Book Buying Addicts Anonymous discussion

I am proud that I learn to control it. It helps that the only way I can buy books now is by traveling to the used bookshop and Borders in the next town over.

I think I buy between 5 and 10 books a month.

Since I started working in a used bookstore I bring home between 5 -20 books a week...Its horrible...well kind of lol.

Recently I've been buying 8-10 per month, dont know how some of you can read that many per week??

Started buying from the book depository lately, most of the time its the cheapest but always compare with amazon before ordering

Their facebook page always contains 10% off codes:
http://www.facebook.com/BookDepository

Buy, not so many - months can go by without my "setting foot in" Amazon.com. But Bookmooch and Paperbackswap are another thing entirely. I think I've mooched about a dozen books already in the past couple of weeks, and two on pbs. (And I need to mail some to Australia and England - help...)

It varies but I'd say about 10-20 depending on money. This month I've been using a Waterstones gift card and have already bought 22...EEK!

10 - 20 a month for me roughly speaking

Usually twice as many as I read! I tried to do some sums, my book intake started to get out of hand when I joined Read It Swap in in March 2009 and I now have a TBR of 343 plus what I've read over the last 2 years...I reckon it must average out at 5 per week!

I probably only buy 2-5 new books every month. I get a lot from swapping, charity shops and online second hand booksellers.

I usually average about 1 book a week although we just moved, money is tight so i'm sticking with 1 a month

I've never counted how many books I buy, but I was curious a few years ago about how much money I spent on books. My husband and I were discussing who spent the most money on their 'hobbies'. (I don't consider reading a hobby, its more like a necessity...like breathing.) I saved most of my reciepts and after adding them up, I found I spent over $1000 on books that year. Now, this was taken while I was working at a bookstore, so that figure is after my employee discount, which I also mentioned to my husband. Just imagine how much money I saved with the discount!! And I think that number is pretty conservative compared with some other avid readers I know. :)

Tricia wrote: "I've never counted how many books I buy, but I was curious a few years ago about how much money I spent on books. My husband and I were discussing who spent the most money on their 'hobbies'. (I do..."

Funny you say that. About a year or so ago I started keeping track too of my book spending each month, and I ended up spending a total of $1,442.48 on books last year, about an average of $120 a month. But for a necesity for life, money should be no object, right? :-)

I agree, Joseph! What's that saying? I buy books first and if there's any money left I buy food. Something like that! lol

Tricia wrote: "I agree, Joseph! What's that saying? I buy books first and if there's any money left I buy food. Something like that! lol"

You're thinking of one of my all-time favorite quotes, words to live by said by Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus, "When I have a little money, I buy books; and if I have any left, I buy food and clothes." Smart man! :-)

I used to buy 5/10 a month but I cut back on buying drastically, now I only buy 2 or 3 a month.

I used to buy only 1-2 books a month but over the last two I've bought about 10 books each month. But I'm trying to cut down again. ;)

Joseph wrote: "Tricia wrote: "I agree, Joseph! What's that saying? I buy books first and if there's any money left I buy food. Something like that! lol"

You're thinking of one of my all-time favorite quotes, w..."

Yes!! That's the one! :)

Interesting question. Of the 1100 books I have listed on Good Reads I have bought virtually all of them in the last 10 years (I have more books but they are in mine and my parent's lofts). So that is 110 a year or just over 2 a week! Oh my, that's a little scary.

That doesn't include all the books I've bought for my son either, nor books I have read on Project Gutenberg.

When I'm trying to control myself I usually get about 3 or 4 a week...when I'm not 'under control' it's a lot more. I try to make myself re-read everything a few times in between buys just so my husband doesn't go nuts! =D

i dont generally buy a lot of books, i get alot of books given to me, but since being with my partner he buys ps3 games so books are now my new purchase. this month i have so far bought 5 books and still more to be purchased, as i got book vouchers for my birthday.

Lately I've been buying at least 2 books per week. I've been on a huge reading kick and I can't stop. :)

In the past month I've bought almost 60 books... that's definitely more than average for me but lately Amazon has been so tempting! I also just got back from a short trip and I bought practically nothing but books while there. I have so many that I've yet to read but I still buy more and more! Not good. I'm also only 17 and don't have a job so I should really stop, shouldn't I? :P

Hmm, maybe between 3 - 8 books a month depending on the time of the year? You think it'd be less during the school year when I should be hard at work with my courseload but I still find myself wandering into a bookstore and coming out with some purchases. But I seem to be doing better now than when I was in my undergrad, lol.

It varies, but generally, I'd say I average between 5-10 books a month. There are actually months where I only buy 1 or 2 books, and others where I go way over 10.

And, why is it that the authors I tend to read all seem to have books released within a couple weeks of one another? I have a wonderful frenzy of reading for a month or so, then have to wait a year or so for something new by them! lol

I've cut back quite a bit, but it averages about 2-3 books per trip to Borders. And I go to Borders about 3 or 4 times a month. So anywhere from 6-12 books. Not too bad.

I'm interested to see how much I spend in a year though, I think I'll start saving my receipts.

Erica wrote: "In the past month I've bought almost 60 books... that's definitely more than average for me but lately Amazon has been so tempting! I also just got back from a short trip and I bought practically n..."

I was doing the same thing when I was 17 and jobless. And I'm doing it now....when I'm 20 and jobless.

It started when dad gave me money on saturdays and I'd buy 1 book a week fast forward to a few years... then this year moms been letting me drag her to borders every sunday, and I've been buying 3-4 books a week. =_= my shelf is slowly running out of room!

Normally, i buy about 1,2/ a week, 4-10 a month. it depends on the book. There was a time when i bought 12 books because it's on sale! I just cant stop :( Now i want to buy the whole the immortals series !!!

Karenie wrote: "Normally, i buy about 1,2/ a week, 4-10 a month. it depends on the book. There was a time when i bought 12 books because it's on sale! I just cant stop :( Now i want to buy the whole the immortals ..."

Love the Immortal Series. Enjoy it!!

10 to 25 a month. my nook atleast has stopped my need for bookshelves.

well for me it tends to be between 5 and 30 books a month but it also depends on what month it is, as i go to school. i buy more during the holidays.

I buy about 3 books a month. Sometimes more.

New to the group...

Hi, my name is Phil and I am a biblioholic.

(Pausing for you all to say, "Hi, Phil".)

I've been forcing myself over the last couple years, for budgetary reasons, to limit my book buying, but at my peak I was spending $100+/week on books in all formats both new and used, from brick-and-mortar stores or online--it didn't matter. If there were books on sale, I was buying.

Was?

Spending down to about $100/month now, but otherwise re-read that in present tense....

Up to a year ago it was 5 or 6 books a month at least. The last year is about 2 or 3 a month, because I found that a baby takes a lot out of a reader-parent. I also found that he does love books too, but because they're edible. Sigh.

Norah Lofts

I love Norah Lofts and own 53 of her books but I want them all.

Clay wrote: "A lot of the libraries have donor sales whereby one can buy really good hard back copies for $.50-$2.00. Check it out. Typically, there will be a Friend of the Library outlet somewhere in your ar..."

Yes, Colorado Springs has that every year and I have gotten 4 paper bags loaded with books for only $2.00 a bag! What a deal.

I buy about 3 to 10 books a week. Half Price Books has become my BFF... I've also been trying to part with kids board books since my youngest is almost 5 years. I figure if I donate them to my local library, I can always get them back out if the kids want to read them.

Hi, I'm new to the group as of today.
I received my Kindle in the mail about a week ago and have already purchased 20 books, a monthly magazine, and a daily newspaper to the list.
My question is, of all the books you purchase, how many do you actually read. :)
Gail

i read about a book a day so it i have to have lots of books on hand

I wish I could say the same, Michelle. I usually read 1 or 2 books max per week.

I buy 5-10 books a month but I don't read that many. I read 3-4 a month. I sometimes start to hyperventilate when I think about how much I've spent over the years and how much money is sitting on my bookshelves.

And then I go buy another book and I feel better...

I've cut back a lot--I used to buy about 10 books a week but now it's more like 10-20 a month. Stupid economy!!

At least a couple every month: my wallet is almost always empty... *sad: she can't buy as many books as she wants*

I'm probably at about 4-5 a month myself. But of course there are days when I'll wander into a book store and splurge just because I found so many books I thought looked good. During the summer it's bad because I'll go to the public library and they have their sale shelf. The books are only .50 for paperback and $1 for hard covers. Sometimes they have really great books and I can't help it. I never realized that I had an addiction until I read the intro for this group. I'm so glad I'm not alone.

It's been a little while, thankfully. I was buying about 8 or so every few weeks for awhile there and I don't have that cash handy any more, nor the room! O.o So, none this week.

Every month..That's tough question to answer....I'm all over the place..But usually every month I'll either buy some sort of reading form (comic or book).

I'm kinda trying a 'diet' of no book reading but I'm actually failing at it right now LOL

Too many!

I am always going to Half Priced Books and checking out deals on ebay for books I want, but dont need yet. I buy 2-3 a week typically, I have to restrain myself sometimes bc I would like to buy more. I usually justify buying them, by telling myself "They have this book now, what if they dont next time I come!"
I never ever pay full price for a book, always second hand.

Ashley wrote: "I am always going to Half Priced Books and checking out deals on ebay for books I want, but dont need yet. I buy 2-3 a week typically, I have to restrain myself sometimes bc I would like to buy mo..."

I'm with you on never paying full price for a book. If I do get a book at Borders or B&N, it's usually on clearance and rarely over ten bucks. That's my biggest problem! Going to those clearance sections and checking out books I've never even heard of and then thinking I might like them. So far I have't come across one that I didn't like though ;-)

Yeah I only pay full price (try to stay around $10 too) if I am going somewhere that I will be bored if I dont have a book with me (like a doc appt or something). I pretty much always have a book or 3 in my car though!

I really hate paying more than $5 for a book!!

I have been trying to limit myself to three per week but this month am going to try and get through the rest of March without buying one, just to see if i can do it (typical last words of an addict)