I know exactly what it's like when you're new to e-reading. Suddenly, a whole new world of ebooks opens up and, before you know it, you're spending way more than you meant to.

It's very easy to get carried away, especially as Amazon make it so easy to buy ebooks for the Kindle. So here's some ideas for reading - without blowing your budget! Image Credit: nuttakit @ FreeDigitalPhotos.net

1) Buy yourself an Amazon gift card/certificate for a set amount at the start of each month and stick to only using that amount for your personal ebook purchases. Once you've redeemed a gift certificate to your account, you need to be aware that any purchases you make on Amazon will be deducted from the gift certificate first before an alternative method of payment (credit/debit card) is used. You can choose where the payment comes from (gift certificate or other method) when you don't use the 1-click setting to pay for items. I've actually turned off the 1-click (faster ordering) on Amazon by going into Your Account / 1-Click Settings.

2) Download free ebooks from Amazon. Grab free books as you see them because they don't tend to remain free forever!

UK Amazon Kindle - Click here for the 100 Bestselling free eBooks

US Amazon Kindle - Click here for the 100 Bestselling free eBooks

3) Other Sites with Free ebooks for your Kindle:

http://www.feedbooks.com

http://www.manybooks.net

http://m.gutenberg.org mobile version of gutenberg site, download books from your Kindle web browser

http://www.smashwords.com some free Kindle books from Indie Authors/Publishers

http://www.baen.com/library a selection of free sci-fi and fantasy ebooks

http://www.mobileread.com/forums/ebooks.php?forumid=128 mobileread Kindle ebook library

4) Keep an eye on pricing in the Amazon Kindle store. Prices on ebooks can fluctuate. Even today, I purchased The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (UK version / US version) for £4 when it was £5.49 just a few days ago. Because I had it in my wishlist, I was able to act fast when the price dropped to get a copy. See my post on ebook pricing: http://www.kinworm.com/2010/10/kindle-ebook-pricing.html

5) Before you buy an ebook from the Kindle store, always check a sample. A sample of a Kindle book can give you an idea of whether you will like the style the book is written in, whether the formatting of the ebook is up to scratch and whether you really want to part with your money for a copy. I'll admit that some samples are next to useless because they don't give much away - but sometimes I can make a decision purely on the table of contents. It doesn't cost anything to download a sample. And if it saves costly mistakes, it's worth doing.

6) Check out book reviews before you hit the buy button. If you can't find a review for a book on your local Amazon also try looking on a different Amazon online store and take a look on Goodreads.com which specializes in book recommendations. While I don't always agree with book reviews, they can be a good indicator of whether a book might be one you'll really enjoy reading. Often people will share other similar authors for a given genre.

7) You don't just have to read books on your Kindle. Why not try reading RSS news / blog feeds? There is a wealth of free information out there for you at the touch of a button. I read blog posts on my Kindle about finance, cooking, books, technology and current news. See: What are RSS Web Feeds?

8) Look out for special offers online. Amazon often run promotions for lower priced ebooks, just keep checking the Kindle store for any announcements. UK readers, refer to no. 10 on this list.

9) Earn Amazon Gift Cards (UK and US) at legitimate websites such as SwagBucks which offers these, and many other prizes, in exchange for points you build up by searching the web, taking surveys, watching videos and playing online games.

I'm also told that UK members can also use: http://www.valuedopinions.co.uk and http://uk.mysurvey.com but I've not tested these myself as yet so I'm only recommending SwagBucks because I know it works.

10) A handy link for my fellow UK readers: Kindle Daily Deal is one heavily discounted Kindle book listed every single day. Bookmark this page and check it daily!

Kindle Daily Deal

I hope this helps you to get more Kindle books for your money.

Related Kindle Pages:

• Collecting Books for Your Kindle
• Free Audio Books for Your Kindle
• Managing ebooks not from Amazon