Can You Stop Buying Books? I’m Going To Try
Posted on September 9, 2008 by LJ Earnest
Categories: Simplification
Tuesdays are simplicity days at SimpleProductivity blog.
I looked around my reading area and realized things were getting out of control. You see, I love books. I love reading them, handling them, getting involved in them. Even though I make regular use of my library, I also buy books online, and come home with a stack every time I visit the bookstore.
A few years ago I cleaned out our bookshelves, getting rid of two six-foot cases, and the books that were on them. Since then, the remaining shelves have been filling up. I had thought it wasn’t a big deal because I make an effort to limit my to-be-read books to one shelf. But new books have been getting filed in with their subject brethren, and there were a lot of books I hadn’t read.
I decided to simplify, drastically.
As of August 16, I will purchase no books for one year.
What will this do? It will give me the time to read the 93 books that are currently sitting on the shelves waiting for my attention.
It wasn’t until I actually did an inventory that I realized how bad the problem had become. And I don’t need 93 books hanging over my head like that. By the time I am done, I will have worked through the backlog and simplified my reading even further.
Photo by nedrichards
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Comments (7)
I’ve only bought textbooks for several years now, since my husband’s family is all about GIFTS GIFTS GIFTS, and they don’t take me seriously when I suggest charitable contributions. I learned that a freakishly long amazon wish list means I have a good chance of getting something I might want/need/use (typically books) rather than, y’know, stuff.
I was in the same boat you are in and swore off buying books. I then re-discovered my local Library and through their network I can get just about anything. They even have free e-book downloads so I can always have something releveant to read. Now, I only buy books that I know I will use frequently. (like Mark Forster’s book, thanks for the tip) If I want to reread something else, I can just put it on reserve.
I think every book has his own time. Sometimes I bought a book that remain unatended for years, and suddenly, I read it and found it great. I will remain buying books…
[...] ← Can You Stop Buying Books? I’m Going To Try [...]
@Sarah: How do you convince your inlaws to use the list? Mine look at it my wishlist, nod, smile, and then buy me some clothing in the wrong color.
@Jason: I was impressed with my local library too. They also have MP3 books for download. I’m glad you pointed out that I can always re-reserve the book. I have been buying books that I wanted to use for “reference” and that has been a big stumbling block to my moratorium.
@Suribe: Do you ever find books that you have forgotten you had, or books that you know you will never read because you’re no longer interested? That’s what I found in my big purge a couple of years ago. Do you have any suggestions on how to decide if a book is worth purchasing? I used to do a lot of impulse buying, with poor results.
Have you tried paperbackswap.com? I love it and highly recommend it.
[...] I also used to buy a lot of books. I went on a new book buying moratorium back in August (see Can You Stop Buying Books? I’m Going To Try at my sister blog, SimpleProductivityBlog.com), and I have found that I have cut back my spending [...]