How do you budget for books?
do we even budget for it or just wing it
Books are expensive. As a newly married couple, we have material dreams and all of our income goes to those dreams. Every payday, which is every two weeks, my husband and I give ourselves allowances — spending money for clothes, make-up, and hobby-related stuff. Something to enjoy today while saving up for tomorrow. I, however, spend all of mine on books. That means, I rarely buy clothes. My makeup set is so old they're probably a year after its expiry date. I keep my skincare to a minimum. But I have no regrets. Books are the one main thing that brings me joy.
One payday allowance can buy me 2 new books or 4 second hand books. Sometimes that’s enough for two weeks, sometimes it's not. Sometimes when I want to buy other stuff, I would sacrifice my book allowance. Sometimes when I really want to buy something, my husband gives me some of his allowance haha. I do not force him to do this. Sure, we can increase what we give ourselves but I don't want to feed my consumerism mindset. Friends give me books anyway and on my birthday, my husband and I, allow ME to make a bigger haul. Somehow, this setup seems enough. If only I have access to a library.. Hmmm.
There's been a lot of debate about whether buying books is just another form of consumerism. I believe that the answer is more nuanced than just simply a yes or no. I am all for buying more books than your shelves can hold as long as you engage with it. There are far worse negative habits after all.
I know everyone’s financial situation is different and we have different ways of funding our hobbies. And so, I’m curious to know how you all make space for physical books or for paying e-books in your budget? How do you plan your money? As I write this, I feel like this is a taboo question that nobody wants to answer but here goes nothing. Let me know.
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buying a physical book still feels like such a luxury purchase for me 😭 it takes money, takes up space and weight… i find ebooks online through my town’s city or nearby library through the Libby app or a special city library app.. or try to buy secondhand online! there is a korean ebook subscription service called Millie’s Library (around 10 dollars a month), so i have that as well for korean language books!
Not having a library really is a bummer. I also went thru a phase when I bought lots of new books. Then when I moved across the continent and had to pare down what I could reasonably bring with me, i realized what I couldn’t part with was only such a small portion.
Nowadays I only get newly published books from the library. If it turns out to be something that resonants then I would keep an eye out for a used copy. Browsing thru used books is so much fun!