Book/Media Budget

[syn_ack89]

How much do you budget for books/media? What do you do to maximize that budget?

[Subhuti]

All our books are free from the library.

We were given an iPad by family, and an iPod.  

To fill it with audiobooks and music, I use our library.  So that's allllll free.  :)

We spend 8.99/month for netflix, we stream to the ipad or a computer.  Mainly documentaries and (heavily vetted) kids' shows.

our internet is 40/month.

That's it.

I consider us fully, cheapily plugged and well-read at 49/month.  

Oh, I have a paid subscription to the New Yorker and Sun magazines.  Unsure how much that is a year.  Perhaps 100 total.  

My New York Times digital subscription is free as part of my mom's home delivery service.

[mommariffic]

I'm really bad at budgeting media/books

I buy a lot of my books because I'm too impatient for my library, and we tend to really beat up our books. I do try to get them used off Amazon, and I'm a prime member so shipping is free (2 day too!) so I spend roughly $50 a month on books for everyone. At holidays I get insane amounts of gift cards for Barnes and Noble so these are helpful in feeding the addiction. I also try to sell/swap books so it all evens out really when I think about it...

We have Apple TV and that's free, but sometimes I buy nature documentaries from it for homeschooling (maybe $20 a month)

I don't buy music really (I have been listening to the same music for years) 

We pay for phone/internet/cable so it all comes together but we do have high speed Fios because DH works from home and we need it

[ollyoxenfree]

Most of my books come from the library, not just for budgeting but also to minimize clutter on my bookshelves. I don't keep a fixed budget for books and media. It is the one place I tend to splurge a little, usually on reference books that I want to keep, rather than get on loan from the library. I spend about $30 per month. 

We get daily newspaper delivery for $35 per month, which I am considering canceling because the paper's editorial policy infuriates me, as do a couple of the columnists. I get a fair amount of entertainment every day, though, composing letters to the editor that never get sent, so I haven't cancelled it yet. And DH likes the crossword puzzles. It's also handy for craft projects, fish wrap and other household needs    

Periodicals are another temptation. I've just decided against renewing three subscriptions, which leaves me with just one monthly periodical. It's a little expensive at $100 per year, but it's from overseas and is a nice reminder of living in a different country. 

Our television and internet are bundled with the phones, so I'm not sure of the cost breakdown. We have the second-most basic cable package, though, so it isn't particularly expensive. 

I know I spend more on books and media-in-the-home each month than I do on clothes or other entertainments like plays, films, museums etc. 

[zebra15]

Too much even though I am at the library at least 3x a week.  I still love the bookstore, amazon and the used book store.  I even bought some books at the booksale part of the library today.  What can I say, there are worse things to buy .... right??  I have a NOOKColor too so this was supposed to cut back on the actual number of 'books' but its not. 

I guess I am budgetless in this area.

[philomom]

You mean books aren't meant to make one broke?

Just kidding, we have an awesome library system here so I only buy the stuff now that I'm in love with.