June 10, 2011

Justifying A Kindle


Last night I had grand plans to start building my new solar oven “draft #1” but unfortunately I hit some snags. First, there was a giant thunderstorm and then I couldn’t find my wallet. I lose my wallet every few months, so this wasn’t a shock, but it was an inconvenience. This morning, in the light of day and sunshine, I ripped the car apart and finally found it between the seats.

So its pay day and I have a wish list a mile long. I checked my finances (Bank of America does that cool pie chart) and found that last month, with no rent to pay or daily mileage, I spent $320. $60 was car insurance and $150 was the credit card bill so I spent about $100 on food and whatnot. I did not add my bike (which I reordered) into expenses because, well, it looks better and it’s a onetime expense that will save money in the long run.

So, now that I’m saving some mulla I have made a deal with myself. The cash I save is going towards getting out of debt, but every month I can get something from my wish list. The bike was kind of May’s big toy; $100 and it has a two year warranty. So what, you may ask, am I getting in June? I literally just pressed the button to order my brand new Kindle. In 2008 I owned 350 books which I paired way down in order to move. By 2010 I was fighting to keep it bellow 60. I read a lot and one of the inconveniences of transient living is that I don’t have the room to store books. When I moved into my car a while back I got rid of all sorts of things and, by the time I turned in my apartment key, my whole life fit into my car and one trunk, which I stored at California Clare’s. In the trunk are some pictures, a quilt, and the rest is books. This was my line of reasoning when I was making my mental argument. The second part of my argument was that I can get most text books online now, for instance the $130 book I needed for my Childhood Development class was only $54 online. Six courses per semester, figure I'll save at least $100 (probably more)... So it was $114 with a $15 case and should be here in a week or so. I will definitely do a quick product review because, hypothetically, this should be the most convenient transient accessory ever.

9 comments:

  1. You won't regret it. I'm still in my apartment but the Kindle has gone a very long ways in allowing me to buy new books without adding physical space consuming items.

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  2. I am so happy I found this blog! I am in a slightly different position. Also 27, but I did graduate and have been working in the Finance industry for 5 years. I hate it, I hate everything about it. With Student Loans and car payments though I feel limited in what I can do. Hopefully some day I'll build up the nerve to listen to that "10 year old inside my head" Thanks for all your posts A. Nicholls

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  3. Wow, I've lived on the streets and I've lived in a mansion, but I've never lived in a car. (Does a toyota truck with topper count?).
    I admire your pluck and look forward to watching your progress.
    We're here for you no matter what you live in!

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  4. Good for you! You deserve it!

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  5. Hey Ash !

    Soooo cool ! Did you mean that you can also get your school text books on your KINDLE for a cheaper price ?

    Later my friend ....

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  6. Wolf, yup that was the golden clincher. ebooks are way cheaper but I hate reading a computer screen for a long time. This could solve the problem and save me some major dough.

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  7. Sorry to dig up an old thread. Just curious tho, why would you buy a Kindle when you have a laptop that can run the Kindle program? I also am a HUGE reader and have got rid of MANY of my books and am considering a Kindle.....

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  8. GSIslander, Awesome question! There were two reasons really.

    The first was versatility: It's the size of a paperback and lives in my purse. If I have a few minutes to kill it's like having a library right there and I don't have to boot up a computer.

    The second reason is light. Kindle has this cool type of ink that makes it very easy to read in direct sunlight. My laptop is impossible to read in certain light so that was a huge plus.

    Let me know if you have any more questions about it. I'm a book lover and never thought I'd go for this, but I love it and use it all the time.

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