Getting rid of lots of books!

[CathyA]

It's funny how many books I have........about 2 big bookcases full..........and I haven't read most of them. I have a reading problem. I think I keep buying books, in hopes that I'll be able to read them some day.
Anyhow.......today a lot of them are going to the local public library. They have a big sale every Fall. I can't believe how many things I've bought in my life, and just never really needed them! I'm much more careful now, since I don't want to have to eventually clean them out!
Getting rid of books on cooking, gardening, birds, how-to, and even books on simple living! haha I can't believe I bought so many books on how to live simply. Seems kinda funny and counter-productive in achieving simple living, doesn't it? :~)

[iris lily]

I'm not sure that you should get rid of your bird books! Aren't they good reference books for you? What if there is a bird that comes along and you don't know what kind it is? Would you look that up on the web?

But the rest of them--sure, get rid of them.

[CathyA]

hahaha........IL.........you don't know how deep my illness is (with buying things I don't need). Rest assured I still have TONS of really good bird books. :)

[gadder]

Getting rid of books is a difficult experience. I cannot just close my eyes, grab a book and toss it into the 'donate' pile. Every book has a story: I bought/acquired this somewhere, it reminds me of a former love/interest/location, or I really only read this halfway, and this theme is really interesting why did I drop it? or, I meant to get back to this... etc etc...

Most people I meet these days have few if any books in their living area, but they do have a prominent computer display, and presumably get all their info/entertainment via this internet-thingy (Confession: at middle-age I love the internet but remember enjoyable times before it). I think: Having books on hand is qualitatively different and in many ways better than browsing the same info online. Might be worth a discussion.

[ToomuchStuff]

One reason why I like my Nook; digital books take up a lot less room. (some of my old reference books are now creative common's licensed)
I still have a lot of them to go through (all of them actually), as I bet my mom picked up 25 for me last year that I still have to pick up (example the Bourne series the movies were based on). I'd like to start just picking up one book and going through one a week and dispose of them. My problem is the main time I read is bed time.

[ApatheticNoMore]

I have decided to call my book collection "my library". Ahem, as appropriate someone my status and erudition, and I see no need to get rid of my library, such would be so philistine. :laff:

Really I've come to terms with the books :). I do easily get rid of books I find little value in, and thus I keep most of them. Most were aquired used anyway. And though I can't say I've actually read them all to completion, I have read some of almost all of them (it's all nonfiction)

[happystuff]

I have been downsizing my books considerably. I still have a couple of science fiction series that are no longer in print, and some craft books that I definitely use the patterns out of. I've been bad of late, however, in buying my Buddhism books. I've started attending Skype lectures and these books keep being referenced!!!! Granted, I have only bought 2 so far and I haven't finished either one. I vow (right hand up in solemn oath!)... no new ones until I've read the ones I have! :)

[ToomuchStuff]

One of these days I'll leave that money in the envelope to accumulate so I can see how much a years worth of "spending I would have done but didn't" adds up to.

Do you track your spending? If so, just set up another category, so you have your year total.

[Spartana]

Do you track your spending? If so, just set up another category, so you have your year total.No I no longer track my spending. I just do the thing I mentioned above as a way to remind myself that I really don't need to buy or do certain things to enjoy myself. Seeing the actual hard cold cash (vs. numbers on a page) in an envelope brings home the reality of how much money I WOULD have spent but didn't. Especially when I get rid of stuff that I never really used.

[Marion]

I sympathize, it IS really difficult to get rid of books !
My living space is so small that I have to keep an eye on the number of books I own, and a sort out was long due...
I am decluttering as much as I can now, and I have managed to weed out about 100 books that I am donating.

1) Some are going to "Circulivres", a sort of book-crossing event that happens once a month in my neighborhoud : you bring the books you wish to donate to the people who organize this and they stick a tag to the covers and display them for anyone who wants to pick them up for free.
2) Others are going to a charity shop.
3) Books in English are going to a church sale.
4) A few books are going to friends.

I realized I had a couple of books I had bought twice ! A clear sign that I must be more organized in the future ;)

[awakenedsoul]

CathyA,

When I first read Your Money or Your Life I added up what I had been spending on books. It was over $100.00 a month! Boy was that eye opening. I started using the library instead. When I was working in Broadway shows touring Europe, I had a suitcase full of clothes, and a suitcase full of books. I love my books! When I moved into my cottage, I sold most of them on Amazon. I was surprised that I got buyers for all of them. Good prices, too.

I think it's nice that it's nice that you're donating them. Other people can enjoy them that way...

[CathyA]

This is funny.......but it's so me. For some neurotic reason, whenever I get rid of a bunch of things, there's one thing I focus on, and obsess about. It's really separation anxiety. What can I say? I just neurotic. haha
I've gotten over it for the most part. But this time, I started missing an old "All about Tomatoes" booklet. There's really nothing new in that booklet, but I got it when I was just starting to garden........almost 40 years ago.
Anyhow........I went back to the Library and explained things and asked if I could get it. The lady said probably not.........she said it was too hard to sort through all the donated books and they've never let anyone into those rooms. I must have looked like a sad puppy, 'cause she finally called down into the bowels of the library and talked to someone and then said I could go down. I went down and the nice lady showed me where the 2 rooms were, and said I was welcome to look, but she doubted I could ever find it. Well, it took me about 1 minute to find it!! Hahaha............A mother knows her children, right? hahahaha

Anyhow.......on the way out I told the woman I'd probably donate it again sometime. haha

[mira]

I loooove getting rid of books at home and at work (I work in a library). I no longer buy books unless I need them for reference purposes. My husband, on the other hand, buys tonnes of sci-fi but donates it once he's done. This is still wasteful in my eyes but not all of what he enjoys reading is available at the library.

Everyone assumes that librarians' homes contain overflowing, wall-to-wall bookshelves...

[catherine]

I have a lot of favorite books, which are accommodated within about 30 linear feet of space on 3 different bookshelves in my home (rough estimate). The rest of them I give away. My favorite books are collections of my favorite topics, like simple living, environmentalism, history, Buddhism and Christianity. I also have some sentimental books given to me by my father and mother. I have a decent number of "how to" books, and I've even kept a couple of my favorite college texts (art and linguistics). I also have in the basement almost a complete collection of Folger edition Shakespeare plays. I have about 4 coffee table books--my favorite ones are a book on the background of America's slang terms, and a great book of maps of New Jersey.

I went to a party once--the host's home was literally wall-to-wall books. He had built-in shelves (the kind where you put up the metal rails and you can then adjust the shelves to any height you want, from top to bottom in his living room, dining room and halls (I didn't see his bedroom). There must have been thousands of books in that house. I kept thinking, this man really identifies with books, and wants everyone to know it! I love books, too, but looking at them every day would make me think of how often I have to dust them, and what a pain it would be to move them.

[ToomuchStuff]

I currently have too many books. This in part due to hours when my employer had some medical issues, and in part, due to last year, my mom, the garage sales queen, finding a lot of my type of stuff. So I am trying to get back into working my way through them, and then pitching them if no one wants them (at .25 each, it would cost me more to dust them)
I should use the library more, but know how I used to be when checking a book out, and for a few years pretty much only looked at reference books (that I may need to go back to). I like my Nook, and since a lot of my books get released digitally when newer versions come out (creative common's license), I try to use that for reference material now. Otherwise, it is cheaper for me to find them used and build up a list on someplace like Amazon, buy, read and pass along them. (in paper format, rather then digital)
I remember going into one friends home (about the same size home as mine) and books were EVERYWHERE. (had to move them off a table to set stuff down) I've feared I would let myself get to that point.

[Blackdog Lin]

I have 100-200 of my old children's books still in my library, and lately it has occurred to me that it's time to let them go. If I can even get anyway to want them. I'm talking 60's children's books, and probably most of them are too brittle to page through anyway. But it's hard to let them go, I was gonna read all of them to my (nonexistent) grandchildren. Life didn't cooperate.

I need to declutter useless stuff. Yes indeed. Okay. After the "Great Garage Cleanup of 2014" is complete, next job is finding a home(s) for the children's books, if they are still readable.

I understand completely the inability to cull books. They were my friends. They were great friends.

[frugalphil]

I don't know if this is the best place to ask this question, being new to the site, but, any advice would be much appreciated.

I have Real Simple magazines since the inception issue to the current one, that I'd like to sell. Does anyone have any ideas?

Thanks!

Frugalphil

[pinkytoe]

Ah...books! They are on my list of pre-retirement decluttering. We don't have an excessive amount but seeing their titles when I pass the bookshelf reminds me of all the phases of life we have been through - fixing up old houses, new age mumbo jumbo, simplicty, gardening, sci-fi. I only get books at the library these days so at least they are not growing. My tactic is baby steps - I will donate or take to Half Price books if I absolutely don't want particular ones anymore. Strangely, the ones I find hardest to part with are those I culled from my childhood days-old classics.

[mschrisgo2]

For many years I have referred to it as "my library" and, in fact, a "living library." I have 6 rather large bookcases: they extend the length of a 15 ft wall. Every few years I've gone through and taken out books to give to friends, sell, or donate to the public library sale. I'm a teacher, but what I teach has changed over the years, and books have come and gone. I still have a few from my undergraduate years, I was an English major in the days when I could buy a whole semester's worth of books, new, for $45. Lo and behold, I just pulled one of those poetry anthologies to use some selections with my fifth graders! Looking towards retirement in 2-3 years, and moving/downsizing, but my library is alive and well and will almost all go with me.

[mschrisgo2]

Real Simple magazines: eBay, or Amazon.

[ToomuchStuff]

Recycling old books? Anyone do that? While it is a nicer idea to hand books on/donate, etc. some information is dated (computer technical manuals, example, Windows 98 books), and am wondering if anyone has recycled them? (been looking at what is available in my area)

[frugalphil]

I ought to have made clear: I don't typically post on forums, ever, and I've already done about three hours of research on this, including ebay and Amazon, as well as several other options.

[sweetana3]

I just cannot imagine that Real Simple magazine would have value to anyone. They are 10cents each at our library sale if there. 50 cents each if Half Price Books puts them out. The postage itself would make them very expensive.

I had all the Mother Earth News from #1 on and just donated them to get them out of the house. Not everything is worth the time to sell.

[ToomuchStuff]

I ought to have made clear: I don't typically post on forums, ever, and I've already done about three hours of research on this, including ebay and Amazon, as well as several other options.

Since you don't post on forums, you will learn people can't read your mind. This reads like and incomplete thought.
Paraphrased, I should have made it clear, I know those options and..............

[mschrisgo2]

We have several very active freecycle groups here, and people often ask for "old" computer books...

[Tussiemussies]

I too have quite a lot of books as bout subjects that I love. I keep them for reference and creative inspiration and feel it is very important to me. I do have some that don't hold as much meaning for me so they will also be donated to a town that I lived in that has such little funding that they had to be closed on weekends at one point. If anyone would consider donating their books in good shape there I can provide the address. They could really use the help....