Friday, January 3, 2014

My (New) Golden Rule of Book-Buying

So I've taken a good look at my collection and realized that if I keep things up as I have been, I will never read all the books in my house if I don't commit to a change. When I first started thinking about this, I kept coming up with complicated rules and limits for myself, but you know what they say about going on a diet -- that if you deprive yourself completely or make things too complicated you will never stick with it? I'm going with that same philosophy here and have instead created a Golden Rule of Book-Buying for myself:
I can buy any books I wish, but only if I am actually ready to read them. 
That's it. Simple, right? This is a completely logical and sensible rule-of-thumb and is probably the way most rational people operate when it comes to buying books in the first place -- but clearly I haven't been rational when it comes to books in quite a while! If I can follow just this one rule, I think I will eventually be able to read my way through my collection. I can still add to my "library," but at a much more reasonable pace -- a pace that will also allow me to make time for all the other wonderful books I already have.

Already fuller than last time.
There's still a bit of room, but not much.

If I am truly honest with myself, I know I'm going to want to bend my own rule when it comes to my favorite used book stores. I'm OK with that, BUT only if I'm also bringing in books for trade, thus lightening my shelves a bit. I won't go overboard, but if I spot a few I know I want to read and can get them with trade credit, it seems reasonable to do so even if I'm not quite ready to read them. I do want to continue supporting these smaller local stores so I'd rather most purchases I do make be from one of them. And going forward, if I am looking to buy a specific book (stock is understandably hit-or-miss at a used store), my plan to avoid the online trap of ordering extra to get free shipping is to buy it from my local indie store. They usually have a really good selection in stock and can order just about anything else without a shipping fee. It's a win-win, if you ask me.

If I really think about it, it's truly ridiculous I have to make a conscious effort to implement this new Golden Rule of mine. You are free to mock me if you wish, but being fellow book-loving souls, I'm hoping you will understand this particular brand of craziness. I don't buy fancy purses. I don't buy clothes or shoes in excess. I very rarely buy movies or video games (those are mostly the hubby's domain, minus the dance games because they are fun and exercise -- you can bet I will not be exercising outside my house anytime soon as single digit temps have become the norm -- I woke up to -4°F this morning!). I still have a dumb-phone because I don't want to pay for a data plan. The only other splurge I am considering is a tablet to read digital magazines and the occasional ebook I can't get in print (you knew there would be a reading tie-in there right?). I've obviously been buying things for the house because well, if you don't want the whole neighborhood to see you naked, it's probably a good idea to put up curtains. Just sayin'. Books are (obviously) my thing, but it's time to get a bit more realistic. Wish me luck!

It's awful cold out there, but so beautiful!
Love this view of our backyard.

20 comments:

  1. Good luck! You can do it! Luckily for me I'm very stingy with my money so I don't have any book buying problems, also, it helps that I work at a library. :) I will tell you if I had more money to spare I would buy books all the time and I'm sure it would become a big problem.

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    1. Thanks Kay! Working at a library sounds like the perfect antidote to this *problem*...I know I am really so spoiled...but as much as a home *library* still seems like a good investment, it's started to feel wasteful, so it's time to read more and buy less! Come to think of it, that was the whole point of me starting this blog, oops! I definitely got sidetracked from that goal in the excitement of learning about so many new books & authors. I should also remember to check my library instead of being tempted to buy right away -- that would also force me to decide if I'm really ready to read it immediately because I can only borrow it for a short period of time!

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  2. I had to curb my book buying last year and it was tough! And when it was time, I totally binged, haha.

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    1. I've cut myself off (even more strictly) before, but I think blogging makes it even harder because there are so many more people recommending books and I am so much more aware of new authors and new releases. A book binge can be so much fun, but I'm going to try really hard to resist!

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  3. Good luck babe. I know this is going to be difficult for you, but I know you can do it! And remember, I'm always available to remind you to be good. Just send a text, lol.

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    1. Thanks babe! I think if I break my habit of checking Half.com all the time for deals, it will help a lot. And all new books I learn about get added to Goodreads so I can check back later and see if I'm still interested in a couple of weeks or months -- impulse buys and bargain buys have been my downfall, lol.

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  4. Ah, there it is, the thing that catches me every single time - free shipping if you spend more than such and such. Where I live there are very few bookstores, and the ones we do have are discount stores when the cut prices justify spending more. We do, however, have two very well stocked libraries, which is why I hope to make more use of those this year and hopefully stick to my book buying curb.
    I really like your golden rule and wish you all the luck in the world with sticking to it - you can do it Christine!

    Unrelated, but I love the view from your garden.
    :-)
    Bits & Bobs

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    1. Whoever started the idea of a minimum order for free shipping knew what they were doing -- they get us bookworms every time! If I wasn't so lucky to have such a great local bookstore, I think this would be much harder. Good luck with your own book-buying curb!

      And thanks! Since I mentioned how unbelievably cold it's been in my neck of the woods, I couldn't resist sharing :) Mother Nature is both brutal and beautiful!

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  5. Good luck, I may never read all of the books I acquire but I should die happy!! The snow looks beautiful, we had our high today by dinner it will be -4.

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    1. Thanks Kimba! Sounds just as cold by you -- stay warm -- hopefully that means inside, curled up with a book!

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  6. One thing that helped curb some of my immense book buying (besides nearly running out of space) is to make a shelf on goodreads where I shelve books I want to read but don't need to buy. I end up blowing a major part of my book budget on the newest release that is in hardcover and I need it right now even though I won't read it for months. I've started getting more of those books from the library. This has really helped me.

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    1. I am so guilty of snapping up a highly anticipated hardcover and then letting it linger too! I love your GoodReads idea -- I am actually trying to use my "want-to-read" shelf as a kind of in-between -- I figure if I'm tempted to buy a particular book, I can put it on that shelf and revisit it in a couple weeks (or months when the paperback comes out) and see if I'm still interested. And if I want to read it sooner than that, I will definitely be checking my library. I'm focusing on my review books at the moment, so all new finds will definitely be sitting in GoodReads "purgatory" for a while! I'll also make a "to-buy" shelf mainly for books that are next in a series I've started, but will be keeping that to a bare minimum and making sure I'm actually ready to read when I do take the plunge!

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  7. Good luck with your goal, Christine. I have a feeling I should come up with some kind of set of rules myself.

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    1. Thanks Riv! My recommendation is to really think about what you want your goal to be and how best you can accomplish it without making yourself crazy. What works for me won't work for everyone, so take some time to figure out what will work for you. (Pretty obvious advice, huh?)

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  8. Best of luck Christine. I'd say you should be able to do it, it more strict than 'one purchase every two/three books read' but those are do-able so there's no reason yours shouldn't be. And yes, when it is your 'thing' having quite a number is understandable.

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    1. Thanks Charlie! It is true that it is a bit more strict, but I know the free pass to purchase after every so many reads would quickly get out of control for me. I think giving myself a bit of leeway when I have trade credit will keep my inner book-buying demon at bay and help keep me on track in terms of avoiding impulse purchases of new releases :)

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  9. That buy-more-for-free-shipping thing gets me every time! Your golden rule sounds like one that might actually work. I might use that someday when I've run out of room on my shelves for new books (oh, wait, that already happened...).

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    1. Seriously, whoever came up with that policy really knew what they were doing! I hope you find a strategy that works for you. I'll have to see how I'm doing a few months from now -- hopefully this is the answer to curbing my addiction and keeping my (new!) shelves from overflowing -- I could have sworn there was more empty room on them just a few months ago :)

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  10. I love your bookcases. I am still trying to find something I am going to love and it will not take up to much space in my apartment. I love the corner idea and I am going to think about that. Since they are going into my bedroom I think I am going to get a low one.

    Love the book buying goals!!! Me to!

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    1. Thanks Alysia -- good luck finding shelves that work for you, it can be a lot harder than you would think! If you live anywhere near an IKEA, I highly recommend checking there -- lots of great options for really decent prices.

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I'd love to hear what you think :)