very broke...


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## sebat (Nov 16, 2008)

I don't think it really matters what other people are spending.  We don't know your financial situation.  The real question is... can your family afford for you to spend that much every month on books?  I would recommend buying Amazon gift cards.  That will allow you to keep better track of your purchases without any nasty credit card surprises at the end of the month.  

I have a 2 kindle family. We only use gift cards for our purchases and it has worked really well.  No gift card, no purchase...that's our rule.  We've owned our Ks for 5 months, purchased over 150 books and have spent $310.  Most of that was spent in the first 2 months.  I think We've gotten smarter about purchases as time as passed.  In the beginning I was buying mostly $9.99 books.  Now we take advantage of all the free books and bargain books that we can.  In February, we spent $20 and purchased 26 books.


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## thejackylking #884 (Dec 3, 2008)

At least we'll have a very literate group of broke/homeless/jobless people.


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

thejackylking said:


> At least we'll have a very literate group of broke/homeless/jobless people.


Hahahah, yes!

Like others have said, I have been using gift cards. I get mine from my Amazon visa card and I keep a running balance. Way back in the beginning, I spent it all and actually paid money for books, but I haven't done that in quite awhile. I also take advantage of the free books. I have been forcing myself to finish books, which might sound odd, but I discovered I really do have a bad habit of getting halfway through something and then getting distracted by something else. With paper books it was easy enough to let them pile up on my bedside table. With the Kindle, I have the book staring me in the face so I make myself get all the way through. (I do have two I "bought," Waiter Rant and David Sedaris' new book, that have gone unfinished for quite a few months now. I have accepted the fact that I might not finish those but I am not letting it happen with others.) Finishing books does make a difference and has been slowing me down from buying more all the time.

L


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## stevene9 (Nov 9, 2008)

I spent $100 the first 48 hours I had the K.


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## MarthaT (Mar 3, 2009)

It's a bad addiction


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## intinst (Dec 23, 2008)

MarthaT said:


> It's a bad addiction


That harms no one else.


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## libro (Dec 3, 2008)

I bought my K2 on a credit card for the added purchase protection, but now I'm using debit or gift cards for my book purchases.  I know myself......if I didn't pay with "cash," I would spend more than I should.  It would be very easy to spend $100 in a couple minutes!


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## robin.goodfellow (Nov 17, 2008)

You mean that all those one-clicks add up to something?

Oh my.  That's not good.


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## BruceS (Feb 7, 2009)

I am spending about a $100 a month, since I got my original K1.

Of course, I used to spend about that much per month before I got the Kindle.

I always use a debit card and check my checking account balance a couple of times a week using Quicken.


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## Linda Cannon-Mott (Oct 28, 2008)

BruceS said:


> I am spending about a $100 a month, since I got my original K1.
> 
> Of course, I used to spend about that much per month before I got the Kindle.
> 
> I always use a debit card and check my checking account balance a couple of times a week using Quicken.


I easily spent that at Barnes and Noble and Books A Million but got less for my money. Hey we can always justify our spending here. One of the things we do best.


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## Sweety18 (Feb 14, 2009)

MarthaT said:


> It's a bad addiction


I like this addiction  I like to think of it as if I'm helping jump start the economy to get out of the recession


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## libro (Dec 3, 2008)

I love the "addiction," too.  To me, searching the Kindle Store is just like having a huge bookstore at my disposal 24/7.  I can search any number of ways for books, read customer reviews, and of course download a sample chapter (but I don't have to stand reading the book at the bookstore).


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## VictoriaP (Mar 1, 2009)

Hello, my name is Victoria, and I'm a Kindle-holic.

**waves** 

It's hugely helpful to see how others manage this.

It's clear this is going to be a really tough balancing act for me.  I read CONSTANTLY.  Having new books a single click away is going to be problematic.  I've finished 8 since Thursday, and that doesn't include the samples I've read & discarded or set aside to purchase later.  Thankfully I still have several more already loaded, but I can see already how fast this can get pricey--even with the free & super low ones.  

I'm lucky in that the K2 itself was a gift and I had 7 months worth of change that went to Coinstar the next day, so I still have some wiggle room.....but not for long.  I'm going to have to look deeper into getting library books onto Kindle, and set a very rigid budget.  Which probably means gift cards, and only ordering from the web where I can check the balance first rather than one-clicking from the K2.

I also need to take a hard look at the costs between spending on net new books versus the process of replicating my current library.  I reread a LOT (more than 70% of my reading time up until K2 appeared), and it's a heck of a lot easier for me to read on the Kindle, so getting all that I can pulled over to ebooks is a priority.  But there's just something about having a new book to enjoy, and now it's so easy!  LOL


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## Marguerite (Jan 18, 2009)

Thank you all for letting me know that I am not alone.  I really appreciate your feedback on the gift cards and the Amazon Credit card which I am going to look up now.


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## Cowgirl (Nov 1, 2008)

I spent quite a bit in the beginning also.  I've slowed down a bit to catch up on reading the books I bought.  Try looking for the free books that are on Amazon.  I actually got quite a few good ones.  Oh and check out the coinstar posts.   A lot of us turn in our change for Amazon gift cards instead of using the credit card.


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## kari (Feb 15, 2009)

Steph H said:


> You are much wise.  But make sure you jump on freebies and bargains that you really think you might be interested in, 'cause freebies sometimes last only a short time (maybe even hours), and same with bargains -- something that is 99 cents at 10am may be $9.99 at 4pm!


Good point. Is there an easy way to check those daily? Do you check from the Kindle or from the computer?


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## Anju  (Nov 8, 2008)

Victoria - go to the Book Klubs and there are lots of free domain books, and low cost books available.


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## LibraryGirl (Dec 16, 2008)

Well, for me I've spent WAAAYY more than I ever did on DTBs. I run a library so I hardly ever spent money on print books, but, being that I run a library, I am absolutely addicted to books and tend to want to horde them. My personal DTB library is well of 2500 (and Deweyed!). I'm always looking for books to buy and I adore my kindle (I get really bummed when I need to read a print book)!
I've probably spent $500-600 on books since June (+ a couple covers). I rationalize this, though-reading is a "healthy" addiction and far cheaper than my husband's  (cars, motorcycles, guns)


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## libro (Dec 3, 2008)

LibraryGirl -- I think your rationale really works.  Whenever I visited the library it was a great resource to know the librarians knew about all kinds of books, had read them, etc.  I don't suppose there's any way it could be a tax write-off for you, could it?  Just wondering


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## robin.goodfellow (Nov 17, 2008)

How much to Dewey someone else's library, LibraryGirl?  Assuming they could provide you with titles and authors of all their books?


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## akpak (Mar 5, 2009)

I'm offsetting my spending by taking all the DTBs I have to the local used book store and trading them for cash. Of course, that well is going to dry up sooner or later, but it does give a nice little budget to start with.


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## jessep28 (Feb 26, 2009)

I work at a CPA firm and tax season has kept my spending down quite a bit.


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## LibraryGirl (Dec 16, 2008)

robin.goodfellow said:


> How much to Dewey someone else's library, LibraryGirl? Assuming they could provide you with titles and authors of all their books?


Where are you located? It's kind of a labor of love with me, but if your collection is primarily fiction just put them in order by author then by title within each author.


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## standaman (Feb 11, 2009)

Oh I've been there! I've $100 in the first week with my K2, and I even had a k1, haha. Um....I don't know that it's "normal". but I'm still on your side


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## Marguerite (Jan 18, 2009)

I love a guy who's on my side


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## Gables Girl (Oct 28, 2008)

My budget for books has been $200 a month for the last few years and I just transferred that to my Kindle spending.  I buy a Gift Certificate from Amazon each month for that and when it's gone it's gone. Some months it's gone way too soon.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

After reconciling my CC statement yesterday, with myriad small charges at Amazon, I too decided to just buy myself a gift certificate.  Now there will just be one $50 charge each month or so.  Of course, the subscriptions still get billed directly to the charge card, but that's o.k. because I have them set up as recurring transactions in "Quicken" so I don't forget to enter them.

Ann


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## Anju  (Nov 8, 2008)

LibraryGirl said:


> Where are you located? It's kind of a labor of love with me, but if your collection is primarily fiction just put them in order by author then by title within each author.


Wow - I've done that and didn't know I was doing it the way I should Thanks, now all have to do is fighure out how to dewey my K1


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## drenee (Nov 11, 2008)

I have tried to keep my recent purchases to books that I know I will read in the future that are priced reasonably.  I had been waiting to see if prices would come down on some books, only to discover they actually went up in price.  Two of the books on my wish list were 3.99 last month and are 6.39 this month.  Needless to say, I'll be getting a new gift card today or tomorrow and I'll go ahead and get these before they go higher in price.
deb


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## KindleKay (aka #1652) (Jan 20, 2009)

Hey all!!  I, too, have found the gift card option to be the easiest way to track my book purchases.  I have about $30 from a $100 card I bought in early February.  I'm pretty proud of myself, actually.  I am going to TRY and make it last through March by supplimenting it with free and bargain priced books....

As for the book prices, has anyone checked out shoppingnotes.com?  There was a thread about it about a week ago.  It is an independent site that will email you when your item's price goes down.  I have several books on it that I have read the DTB version and want Kindle versions but not at the current pricing.  I would HIGHLY recommend this site to help you track book prices on Amazon.

My credit card DOES ache with the skins, covers, lights, bags, etc, etc that the accessory board throws out at me that I can't resist


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## parakeetgirl (Feb 27, 2009)

robin.goodfellow said:


> You mean that all those one-clicks add up to something?
> 
> Oh my. That's not good.


I know! And you get such an excited, heady feeling when you click on the dang button! At least I do anyway...


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## ricky (Dec 24, 2008)

parakeetgirl said:


> I know! And you get such an excited, heady feeling when you click on the dang button! At least I do anyway...


I know that feeling.......only TOO well!! I am going to go the Amazon Gift Card route for sure, before my husband tosses me, Tyrella, and all of her accoutrement out onto the street, where we will all go live in my truck, happily ever after, with Whispernet... LOL


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## Arkhan (Feb 17, 2009)

I went through $125 gift card and then some since I got my K2. Of course I haven't read even half of it yet and it also included a few DVD sale purchases. I find the Baen free library, the bargin and free book list here on KB can provide quite a bit of material to help balance the budget. It also gives me a chance to try new things for cheap or almost no cost at all. Overall, books and DVDs take the largest chunk of disposable income that I use monthly. Sometimes I get carried away when I have a lot of extra cash sitting in my checking account. Since I have started working 2nd shift my personal life is practically nonexistent except on the weekends, so that actually helps free up a lot of funds that might be spent elsewhere. 

Honestly, I look at it all as part of my entertainment budget. How much money am I spending compared to how much entertainment I receive in return. So for example, I may look at something like $/per hour. When I do this, I actually find I can save money by allowing myself to buy lots of books and DVDs. Even buying brand new hardcovers at $17 to $19 for a single book, will take up more of my free time than $20 at a movie theater, bar, or restaurant. Kindle helps lower the cost so economically it is a no-brainer. A few nights out a month, can easily cost more than my entire month of book or DVD purchases. When the hard months come rolling where the budget has to suffer, it doesn't hurt to not be able to go out or purchase anything new. I already will have a nice collection of things to read or watch, some of it for the very first time.


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## KindleKay (aka #1652) (Jan 20, 2009)

Arkhan, are you justifying it to us or yourself?  

(Cause we all agree with you 100%!)


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## Marguerite (Jan 18, 2009)

OK you have convinced me... I just bought three more books.  LOL


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## KindleKay (aka #1652) (Jan 20, 2009)

GOOD for you!  That is like, what?  2 weeks of entertainment dollars?


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## webhill (Feb 12, 2009)

Marguerite said:


> I got the kindle for Christmas, yes as a gift right before K2.


How did THAT happen?? Someone who loves you buys way early, huh? My K2 was a Chanukah present - well, it was supposed to be -- it was ordered as a K1 on 12/2/2008, but never shipped, and then auto-upgraded. Ended up being a birthday present instead (2/19 )


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## Hugh Critz (Mar 10, 2009)

I spent a lot in the first week too...actually I'm still in the first week (day 7).  After just a couple of days, I thought about buying Amazon stock knowing they are making a killing off guys like us!


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## pomlover2586 (Feb 14, 2009)

I've spent almost 50 bucks on a gift card in the last month.........sooo sad.....


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## Arkhan (Feb 17, 2009)

KindleKay said:


> Arkhan, are you justifying it to us or yourself?
> 
> (Cause we all agree with you 100%!)


LOL, I am teaching people how to justify it for themselves or loved ones. It already works for me. This is the argument to use when you are being asked about why you spent $100 on books yesterda..uhh.. last month!



Marguerite said:


> OK you have convinced me... I just bought three more books. LOL


See it works!


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## robin.goodfellow (Nov 17, 2008)

> LOL, I am teaching people how to justify it for themselves or loved ones. It already works for me. This is the argument to use when you are being asked about why you spent $100 on books yesterda..uhh.. last month!


Maybe that's what we could do to raise money! We could all pitch in on a kindle/entertainment budget justification book, and use the profits or royalties or what have you to buy new books and such. This could work, yes?


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## Gables Girl (Oct 28, 2008)

robin.goodfellow said:


> Maybe that's what we could do to raise money! We could all pitch in on a kindle/entertainment budget justification book, and use the profits or royalties or what have you to buy new books and such. This could work, yes?


I like the idea. The Entertainment Budget Buster Book: Justifications for Overspending in Today's Economy.


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## Marguerite (Jan 18, 2009)

webhill said:


> How did THAT happen?? Someone who loves you buys way early, huh? My K2 was a Chanukah present - well, it was supposed to be -- it was ordered as a K1 on 12/2/2008, but never shipped, and then auto-upgraded. Ended up being a birthday present instead (2/19 )


I am not sure but my husband may have gotten it on ebay. It was never used though. Probably someone who wanted to wait for the K2


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## Marguerite (Jan 18, 2009)

KindleKay said:


> GOOD for you! That is like, what? 2 weeks of entertainment dollars?


Oh I wish it would last me that long. Probably just a week


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## Marguerite (Jan 18, 2009)

Arkhan said:


> LOL, I am teaching people how to justify it for themselves or loved ones. It already works for me. This is the argument to use when you are being asked about why you spent $100 on books yesterda..uhh.. last month!
> 
> See it works!


Thank you Yoda


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## BruceS (Feb 7, 2009)

robin.goodfellow said:


> Maybe that's what we could do to raise money! We could all pitch in on a kindle/entertainment budget justification book, and use the profits or royalties or what have you to buy new books and such. This could work, yes?


Just make sure we negotiate an extra bonus from amazon for boosting their bottom line.


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## KindleKay (aka #1652) (Jan 20, 2009)

OK- I want in on the entertainment book!!!  I can come up with thousands of excuses here....I am a Kindle ENABLER (see my siggy)

How many chapters do you want from me?


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## Gables Girl (Oct 28, 2008)

KindleKay said:


> OK- I want in on the entertainment book!!! I can come up with thousands of excuses here....I am a Kindle ENABLER (see my siggy)
> 
> How many chapters do you want from me?


If each of us does a chapter we will be longer then War and Peace, but it will be comprehensive. Leslie and edit and publish.


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## ConnieK (Jan 7, 2009)

KindleKay said:


> As for the book prices, has anyone checked out shoppingnotes.com? There was a thread about it about a week ago. It is an independent site that will email you when your item's price goes down. I have several books on it that I have read the DTB version and want Kindle versions but not at the current pricing. I would HIGHLY recommend this site to help you track book prices on Amazon.


I agree. I've only used it for Amazon books so far, but each book I posted came down in price and I was notified immediately.


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## standaman (Feb 11, 2009)

Gables Girl said:


> If each of us does a chapter we will be longer then War and Peace, but it will be comprehensive.


lol


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## KindleKay (aka #1652) (Jan 20, 2009)

Are we all on GoodReads.com?  I think (?) that there is a way to write stuff  I haven't been a member a long time...I just thought I saw something....


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## Kind (Jan 28, 2009)

Marguerite said:


> OK you have convinced me... I just bought three more books. LOL


Nice, do you have a limit on how much you spend for book? A lot of people seem to stick to $9.99 or lower.


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## akpak (Mar 5, 2009)

My threshold is I won't pay the same price for KBs that I would for DTBs. And in practice, the KB version better be at least 25% cheaper than the DTB version.


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## KindleKay (aka #1652) (Jan 20, 2009)

OK confession time: My Chase credit card had all these "points" accumulated on them.  I went to the site to redeem them and lo and behold: there were AMAZON GIFT CARDS available!!  YEA-NESS!!  They came in...I got $75 in gift cards just for using my Chase card!  WHOOPIE!!!!

I stick to around $5-6 bucks or lower unless it is something I really, REALLY want.  The most expensive book on Kindle so far was Southern Vampire Mysteries book #8 for somewhere around $11  But I just couldn't wait for the price to drop....  

Anyhoo....my credit card is aching a lot less after my visit to Chase.com!!!

EDIT: so maybe this means that I should visit Oberon.com??  Maybe??


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## akpak (Mar 5, 2009)

Of course you should Kay... You just "found" enough for one!


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## KindleKay (aka #1652) (Jan 20, 2009)

akjak...WHERE is your "enabler" siggy banner?  You totally need one, pronto!


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

If you visit Oberon with your Chase card, you'll get more points for your next gift card. Once you prime the pump, it becomes a self-perpetuating cycle. Between my business Amazon card and the one for home, I got $50 in gift cards in the last week. Yeah! My gift card balance on my account hasn't dipped below $50 for quite a while now. And I haven't paid "real" money for a book in ages.

L


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## KindleKay (aka #1652) (Jan 20, 2009)

OOOOH Leslie!  You, know, between helping California's economy and racking up Chase points, I think that Sookie may NEED another cover....this time I want color.... I got a used MEdge in sapphire blue, but I am not nuts about the hue of the blue....


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## Marguerite (Jan 18, 2009)

Kind said:


> Nice, do you have a limit on how much you spend for book? A lot of people seem to stick to $9.99 or lower.


If it's a new or top seller, I will go 9.99 but other that that, I try to stay under 7. I absolutely will NOT!!!! buy a book for my kindle that is more than the paperback version. It's just wrong. I am trying to limit my 9.99 books to 2 per month so that I can buy more books in total.


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## akpak (Mar 5, 2009)

KindleKay said:


> akjak...WHERE is your "enabler" siggy banner? You totally need one, pronto!


I only get to add it if you actually ordered an Oberon


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## robin.goodfellow (Nov 17, 2008)

KindleKay said:


> OK confession time: My Chase credit card had all these "points" accumulated on them. I went to the site to redeem them and lo and behold: there were AMAZON GIFT CARDS available!! YEA-NESS!! They came in...I got $75 in gift cards just for using my Chase card! WHOOPIE!!!!
> 
> I stick to around $5-6 bucks or lower unless it is something I really, REALLY want. The most expensive book on Kindle so far was Southern Vampire Mysteries book #8 for somewhere around $11 But I just couldn't wait for the price to drop....
> 
> ...


Did you know that the Amazon.com visa card is a chase card, KindleKay? You can link it to your Amazon.com account, and you get triple points for anything you buy from Amazon.com (the same offer may or may not apply to Amazon marketplace purchases. Generally it doesn't, but you never know.), and when you have 2500 points, they send you a $25 gift certificate. I find that to be very handy. Too handy, some days.


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## Steph H (Oct 28, 2008)

robin.goodfellow said:


> Did you know that the Amazon.com visa card is a chase card, KindleKay? You can link it to your Amazon.com account, and you get triple points for anything you buy from Amazon.com (the same offer may or may not apply to Amazon marketplace purchases. Generally it doesn't, but you never know.), and when you have 2500 points, they send you a $25 gift certificate. I find that to be very handy. Too handy, some days.


I hope it does, with regard to the Marketplace, since I bought a used Kindle 1 the other day and I'm still in my first-90-days-double-the-triple-points period...guess I'll find out when my next credit card statement period closes!


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## robin.goodfellow (Nov 17, 2008)

Nice!  Maybe since you bought a kindle, you'll get double the triple...is that six times the points?...in any case, I'll keep my fingers crossed for you!


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## Steph H (Oct 28, 2008)

Six times the dollar amount, yes.  So for $185, I'd get 555 points normally, and another 555 for the "double" promotion, for a total of 1110. That's nearly half a $25 GC right there!


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## kevindorsey (Mar 4, 2009)

GoodReads.com a bit pricey?


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## robin.goodfellow (Nov 17, 2008)

Nope.  goodreads.com is free.


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## Kind (Jan 28, 2009)

akjak said:


> My threshold is I won't pay the same price for KBs that I would for DTBs. And in practice, the KB version better be at least 25% cheaper than the DTB version.


 hah, in practice...yes. But not always.


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## KindleKay (aka #1652) (Jan 20, 2009)

robin.goodfellow said:


> Did you know that the Amazon.com visa card is a chase card, KindleKay? You can link it to your Amazon.com account, and you get triple points for anything you buy from Amazon.com (the same offer may or may not apply to Amazon marketplace purchases. Generally it doesn't, but you never know.), and when you have 2500 points, they send you a $25 gift certificate. I find that to be very handy. Too handy, some days.


OH my, my!!! Now THAT is tempting, isn't it? The Chase card I got the points with is technically in my husbands name only, but since I pay all the bills online, I get the bonus points!!  I just sent Chase and email inquiring about linking the card to Amazon.com. We shall see how this goes......now I am wondering if I should look into an amazon.com card in my name only......free gift certificates for stuff I buy anyway is surely an incentive for my book budget!!!


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## robin.goodfellow (Nov 17, 2008)

KindleKay said:


> OH my, my!!! Now THAT is tempting, isn't it? The Chase card I got the points with is technically in my husbands name only, but since I pay all the bills online, I get the bonus points!!  I just sent Chase and email inquiring about linking the card to Amazon.com. We shall see how this goes......now I am wondering if I should look into an amazon.com card in my name only......free gift certificates for stuff I buy anyway is surely an incentive for my book budget!!!


I'm not positive, but I think you can link any credit card to an amazon account, but the Chase one does it automatically. I really like the convenience. And I really like the option to pay online and not get paper statements. So overall I am extremely pleased with Chase.


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## Rhiathame (Mar 12, 2009)

I shudder to think about what I have spent in books since I got my K1. What I did realize is that it was out of control especially when I realized that I had received over $300 in gift cards for Christmas and went through more than half of it before mid-Feb all on books. Not that is a bad thing in that I was reading that much but my pocketbook once I ran out of the gift card funds...   So to rein myself in I have put myself on a budget and done what many of you have, I purchase a giftcard for myself monthly and once that is gone, no more books until the next month. It is not like I don't have books I can re-read (since I do that a lot). It is just that with all the samples, I have found so many new authors that I end up getting sample and purchase happy.


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## Marguerite (Jan 18, 2009)

Amazon is like any good dealer.  They give you a taste until you are hooked and have to buy.  The marketing people are geniuses.


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## Anju  (Nov 8, 2008)

Rhiathame said:


> I shudder to think about what I have spent in books since I got my K1. What I did realize is that it was out of control especially when I realized that I had received over $300 in gift cards for Christmas and went through more than half of it before mid-Feb all on books. Not that is a bad thing in that I was reading that much but my pocketbook once I ran out of the gift card funds...  So to rein myself in I have put myself on a budget and done what many of you have, I purchase a giftcard for myself monthly and once that is gone, no more books until the next month. It is not like I don't have books I can re-read (since I do that a lot). It is just that with all the samples, I have found so many new authors that I end up getting sample and purchase happy.


Don't forget the coin star machines!


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## KindleKay (aka #1652) (Jan 20, 2009)

UPDATE: my husbands Chase card is linked to a military thing, so linking it to Amazon.com won't work.  Never fear!  I opened my OWN Chase amazon.com Visa and promptly order a few things that I have in my save for later list for my son, my computer and whatnot.  All those things will be triple points!!!  Yippee!!  Then, I think that I will use the card for gas, which is double points, then I can just pay it off in full each month and get loads of points for amazon certificates!

I may be in trouble...


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## robin.goodfellow (Nov 17, 2008)

And she's OFF!!! lol.  I would say "try to practice some restraint", but then I am reminded that we should strive for moderation in all things.

Also, it's not advice I could take myself, so I'll see you on Amazon!  Woo hoo!  

CHARGE IT!


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## kevindorsey (Mar 4, 2009)

robin.goodfellow said:


> And she's OFF!!! lol. I would say "try to practice some restraint", but then I am reminded that we should strive for moderation in all things.
> 
> Also, it's not advice I could take myself, so I'll see you on Amazon! Woo hoo!
> 
> CHARGE IT!


When in doubt, Charge? Charge.


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## ConnieK (Jan 7, 2009)

KindleKay said:


> UPDATE: I opened my OWN Chase amazon.com Visa and promptly order a few things that I have in my save for later list for my son, my computer and whatnot. All those things will be triple points!!! Yippee!! Then, I think that I will use the card for gas, which is double points, then I can just pay it off in full each month and get loads of points for amazon certificates!
> 
> I may be in trouble...


I did the same thing last month and put the K2 on my new credit card (along with almost everything else). It is amazing how quickly those points add up. I tried to open one up for my small business but just got "rejected" today for opening too many credit cards recently. I don't understand that one - the amazon card is the only card I've applied for in years! Oh well, happy shopping!!


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

ConnieK said:


> I did the same thing last month and put the K2 on my new credit card (along with almost everything else). It is amazing how quickly those points add up. I tried to open one up for my small business but just got "rejected" today for opening too many credit cards recently. I don't understand that one - the amazon card is the only card I've applied for in years! Oh well, happy shopping!!


If I were told that, I would get a free copy of my credit report and make sure no one has been opening cards in my name....

Betsy


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## VictoriaP (Mar 1, 2009)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> If I were told that, I would get a free copy of my credit report and make sure no one has been opening cards in my name....
> 
> Betsy


Same here. I'd be doing that tonight!

Another fresh new Amazon cardholder here; cards arrived today, and it's all this place's fault as it never would have occurred to me to apply if I hadn't seen how others here have benefitted. LOL Hopefully the rewards will increase my e-book budget!


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## ConnieK (Jan 7, 2009)

Thank you for thinking of that, but I have fraud alerts and blocks set up with all three credit bureaus so that even opening up the one card by me took jumping through a dozen hoops.  I have a feeling the denial is because I opened the personal amazon.com card less than a month ago and the small business amazon.com card is based on the same personal information.  I will double check though.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> If I were told that, I would get a free copy of my credit report and make sure no one has been opening cards in my name....
> 
> Betsy


Public Service Announcement: the correct sit for a truly free credit report is www.annualcreditreport.com.

Ann


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## robin.goodfellow (Nov 17, 2008)

Really, Ann?  Great!  I mean, it's  not that I don't like the singing Free Credit Report.com guy, but sometimes you would actually like, you know, a free credit report.  Thanks!


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## Gables Girl (Oct 28, 2008)

robin.goodfellow said:


> Really, Ann? Great! I mean, it's not that I don't like the singing Free Credit Report.com guy, but sometimes you would actually like, you know, a free credit report. Thanks!


But then who will pay for the singing FreeCreditReport.com guy?


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## Anju  (Nov 8, 2008)

Not only is KindleKay an ENABLER - she tends to ENABLE herself  WOO HOO


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## robin.goodfellow (Nov 17, 2008)

Gables Girl said:


> But then who will pay for the singing FreeCreditReport.com guy?


I know, that is a drawback. I really enjoy the adventures he has with his slacker buddies. Thanks for the site, Ann! That was remarkably informative....I've never seen my entire credit history laid out like that before. It was kinda neat and kinda traumatizing at the same time. Apparently I have far too much credit for my own good.


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## Thumper (Feb 26, 2009)

Gables Girl said:


> But then who will pay for the singing FreeCreditReport.com guy?


Aw, don't worry about him. It's not even him that's actually singing...


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