NOTE: UGH! The difference between posting from WordPress via your laptop VERSUS the WordPress App leaves something to be desired! I posted it yesterday from the App and it never left the “Drafts” section of my account. My apologies!
Prompt: Do you buy books NEW or do you THRIFT them?
When I was laid off in 2009, I had SEVEN tall bookcases of books that I had already read. During my unemployment, I dwindled them down to one and a half. I love being surrounded by books, but I vowed to myself that I’d NEVER hoard that many books again because I honestly don’t have the room AND I am trying to lessen “stuff” accumulating in my house. Here are what I do to keep on reading, but keep books stored at a minimum.
I rock the library! Literally ALL of its resources. My first go-to.
I thrift books. Meaning, I will buy them from estate/tag/garage/yard sales or our semi-annual library book sale or thrift stores like Goodwill and Salvation Army, or even Facebook’s Marketplace. When I am done with my “thrifted” books, I trade them with friends, trade them in for credit at my favorite used book store, OR put them in my boxes that will stock my two upcoming “Little Free Libraries” that I am putting together. The books that will empower DV victims (primarily women) will go into the LFL. I also periodically donate them to the library for their next book sale too. I’m NOT filling up the landfill, I’m not hoarding, and I’m sharing for good causes! Sharing knowledge tickles me to death!
The only books I keep now are a few treasured ones that I know I will read again and again, books for reference, and books that I have purchased but have not yet read. My purchases currently got out of hand, but I am reining that back in currently!
The very few books that I purchased new would be ones that were MUST reads and that I was past the point of the ridiculousness of putting my name on the waiting list at the library. The last one, I believe was Go Set a Watchman, by Harper Lee, so it has been a while.
I hear you there! It’s freeing to own fewer possessions.
The library waiting list can be so long sometimes. I have a book on hold that said it will be available in four weeks and it turn out to be over two months. By the time I got the the book I was already in the middle of reading another book.
After our remodel last year, we got rid of so much stuff! It really does change your perspective having fewer things around you. I’m still working on weeding out my books, but it’s a process. 🙂
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