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To buy or not to buy Electronic Reading Devices

by Anna Kronzer on
10/13/2010
in Budgeting and Building Savings

It may be because the holiday season is approaching, but electronic reading devices seem to be all the rage lately. These digital readers can be quite expensive, but I’ve always heard that the electronic copy of a book can be much less expensive than the printed copy. Since I’ve never actually checked and have opted to go digital with my books, I decided to do a little comparison.

Am I really saving any money by purchasing eBooks rather than hardbacks or paperbacks? Below are 10 of the latest books in my collection and their selling prices.

The average cost of an electronic reading device is about $225 for the most popular ones on the market. Since I received mine as a gift, I have saved over $130 by going digital! Had I put in the initial investment of approximately $225 though, I wouldn’t have actually saved any money this year. :)

So, if you’re an avid reader, investing in the device may be a big money saver in the long run since you’re buying a lot more books. If you’re like me however and only wish to be an avid reader, the digital reader may only be another pretty gadget. Needless to say, the ultimate money saver whether you’re a literary lover or not, is to go to the library to get the books for free!

You might also enjoy reading:

To buy or not to buy: Kitchen gadgets

It is worth it to trade down your dog's food?

Do you get a deal at the dollar stores?

Some things are worth paying more for

Anna Kronzer is a former marketing specialist and program manager at MMI.

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