A Book Budget….Nah…Why Would I Do That?
[image error]
Brrrrrr….It is unseasonably cold here in the Pacific Northwest. The other day it was -1 degrees and all I want to do right now is burrow under my down comforter with a good book. Fortunately, I have a very big cue on my kindle because I’ve been buying books like mad lately. That got me to thinking….I wonder if people establish a certain amount that they allow themselves to spend each week on books? I’ve never been very good at sticking to a budget. Oh who am I kidding, I don’t have a budget because I buy books without a second thought to their costs because I’m an addict.
[image error]
Hi, I’m Annette Mori and I’m a book addict. Whew, I feel so much better for having publicly acknowledged that. While I am both a reader and an author, I think I relate more as a reader in all the Facebook groups I participate in.
[image error]
I’ve developed a talent for having the fastest one click finger this side of the Mississippi. My finger literally vibrates over my iPhone, iPad, and laptop every time I go to the Amazon page of a book I want to read. My Facebook addiction pairs very nicely with my book addiction. Every time I get on Facebook and start reading the posts about new books or books that others recommend, I am surrounded by enablers who not only recommend the books, but make it surprisingly easy with a link to the page. I’m like a rapid-fire clicker. It’s a talent I’ve perfected over the years.
[image error]
So…here’s the thing, I don’t mind having this addiction…at all. I don’t want to recover, I want to hang out with other addicts because then I get to feed my addiction and honestly, I don’t think it is necessarily a bad thing.
[image error]
I started thinking about the number of books I purchase in a year and began to put this into perspective (otherwise known as rationalization). When I go to the local Dutch Bros coffee shop and buy myself a double vanilla latte, it usually costs around $4.00+ with tip. I slurp that drink down in less than 30 minutes. Lesfic books have never cost more than $9.99 and I receive at least 6-8 hours of pleasure. The math is simple. I get a lot more bang for my buck by purchasing books versus feeding my coffee addiction. If I’m going to give up anything, it should be that thousand-calorie drink. Books won’t make me fat and they will enrich my life…it’s a no-brainer for me.
[image error]
I’ll admit that sometimes $9.99 seems a bit high, especially if I buy three to four books a week when I’m on a bender. On the other hand, I’d spend that much and more on a daily latte with a muffin, or my bar bill on date night.
When I was a smoker, I’d easily spend enough on cigarettes to fund my book addiction. This got me to thinking about putting into perspective how much I spend on one of my primary forms of entertainment. I don’t go to bars, I rarely go to movies, I won’t plop down an outrageous amount for a Seahawks game, so why shouldn’t I spend a healthy amount of money on this form of entertainment. I could have at least 3 months of reading pleasure for 1 Seahawks ticket if I wanted to go to the NFC Championship game. That is at least 216 hours of entertainment versus a pitiful 4 hours at the game.
[image error]
So you see, anyone can come up with a logical, rational explanation for whatever their book expenditures have been. All you have to do is take a look at your total entertainment costs and put it into perspective. I am fortunate that I’ve never had to rationalize my book purchases with my wife and that is just one of the many reasons I love her.
If any of you need logical arguments for your book expenditures…feel free to share this with your spouse, partner, love of your life, etc. and if it helps convince you to spend a few dollars on one of my books…even better! You know the drill…click one of the links below.
Affinity Author Page Amazon Author Page
[image error]
