Wrapping Up the year: $1019.38 in books

Another year is coming to an end, thus I feel the need to divulge my book spending habits with the world. If you recall, I was disturbed when I realized how much money I was spending on books in 2021, which led to a decision to exclusively read from libraries for one year. Throughout that magical year of reading for free, I really reflected the cost of reading and was unsettling by how much pressure there is to buy things on the hobby of reading.

In 2023, I just wanted to read and continue to use the library. I did just that. I continued to read from the library, use Audible membership, and bought a few books. Buying books in 2023 felt different. I was, and am, hyper aware of the cost of new releases, hardback vs paperback, ultimately the cost of reading a book right now vs waiting for a library loan, and the overall hype surrounding certain books and editions. Am I suggesting not to buy books? Absolutely not. However, for me, being aware that I could read extensively for free, I find it challenging to rationalize purchasing books.

So let’s get to it. How much did 65 books “cost?”

I read 65 books this year. The total cost of all the books I read, based on the current listing price of hardcopies, kindle ebooks, and audiobooks, is $1019.39. In 2022, I read 58 books for free from the library. The “cost” of those books totaled $546.94. If you want to read the full post breaking down 2022 chick here!

This year, instead of listing all of the titles, I made a spread sheet. If you want to check it out, a view only file can be found here. I used this to do quick math.

From the 65 books:

*I used my one credit a month, listened to audiobooks I got during the 2-for-1 sales, and the free content for members.

Let’s see how all of this reading cost me!

• ARCs cost me: $0
• Bought titles cost: $127.73
• Audible membership cost(annual): $149.50
• Borrowed books cost me: $0

This brings the total for me to $274.23 spent on reading for 2023. On average, this is about $22 a month spent on books. Not too bad.

Next year, I hope to have a lower out of pocket cost for reading. It will be difficult as I want to read a few new releases. Overall, to read as cheaply as possible, reading from ONLY the library and having no subscriptions is the way to go.

How can you make save money and still be an avid reader?

This is the third year I have looked at my bookish spending. By far the quickest and easiest way to save on books, is to join your local library and borrow ebooks. Buying ebooks and looking through kindle deals is the next best to borrowing from the library. If you don’t like to read ebooks, sorry, it is the best way to save money. If you simply are not an e-reader, buy used, borrow from the library, and share books with friends.

Why in the hell do I share this information? What does it mean?

Reading is an expensive hobby. It is an expensive passion. Is it a bad thing to spend money on books, not at all! I just want reading to be accessible and affordable for everyone. I feel if I want that, then I need to show readers how it is possible. 🙂

I want to be a transparent book blogger and help others find the love of reading in an affordable way. That is why I share this silly bookish data.

**This is a very close estimate to my bookish budgeting in 2023. I may be off -/+ $50. Prices will flux over time, these prices are as of December 2023**