Kindles are wonderful toys, and they allow you to take your whole library with you wherever you go. However, the Kindle can be a temptation for impulse buyers. Most Kindle models feature Wi-Fi or 3G that allows you to easily go online nearly anywhere to search for books and magazines. With simple ordering that allows you to quickly download e-books and start reading them, you might soon find yourself with a very expansive and expensive library.

While it is true that most e-books are cheaper than their printed counterparts, they can still be fairly expensive, especially if you find yourself buying more than one book a week, or you find yourself consistently purchasing new titles, which tend to be more expensive. If this sounds like you, there are a few things that you can do to help reduce your Kindle spending.

Free Books

A variety of books that are offered on the Kindle are actually free. For the most part these books are older, classics that have been in print for a very long time. Little Women, for example, can be downloaded for free. Classics are not the only type of free books available, and you can find hundreds of options, including romances, business related books, and more. In some cases, they might not be the highest quality read but searching through them and “purchasing” them can help stave off your impulsive buying habit.

Cheap Books

If you like downloading books for your Kindle, you should always sort by price. A wide variety of books are available online for $2.99 or less. Many new authors decide to go the e-book route, and you can spend your time weeding out the good authors from the bad. For only $0.99, you can have the latest romance, mystery, or fiction novel. Again, these books might not be works of art, but if you are looking for a light, entertaining read, you can generally find it for under $3.00.

Borrow Books from Friends

Amazon also offers a borrow feature where you can borrow books from other Kindle users. Not all e-books are available for lending, but all you have to do is check the product details to see whether or not lending is enabled. Once you lend a book, you cannot read it, but the borrower will have 14 days to read it before the book is “returned.” To lend a book, all you have to do is go online to the “Manage Your Kindle” page on Amazon, click the “Loan this Title” link on the Actions menu, and enter your recipient’s name and email address.

Instead of buying a bunch of titles and spending a lot of money, you can simply loan them out to your friends and family. This is a great option for a family that has multiple Kindles. For example, you can loan your child a certain book without giving them access to your Kindle, which contains books with adult themes.

While Kindles are very useful and fun tools, they can tempt you to spend more money than you should. Some people end up buying and downloading more books than they will read in the next couple of years. However, by following these three steps, you can enjoy your Kindle without breaking the bank.

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